Ich bin eine Zwiebel

<School Number Flashes on iPhone>

I am certain that regardless of where you live all parents share a similar emotion when the school number flashes across their screen.

SCHEISSE. Shit.

Margie has an earache. Please pick her up.

An earache? Ok.

Our experiences with earaches in the US typically meant a quick trip to the pediatrician, a diagnosis and a speedy round of antibiotics. We were leaving for vacation in a few days and solving this pain was a top priority.

Our friends and fellow ex-pats recently brought their daughter to the doctor for an Ohrenschmerzen (earache). Three visits and bloodwork later, the German doctors decided it was time for an antibiotic. Our ex-pat friends jokingly wished us luck and while laughing said, “They’ll probably just tell you to hold an onion up to the infected ear.”

The doctor confirmed a little redness within Margie’s ear and prescribed a treatment of…wait for it…fresh onion juice in the infected ear. LOL.

How do you even juice an onion!? I really thought our friend was joking.

Luckily, Margie’s earache subsided that evening and she was able to return to school without smelling like onions or having an antibiotic. Our Italian vacation went on as planned.

While in Italy, we had lunch with Quin’s German colleague and his wife. I mentioned our experience and laughed at the idea of squeezing an onion for juice. They both enthusiastically responded that onion juice is an effective way to cure an earache. It worked on both of their children. Hanging onions over your bed will also help with congestion. Why not add some garlic and we’ll fend off colds and vampires all at once?

I am not a doctor in the US or in Deutschland. I am not advocating for antibiotics or onion juice.

I AM challenged and amused as I try to fit my square-experience-and-expectation-peg into this round-German-hole. Although, I think we can all agree the Germans are the real squares here.

KIDDING (sort of)

It has been hard to embrace some of the daily experiences we have here. Although it is easy to poke fun at the differences. My coping mechanism tends to focus heavy on humor, so we laugh.

I have felt a bit stuck living in two worlds. I love and hate it here. I miss the US and I don’t. I feel at ease and wake up with daily anxiety. I feel guilty a lot. I feel like I must answer to people here and at home about our plans and our timeline.

It’s a bit of a tug---------------of---------------war.

I don’t have answers to give and I am just now able to articulate my many, many, many, many, layered feelings.

You know what else has layers? Onions.

And while I may not understand how to juice an onion, I am learning to peel back the layers. Sometimes there are tears because there’s just shallot going on. Ok, that’s enough. I said my coping mechanism is humor, but I didn’t say it was good. It’s taken a bit longer than I anticipated to peel back the layers but I’m ready to share.

Bis Bald!