tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32714001056470756672024-10-05T04:02:20.439+02:00What Happens When a Yankee, Ex-German Expat Puts Down Southern RootsErinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.comBlogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-7216366623350730412009-06-26T20:41:00.005+02:002009-06-29T15:54:20.078+02:00

I love a festival. I love a competition. I love pork. And, as part of my current exploration of all things southern, I love barbeque.So what could be more up my ally then Hillsboro Hog Day? It sounds like so much fun. In addition to barbecue, the event promised activities such as a hog hollering contest, the area's largest antique car show, arts and craft vendors, rides, and musicians.It started

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-74351976416452506662009-06-16T20:22:00.003+02:002009-06-16T20:56:02.679+02:00

On Saturday, June 13, Kevin and I took the baby out for his first road race. Both Kevin and I have run our share of races in the past, but running with a stroller posed a new set of challenges for us. The baby really enjoys going out in the jogging stroller so that wasn't the problem. In fact, he slept through most of the event. The problem also wasn't managing with the stroller. After a few

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-22065627101639291292009-05-12T22:15:00.003+02:002009-05-14T17:02:29.017+02:00

I know, I know. It's been quite a while since my last post. That's partly because when I have a few minutes I'm either trying to hustle to get stuff done around the house, or whipped out.Since this blog was originally started as a travel blog, I figured I should rally today to write about the trip that we took over the weekend. It was the first trip we've taken since the baby was born that wasn't

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-85962161766138683272009-04-20T16:22:00.004+02:002009-04-20T22:15:46.732+02:00

Earth Day 1990, Central Park. I gathered with thousands of other people for a huge festival, but the thing that I most remember about the event was coming down with the chicken pox the following day. (I can only imagine how many people I managed to infect.)Since then, the day hardly registered on my radar. Nineteen years of nothing, then this year it seems like green events are everywhere. Maybe

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-37268940767290497372009-04-06T15:30:00.002+02:002009-04-06T15:59:03.497+02:00

Last week I noticed a thin layer of dust on the car and knew it was coming. After this weekend I can say that there is no doubt about it: yellow season in Raleigh has arrived with a vengeance. On Sunday we went for a walk in the late afternoon, and by the time we returned home less then an hour later the entire stroller was covered with the yellow film.This phenomena came as a complete shock to

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-39026482944505448902009-03-23T15:08:00.006+01:002009-03-23T15:43:00.450+01:00

I love a farmers' markets. For me, the perfect Saturday morning involves a trip to pick up seasonal veggies, freshly baked bread, and perhaps some artisanal cheese or pasture grazed meat. I'm one of those people who will brave freezing temperatures and pouring rain to support my favorite farmers. Everywhere I've lived -- New York City, Bonn, or Raleigh -- finding a market is part of what makes

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-23897700594430645392009-03-12T18:34:00.003+01:002009-03-12T19:42:30.363+01:00

One thing that I loved about Bonn was the city-run composting program. We simply sorted our biodegradable items, called "biomüll," into a small garbage can and then put into the building's green trash bin. It didn't take long for me to realize how much less garbage we produce when we were compositing.Upon return to the states I knew I didn't want to go back to my old ways. Throwing away all of

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-39727455169347774512009-03-04T23:15:00.007+01:002009-03-06T16:26:34.560+01:00

On Sunday night Kevin and I took the baby to a college basketball game. The University of Maryland's team was in town playing NC State. Since Kevin's favorite team is the Maryland Terrapins, he was super excited to get tickets to the game thanks to one of his friend's parents, who are season ticket holders. (When Kevin asked his friend what he could do to thank them, he was told, "Just don't

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-83544543634026034252009-02-25T17:13:00.003+01:002009-02-25T17:32:49.731+01:00

While in Germany I shopped at the weekly markets in Bonn and Bad Godesburg. The markets were great and offered a huge variety of vegetables, meats, and cheeses. The problem that I had shopping in these markets, though, was that I didn't always know were the food was coming from.Some stands were labeled with the location of the farm -- and sometimes I even knew where the town was -- but more often

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-21496785650857479912009-02-17T15:35:00.004+01:002009-02-17T16:02:45.546+01:00

The baby is sleeping upstairs* and I finally have a few minutes to update this blog. The problem is: I can't think of anything to write about.At this time last year, each day brought something new to share. Trips, festivals, customs, and strange foods were any everyday occurrence.Today, on the other hand, I'm house bound (but happy). And while everyday still presents itself with a new set of

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-53182858248085878512009-02-12T16:16:00.002+01:002009-02-12T16:35:15.402+01:00

Living in Germany was a wonderful experience. I got to see and do so many things that I never would have been able to experience had I not lived there. But there are things about the country that I just never fully understood, like the no closets thing.Today's post is dedicated to some of the little (or not so little) American things that I have been enjoying since I moved back to the

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-79280677349359418382009-02-05T15:43:00.003+01:002009-02-05T16:11:14.948+01:00

Before the baby was born, I anticipated many long sleepless nights when the little guy just wouldn't settle down. So far, I'm happy to report that our nighttime routines have not lived up to this image. In fact, to some extent, I find that the nights are almost easier then the days.At night there are three things that I need to do: check his diaper (I quickly learned to do this first thing when

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-86432123346508542522009-02-02T17:00:00.004+01:002009-02-02T17:56:18.139+01:00

