Day 59: Easy Day?

The day started out sunny and I thought I would have a chance to go for a walk but it didn't happen. I received a few emails from my employer who is ramping up again and I had tons of work to do. So I made my "to do" list that included personal things like cleaning and making dinner.

I sent an email to Herr Drascher (the real estate guy) asking if he had sent the questionnaire/application. That was at 7:51 in the morning. The sun was too bright and hot at the desk so I moved into the kitchen and settled down on the kitchen table (with the door to the balcony open halfway to let the spring breeze in) and got started on my "to do" list. By 11am I still had not heard from Herr Drascher and was becoming a bit disenchanted because he was to have sent it over last night and he didn't. Perhaps he got busy. I don't know.

I tried calling him with my husband's cell phone. It's expensive but I thought I needed to speak to him to find out where we stood. Do I keep looking or are we on track to see whether or not the Landlord will take a meeting? I dialed the number and I heard the typical "hmmmmm" stop "hmmmm" stop that tells me the his phone is ringing. When it was answered it was woman speaking in German. When she stopped, I thought I was supposed to leave a message that his voice mail had kicked in. Then I started to laugh when she continued to talk (in English this time) to say that he was unavailable and that I should call back later. What? No voice mail? I thought the Germans were incredibly efficient. Where's the voice mail? LOL!

So I sent him another email...this time with a read receipt attached. But now I'm having issues with my Outlook. UGH! I try to fix it but my hero (my husband) is not around to help with it. I thought I knew what was wrong with it because I tried to send it while I was tunneled in at work in California. That was an incredibly stupid thing to do on my part. I should have broken the tunnel, did my email and then tunnel back in again. Unfortunately, when I'm tunneled in, I forget I am because it's so "behind the scenes" but it works so well!

Finally, after shutting down my machine and starting over again, I received an email from Herr Drascher! It's about time! By this time, it's 12:30 or so. In his email is the application. It's five pages long and Herr Drascher was kind enough to translate it into English. I fill out what I can and .pdf it so I can attach stickies with questions for Herr Drascher. I call Ted to confirm how I'm completing the form. He has me change just a few things.

I was totally blown away by some of the questions. I was thinking to myself..."do they want my first-born too?" LOL!

When I finally completed it, I sent it along to Herr Drascher with a note saying we were still trying to get a copy of the lease from the housing office. Ted has to get on that today!

I go back to my employer's work and continue working until I get another email from Herr Drascher. He says the application looks good and that he had already forwarded it to the Landlord. YIKES! It had all of my questions on it! He said he didn't think it mattered...ok, then, if you say so!

He wrote back again and said the landlord wants to meet with us tomorrow at 12:30 if we can arrange it because the landlord and his family is going out of town for eight days and will not be back. We need to move fast on this. I don't want to lose this opportunity!

I send an email to Ted asking him if it's possible. After all, his co-worker has taken day after day after day off to arrange housing because he can't seem to follow the German "house rules" requirements. And Ted did put in a lot of overtime when I was sick so he should be able to take the afternoon off to get this accomplished!

I'm excited because I know there's a possibility that we will get the apartment.

Ted is able to get a copy of the lease agreement and emails it to me. I, in turn, send it along to Herr Drascher. When Ted gets home, we have a little dinner and he promptly falls asleep. Poor guy...he's awfully tired these days.

I hear back from Herr Drascher and the landlord wants some confirmation of our income (you'd think we were buying the place, for crying out loud). But we go along with the program because we accept the fact that this is the custom here and "when in Rome...".

I email him back and ask if pay stubs are sufficient? I send an email to my employer asking for her to .pdf my last pay stub as I didn't have it. She was kind enough in all the things she has to do, she emailed it over to me immediately. OK. One document down and three more to go. Ted's pay stub and the application (which we have to sign and date and give to the landlord). Ted looks for his contract. Thankfully, it's a .pdf and we have it electronically.

I hear back form Herr Drascher late tonight saying pay stubs are sufficient but I think Ted needs to bring his contract anyways. I send the documents to Ted's work and home address asking him to print them at work and bring them with him tomorrow when he picks me up. I'll have to remind him again because he sometimes forgets.

By this time, it's time for bed. I put in a full day at work and I organized our meeting for tomorrow. A pretty good day, I think!

Until tomorrow!