If you read this blog online and not within a reader, you’ve probably seen the new badge I’ve been proudly displaying from Go! Overseas which is all thanks to your support. While the contest was running, over 1100 votes were placed and 330 of those were for NOH! The contest really got exciting during the last weekend when we were neck-and-neck with one of the other blogs. NOH would be on top, then Where in the World is Kae Lani Kennedy? would be up. It was intense!

But what was also a bit amusing to me, were the number of people that contacted me and said, “Woah, wait a minute. You’re in Germany??”

I guess after living here for 9 years, it’s just become a way of life. I don’t think we live like Germans most of the time, and because we do a lot of things ourselves, I guess we’re not as influenced by the culture as others. But learning how to do home improvement projects over here has been interesting…especially since you don’t always have the same materials available to you. And sometimes, you just don’t know where to look for them. For example, who would have though that you’d need to look for 1-inch PVC pipes in the electrical section instead of plumbing?

We’ve tried to do some traveling while we’ve been here…but in the last few years that has become more complicated as we added Ayla and Mackenzie to the family. Plus time has not always been on our side. But hopefully in 2011 we can do a bit more exploring; even if it’s just locally in Hessen and other nearby states of Germany.

Learning how to cook in Germany has also had its challenges. The majority of the basics are the same; and you can get some amazingly good fresh produce at the local farmers’ markets. But finding decent picante sauce, Ranch dressing, chocolate chips, Fritos and many other American basics has not been easy. For that reason, I’ve learned how to make a lot of these things myself…and found that they are even better than the convenience food versions. And I get to do a Thanksgiving dinner almost entirely from scratch which some would never dream of doing—but I absolutely love it! I think in some ways, being somewhere without all the conveniences has made me a better cook, if not only a picky one! 🙂

All in all, living in Germany has been a great experience so far. It’s been tough to be so far from family and friends, but thankfully the Internet has brought us increasingly closer together. If only I’d know about blogging when we first moved here — you could have read all about my culture shock and denial that we were living here… and then you would have eventually heard about me learning the language, confusing people about my nationality and living a somewhat dual life with my usual American traditions in a foreign land. Of course, you get to hear a lot about the latter topic now anyway!

As we approach living in Germany for one whole decade, I wonder what the next year will bring. Have you ever wanted to live abroad? Where would you go? What would you do? How do you think it would change you as a person?