Shamus and Karen drove through town searching for playgrounds, a bakery, a meat market, and flower fields. In Munich and the surrounding areas, there are many fields of flowers with small locked boxes on posts for paying for cut flowers. There is never anyone working at the money collection box; you simply pay for what you pick. "One of my favorite things I've learned and experienced about the German people is that they follow rules. All of the rules make sense, and so it makes sense to follow them. Back in the States it would be almost impossible to stay in business if you just had a box with prices posted nearby. There are some people who would pay, and I'm sure that there are lots of people who would just come and take the flowers without paying. There are German thieves out there somewhere but it's just not part of the culture like it is in the States," said Karen.
They found everything they were searching for and more; they found an ice cream shop, a few grocery stores, and a kindergarten for their children. "We applied at the German kindergarten but they didn't have enough teachers hired for the fall yet. We're on a waiting list and our boys will hopefully start in October," said Shamus. "It's pretty sweet. There's a slide from the second floor that you ride down to get to the playground outside. And there are a bunch of tiny sinks and toilets and everyone's toothbrushes are lined up hanging on the wall in the bathroom. I don't think kids brush their teeth at school in America. I didn't!"
When asked how they felt about their new hometown, Karen said "I think it's adorable. It will be a lot of fun living a city life: going to the bakery and the butcher shop a few times a week, walking everywhere, and taking the S-Bahn instead of driving. At the same time, this village feels like a small town out in the country, with tractors driving on the roads and big fields of corn. Our landlords are wonderful, too! They have already offered to let us borrow the bassinet that the landlord made when he and his wife had children 30 years ago! They have been very kind and welcoming in a surprising way."
The Cronins will move to Feldkirchen in one month.
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