American Mainhattan Move

Due to that logic test (because you can’t think logically when you’ve graduated college….) I had a complimentary train ticket to and from Frankfurt. What perfect timing as my best friend needed some help unpacking her container boxes from the container and a used to stick-shift driver. So after that lovely *ahem* test I met my friend and hung out at her office before we picked up a rental car and drove to IKEA. Yay fun but holy moly, I never realized that choosing light bulbs was so complicated! The reward was great though, yummy Italian at this restaurant in Rüdesheim where no one seemed to speak German – trade fair week.
On Friday we met M’s facility manager, who seemed super rude, and then the movers arrived and started to move M’s gazillion boxes from the container to her apartment. We just had to tell them where to put the furniture and then unpack all the boxes. Funny what kind of things you take along to another country when money isn’t an issue. I think we had 6 rolls of paper towels and about 15 Glühwein boots not to mention cans of tuna etc. 😀
Another yummy food treat, Mexican, and we were off to assemble the IKEA lamps (and yes, it was as hard as you’d expect it from IKEA stuff) and Robbie installed them. He definitely was the hero this weekend with his electrical knowledge, a hand for drilling and a toolbox!
For dinner we did another trip to IKEA to buy more things and eat a hotdog and then we were off to check out Sachsenhausen’s pub district. Caipis for 3€ – ’nuff said.
Saturday was again filled with unpacking boxes, trips to hardware and grocery stores, a stressful washingmachine delivery, getting M’s thigns from the hotel and more hanging and assembling and then Sunday some picture hanging (“oh American nails don’t quite work with German stone walls”) before returning the rental and heading to the train station. We had wanted to meet up with my other dear friend Kati and her beau but unfortunately we weren’t fast enough to meet them before they had to go elsewhere. 🙁 A nice chai latte from Starbucks and then off I was zooming up north in the ICE again.
I can only imagine how hard it has to be to move to a foreign country when you don’t have a company that takes care of some of the move. M already has things galore on her to-do list and at least she got some support from her employer and speaks German but yeah… wow to all those you have to do it themselves and don’t know the language and culture. Oy!