Week 1

As of today, we've been in Dresden for a week.  Somehow or other, it's hotter here than in Baltimore, so I haven't had a chance to use my fleece-lined jeans yet.  The flights all went smoothly and Blackjack's paperwork presented no problems, thanks to Pablo being willing to drive all the way to Richmond in order to get the right form stamped.  On arrival to our apartment, the reality of living on the top floor set in:  we had to lug nearly 200 pounds of luggage up 102 steps.  The apartment is fantastic though:  2 bathrooms, one room for Vicente & Miguel which is larger than their room at home, a smaller room for us, a living room/work area, kitchen/dining room, and the crowning glory is a small atrium in the middle with a glassed-in roof.  Despite being more in the city, you can see the stars better here than in Towson.  We have a nice view of the city center out our back windows.  We live on a fairly busy street and right across from us is a bakery.  Good thing we have 102 steps to climb multiple times a day!  So far we've been busy trying to get all the details set up here:  bank account, cell phone, registering with the foreigner's office, visiting a church, and today hopefully we'll find out about school.

Vicente, when offered a chance to put down his own impressions of life in Germany, refused.  So I'll just have to say that I think he's doing well, and I think he's even looking forward to school starting since a week of getting settled in is fairly boring.  Miguel has also declined to comment, merely asking that I tell everyone to have a good school year.