The Big Announcement

After working for 17 years for Lufthansa Cargo, David finally got the news that had been a possibility for many years. We were being transferred to Germany---in six weeks! 

David left immediately for Germany, Frankfurt to be exact, to do the necessary company paperwork and to find us a home. Thank goodness for digital cameras, cell phones and the internet as David was able to send me pictures of different houses and together we made a choice. He also toured and applied to two international schools for our children. 

Our children, Micaela (11), James (8), Emilie (5) and Rebecca (2), are handling all of this like troopers. When we first told them we were moving away from the only home they have ever known, and overseas to boot, they panicked. Within a few minutes, they gathered themselves and while very sad to leave their friends, they are looking forward to the adventure of living in Germany. We assured them that with the internet and e-mail, they would be able to stay in touch with their friends very easily. 

We made the decision to sell our Atlanta house as we do not know for certain that we will be returning to the Atlanta area when our time in Germany is up in about three years. We decided to move first, then have work done on the house and, finally, put it on the market. I found this ideal, as we would not be living in a house undergoing some renovations and would not need to keep the house in constant pristine condition for prospective buyers, with four kids and a dog doing their best to make that impossible.

The six weeks are passing quickly with a great deal of activity: previously planned visits from friends, a week-long visit to Boston, figuring out what we should get rid of, what we should store and what we should take with us. There are records to get from doctors, passports to obtain, vet appointments and paperwork for our dog Guinness, and--the hardest part--saying our goodbyes to many great friends in Atlanta.

One interesting event at a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party at our local Borders bookstore left us scratching our heads. James was having his tea leaves read by the Seer, Professor Trelawney. She spied a zebra in his cup, verified the meaning on her list and told us that a zebra meant that he was about to embark on an adventure. I quipped, "Well, yes. We are moving to Germany in a few weeks." She started and held up her paper. "It says here an adventure, possibly overseas!"

And indeed it did. I will never doubt Professor Trelawney again, even if Hermione Granger does.

There was a bit of serendipity in all of this. A good friend of David's from Lufthansa, an American woman with three children, has been living in Frankfurt for the past seven years. The same week we are moving to Frankfurt, Dina is moving back to America. So, we are making many swaps -- coffee makers, toasters, lamps, TVs, radios, DVD players, even our minivans! She is also leaving us some of her furniture, in particular Shränke which are like armoires. In Germany, it is very rare to have built in closets, so people buy their own armoires and move them from home to home. It's a relief to know we won't be starting from scratch.

Here is just a little information about Frankfurt:

* full name is Frankfurt am Main (the Main is the river that runs through the city)

* located in the state of Hessen near the center of Germany

* 5th largest city in German and its financial center

* 25% of the population is foreign

* heavily bombed during WWII, the medieval city center was destroyed

* most other German cities reconstructed their historic centers, but Frankfurt was rebuilt in a modern style, one of the few European cities to have a significant number of skyscrapers