Week 4 Part 1: Becoming a Neu Ravensburgerin

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2022 has been a year of re-evaluating my identities across multiple domains: as a wife, mom, faculty, supervisor, immigrant, American, etc. Living through the pandemic and the news cycle + political and social upheaval of the past few years, I have grown more jaded about life in the US with each passing year.

With Isabella studying in Konstanz, Germany and wanting to have a home base in Europe, I am more drawn to living abroad than ever. Ironically, after marrying a German in the late 90s, I always envisioned that we would live in Germany or elsewhere in Europe, and yet Kay has nested so deeply and comfortably in San Diego that he can't imagine being based anywhere else (except for his brief dream of having a farm in Maui, complete with miniature cow, chickens, and of course, several greenhouses worth of orchids). 😁

This week, I registered at the Burgeramt in Wangen im Allgau to be recognized as a resident of Neu Ravensburg, where Kay's mom lives in a beautiful home (last one on the right) that his parents built on the Weir See in the 70s. I am about 22 years overdue with this as I could have done so after we got married. I also applied at the Auslanderbehorde (try saying that 3x fast!) in Wangen for a spouse residency permit. I should hear back in the next 2 months if I am approved and this visa allows me to stay in Germany (and the EU) beyond the 90 days within a 180-day period allowed by the Schengen Zone. 

Kay's mom's house is like a museum from another era. Nearly every piece of art was created by his mother, Christa, over the past 4 decades - from ink drawings to oil paintings to sculptures. And many pieces of wooden furniture were constructed and engraved by Kay's late dad, Harald, who passed from pancreatic cancer in 2012. Here is a painting that Christa made of Kay in 1982 housed in a wooden frame that Harald carved.

Kay is so much like his dad, who was also passionate about his many hobbies (biking, woodworking, orchids, aquariums, etc.) to a fault. The apple didn't fall far from the tree!

With Kay's mom turning 80 this year, I am finally convincing him to spend more time in Germany to look after her and take care of the house. She has lived alone for 10 years in a large home and things are starting to need upgrading and repair. And having two home bases in San Diego and southern Germany doesn't sound too terrible. Late Spring to early Fall are quite nice in Germany and everything is so wonderfully green in the Allgau region. So fingers crossed that the German bureaucrats will find me worthy of becoming a legal resident so that I can enjoy a more carefree and expansive, multi-country lifestyle.

Here's a photo of Christa's fabulous indoor swimming pool with a view to the Weir See and nearby forest through the windows.





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