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Home at last!
We FINALLY made it back after our own little Homer-worthy epic (I’ll write a nice long post about that soon, but let me sum it up in one sentence: DO NOT EVER, EVER FLY WITH IBERIA).
First, I want to remind folks about the Expat Dinner this coming Sunday.
My blog is having some issues. It stopped notifying me that there were comments in moderation, so sorry that some comments have been sitting there for a week. I do have some high school buddies (the nerd squad) lined up who will help me work out all the little wrinkles in the coding though, so things should be running smoothly in no time.
I enjoyed my trip to the US, but not nearly as much as previous trips. I am very glad to be back home in Germany again. After 2.5 weeks of public breastfeeding in the US, I can say that I felt most weird about it in a Silver Diner and an IHOP, both in northern Virginia, while in DC everyone seemed fine with it. In the slightly more upscale establishments in Virginia, I also didn’t feel weird. I did it once in the mother-child room at Nordstrom’s and found this very uncomfortable, mainly because of all the diaper changes I got to experience while in there. I made sure to tell a family member who made a comment about why can’t people just go to the bathroom in the department stores that this is not the most pleasant environment.
A couple of random observations: Damn there are a lot of kids in America and what’s up with all the travel systems, man? And why do people put blankets over their babies while they’re in the strollers? Rainer noticed that if he was holding Oliver and Oliver started smiling at another baby, then Rainer started smiling at that baby, the parents seemed to get upset and seemed threatened by this. I didn’t notice this, but maybe they felt less threatened by a woman looking than a man? In Germany, Oliver gets tons of attention, in American he hardly got any, and if he did it was from African-American women. Hmmm… Are people afraid that if someone notices their child that that person must be a child molester or a kidnapper? I wonder how these kids are gonna turn out compared with German kids, who are definitely not raised in such a sterile, controlled way. Also, formula costs a fortune in the US. It’s like, 3 times more than it costs here in Europe. Actually, food in general costs a great deal more over there. The Christmas dinner we made for 12 there cost twice as much as the Thanksgiving dinner we made for 26 here (of course, here it was potluck, but there were over twice as many people).
In the end, we bought a lot of clothes, I’m talking about 4 x 44lbs of clothing (okay, I got some DVD box sets too). And my family fell in love with little Ollie.
Now we’re all recovering from terrible colds, so I’ll have to cut it short and leave you with photos from the trip.
Oliver was a perfect little man on the plane. That’s him in his bassinet on the plane.
Oliver and Grandma finally meet!
Mr. Oliver goes to Washington
Oliver touches the moon (rock, that is, courtesy of the Air & Space Museum)
Oliver goes to the Washington Zoo. Oliver’s favorite thing at the zoo? Watching all the little kids!
Oliver with my aunt
Oliver with my bro
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About Christina G
Christina Geyer has lived in Germany since May 2002. She also blogs on the site Mamas Worldwide. For more, see About Christina G.
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Kimber on Thursday Thunks November 20, 2008 11:40 am
I like your answer for #12! Kimbers last blog post..Thursday Thunks: 14 Odd OnesChristina G on WorldWise Quiz: Berlin November 20, 2008 5:58 am
Congrats! I missed the year of Kennedy’s speech. Bad me!Christina G on Still Ongoing: The Off the Beaten Path Challenge November 20, 2008 12:07 am
Awesome. I’m looking forward to it!CN Heidelberg on WorldWise Quiz: Berlin November 19, 2008 11:32 pm
I got 10/10, yay! This can make up for my poor performance on the election quiz.
CN Heidelbergs last blog post..Ikea on...Tom on Where to find a used car in Germany November 19, 2008 9:33 pm
Hi, great info- just a little to add if i can. I live on the brstish net of expats here and have found in recent year the...Christina G on IHOP now has streusel pancakes November 19, 2008 8:34 pm
Yeah, I’m not obsessing about it. Just a little embarrassed when I see it and was looking for something to post for...cliff1976 on IHOP now has streusel pancakes November 19, 2008 8:17 pm
@cliff: Horribly embarrassing for me, as an American who knows a little something about Germany. Hmm…don’t take...Harvey Morrell on IHOP now has streusel pancakes November 19, 2008 5:57 pm
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Interesting observations! It sounds like Germany might be the better place to have a baby…
And beautiful photos!!
