the bright side of life...

OK, sorry!! Murilo says I'm sounding very negative and prejudice lately and, reading back through some of my blog entries, I have to admit that I do tend to focus on the things that make me mad.

So, this entry is devoted to the good things:

• Doctors, mail order dog food suppliers, and others are very trusting here in Germany. Maybe there are some serious consequences for those who do not pay but I have been amazed at the trust given the buyer here in Deutschland. I ordered some dog food over the phone the other day and they will include the bill in the package. I must then go to my bank and send a bank draft OR get online and pay (which I am becoming quite good at). Last night, Jessica had an appointment with a different doctor for acupuncture and the same thing happened basically. They said they would send us the invoice for services (since we have scheduled several appointments) and we can pay online. Very nice!
• All naturopaths, homeopaths, chiropractors, and acupunturists must be doctors here in Germany (or that is my understanding). The public insurance does not cover some of these services (see my previous entry about Barmer) but doctors still lean that direction. They will separate the services so that the insurance will pay for the office visit even though they won't pay for the acupunture services. The new gal we went to even said she was putting the headache down first (even though that was a side reason for Jessica's appointment) and tried to explain why discreetly. I caught on and smiled. I told her she could put whatever she wanted if they'd pay for it! So, the insurance laws have yet to catch up with the thinking here.
• Dog owners here are amazingly nice people in this area (with the exception of the owner of the attack dogs we encountered). Whenever we take Zizou out with us, people make comments, smile, or ask questions about him. There is a special code of conduct amongst dog owners - we are expected to stop and let the dogs sniff each other. I've learned that when there are a lot of people and dogs out (like at Saturday market/shopping) then that expectation is often overlooked - just too much for dogs to experience. Zizou has been quite aggressive with other dogs since the "incident" and I've learned how to explain what happened to other dog owners so they understand why Zizou is freaking out with their dog. They are soooooo sympathetic and understanding. Some are downright upset!
• We have it so much better than many other teachers living in school apartments!! We thought we were paying way too much for our rent but have had some time to compare to other furnished apartments of similar size in the area and we are paying about the same. The school does not really do much once we are moved in - we have to go through the landlord to get things fixed and we have a very prompt landlord. When he found out there was mold growing in the bathroom and that the shower door had a broken hinge. He came right over to take care of the problems. The previous tenants had left many little things here: coffee maker, mixer, microwave, toaster, toilet bowl scrubbers, ironing board and iron, broom, dustpan, and an old vacuum cleaner; and some big things: washer/dryer and television. Other teachers had nothing of the sort when they moved in and had to go out and buy stuff like that.
• When the sun shines here, it is absolutely beautiful!!
• And, we have the best neighbors anyone could ever ask for!!

So, while we had a rough transition in the beginning, I have to admit that we have been very blessed. I will try not to always write entries when I want to vent!!