The First Week in Berlin

I am going back in time and will write a series of posts about THE MOVE - how it all begins, the challenges, the surprises (both good and bad), the learning curve and the adjustments. I am sure I will be pleased to read them in the future. Note: I've created Labels 'The Move' to simplify retrieving all posts related to this topic. Enjoy reading!

When we first arrived, our apartment was not ready for our occupancy. We stayed in an Airbnb for a week. During this first week, we had to get the children's school sorted. Only Dominic speaks German at this time.  Primary school allocation is based on your home address. So we went to the Education Office on our district on a selected day for foreigners registration. I still remembered that faithful day. We were queuing together with all the other foreigners. The children had to take a test to determine which class to be placed. It was a very simple test to determine if the children can read alphabets and numbers. Foreigners from Middle East may have to attend alphabet and numeric classes first. So, no problem so far.

Then we met the officers from the Education Office. We gave our home address. The officers told us our children have to repeat a year. Reason being British system is a year below German's system. Lucas and Chloe were in the British system in Malaysia. This argument was debatable but we did not protest. We thought it gave them a good breathing space to catch-up with the language. 

Then it was time for the school selection. In 2017, some schools offered Welcome Class (Willkommenklasse). This was specially catered for refugees from Syria. The children who don't speak the language attend Welcome Class first. Once they were at a sufficient level, they attend their normal classes.  The primary school 300m away from our apartment had Welcome Class. The Education Officers were talking amongst themselves in German. One lady said she thinks it was full and wanted to assign Lucas and Chloe to a school that is 45mins train ride away. Luckily Dominic understood and asked in German if she could called the school to verify. The lady did and thanks to our lucky star, there were exactly 2 vacant spots in the school 300m away from the apartment! The stars were all aligned.

The next step was to see a doctor to check if they have all the necessary vaccinations. The paediatrician in Malaysia provided us with a certificate with all the vaccination administered. It seems like vaccination in Malaysia is on par with the Germans. So, no problemo. 

Once all were sorted, the Education Officer told us to report to that specific school on a certain date and time. Then we said we could only start 2 days later because we have to be somewhere visiting relatives for an important occasion. From her facial expression, she was not pleased to hear that. Haha..

There we go, the most important task was done and dusted.

Preparation Before The Move

I am going back in time and will write a series of posts about THE MOVE - how it all begins, the challenges, the surprises (both good and bad), the learning curve and the adjustments. I am sure I will be pleased to read them in the future. Note: I've created Labels 'The Move' to simplify retrieving all posts related to this topic. Enjoy reading!

Once the decision to move was made, we told the children about it. They were naturally not pleased at all. Lucas was then Year 5 and had his circle of friends. Chloe was in Year 3 and had 2 best friends. They protested and then we came to negotiation. At one point, Lucas even said he will stay back and live with the grandparents. That's how against he was towards the move. After a series of dramas and bribery, we came to a compromise. We will keep the house as it is and will not sell it. If we are all not happy with the move, we can always come back. With this term, the kids reluctantly agreed to move.

Looking for an apartment to rent from far was not easy at all. I had sent in more than 10 inquiries and received no replies at all. The property agents probably thought I was a scam and wasting their time. Properties in Berlin then was at the peak. Everything was snapped up quickly even with the high prices. Somehow with luck, Dominic found a website that rents short term furnished apartments. We grabbed the offer even though the rental was high. We were desperate as we had less than a month to be there, in time for the children to start school.

To add to the agony, my visa was only approved 2 weeks before the departure! Thinking back, we were either so lucky that everything falls in place just in time or simply naive and ignorant. But it did work out well in the end. We were thankful.

We said our farewells to family and friends. We packed 3 luggages of basic essentials and left.

Shopping

 Christmas is around the corner and shopping can be stressful - for me. Somehow hardly anyone agrees with my taste except myself. Not even my children. I have stopped buying the children's clothes since 3 to 4 years ago. The last incident was Lucas asked for quick dry T-shirt for sports. How hard can that be right? So, I went to Adidas and bought a white color quick dry T-shirt. It can't be that off. I was so wronged. He said it is too long and asked my to return it! Since that day, I said do your own shopping. They are both pro at online shopping by now. Lucas buys from don't know which websites and had to pay custom duty twice. He has learned his lesson not to buy from outside Europe. Chloe loves to buy second hand clothes. She has no qualm on wearing god knows who or what was done to the clothes previously. She even sells her undesirable clothes online. 

Recently I asked them for gifts ideas.

Me: I think consumables are better. You use it and that's it. No need storage space. Shampoos or shower gel are good.

Chloe: No one gift shampoo!

Me: Why not? I do.

Lucas: You are telling them they stink?

Me: No, perfume is a very popular gift.

Lucas: True, but don't give deodorant. It is an insult.

