School's out...for now

One chapter to a close...school is out (I can't decide if it feels like a finally or a how can it be so soon?) and we hope to shift our attention more fully to our impending departure. Somehow we have to try to pack (and ship) things to our new apartment, prepare our house for someone else to live in, visit all those people we're supposed to see before we go, and not wear ourselves down to the bone. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Meanwhile, we've ALMOST got all the documentation ready for work permits. The latest bureaucratic issue is that they need a translation of Katy's diploma--apparently they want to actually be able to READ it and Latin isn't good enough. Who ever heard of someone reading a diploma? And why do they need it anyway? But there it is, we can't work without it, so we have to get a translation sent to us so we can send it to the relocation people. Unbelievable.

We're also working with our tutor on the last (and most important) lessons in German--how to order food in a restaurant. We'll be looking at all the food names to try to learn what they are so we'll be able to get something we want (and not things we don't want!). The funniest one so far is a dish that comes mit Musik. Apparently the story is that after you eat it, YOU supply the music! Those crazy Germans.

Can't say I have anything particularly new to add except that Oscar made me realize today that there are under two months to departure date...starting to get the "Ohmygoodness--toomuchtodo--cantgetitalldone--aaagghhh!" feeling more and more often. Extra passport photos, shipping companies, paperwork, doctor's visits, more paperwork...this is hard!

Meanwhile, we ARE having fun learning some German together. Today we started in on the things used in schule. Bleistifte, Filzstifte, Waxmalstifte...let me tell you, there are a lot of Stiften out there. But the kids are doing great and whatever we do now can only help later.