August 26, 2015

German Swag 101: Week 1

O.M.G. (Oh. My. Germany.)

It's been a crazy week of moving in, unpacking, and rearranging. I only had one small task besides the normal moving things-to-do: GET A JOB.

Welcome to Vilsbiburg!
But before getting down to business, let's document all the funny things I noticed when I first arrived. Even after 4.5 years in Europe, this American still feels the differences, and even more so now after adding France to my long list of "where I'm from."

I parked the rental car with all of our stuff and got out to survey the surroundings. Marc wouldn't be home for another twenty minutes, and he didn't know I'd decided to surprise him with an earlier-than-expected arrival.

The neighbor (named Hans, what else?) had trimmed the shrubs that day. My first impression of Vilsbiburg was: This place smells like Christmas.

That simple smell of evergreen is probably the most welcomed and comforted I've ever felt when arriving in a new place.

The grocery store is always a new experience, but imagine my relief when I saw that most of the packaging labels have French translations.

The night weather is a bit out of control. It will be the nicest day, mid-70s, sunny with a breeze, then comes darkness - and with darkness, intense winds, rain, thunderstorms, you name it. We've already been told that it mostly will snow at night. Stay inside after dark!

The autobahn is somewhere far along the insanity chart. Even the normal streets are a bit crazy, especially since sidewalks aren't necessarily on both - or either - side of the street sometimes! In France, I never felt like I was in danger as a pedestrian. If I ever get hit by a car, it will be in Germany.

But at least there is ice cream and gelato everywhere.

The church bells ring at ungodly hours. I don't even know how many churches are chiming in, but I do know that I was wide awake at 4AM to the sound of bells!!! They ring all day long at whatever intervals they please, and now it's just a matter of getting the ringing to fade into the background noise.

What's with all the bees? Did they eat all the mosquitoes? They swirl around us as we eat outside, then they fly in and out of our third story windows all day. They don't seem to want to sting us, but, still, bees aren't exactly pets.

What about the whole learning German thing?

I've been working on numbers 1-10. Basic greetings (I can't spell any of them yet, but something that sounds like "ciervos" and "vesgets"), random adjectives (again, if you know the spelling, please correct: "neu" for new, "rote" for red), and some vocabulary ("Wasser" for water, and that's all that has really mattered to me this week, anyway).

The excellent news is that I've been invited to be a part of German lessons that run three days a week! My first lesson is tomorrow, and I should hopefully know a lot more by the end of an hour and a half!

At the festival in nearby Landshut.
How did I get invited to German lessons?

I made the volleyball team!!!

It was all very spontaneous and surprising, as Vilsbiburg's second division team (they also have a first division, very professional, very exhausting two-practices-per-day schedule team) actually needed a setter!

It reminded me a lot of my freshman year at Master's, when my coach met with me about a month into the season and said, "You're a lot better than I thought you were going to be."

(Some people could be upset at this statement, but I've always believed it to be a whole lot more fun to receive than, "You're not as good as we thought you were.")

My new team is like a college team loaded with freshmen - the majority are literally 18 years old. I'm five years older than the next oldest player. I love it. There is also a Swiss player qui parle français! Everything keeps falling into place.

Vilsbiburg's second team is designed to develop the youth players for future professional careers, but they do need random older players to anchor the group, and that's where I fit in just right.

A really enormous thank you goes out to any and all of you who took the time to pray for me, encourage me, or even help me find my footing here. God has taken care of us and brought us to yet another beautiful place, and we are excited to share it with you.

But we'll only share the food if you come to visit!
How do I feel after week one?

Sehr gut. Or at least very happy, hopeful, and thankful.

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August 24, 2015

My Moving-Across-Europe Road Trip: Holland > Belgium > France > Germany!


My final days of summer were spent in the gym, at the beach, and prepping for the complicated road trip I was about to embark upon.

