More Shopping

Yesterday was another busy day of shopping. We made our first trip to IKEA - yikes! We felt like we spent an eternity there - I don't know how long it actually was - but it was kind of a beating. We have a long list of things we need and we just didn't really know where to begin. We managed to buy a desk for me - so I officially have "office space" which is nice. We also bought a schrank which is basically a free-standing closet since none of the bedrooms have closets. This was a tough decision since this is something that we know we will use for two years and then dispose of before returning to our beloved built in closet space back home. Our options ranged anywhere from $70 to around $1,000 - more if you're so inclined. We went the less expensive route since this is definitely not a piece of furniture we want to make a huge investment in. We bought lots of little things - dishes, glasses, kitchen towels, laundry hamper, etc. etc.

Then, we made my first trip to a commissary. I'm a happy girl!!! I literally was like a kid in a candy store walking in - gitty over the things I could buy! I knew I would have access to some of the comforts of home via the commissary but I don't think I realized how happy it would make me. We stocked the kitchen and it felt great. The number one best thing I found - avocados - yes, my friends, there will be guacamole in Germany. We were also able to buy stuff to make tacos. So, while Uncle Julio's and El Fenix and Christina's may be far far away, a little Tex-Mex is only going to be as far away as our kitchen counter.

We finished off the evening with dinner at this little place in downtown Heppenheim. This was my first time at an actual restaurant so I was a little unsure about what to expect. When our waitress approached us and Steve started speaking to her in German, I guess she detected that this was not his native language and very quickly swapped our menus with English versions. She was super friendly and was happy to let him practice his German and switch back and forth to English when necessary. I should have taken advantage of the opportunity. I have studied this stuff - maybe not as diligently as I should have, but I do know SOME. I totally froze. I was going to order my dinner in German which would have consisted of about 6 words. I got stage fright, panicked, and reverted to English! Apparently I am not going to embrace this new language until I am forced against my will - at some point I am going to find myself out somewhere, needing something, without Steve to lean on and with no English to be had and I will HAVE to communicate.