Getting a washer and dryer

One of our biggest concerns with the initial move to Germany was the headache of buying and installing major appliances that wouldn’t be taken care of by our landlord (i.e. a washer and dryer system). Well, since Craig recently got the keys to our apartment and laundry service at his hotel is so incredibly expensive, Craig didn’t hesitate to tackle this headache. He started pricing out appliances, and, for the most part, they seemed pretty comparable to the US. But let me just tell you, Americans are spoiled when it comes to laundry care!

Take a look at this label and see if you can figure out what I mean:

Some sentiments are universal

Craig is now living in Leipzig and has been very busy settling into our new German city. He set up a new bank account, registered as a resident with the city, got the keys to our very empty apartment (he is living temporarily in a hotel until our things arrive), finally got his cell phone, and even managed to lease a car!

Check out these wheels!

He has had a relatively pain-free transition thanks to the help of his German-speaking colleagues from work and our relocation expert, Birgit. He has, however, been running into a bit of trouble when he doesn’t have a translator around.

The new guy at the office

Craig is working at the Heart Institute in Leipzig and has an office located across the street. It’s not a typical office building, but actually a rented apartment space that has been converted to an office. In his first week in Leipzig, he was working in the “office” alone when there was a knock on the door. He answered the door and was greeted by a German man who started rambling on in German before Craig interrupted him with a “Sprechen Sie Englisch, bitte?” The man shook his head no, and asked for Katrin (Craig’s co-worker). Katrin wasn’t there unfortunately, and after a few more attempts to get his point across, the man, obviously frustrated, held up his hand and said, “fünf Minuten, fünf Minuten.” Craig closed the door slowly as the man walked away, very confused about what just happened.