DARMSTADT DAYS (Part One)

We had just finished a four year assignment to Okinawa, Japan. After only three weeks stateside, on leave from the Air Force, we headed for Frankfurt, Germany. Our five kids and 17 checked pieces of luggage were quite a chore to keep track of. It was certainly a cultural shock, once we arrived. Okinawa was hot and humid, sort of like living in Corpus Christi, Texas, weather wise. Germany's weather was more like western Washington State. A lot of tall trees and plenty of soft rain, certainly a formula for breathtaking springs and summers.

Okinawa was crowded with narrow streets, box like structures, to withstand the typhoons. Germany, in contrast, had all the old world European charm. Neat, orderly, yet very cosmopolitan. We fell in love with our new environment. Our first concern was to find a home for our brood for the next three years. We could choose between military housing on Rhein Main A.B., 17 story high rise apartments in Dietzenbach or a new duplex in the middle of a local community called Darmstadt. It wasn't really a very difficult choice to make and after 45 days in the base hotel, our household goods arrived and we were at last living on Sangerbuchenweg Sechs (song book road 6) in a duplex in a suburb of Darmstadt, called Wixhausen, surrounded by German families.

Our new neighbors were thrilled with our family and they struggled with English as we struggled with German. An army military family, the Mohica's, lived in the other half of the duplex and they also had a large family of kids, were also LDS and were a joy to be around. Several other families, that we knew from other assignments, were not far away and we renewed our friendships.

Our duplex was situated near a farmer's field that led into a tree filled park and we would often ride bicycles, as a family, down the scenic path, bordered by a railroad track, more farmer's fields, country homes and, in the distance, beautiful mountains. Of all the assignments we had while in the military, this was, by far, the most beautiful place we had ever lived.

German customs took a little getting used to. Certainly, things have changed since we lived their in the 80s but I would imagine basic attitudes on these subjects have not changed much. For instance, you could walk down nature trails and admire the lovely scenery, but you had better not get off the path and go exploring on your own. To do so was considered damaging the environment and a big no no. Fines could be levied and the poletzi (police) called.

It was considered perfectly OK for prostitutes and brothels to advertise on main roads and in town or near shopping centers. The red light districts are everywhere and quite legal. Stores and gas stations sell poronography by the truck load. The German feeling was, if you don't like it, don't shop there.

Running your car engine unnecessarily was considered pollution. There was no "warming up" your engine, on a cold morning, so that your defroster could melt the ice and you would not have to scrape the windshield. You were expected to scrape the windshield off with the car shut down and then get in and drive away. If you came to a red light, you shut off your engine and then started it up when the light turned green. If you did not comply with these and other customs, not only would those Germans around you begin screaming at you, but you would could be physically restrained, vigilante fashion, until the police arrived.

In the United States, if you are doing something unusual, in public, people will stare at you, then turn away, when you look at them. In Germany, people will stare at you and if you look at them, they will keep staring at you. For instance, we went into a German restaurant with our five children and we were stared at hard. It is OK to bring your pets, dogs, cats, etc., to the restaurant but if you bring children it is considered rude, because children are noisy. Animals are better behaved. If you go to a restaurant in the States, you generally eat and get out to make room for additional customers. In Germany, you eat and stay awhile, otherwise you're being impolite. Never order corn, since that's only to feed farm animals and never order water to drink with your food. Especially do NOT order ice with your drink because that is not proper. At the very least carbonated water is OK. If you're not a pop, wine or beer drinker, carbonated fruit juices are OK. If you must have water, excuse yourself, halfway thru the meal, go into the restroom, cup your hand to the faucet and drink from that.

In the States, the pedestrian has the right of way. Watch out for school buses and children and be prepared to stop. In Germany, the driver has the right of way. Kids should be taught to watch out for traffic and if they don't, they could get run over. We had not been in Germany for even a month, when a child got out of a bus and attempted to run across the street. I was right behind the child and saw the accident before me. The child was knocked back a few feet into the road, bruised but otherwise unhurt. The driver made an obscene remark as he sped off on his way, not even bothering to check on the child's welfare.

If a German had a traffic accident with an American, it was automatically the American's fault. After all, Americans could afford it. Everyone knows all Americans have lots of money and smoke big cigars. Traffic speed limit signs were everywhere, but mostly ignored and almost never enforced. If you are driving a block and come to a stop sign, you stop at the very last minute by riding the brakes hard, if you are a typical German. Once you stop, you accelerate again, as fast and as hard as you can. After all, you've got to get wherever you're headed, in the quickest possible time.

You can set your watches at the haupt bahnhof (train station). Trains and tracks are maintained in perfect working order and schedules are tight. If the train is to arrive at 7PM, that is when it arrives, not 6:59 or 7:01 but 7:00PM exactly. Efficiency is vastly important to a good German. Train schedules and fares are posted plainly at every station. The stations are elegant, clean and orderly.

The autobahn (freeway) allows for whatever speed you like to go. 200 mph is not uncommon. kph (kilometers per hour) is the more common designator for speed. Slower traffic moves to the right lane. Fast traffic on the left. If you see a car flashing it's headlights, a mile behind you, he's signaling you to move over, cause he's coming through soon. Valves are adjusted on many fast cars, every 10,000 miles, because of the excessive speed. If weather conditions are poor and there is black ice, or rain or snow or wind or fog, no matter. Just travel as fast as you like. More than once, on the autobahn, I would come across a 40 or 50 car wreck or pileup, because Mercedes or Porches or BMW's had collided in bad weather conditions.

If you were sweeping your sidewalk and curb and your home, remember that your responsibility to sweep and clean extends from your front door to the middle of the street in front of your house. There should be no messy streets in your neighborhood if everyone does his part. All front doors lock on the outside, once the door is shut. If you're going outside to check your mail, either bring a key with you or don't shut the door, otherwise you could be locked out.

If you hire a German handy man to help you move, remember, appliance dollies are for sissies. He'll just tie a strap around himself and the appliance, put it on his back and move it where it needs to go. It's perfectly fine for him to drink lots of strong German beer when he moves the appliances and furniture because half stoned workers do better work and don't feel the hernias they create until the hang over on the next day. (End of Part One)