Great pictures of Oliver! I also found it always kind of weird when being back home. It just doesn’t feel the same anymore because you are so used to your new country. I would agree with you, that everything is much more controlled here (US) when it comes to kids. I was always wondering why people had blankets over their strollers - it freaks me out a little bit. I
He is sooooooooo adorable! Really, how can perfection get even more perfect. I hope you had a wonderful time with your family. I enjoy reading your observations, very interesting and thought provoking. Welcome home to Germany.
Here’s another thing I noticed about the U.S. in this last trip. A lot of new parents (I’m talking kids under 7) seem to act as if being a parent has given them a license to tell the rest of the world to f*&# off! I noticed this a few times on the way to Texas. They seemed so obsessed about obsessing over their kids (they really hovered) that they seem to forget that there is a world going on outside of their new little stressed out family. This, of course, seem to make the kids nervous wrecks as well. Poor kids! I think Oliver is lucky to have you guys!
Welcome back! Your family is beautiful and little Ollie looks like a real travelling guru!
We are planning on visiting Ohio in June of this year … I can only hope that Henry does as well as Ollie!
I’m surprised about your comment about people covering up their babies in the States. My most significant observation(s) here with kids in strollers are 1) parents bundle their kids WAAAYYY too much - strumpfhose and pants when it’s just barely cold out??? plus a fusssack and a blanket??? and gloves and a hat??? 2) no stroller here comes - that I’ve seen - comes with a cupholder. Now, maybe I’m too Ami for this, or maybe it’s my automotive background, but cupholders are a great idea - especially for kids!!! 3) I love that the strollers here can be manipulated so taht the child has multiple facing positions! BUT - I’ve seen lots of kids that look like they’d rather be upright rather than laying down …
How are you guys feeling???
Welcome back! We’ve found your experiences interesting! We lived in DC for 5 years before coming here, but did not spend much time in VA (more in MD if we left DC). Our experiences with our older daughter, breastfeeding in public, etc were all very positive there! In AZ too. And she was breastfed until she was nearly 3, so it was not unnoticeable. Germany is unique within Europe, though, in that breastfeeding is accepted here (though many still seem to bottle feed in public), however the neighboring countries (like Belgium) can be rude about it.
One thing that saddened me when we moved here (NRW) was how little attention our daughter and baby received in Germany compared to the US! Opposite experience! In DC, AZ and NYC our daughter always had people smile at her, talk to her, take pictures of her, even kiss her feet while crossing the street in Manhattan! Here the kids seem to only get this weird stare from older people, except some foreigners will show interest now and then.
The blankets on the stroller thing is more common in NRW than in DC! It seems there is a blanket or a pillow (!?!) or a zip-on cover on the strollers here even in summer. Maybe NRW is just different than the south?
That all said I’m going to CA for my first trip to the US in nearly 2 years and I am bracing for a shock!
Oliver is very cute, BTW!
“Mr. Oliver goes to Washington”. awww. that’s the cutest photo ever. all bundled up and you can barely see the tip of his nose. but the eyes are a killer. your young man is quite a success with the toddler-ladies, i guess.
speaking about IBEARIA: i am in the know. i felt the same way the last tie i ent to the US. the only good thing about the whole affair was flying across the alps into milan during sunrise. the mountains were on fire.
Ahh, looks like it was a good trip. Oliver looks so handsome! Those baby blue eyes…you’re going to have to beat the girls away with a stick :)
@c n heidelberg: Yeah, that’s my opinion so far.
@bek: I think it’s not only being used to Germany now, but also that up to that point, I’d only been a parent in Germany. There’s a lot of stuff you just don’t notice till you have a child.
@pam: We did have a wonderful time with my family. I think we’ve even convinced my mom to take some time off from the restaurant and come to Germany for a visit. She needs a vacation!
@tammy: I’ve known a few people who were raised like that and they are neurotic messes. And yeah, I saw some of them people in the DC area too. You never know, I could start obsessing once he’s walking!
@alice: Rainer’s well, Oliver is a sleepyhead and my sinuses have cleared. Germans do tend to overdress babies and themselves. I moved here from North Carolina and I’m often the least dressed person out and about in the winter here. And as to the baby blanket thing, it’s not for keeping the baby warm, they drape it over the stroller so that the baby can’t see out or people can’t see in (not sure which of the two options is meant). Also, I was surprised that everyone has snack trays/drink holders on their strollers. I’m thinking that maybe the baby doesn’t need to always have a snack/drink, but of course, I could change my mind about this once Oliver is of snacking age and yelling for Cheerios or apple juice every few minutes!
