well, i’m back in germany.
Random thoughts on being back in Germany after being in Texas for 6 weeks:
1) I miss my big, cozy, squishy American bed with sheets and too many pillows. German mattresses are like an upgraded version of the mattress you slept on at summer camp. The pillows are sometimes hard to call pillows. There’s a 50-50 chance of the bedding horridly tasteless. But, worst of all, there are no sheets under that comforter you have. It’s bizarre and is certainly taking readjusting.
2) I have my hands full. Literally, 5 of them. It is going to be real hard to follow up the previous rockstar au pair, who also happens to be a best friend. Lauren, at least I have you to desperately Skype and send texts all the time.
3) Why are bathroom light switches outside the bathroom here? It drives me bonkers. You walk in, close the bathroom door and then remember the light switch is outside. The bedroom light switches are inside. These things don’t add up.
4) Talk about jumping right back in, I was left with the 3 youngest kids this weekend while the others jetted off to France.
The weekend was spent doing art projects, jumping on the trampoline and playing dress up.
5) On another note of jumping right back in, I completely forgot how terrible my sleep schedule is here. Note to self: working on 4 hours of sleep is no fun. Stop doing it.
6) Taking care of little girls is different than boys.
7) It feels great to be back in Karlsruhe! Despite exhaustion, unpacking and work, seeing friends has been great and I’m looking so forward to my other friends getting back here soon.
8) I reached 200 followers on Facebook, y’all rule. Thank you! I don’t play that blogger numbers game (thus the move to WordPress), but it’s always nice to know somebody reads this little time suck.
I head to Austria tomorrow for a week. Not sure of the Internet situation there. We all know how addicted I am to it, so I may die a little if there’s no access. Or it could be great for me. Basically, I’ll catch y’all (hopefully sooner than) later.
I can’t handle the sheet-less duvets. I hate comforters; I prefer several blankets. So duvets? Misery. And the bathroom switch thing is a pain, too. Plus my electric toothbrush is constantly dead because I can’t be bothered to take it to another room to plug it in…
Germans got a lot of things right, but definitely not those couple things.
Welcome back! I was just complaining about the lack of sheets here, too! I never make the bed in Germany because it doesn’t even look nice when I do. HAVE FUN IN AUSTRIA!
And that is officially my new excuse for never making my bed, danke!
welcome back to Germany! and the light switches bug me too…
So you’re not going back to the same family? 5 kids sound like a lot!!!!
Glad you left the blogger numbers game (brilliant name for it, btw!).
ahhh! austria is so beautiful! i think youll be good with the interwebs!! im sure i dont need to tell you take tons of photos!!
also, i think the bedding would be a deal breaker for me. my bed is my haven!! hahaha
If I didn’t fall in love with Germany before hating the beds, it might have been…
Austria will be amazing! My mother and family are from Germany, are you staying in northern or southern? I’m jealous!
Happy Comment Love Day!
xo.
Liesi
ps. that is why I switched to wordpress too
I’m in the southwest on the French border, it’s beautiful! Where is your family from?
Have a great time in Austria!
But I know people who have their light switches inside too. 
And you are right, I have never thought about it but the light switch in my bathroom in Germany is outside too.
ya I mean my German bathroom experience isn’t the most extensive, but in both my families and seemingly hotels it’s been this way and drives me bonkers!
I hope you have a great time in Austria!
I was just talking to my friend about the bathroom light thing – only I use it to terrorize my boyfriend and give him a little disco light show when he’s trying to shower. It’s pretty hilarious…probably not for him!
hahaha that’s such a good idea – except then i’d be in constant fear that they’d come back with worse and just leave the lights off
Welcome back… or however you say that when you’re not in the same place as someone, but want to welcome them there. Anyway, hope you’re having a blast!!
I’m glad to hear that everything’s off to such a great start but it definitely sounds like the 5 kids will be a challenge. I know you’re up to it though…have fun in Austria!
The mattresses are the same in France. My bed sucks. I hate it.
Like what’s the dealio? I get it back a few ages ago but come on, enough people have traveled to the US and experienced the wonder that is the American bed now haven’t they?
I didn’t know that the mattresses are suck in Germany.
5 kids definitely a challenge. I have 4 much younger siblings and i know how kids operate. haha.
hope you have a great time in austria
The good thing about siblings is you can be mean to them, ignore them, lock yourself in your room, etc haha. I mean, I don’t have them, but that’s my observational experience.
I have my memory foam bed from home here, so I only have to sleep on the German ones in hotels but that is definitely a hit or miss experience. One hotel might have a mattress that you’re right would compare to camp. The duvet cover might not be comfortable and that’s miserable with no sheet. I usually like having at least two pillows so having one that is wide but thin is not fun. I did stay in a hotel in Cologne though that had a memory foam type mattresses, a suitably fluffy pillow, and the softest duvet cover ever such that I really didn’t mind lacking a sheet. I even took a picture of the tag so I can look for that brand for our own bedding. I do like the German convention of each having their own comforter though. I didn’t think I would, and it’s not the prettiest thing when the bed is made, but it’s nice not to wake up to the cover having been pulled off.