Our life in the Black Forest begins

This website is our journal of life in the Black Forest, Germany. We are an Australian family from Sydney, and we have moved here for Tim to work at the Black Forest Academy, an international Christian boarding school, primarily for missionary kids. 

Earlier this week we arrived here in the small town of Kandern, Germany, after travelling for more than 24 hours from Sydney. We travelled here in three cars, two aeroplanes, three trains and one bus, though not all at once! We even had a cake and lots of attention lavished on us by the cabin crew of our Emirates flight from Dubai to Frankfurt because they found out we were moving to a new country!

Tim and I had been here to visit in May this year and chose a house to rent then, which was ready and waiting for us, partially furnished, when we arrived. We have been assigned a "host family" who picked us up from the station, had stocked our pantry and fridge with a some essentials for us, made our beds, and have generally been wonderfully helpful and caring. 

We're getting to know the lay of the land here, and have taken the kids to various places around the town. They are starting to go a little stir crazy, confined to our house for much of the time since we don't have a car, but they aren't yet over their jet lag enough to start school either. I took Miss Middle Child to the school bus stop yesterday morning so she could meet some of her future classmates, and Tim took Master Eldest to his school chapel service this morning too.

 

We will visit Miss Youngest's kindergarten on Monday, so she can see where she will be going to preschool. 

So far Miss Middle Child has almost fallen into the Kander (a good sized creek - they call it a river - running through the middle of town), Miss Youngest has fallen asleep on the toilet from jet lag, and Master Eldest has not fallen out of his very high loft bed. 

I've worked out how to use the washing machine, dishwasher and clothes dryer, I've tripped a circuit attempting to use my new and possibly faulty hair dryer, found the fuse box, plus almost got my hand stuck in our letterbox. We've been bamboozled by the German rubbish/recycling system, Tim has managed to get through a whole German conversation with our new landlord when we signed the house rental contract, and we haven't yet found the post office.

But, we're here, our luggage made it too, and God has kept us safe and well. Life is only just beginning for us in the Black Forest, but we're pretty sure it's going to be a great big adventure. Please join us, from the comfort of your computer desk or armchair - we hope you enjoy the ride!