Holland


My week of volleyball camp with the American School of the Hague was awesome, as usual. I've been working that camp for four years now, and have had the chance to watch several of the athletes grow into their own, some of them even going on to play in college. One of the recent graduates (and an excellent player) thanked me this summer, letting me know that I was the reason she learned how to jump serve. This may seem like no big deal to some people, but to have an athlete actually remember and take the time to credit a coach for teaching them something specific is rare and makes the work so much more rewarding.


I had several grand plans before I arrived, but the beach won out, and Gouda and Delft will just have to wait until next year. I did, however, manage to make it to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. After a long line and an expensive ticket, every painting and story was thoroughly enjoyed. Plan ahead better than I did and buy your ticket online!

The Road Trip Itinerary

The start of the journey was not by car, but since I had to wake up before 6am to catch buses and trains to get to Brussels, it definitely still counts as part of the trip. The idea was to get from Holland to Brussels, pick up the rental car at the airport, drive to Amiens, France, to retrieve our belongings from the storage unit, sleep in eastern France, drive to Colmar, drive to Lake Konstanz, sleep north of Lake Konstanz, then finish the drive to Vilsbiburg on day three. There's a reason people say I'm a good planner and very organized. It's because I can put itineraries like this together.

Brussels

I lucked out with a larger vehicle than I had reserved AND a built-in GPS system. When you begin a trip where a lot of things could go wrong, it's always a good sign when the first step has two bonus features!

Amiens


This was a little bit tricky, as the gate code we had been given to access the storage facility had expired two days prior. I drove around Amiens for about thirty minutes before doubling back - and, thankfully, the facility was open and I could access our storage unit. I carefully loaded everything up, then realized I had forgotten to include the two chairs. Let's just say that after three packing arrangements, my rear view mirror could still see through the window!

Colmar


Colmar flies a bit under the radar compared to its neighboring city of Strasbourg. But if you're in the Alsace region of France, this medieval darling of a village will keep you wandering for hours.


I only had time to stop for a delicious lunch (and last French meal for a while!) and to admire La Petite Venise - Colmar's own system of canals and bridges.



Entering Germany


Marc and I had discussed my various route options, and had decided together that it would be wiser for me to drive through Germany, than trying to do too much and looping through northern Switzerland.


We kind of forgot that the Black Forest loomed large and treacherous in the middle of our chosen route. Between crawling through insane switchbacks (see photo) and sweating over bridges that only get higher and higher in hindsight, I basically bit the bullet and went for it. I tend to be a lot tougher when I'm by myself, anyway, and I had no choice but to just keep driving.


All you need to know about the autobahn is that I was averaging between 75mph and 90mph, and multiple cars were literally flying by me. At least 40% of the cars (so, not the semi-trucks) were going over 100mph.


The roadside scenery changed as I traversed through southern Germany. The Black Forest shared its dark trees and mountains, then Lake Konstanz was surrounded by hundreds of vineyards. Arriving in Bavaria, the land turned to farms and fields, relaxing into rolling hills.


It was around 7pm when I arrived in Lindau, Germany, and planned to sleep in a nearby town. I checked the GPS: Vilsbiburg was just two and a half hours away! I went with my gut, canceled my AirBnB reservation, and pressed on toward my new home.

Vilsbiburg

I got out of the car, and it smelled like: Christmas. Check out "German Swag 101: Week 1" for the complete update, and to see whether or not I was able to get a job in my first week in Germany!

Let the #SwagVilasbiburg journey begin.

(If you're really far behind, read up on why we moved from France to Germany in Four Years in Paris.)

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August 18, 2015

Walking Glasgow


I was able to tack three extra days onto Scotland before I had to arrive in the Netherlands for volleyball camp.


Glasgow was the most affordable and endearing option.


Marc caught a plane to start his job in Germany, and I caught a bus to take me across Scotland!


I occupied myself with walking all over the center to the Clyde River, the cathedral district, and the Kelvingrove Museum in the West End.


