Laundry in Germany

Okay, I know I've mentioned before that I find it weird that I have to empty the water reservoir on my dryer after each load, just as I empty the lint trap. But there's much more to laundry in Germany that is different, and not entirely pleasing, as opposed to doing the wash back in the U.S.A.

I'll say it right at the start - I miss bleach. I didn't always use it, don't always need it, but when I want it, I want it. And the Germans don't believe in it. I can't find liquid bleach for the laundry or even a laundry detergent with bleach added. I'd be happy with a bleach pen for taking out tough stains, but no go. And for that matter, I really miss my Clorox Clean-up for cleaning the kitchen and bath. For me, nothing says my house is clean like the smell of bleach.

But, even beyond bleach, there are some definite disadvantages to the laundry system in Germany. The machines are generally much smaller than their equivalents in the U.S. Yes, I know German families are also generally smaller than U.S. families, but my U.S. family of 5 still makes a lot of laundry in Germany. I bought the largest washing machine they had at Media Markt, which isn't bad, but the dryer is still very small.

I know the dryer is smaller because many Germans don't dry their clothes in a dryer, or at least not all of their clothes. And now that my daughters are mostly all wearing junior sizes, most of their tops don't go in the dryer - especially those I've bought in Germany. So, I have a huge, German drying rack in the laundry room to accommodate all the clothes that don't go in the dryer.

The worst part of doing the wash, bar none, is the length of time it takes. When I do a load of whites, the machine clicks on for 2 1/2 hours!! Then, I move those whites to the dryer for another 2+ hours. I can't imagine it taking so long in the U.S. for one load of laundry. True, the delicate cycle isn't as long - but still well over 2 1/2 hours from start to finish. That's just crazy - with 5 people in the house, I can be doing laundry all day - everyday. Especially after we return from a trip - yikes!

Now, I will concede that it's possible that our clothes will last longer using the German washer & dryer - I don't know this for sure, but that's what I've been told and it seems possible to me. However, without bleach, there are many things that are irretrievably stained and have to get thrown out, so we have some attrition that we might not have in the U.S. And yes, I also believe that the German system is more energy efficient. It makes sense to me that we're using less energy and not heating the water as high as we do in the U.S., of course the cycle takes so much longer, I'm not sure how much energy is saved.

When I get back to the U.S., I may very well look for a front-loading washer, like my German one. I quite like that there's no agitator for clothes to get hooked on. And certainly my German washing machine uses much less detergent than my U.S. one does. But I want heat in my dryer again. There's nothing quite like taking soft warm clothes directly out of a U.S. dryer on a cold winter's day.

I know that Germans who work for dh's company and are moved to the U.S. can't wait to get back to Germany to use the German washer & dryer, because they think it's so much better and the clothes last so much longer. But I, for one, am definitely looking forward to getting back to my U.S. washer & dryer and being able to do a load in under an hour, from dirty to dry.

Our 1st Anniversary

Well, we've been living in Germany for one year as of today. It's still amazing to me somehow that we live here, even more since we just returned from a month in the U.S. yesterday. I'm still in that jet lag twilight zone, made even more interesting because I'd gotten out of the habit of speaking German, what little I know, and hearing people speak to me in German. It seems so foreign to me again, although I'm sure we'll get back into the swing of things again soon.

A month in the U.S. made me realize how happy I'll be when we do move back, even though I like living in Europe and traveling all over. I spent a week in Elmhurst visiting all the friends and neighbors we've been missing for the past year and it was great. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and was so happy to see that it felt natural and conversations weren't stilted at all, even after not seeing them for a year. I hope that I can maintain that feeling with my friends and neighbors there over the remainder of our time in Germany. It was such a great feeling of homecoming to see them all this time.

Then we spent three weeks at our cottage in Upstate New York, like we have nearly every year since we've had children, and like I have almost every year of my life. It was great to have a week with just my sisters and their families to do the normal things we do every summer - dinner at my sister's cottage, going to movies, shopping at the outlet mall, etc. Then my dh arrived and a couple days later, his mother and niece arrived for 3 days. This was a lot of fun for all of us, as our niece is the same age as dd#3, so all the girls had a great time together, painting rocks, tubing, swimming, and at the local fair. Also, we hadn't seen dh's mother in a year-and-a-half, and she hadn't been to our cottage in many years, so it was great to have her visit.

After they left, dd#1's boyfriend, his parents, younger brother & sister all arrived for a week - which was a lot of fun. DD#1 was obviously thrilled to have them visit and really, we all were. Dh & I really enjoy the boyfriend's parents a lot - they're one of those couples that we both like and relate to, which is rare. All three of our girls get along great with all three of their kids, which is also rare. And the weather was mostly ideal the whole week that they were there. So it was perfect. Another of dd#1's friends, a guy who is her boyfriend's best friend, arrived on the last Monday and stayed through Friday as well, so everyone had fun. We toured the Cornell campus and engineering quad, which dd#1 found more interesting than I think she planned to. All-in-all, it was a wonderful vacation and made me sad to leave.

All during our time in the U.S., people asked me how we like living in Frankfurt. I found this hard to answer, although I could honestly say we love the traveling we've been doing since we're here. I could also be honest about the fact that the girls have made good friends here and are doing well in school, although I admit freely that the school in Frankfurt is not as academically challenging as the honors/gifted track they were all on at their schools in Elmhurst. This year, dd#1 will be academically challenged because she is taking 5 AP courses, which are just as challenging no matter where you take them. But dds#2&3 are definitely not being as challenged, especially in English - both reading & writing - as they would be in the U.S. and this bothers me. They have to rejoin their classmates in Elmhurst when we move back and I want them to be able to join the honors track that they'd be taking if they were still there for these years. So, I may sign them up for some supplemental enrichment courses.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm undecided about my overall impression of life here in Frankfurt. I've met some nice people and have made a couple of friends, although not anyone that I go shopping, out to lunch or even on day trips with. Maybe that will come. Of course, some of the friends I've made have either already moved or are moving this year, which is, of course, the nature of the beast when it comes to Expat life. I'm not sure that I would like this on a long-term basis, as I hate to make good friends and have them leave - like the one family we all really enjoyed so much this year who came and went already.

I've signed up for a lot of, maybe too many, volunteer positions this fall in order to meet more people, make more friends, and feel more connected. I spent a lot of time this past year alone in my house watching DVDs of U.S. TV shows, reading, scrapbooking, and sending emails. It was a very lonely year for me. Dh has work and even though he hasn't made a lot of personal friends there, he has a lot of colleagues he likes, respects and enjoys and he has contact with other adults all day every day. The girls have made friends at school and have fun with them at school and on the weekends. I've been living for when everyone gets home, which doesn't always help as the girls have homework or social engagements and dh is usually on his computer game, a lot. So, I'm hoping that this second year in Frankfurt gives me more of a chance to make a good friend or two who are home during the day and looking for things to do.

Overall, I'd say I'm enjoying the experience. I've been learning a lot, although my German isn't very good. I need more lessons, but dh's employer only agreed to pay for 6 mos. of classes for me. We're going to ask them to pay for more, as I'm the one who has the most contact w/German speakers. I love the travel and the incredible places we've seen. I'm looking forward to more of that, for sure. And, of course, I'm hoping that at least some of the people who have said they want to come visit us this year actually come - it's great to have company here. So, it's been an interesting year, a challenging one, sometimes a sad and frustrating one, often a lonely one, but also an exciting one. I guess that's a good thing, all-in-all.