Hi! My name is Kathy Trifonovitch and I have been a Teacher Consultant with the Hawaii Geographic Alliance since 1991. The more I taught about other places and cultures, the more I wanted to learn. So when my husband got offered a job in Germany (with return rights to his job in Hawaii in a few years), we jumped at the opportunity. With the added bonus of a housing allowance, it also meant that I didn't have to work while living in Germany. Thus, I devote my days to caring for my two young children and planning trips for our family.
It is a very fulfilling learning process to research the places we visit, see and experience them, then write about them for all of you. So join this wandering islander as I travel and share what I've learned with all of you.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Additional Information:
For anyone who's wondering where I live in Germany, here's the scoops. My family and I live in the town of Kindsbach, which is in the district of the city of Kaiserslautern. We are located in the state of Rhineland Pfalz. This state is in the southwestern part of Germany.
The Kaiserslautern Military Community is the largest American community outside of the United States. We have four elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools. There are several bases in the area both Army and Air Force. Ramstein and Landstuhl are the most well-known. There are support services on the bases like any other military base. This really helps because shopping on the economy can be expensive with the German value added tax of 16% on everything.
Kindsbach is like any other small German town with a bīckerei (bakery), metzgerei (butcher), apotheke (pharmacy), bahnhof (train station), kirche (a church whose bells are heard throughout the town and whose steeple is the highest structure in the town), a beauty salon, two blumenlade (flower shops), post (a post office), a Kindergarten (pre-school), a Grundshule (Elementary School), and a few other mom and pop stores. There are also two lakes (actually ponds) and a forest in the nearby mountains with lots of hiking trails.
One thing we islanders are enjoying is experiencing and seeing the seasons change. We had to drastically alter our wardrobes and add a lot of coats and long sleeves. Weve gotten used to the days getting shorter and longer over the year. In the winter the sun rises at 8 a.m. and sets at 4 p.m. In the summer the sun rises at 5 a.m. and sets at 11 p.m. That is really nice when youre traveling and want to see as much as you can.
What we really miss is a nice warm beach! Lakes and ponds just dont compare. But they do have very nice schwimmbads (swimming pools) here, indoor and outdoor.
Hope you enjoy exploring Europe with us!