Glasgow is entirely walkable, with broad sidewalks and an easy-to-understand grid of streets.


Just be sure to bring along an umbrella and a good jacket, as the weather patterns change rapidly and without notice!


Glasgow was having a piping festival, and I heard bagpipes everywhere. As soon as the sound of one group began to fade away, another group in the distance began to fill the air. I decided bagpipes sound great outside and in Scotland.


Glasgow was the perfect way to spend some extra time before heading to Germany for another year of living in Europe.


I'm also very happy to have experienced Scotland in August because I'm sure it's even colder during the rest of the year!


The sunset on the Clyde was, by far, my favorite moment. A pink sky, reflections on the water, and too many bridges to count.


I don't know if I'll return to Scotland, but if I do, Glasgow will gladly be my home base.

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August 14, 2015

Edinburgh: Drinks, Dance, and Drums

{By Marc}

Braveheart with Mel Gibson is easily in my top 5 movies, so when Uncle Mike said we should meet up in Edinburgh, it was a no-brainer. Swags and I love meeting up with her aunt and uncle, plus, we love exploring new areas, and going that far north in the late summer made the most sense.


When Christy's relatives' plans changed unexpectedly, we decided to still make Scotland happen. One thing Christy's uncle insisted we do was see the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Huh? Well, see below, and be prepared to have your mind blown!


When in Scotland, you have to try their Living Water - there is no more authentic way to start the evening.


If you like seeing large collections of things and enjoy a great liquor, get the Bruce Package ticket and enjoy the Scotch Whisky Experience before going to the Royal Tattoo.


Grandstand, bagpipes, and a CASTLE! Let the show begin!

The Citadel Regimental Band and Pipes was one of the crowd favorites with their "oldies" throwback. Go USA!

Christy loved the Swiss Top Secret Drum Corps. The videos did not even do them justice. The secret is out: they are amazing!



The Bollywood and Chinese dance groups provided the most colorful entertainment of the night.

But to me, nothing beats Scottish Bagpipes! I hope you enjoy the Royal Regiment of Scotland as much as I did.


A little Scotch whisky, a little rain, and a lot of cool performances made for an awesome evening of fun!

If you still want more Tattoo action, check out these two longer videos!

The United States Air Force Honour Guard


The Finale of the 2015 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo


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August 7, 2015

German Swag 101: Pre-Arrival

For starters, there is no perfect way to learn a language. People who have studied languages extensively in books think they've done it the right way. People who have moved abroad to immerse themselves completely also think they've done it the right way.

I know no matter how much prep work I put into learning German in advance of our arrival, I'm still going to crawl through the growing pains of misunderstandings and mistakes. So that's why I'm only just now starting the process - 14 days before moving to Germany.

Just as gut as my first time in Germany. Cologne, 2011.
The more interesting facet (to me, anyway) is that I will be attempting to learn German while retaining my French. 

I always wanted to learn French and never wanted or needed to learn German. Honestly, I was hoping if we had to leave French-speaking areas that we would end up somewhere I could work on my Spanish. Oh well, I guess that's for another time!

This "German Swag 101" series is going to focus on my journey to becoming fluent in German through the lenses of both English and French.

It's just going to be super cold. Neuschwanstein, 2012.
It will not overtake the normal travel and expat posts, and I hope it serves to enhance the understanding of what it's like to live abroad and in another language.

At any rate, it's going to help me learn and review vocabulary, tenses, and nuances of German!

I will be dressed like this everyday. Black Forest, 2014.
I hope that we can learn together. I REALLY hope that if you know anything about German or French - especially if you notice I've made any mistakes - that you'll be kind enough to correct and clarify in the comments!!!

I always told our tourists in France that they needed five phrases to get by during their stay. I obviously am going to need a whole lot more than that, but these five are my launching point!

Hello. Bonjour. Hallo/Gutentag.

Do you speak English? Parlez-vous anglais? Sprechen sie Englisch?