@michael: I look forward to hearing about your upcoming trip and any reverse culture shock you’ll have. I didn’t go into MD at all, in DC he got attention from everyone, but in VA it was more from minority women. White people pretty much ignored him. It was weird.
@rita: He’s a chick magnet
And you can get the same view flying Lufthansa. That’s what we’re doing from now on (well, technically we’ve decided that we will only fly European airlines from countries north of the Alps).
@andrea: I’ve already got the stick ready ;-)
Christina, I’m telling you, no matter where I was in the US, if I saw that beautiful baby coming towards me, I would make a fool of myself gushing. He is definitely irresitible! Fighting the girls off will be a full time job for you, I am sure. I do have to say, when I react to babies (you can probably tell that I love them), I get mixed reactions. Sometimes people are very friendly and open and willing to chat, at other times they are snooty and act like I am from Mars. I think I am just used to the mixed reactions, although, of course, I prefer the former. I do also think people are much more paranoid here. Maybe our society will become gentler when we get a Democrat in the White House this year! I have to say, when I am in Germany, if I try to have a conversation with a stranger, I do get funny reactions, but there again, some are very nice, others think I am weird! All of my German friends and family notice and think it is very strange when they come here how “friendly” people they do not know are. It is interesting to compare the two cultures. I do hope your Mom can come for a visit. She will LOVE it!!! Take care.
God, is this little baby happy!
I am wondering about your comments. I thought it was the other way around, Amerika was the more kid-friendly place to go, compared to Germany, where everybody hates little kids. At least that is what I am hearing from German woman traveling to Germany. I wonder how that comes together.
I found people to be very friendly to Wee Laddie, both in the US and Germany. Maybe it’s just a regional thing in both places… guess we’ve really lucked out!
I LOVE the travel systems… we’re definitely getting one of those for Schatzi. Don’t care about cup holders, but at times I don’t want to sling him, I will NOT want to carry that stupid, heavy car seat.
I suspect the covering up thing has some to do with the current US paranoia about germs. No matter how many articles you see about how unwise it is to use antibacterial stuff all the time, people still slather it on constantly. We used to cover Wee Laddie only when it was really cold out and we were trying to block the wind. Or in the car, ‘cause he used to scream the *entire* time we were driving somewhere unless he was covered. Ugh.
Hope you’re all on the mend and settling in back home. Glad you had a great time with your family!
Hi, sounds like you had a mixed bag of experiences, but it must have been wonderful for your family to see the little wonder, and for you, the proud parents to introduce him to them. Forget about silly buggers who can’t tolerate breast-feeding in public. Happy New Year!
What a cutie Oliver is. And your mom looks so young… tell her I want all her beauty secrets!
When I read the words “nerd squad”, I could only think that only a fellow TJ alum could try to understand the true extent to which this term is accurate, and maybe not even I can manage it.
The baby is, as always, ridiculously cute.
As for the cost of living, I was always under the impression that it’s much higher in Germany. Quick googling doesn’t provide any decisive results. Does anyone have any data on this? -Kevin
@pam: I think that, in general, Americans are more open to “small talk.” I hope we will have a Democrat in the White House soon. Actually, I’m hoping for Obama, but I suppose Hillary will do
@silvia: Hmmm, I’ve heard that before too. I guess I didn’t find the US kid-UNfriendly, but I did notice how MANY kids were there. Maybe it’s a regional thing, like O-Tay says. We haven’t really been with Oliver in other regions, but in Bavaria, people have been super-friendly to him (and us).
@O-Tay: Glad you’ve made it back safe and sound. I could see the covering thing if it was really sunny or windy outside, but this was while shopping in the mall, and I don’t think it was just cause the kid was sleeping. It was weird anyway, how many people were doing this.
@swenglishexpat: Happy New Year to you too! I think once you’ve acclimated to a new country, any expat has mixed experiences upon returning home, it was just my first time home as a parent. It was great spending time with and introducing Oliver to my family though.
@B: It’s good genes, ain’t I lucky
@kevin: Yeah, I think only a fellow TJer can truly appreciate that term. With cost of living, I haven’t seen any data, but I think groceries are much more expensive in the US. When we shopped there, our bill was MUCH higher than here. I think it’s balanced out by other things though. Clothes and shoes are a lot cheaper there than here. I was surprised to see that DVDs have gone up in price. They’re not the great bargain they used to be. I only bought a couple of tv box sets, usually I would come back with a dozen new releases as well, but they were all $20-25 instead of $12-15 like in previous years.