Repatriation, Month 2

We're in the second month of returning stateside. What an evolution it's been. We relied heavily on family to get us through the first few weeks, spending nearly every weekend with cousins. It was nice, but they have their own routine, and we needed to establish our own.

Finally, with the house painted, new floors installed, furniture delivered (hallelujah!), assembled, and boxes (mostly) cleared out, it looks like a house we can live in. Camping had become exhausting and wore the kids out. On the other hand, suddenly having a full house somewhat overwhelmed them - they would start massive fights over a single toy, ignoring the fact that there were now quite a lot of options to choose from. Given our long-term exhaustion over the past several months, this has been an annoying challenge.

We have started to establish more of a routine though, and I already feel my mood lifted because of it. I hope it's the same for the kids. The early morning school routine hurts (whyyyyy do we have to start at 7:45 am, AISD??), but it makes weekdays fly and the weekend sleeping-in routine absolutely glorious. With German class Saturday mornings, no other planned activities but playdates with friends, or friends-of-friends, and less and less "urgent" house project work needed, we are starting to see the light of being able to live in the place in which we live.

We all still deeply miss Mainz, but I am starting to see opportunities that living in Austin will afford us. On the one hand. On the other, there was a violent threat at the very close high school the other day, and it was a reminder that there are some things I'd simply never have to worry about in Germany. And on the one hand, right now I'm writing this from a business trip and my father-in-law was able to come and help, on-demand, with the boys. But on the other... there's something odd about having to ask your parents for help, having managed entirely without them, without needed anything from them, for several years. Living away somehow helps parents forget that you are no longer their child in need of parenting, and freezes you in time in their eyes, which I find to be endlessly frustrating.

No matter how long we are here, I am endlessly grateful for what I've been able to learn by living in Europe - about myself, and also about how living a high quality of life should be something you do now, rather than aspire to do when you retire. And it can show up in a variety of ways in your life, be it better quality home construction, reliable roads and courteous fellow drivers, walk- and bike-ability incorporated into city design, and being able to trust an infrastructure that simply works.

Things that I used to value - shopping on Sundays? Conveniently open late-night takeout? Big homes with big yards? They just seem excessive - I much prefer a quiet family day with no shopping allowed one day a week, in a neighborhood where I get to see friendly neighbors every day, smaller scale grocery stores where I quickly run in for just what I need, and businesses built right into the community rather than all baked into strip malls on busy roads with angry drivers everywhere. Now the question is: what type of life do we want? And how do we plan to get there now?