Dragnlaw in Germany

[GotGarlic]

I've remembered that kind of cake since Germany. I've always said I would make one and, of course, never have.
Thank you for the link GG! Guess I will now have to start a serious effort to rectify that off the list of "Never Have I Ever".

Dragn, you've mentioned living in Germany several times. I'm curious. If you don't mind me asking, what took you to Germany? How old were you? How long were you there? What did you do there?

I'm fascinated by the idea of living in another country for a period of time.

 

[GinnyPNW]

GG, looks like you hit on one of those Top Secret/Need To Know subjects! Maybe @dragnlaw will answer if we say, Pretty Please with Sugar on Top?

 

[GotGarlic]

I guess so!

Dragn, pretty please with sugar on top?

 

[dragnlaw]

Lol, no biggie guys! But my computer has a gremlin that is out to get me. At the moment I' m using my tablet, which also happens tp dislike me intensely.
I've found an angle I can type at but this touch screen is taking me unexpectedly to places no typist ever wants to go.
O
My turn to take the grands to school this am. But I shall be agonizingly back soon.

 

[Badjak]

OK.
I' m not dragnlaw
And I haven't lived in Germany
But...
Born and raised in the Netherlands, though with dad and his side of the family born in Indonesia. Mam's brothers were in the merchant navy.
And when they came to visit, they had all those exciting stories.
I was just a little one, but thought I needed to at least work and live out of the country for a couple of years.
So I did...

 

[GotGarlic]

OK.
I' m not dragnlaw
And I haven't lived in Germany
But...
Born and raised in the Netherlands, though with dad and his side of the family born in Indonesia. Mam's brothers were in the merchant navy.
And when they came to visit, they had all those exciting stories.
I was just a little one, but thought I needed to at least work and live out of the country for a couple of years.
So I did...

If you would like to start a thread about your experience living in another country, we'd love to read about it.

 

[taxlady]

I imagine that it's similar in the Netherlands to Scandinavia. Lots of young people (probably still mostly young men) join the merchant marine for a few years. It used to be sufficiently common that it was almost a rite of passage to adulthood. My dad was in the merchant marine. I remember my surprise when he told me that he had been to the US as a teenager. It was as a crew member on a Swedish merchant ship. He had vivid memories of New Orleans.

 

[dragnlaw]

Well, my computer's behaving for the moment. So I'll try to get this answer in before it gets the heebie jeebies and shivering all over.

I wasn't there for long (about '57-'59) but it was certainly memorable for me. Dad worked for 3M, so my history is about 3 years in Minnesota. Then Germany for 3 years. But I was quite young.
We lived in Hamburg, which I remember the most and that seemed to have the most impact on me. I was a resident, not a tourist.
I had a US Army friend whose parents were stationed in Dusseldorf and I took the train down to see her - all alone, I was 12! and felt so grown up.
Schooling was all over the place for me. Some in a German school, some in Gstaad, Switzerland, some on a Cdn Air Force Base (3 or 4 Wing, can't remember which as my sister went to both). Then an International School for English speaking kids in Hamburg that was started by the parents not wanting to send their kids to boarding school.
Summers we traveled, Barcelona, Spain, camping - we had this HUGE tent (our family was 5 + 2!) Next we traveled thru Denmark, ferried across to Sweden and north over the Arctic Circle. One Christmas was spent skiing in Austria.
I never made it to Italy although 1 brother and sister did.
I vividly remember the rubble still in Hamburg from the war. Climbing thru the bunkers in southern Germany, mostly destroyed but still explorable.
Most cities in Europe have a Crest. I have 2 silver bracelets with the Crest of each city we visited.

And there you have my life's travel history.

 

[Meryl]

I was born in London to Italian parents (they emigrated there in the 60s).
I grew up in London and then worked for eight years in an office, then realised I wasn't "made" for living in a chaotic, polluted city, so at 26 yrs old, I moved to Italy, to my parents' small, quiet native town, completely opposite to noisy, grey London! They came over soon after when I got married and started a family. I'd never go back.

 

[dragnlaw]

As much as I love my family, which I do very much, I should never have left the country side - city living is just so NOT for me.

 

[dragnlaw]

Meryl, just reread your post. Reminds me of my honeymoon. We went to England. My new husband, my new sister-in-law and me. Had a fantastic time. They had both been born in England, emigrated when quite young but my SIL had been back many times.
One of the funniest memories was walking thru Piccadilly Circus, myself and SIL in the lead with husband trailing and gazing around, a step behind, SIL turned around to ask her bro how he was enjoying it - and he replied....
.
.
wait for it....
.
.
.
.
It's OK I guess, but where are all the animals.... "

I swear it's true...

 

[GotGarlic]

Dragnlaw, it sounds like a fascinating way to grow up. My parents and I lived in Germany for two years when I was 6 months to 2 1/2 years old. I barely remember it, although apparently German was my first language. My dad was in the Army, my mom worked for the Army and our landlady Frau Stumph took care of me during the day.

 

[dragnlaw]

GG, it was and I have always felt to be a very privileged person to have experienced it all. Wish I remembered and could experience more. Especially now when I realize how lucky I was.
When we came back, I pretty much still spoke German fluently but it didn't last long, I failed it in High School - mainly due to grammar. Then I moved to Quebec, in trying to learn French my sentences came out with extremely hysterical mix of German sounding French words or French sounding English words.... with the French speaking people immediately switching to English when they heard me. Probably more to ease their pain than to relieve mine.

 

[mseaglecook]

Oh, How cool is this post. I hope all of you will share more of your experiences. I myself lived in Santiago, Chile for a time after I graduated high school. It changed my life and helped me to appreciate other cultures and to be very thankful for the God given beauty of my area of the USA. We all take so much for granted.

 

[caseydog]

Meryl, just reread your post. Reminds me of my honeymoon. We went to England. My new husband, my new sister-in-law and me. Had a fantastic time. They had both been born in England, emigrated when quite young but my SIL had been back many times.
One of the funniest memories was walking thru Piccadilly Circus, myself and SIL in the lead with husband trailing and gazing around, a step behind, SIL turned around to ask her bro how he was enjoying it - and he replied....
.
.
wait for it....
.
.
.
.
It's OK I guess, but where are all the animals.... "

I swear it's true...

My ex-wife and I went to the UK for our honeymoon. We were there for two weeks, and went up the East coast by rail to Scotland, and came back down the West coast by car to get back to London.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

So mseaglecook, tell us more about your experiences living in Chile! How wonderful for you.

 

[caseydog]

Dragnlaw, it sounds like a fascinating way to grow up. My parents and I lived in Germany for two years when I was 6 months to 2 1/2 years old. I barely remember it, although apparently German was my first language. My dad was in the Army, my mom worked for the Army and our landlady Frau Stumph took care of me during the day.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

That must have been great casey! We drove to Land's End because, of course, I had to visit Tinagel, King Arthur's birth place.

 

[mseaglecook]

So mseaglecook, tell us more about your experiences living in Chile! How wonderful for you.

Oh, I will very soon.