Throughout most of pregnancy, I expected that I would be spending my first few weeks with the baby holed up in our apartment in Bonn. It wasn't until almost week 30 that I had to shift gears and start imaging what it would be like to have the baby in the states. While something were a great relief -- like being able to take birthing classes in English -- many of the things I had already planned

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-69861371111963669892009-01-28T15:38:00.004+01:002009-01-28T15:57:45.188+01:00

As someone who wrote a number of posts waxing on about my support of his candidacy, it may be surprising that I had nothing to say about Obama's inauguration last week. Here's another shocker: I didn't even watch the ceremony until almost a week later when I discovered that it was available on-demand. So, what was I doing instead?Last Tuesday morning, right on schedule, I had the baby. He's

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-34185770334573991962009-01-19T16:29:00.003+01:002009-01-19T16:49:06.167+01:00

One of the things that I missed most about living in Germany was the lack of movies. Sure, there was a theater in Bad Godesburg that played movies in English, but the times were never convenient. They usually started between 4:30 and 5:30 PM. Way too early for Kevin to get there after work, and I felt guilty going by myself.Now that we are back in Raleigh, I love having movie theaters everywhere.

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-38134272014126472222009-01-17T00:12:00.005+01:002009-01-19T20:50:38.696+01:00

When we came back to Raleigh, both Kevin and I had projects that we wanted to get done around the house. I really wanted to have shelves and cabinets built in to the space on either side of our fireplace. Kevin really wanted to replace the carpeting in the living room with hardwood. In the spirit of compromise, we decided to do both.It seems like we are trying to get a lot accomplished in a short

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-85102892116205336342009-01-15T15:31:00.002+01:002009-01-15T15:42:31.894+01:00

One thing that I really missed in Germany was being part of a book club. Although I knew a few great English-speaking women by the time that I left, I was never able to get a group started.In New York, a few friends and I started our own group in 1998. Members have come and gone, but the group has been meeting faithfully ever since. It makes me extra happy to know that they are still meeting

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-60710349691547241992009-01-14T18:53:00.008+01:002009-01-15T22:18:15.440+01:00

I received a bunch of positive feedback about the headboard that I described in the "Nesting With a Vengeance" post from earlier this week. Here are the photos and step-by-step instructions.I have to thank my mother for suggesting the hallow-core door. It was lighter to work with and less expensive than plywood.Also, since the wall that the bed is placed against isn't very wide, we didn't have

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-20465780134246754712009-01-12T15:48:00.002+01:002009-01-12T16:12:17.468+01:00

I've heard that pregnant women experience a need to clean, organize, and prepare their homes for the new baby. Now, throw on top of that natural instinct an empty house and a shipping container full of furniture and you can envision the unpacking frenzy that has been my life for the past five days. From morning to night Kevin and I, along with his parents who volunteered to help, have been

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-6068101358938844252009-01-08T09:01:00.000+01:002009-01-08T09:01:00.469+01:00

I'm very excited to report that our container has cleared customs and is being delivered this morning. That's almost two full weeks earlier then expected! For me, this is great news. I have visions of going into labor as the movers were in the middle of unloading the container. And while this is still a technical possibility, the probability of that happening is slim.Because we will be moving out

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-72522017912122664542009-01-07T17:00:00.004+01:002009-01-14T23:47:05.573+01:00

Last night Kevin and I toured the Birthing Center at Rex Hospital. We both were pleasantly surprised by what we saw.When we found out that we would move back to the states before the delivery I had mixed feelings. Though I was super excited about the fact that everyone in the hospital would speak English, I was nervous about being admitted to an American hospital.Knock on wood; I've been very

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-45039998415284239562009-01-06T15:07:00.004+01:002009-01-14T23:48:59.164+01:00

Over the summer a friend of mine suggested that I should blog about the difference between having a baby in the U.S. versus having a baby in Germany. Though I thought it would be interesting to read, I found that I couldn't write about this topic. Quite simply, at that point I only knew the German system.Now, however, I've gone to a few appointments at my American doctor's office. I can't really

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-45987275350887810932009-01-05T17:06:00.003+01:002009-01-14T23:50:47.129+01:00

It seems like forever since I've blogged. While it has been only a few weeks in "actual time," so much has changed in my life. In the spirit of change, I've also made some changes to the blog. As you can see, I have a new blog name, description, and sidebars. Expect more changes in the weeks to come. (But don’t worry: The URL will stay exactly the same.)Here's what's been going on in our southern

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-4184615011895339022008-12-19T00:08:00.004+01:002009-01-14T23:52:04.256+01:00

So, what happens when an expat moves back? Well, for one thing, her blog has to change. I can't write about life in Germany, but I can share some of the reverse culture shock that I'm experiencing. (I can't tell you how many people have called me "honey" this week. Now, that's something that never happened in Bonn.)Also, since I still eat, live, and travel I can continue to write about that . . .

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271400105647075667.post-56466048135641689452008-12-17T00:06:00.003+01:002008-12-17T00:25:57.089+01:00

Moving just plain isn't fun. Even though we didn't have to pack ourselves (the moving company came and did it all), my last week in Germany still consisted of a lot of work. Taking everything off the walls, cleaning out the pantry, selling the rest of our 220 volt appliances, organizing what would get packed in the shipping container and would we would need for the next six to eight weeks took

Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00155579750612790217noreply@blogger.com0