Please. S'il vous plaît/S'il te plaît. Bitte. 

Thank you. Merci. Danke.

Goodbye. Au revoir. Auf weitersehen.

Duolingo is the program I'm using for now, and I'm stumbling through some basic vocabulary that will only help later (er...very soon).

Anyone have any advice for how you learned or are learning German?!

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August 5, 2015

Four Years in Paris

What do I mean, only four years in Paris?!


Yes, the sad reality is that after four life-changing years in France, we are moving to...Germany.

It's mostly sad because we're leaving France. Germany itself is an exciting prospect for us, especially for two Americans who want to stay in the EU as long as possible!

This whole summer has been spent networking, negotiating, and translating all of our possible options for this coming sports season. I did receive offers in France, but we couldn't justify putting Marc through another year of unemployment. Instead, Marc got a job outside of Munich, coaching basketball and doing his thing again. We are so thankful!

I'm still working on what my job situation is going to look like. "Brainstorming" best describes my state of mind the past month, as Germany became our end-game. Volleyball, English tutoring, guiding tours (but, EW, snow?!), and blogging have all come to mind.

For now, the best idea came while I was floating in my parents' pool. I was reflecting on how this blog was going to take a Bavarian turn, and what a difference that would be from my Paris-heavy posts from the past four years. 

I was really glad I had the foresight to name my blog something neutral and not specific to any country or language. I was going back and forth from excited to experience new places to nostalgic about my happy times in Paris. Then the idea hit me.

Publish an eBook.

I interrupted my lazy California brainstorming, splashed out of the pool, and Four Years in Paris came to be.

In the course of a week (but really, it took four years to do the bulk of the work!), I learned everything I could about creating, formatting, and publishing eBooks. I edited, re-edited, had my grammar-wise mom and sister edit, and had my moments of wanting to destroy Kindle.

It was a great and necessary experience.

Compiling and reliving my Paris moments really brought me a sense of closure. I know we are doing the right thing by moving to Germany. Having everything I love about Paris in one file now makes it easier for me to move on.

Learning about and falling in love with Paris has been one of my favorite journeys. It's been a journey full of surprises, both good and bad, but mostly, my Four Years in Paris documents the best years of my life...so far.

Whether you do or don't download the eBook is not the point. THANK YOU for whenever you've joined me in Paris, in France, in Europe, or anywhere. What started as a practical way to communicate my European adventures with family and friends in the USA has become so much more, and has grown to include thousands of readers.

For those of you who do want to download Four Years in Paris, you can do that on the Paris eBook page or the Four Years in Paris webpage. For Kindle users, FYIP is available on the Amazon website as well.

I hope you like the cover, the title, and the content. I thoroughly enjoyed putting it all together, and I'm so grateful I pursued blogging consistently to the point where an eBook was possible!

Four Years in Paris follows Christy Swagerty from 2011 to 2015 as she moved in and around the Île-de-France region as an athlete turned tourist turned expat. Join "Swags" as she sneaks into ballet rehearsals at the Opera Garnier, attempts haute couture and cuisine, and discovers a love for art, architecture, and music. From hosting their first French Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve parties to taking wedding photos along the Seine, Swags' Four Years in Paris takes you on a journey of a twenty-something American experiencing the fun and faux pas of living abroad for the first time.

What's up next for Swags?

Germany, obviously. Spain is on the docket for Christmas again. I'd love to take Marc to Portugal with me in the spring. I'm planning on Budapest and Vienna, and hoping for Croatia and maybe Poland or the Czech Republic. Marc is insisting on Berlin. We won't be lacking for places to go, that's for sure!

I'm linking up with #AllAboutFrance for the last time as an American living in France. I will still link-up with France posts, but it will now be as someone who used to live there. If you love France, you should definitely check it out!

Lou Messugo

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August 4, 2015

California Summer Daze, Part 2

IT'S SWAG TIME!!!


