How long are you staying here?

This is a question we get a lot. What's our plan? How long are we staying? Where do we go next? (or, sometimes from Stateside, when are you coming home?)

The answer: We Don't Know Yet.

Brian has a 2 year contract, so we are staying at least until next summer. After that, if the school likes him, they would offer him an unlimited contract. We are pretty sure the school likes him, though the other staff are not sure what to do with his loud teacher voice. Having an unlimited contract means that unless he is a serial killer or a child abuser or a thief, he has a job for as long as he wants it.

I can't speak for Brian but I know I go through huge mood swings when I think about living in Hannover. Like last week, I was entirely fed up with the fact that my washing machine leaks water and I can't call the people who sold it to me (out of the back of a truck, I guess I should have known) to make them come and fix it. I might be able to put the words together but wouldn't understand the response, and would sound like a 3 year old saying it. So for the moment we have a pan under the machine and I need to get someone else to help me call.

Then I went to Subway yesterday and remembered how it used to be a completely intimidating experience - so many questions, and so much Denglish (Deustch + English), like they ask if I want my sandwich getoasted. That's like making toast into a German verb and then putting it in the passive tense. Totally confusing. And they have no mustard there. Mayo only. The first time I went to a Subway, the cash register was broken and it was crowded and I was nervous, and realized after I walked out the door that I had paid double for the sandwich. But I didn't know how to go and ask for my money back so I just didn't. A few weeks ago the cashier at Subway gave me the wrong change, so I told him to fix it. Not bad.

There are times I wish I knew where to buy a fan or ice cube trays (Germans are not big on ice, so ice cube trays are hard to find). There are times that I go to a restaurant and  all I want is a big glass of free ice water. There are times that I nod and say yes and I am not sure what I'm agreeing to, but I'd rather take my chances than feel dumb.

And then the accordion man starts to play outside the grocery store on the corner. And I realize that we have a grocery store on the corner and almost everywhere I need to go can be reached by foot or by bike. And I realize we've made some good friends here too and those aren't so easy to find.

 It will be funny to visit home this summer - we will have to remember how to drive and how much to tip servers at restaurants. I will probably talk incessantly to strangers just because I can.

So after next summer? Maybe we stay longer, maybe we move home, maybe we move someplace else. We don't know yet. That's the answer and we're sticking to it.