How Did The Move Begin

I am going back in time and will write a series of posts about THE MOVE - how it all begins, the challenges, the surprises (both good and bad), the learning curve and the adjustments. I am sure I will be pleased to read them in the future. Note: I've created Labels 'The Move' to simplify retrieving all posts related to this topic. Enjoy reading!

In 2015 onwards there were a lot of political dramas in Malaysia. If you live in Malaysia, you know what am I talking about. The future prospect for the next generation does not look so good. I experienced the changes myself. When I started my job in the early 90s, there were still a number of MNCs and some were regional hubs or headquarters/competence centres for South East Asia. These MNCs had confidence to setup important decision making offices in KL. By 2010s, we were down with mostly back-end offices like shared service centre, data centres, call centres. KL lost its attractiveness. By mid to late 2010s, KL was losing its competitiveness to India, Philippines. Some of the MNCs back-end offices moved too. It was a disheartening thought. 

We sent Lucas and Chloe to private school. Not because we were rich or snobbish,  but because we had our reservations. We felt the public schools were not as good as when we studied there. In my time, only the super-rich and super-smart kids went to private schools. Majority was happy to be in public schools.

The curriculum does not placed importance on sports, music or outdoor activities. Any children who want to learn to swim , do taekwondo or play any musical instrument must go for private lessons. 

Safe public transport did not exist then. The place where we lived, there is no option for public transport at all. The children had to be ferried door-to-door for all outings. It did take a lot of the parents' time. 

We felt the children were living in a bubble. They will not learn to be independent. One fine day, Dominic and I decided we have to do something to change this. So we said let's move to Germany. 

In Dec 2016, we brought the children to The Hague, London and Berlin for 3 weeks. It was our scouting trip, to get a good feel on which city will be a good fit. Then Dominic had a job offer in Berlin. So, that's it then. It was decided - Berlin.

On 31st August 2017, on Merdeka Day, we landed in Berlin. We moved!

First Advent

 30th November was the first advent. It is a big deal in Germany. Christmas countdown starts 4 Sundays before Christmas. The 4th Sunday from Christmas is known as First Advent, 3rd Sunday away is 2nd Advent, 2nd Sunday away is 3rd Advent and the last Sunday before Christmas is 4th Advent. Then Christmas is imminent. Tales said Advent was created to let the children know when Christmas is. There is also Advent calendar consisting of 24 small gifts to be opened everyday starting 1st December. Once all 24 small gifts are opened, then it is Christmas. I must said it is a very interesting culture. Till today, we still celebrate and enjoy Advent.

For each Advent, I light a candle. By the 4th Advent, all calendars would be lighted. My children still looking forward to opening their Advent calendar. Different flavours of chocolates for Chloe and gummy bears for Lucas.

A lot of happenings during advents. Most houses will have the decoration setup. All Christmas markets are opened by first advent. All we are waiting for is a white Christmas.

Sustainable Hobbies in Retirement

 I haven't been working for awhile. In 2017, I was still working full-time with 2 young children. Now I am jobless with the almost adult children. A lot of time on hand. So, I am searching for sustainable hobbies - activities I can do until older age, activities that will not cost too much (retiree has no big budget) and a place to meet like-minded people socially.

I have tried my hands on a few, trust me. 

I tried hand-craft jewellery making. I bought the necessary tools such as metal scissor, flyer, beads, transparent thread etc. I made a few items for myself and gifts. But after some time, there is only so much you can wear and give as gifts. So I stopped. Luckily Chloe sometimes uses the tools to modify or fix her costume jewellery. It is not a complete waste after all.

Some of my handy-work

I sewed small items like pencil cases, pouches, coin wallets, bags - easy stuff. Again. we now have more than enough pencil cases and pouches. I stopped after Lucas, Chloe and myself have a few items each. The take from this hobby is I still enjoy going to the textile shops and look at the fabric pattern.

One of my many pencil cases and pouches.

Then I dipped my hand in pottery. I had my first experience in 2003. I enjoyed it. I gave it another go. I attended wheel-turning pottery workshop. It was fun. Then I tried pottery without the wheel-turning. After a year,  I stopped. I have no space and no use for all my work. 

Some of my work.

Then I tried watercolour painting. I followed some You Tube videos. I must say I do not have the flair in shadowing, color mixing, color layering. When I see a manageable piece, I try to produce it. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

What should I do with these? Throw?

The latest is Korean calligraphy. I enjoy the challenge of handling the brush but the problem is I do not know if I have improved. My teacher is more interested in teaching me to read Korean. I have been writing the most basic font - the squarish and no curve - for 6 months. A class-mate told me she wrote the basic font for 2 years before she 'graduated' to the modern font. I am not sure if I have the patience. 