The end of my time in the USA was spent with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law. It was a fitting end to a really great summer, and I'm so thankful we were all able to be together. The six of us haven't been together since Lindsay and Justin got married - two years ago!

Central Cal

I found out at the airport check-in desk that my plane was going to look like this:


But then the cool thing was that it gave me hot air balloon views of Sacramento like this:


I was just glad all 9 of us made it to Visalia. That was definitely the smallest plane I've ever been on, and, hallelujah, it was not as terrifying as I expected it to be.

What did I do in Visalia?

I had a good time eating! My parents did a great job showing off Visalia to me, taking me to three really fun and delicious restaurants: Om, Nom, Nom!, The Lunch Box, and The Planing Mill Artisan Pizzeria. They let me borrow their car to drive up to Fresno to see an old friend at another great restaurant, The Dog House.

Grandma Carol clearly had bought these dishes for Marc and me. Perfect inheritance.
I got to relax in the pool literally everyday for two weeks. But even with such a chill daily routine, I somehow ended up being super productive, reading tons of travel magazine articles, two books (finished Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman and almost finished Louis L'Amour's Education of a Wandering Man), and publishing my very first eBook! (For more info, check out Four Years in Paris.)

I have very passionate opinions about this book.
Read it with an open mind and in the context of the times.
But, most importantly, I got to hang out and talk for hours with my dad and mom, both as individuals, and as a pair. It was just good, old-fashioned quality time together. When you only get to see your parents once a year, you work a lot harder to enjoy the time you do have together.

By the time the two weeks were up, the two of them looked at me and said, "It feels like you just got here."

I felt the same way.

The original Swagertys: me, Lindsay, Dad, and Mom!

SoCal

Our lives require high levels of organization, planning, and generosity from others. We arranged for Marc to fly into Ontario to be picked up by my sister, Lindsay, and brother-in-law, Justin. Then my parents and said sister and brother-in-law all graciously agreed to drive to Santa Clarita (north LA County) for a meet-up/hand-off/family reunion of sorts!


The best restaurant in California is Stonefire, so that's obviously where we rendez-vous-ed. Stonefire actually has the best salad in the entire world, in my opinion. I mean, feel free to argue, but I have eaten salad in nearly thirty countries now, and I still prefer Stonefire's tri-tip barbecue chopped salad to all others!

The salad and conversation: legendary.
We all had a lot of fun being crazy and weird (okay, maybe the two son-in-laws were faking it...) and just being together was perfect.

Saying goodbye to my parents meant the final leg of #SwagVilUSA had begun. We got into my sister's car, and headed out to San Bernardino.

The next few days were a hysterical mix of building my first and last 3-D puzzle of Neuschwanstein, eating the incredible food my sister makes, and visiting as many friends as happened to have matching free time.

So. Intense. I earned my engineering degree!
We packed as much as we could into five days, and then we were off again! It was our shortest USA summer (seven weeks) since we began our European lives in 2011.

I will say that because I finished the summer with my family, I did feel like it was rushed. But I think I feel that way because I have usually started my summers with them, and Europe feels further away when the summer starts. Regardless of why the hurried feeling was there, our weeks in America were really good for everyone.

Our families and friends encouraged us greatly in our move to Germany, and we couldn't ask for a more supportive bunch of awesome people!

And they say that I'm the weird one?!
We may be expats for now - and maybe forever. Returning to the USA doesn't necessarily inspire us to move back, however, it does remind us of the wonderful world of people in our lives who would welcome us back in an instant.

If you want or need more insight into why people like us just have to live abroad, please go read one of the best articles I've ever seen about wanderlust and expat life by our photographer friend, Bethany Carlson. I agree with everything she says and it's all truth.

We wouldn't be who we are today or doing what we're doing without you people. You know who you are (there are lots of "you," so if you're not sure "you" means "you," just jump on board), and we thank you and love you very much.


Thanks for sending us off to another year in Europe! We hope you'll come to our new corner of the continent and we'll see you soon!

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