A wealth of useful information

Italy Vacation countdown: T minus 12 days.

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I have once again been reminded never to underestimate the knowledge, resourcefulness, teamwork, and collaboration of a determined group of women. This was never more apparent to me than this past weekend as Buddy and I attended our first social functions of The American Women’s Club of Düsseldorf. I had been previously aware of the American Women’s Club as an international organization as there are thriving chapters in Seoul and Taipei; however, for many reasons I was either unable to engage in the group’s activities or for whatever reason did not feel the need when living in these cities.

With 7 months of living in Germany now completed, there are still little things we are trying to figure out. I would group many of these questions/issues as items that would simply make life a little easier or more enjoyable, but are certainly not life threatening. A few items are things that have simply been thorns in our side since day one. Either way, with summer concluded, and the new year of the AWC/Düsseldorf in full swing, I decided it was time to connect with this organization, if for no other reason than for a little female camaraderie. I was not disappointed.

Friday night, I attended a wine tasting event at a local “winehaus”, hosted by AWC. Besides having a lovely buffet meal and learning a little bit about wine, I met some great couples, some who had been here for a number of years, others who were still relatively new. On Saturday night, Buddy and I attended an AWC dinner for “our zone’ (essentially our district in Düsseldorf), again meeting another set of couples and having a FAB meal at a local restaurant.

Suffice to say, we walked away with scads of useful pieces of information about where to buy what, travel anecdotes, local sporting and entertainment options, as well as making some new girl friends which for me has been sorely lacking. Here’s a sampling of things we learned this weekend:

* In Germany, ATM machines don’t print receipts. (For months I have been trying to figure out the German words on the ATM screen that would allow me to actually receipt a receipt for my transaction. I have now learned this is simply not an option, and I can now cross this one off my list).

* Buddy will need a golf license (essentially a golf permit) to play golf on any German public or private course. Without such a license, he will be turned away. Not only were we totally clueless about the need for such a license, we now have the name of a local golf pro who can help Buddy with obtaining said license. Ah, the Germans have a form for everything.

* Most people drive to Eindhoven, NL, Brussels, Belgium, of Luxembourg to buy US food items, household items, clothing, etc. that are unable in Germany. Things like: Gap jeans, Gold Medal flour, and PAM spray….Many of these drives are less than 1.5 - 2 hours away.

* Many people drive to the same cities to see English language films in the original version (that have not been dubbed into German). In Germany, we have few movie options that are in the original version.

* By law, we cannot be denied the right to put up a satellite dish for our apartment, although we now must mount it on a tripod. Apparently, other expats have had this issue when they requested to mount a dish on their apartment building and were turned down (like us). Bonus feature: there is a man who does installation for all the expats on these dishes, who speaks English, and can come out to the apartment, consult on the issues, and get us set up. I may actually have TV viewing options before the year end! AMEN!

* A beaucoup of recommendations for names for dentists, doctors, and relocation experts experienced in expat relocations (I am no longer beholden to “WRG” – Worthless Relocation Guy”, the name by which I lovingly refer to our relo expert).

I could go on, but I think you get the gist. If I sound a bit chirpier, you’re right. I found myself re-energized and ready to face the challenges of international living because of a merry band of women who have gone through this before me and are happily willing to share their learnings and experiences. As I was told, “if you’ve got a question, just pick up the phone and call”. Consider it done.