Sometime I think I can write neatly i.e. good porportion but I really don't know the goal. My teacher always said well done and keep going :( 

2 days ago during dinner, I floated the idea to my 2 kids. I asked what can I do. Lucas said I should go swimming and really learn how to swim. I can do frog style but I can float and I can't do free style. Often he said I should to go the gym with him. Chloe said I should do aqua aerobics or trampoline jumping exercise. 

A few friends suggested I take up golf. A South Korean friend said playing golf in Germany is very cheap as compared to Korea.  I remembered when I first met her, she was always hoping for rain on her golf practice days. She hated it so much that she needed reason to skip. Now she misses the calligraphy class to play golf! Another retired friend said she plays 2 to 3 times a week. Hmmm....let me think about it. The cost of picking up golf is golf clubs and membership? How much is it?

One activity which I think is ideal is cooking, provided your children are at home eating it. You cook and then it is in the stomach and to sewage. No physical space needed for storage. :(

In conclusion, I am still searching. 

Mother and Daughter Trip

 Chloe and I had our first mother daughter trip. She had 2 weeks school holidays and most of her good friends were away. If we don't plan anything, she would just be happy to stay in her room with her phone. So I asked her where did she want to go. She said Utrecht, the town Miffy was born. Miffy is her new favourite character. Move over Minion. 

So we took a trip to Amsterdam. Chloe's last visit was in 2016 but she said she had no recollection of that trip. The train was five and a half hour non-stop. Not bad a journey. Upon arrival, we were hungry and went to a pancake shop. We must have stumbled upon a tourist trap. The pancake was good but the price was tourist price. 

Apple crumble and banana chocolate pancakes.

We wondered along the canals until dinner time. We clocked 15,000 steps on the first day. Chloe's definition of holiday was no need for agenda. She said just walk. So I just followed her and walked. Had dinner at a highly rated local restaurant.  The food was good but the pancake at 4pm spoilt our appetite. We both were not very hungry. 

The ribs were tendered but too bad I was not hungry to eat more.

The next day, we ventured to Utrecht. It was half an hour train ride from Amsterdam. Famous university town and of course the birth town of Miffy. We managed to squeeze a canal boat ride in the evening. There were only 2 of us in the whole boat - like a private tour. The captain slowed down the boat for us to take pictures and gave his personal commentary. It was wonderful. And we clocked 16,000 steps.

This is Miffy.

The famous houses by the canal.

There are 7 bridges aligned in a row.

The famous bridge in a lot of the impressionist paintings.

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a visit to the museum. We only had time to visit 1 museum and we chose Rijksmuseum. On the last day, we we were walking to Chinatown for our dim sum fix, we walked through the red light district by chance. I saw all main entrances have red light on and was telling myself what a uniform facade. It only clicked after I saw some models standing behind the window. Interesting sight for us both. 

As we were done with our to-dos, the storm came. It was time to head home.

A few things I have learned or observed during this trip. 

1. There were hardly any homeless people sleeping on the streets. I only saw 2 in the central train station. Very impressive record for a big city. 

2. I was always wondering why the houses were so open. Hardly any curtain or blinds and you can literally see what's happening inside the house. A friend who live there for 30+ years said is it the religion - Calvinist Protestant - believe in transparency, nothing to hide. Hence, the open house.

3. The buildings are built with the trademark look- red bricks. I was curious and googled. Wiki/AI said red clay is abundant in Netherlands. That's why it is common to use it as the building material.

4. Like any big cities, there are a lot of foreigners working in delivery, retail, hospitality. My thoughts are how are they received by the locals? Is the language proficiency good enough to communicate or are they expected to be fluent in order to integrate? What is the tolerance level like?

All in all, it was a sweet short trip. Chloe had the best ramen in Europe as she said. I walked quite a bit and appreciate the city better.

Autumn Is Here

 You know autumn is here when the leaves change color, the rain is consistent, the day gets shorter, the birds are migrating. I find it to be a beautiful season, like the nature is preparing to recuperate after an active spring and summer. Just like human. 

If you can see the 2 black V-shaped lines. The birds are moving to somewhere warmer.

The drive to my neighbourhood is always so pretty.

Lucas's Firsts

 A compilation of Lucas's first day in kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and University. How he has grown to a fine young man.

Where was I?

 Hello!!! Welcome back!

I found myself again after 11 years! I last blogged in Dec 2014. Then I was very busy with my full-time job, 2 growing and demanding kids. In the midst of all the actions, I didn't see the 'cuteness' to write anything funny or memorable. I just stopped. Since then, life had evolved and moved on.

Fast forward, the children are grown-up. Lucas is 19 and Chloe is 16. Both have grown to be independent and sensible young adults. They have been reading the blog diligently to find out their own antics when they were younger. I am therefore grateful that I blogged. It gives me encouragement to continue blogging. It will come in handy in the later phase of my life when I need help to recall my midlife phase.

My taller than me children. 

Life Starts at 50s!

 Watch out for this space!

Something exciting is coming....stay tuned.