2025

We thought the last couple years were big - with buying a new car, learning to program, dealing with Lily's accident, and all the travel - but this year was something else entirely. It began quietly, still centered around Lily and our routines in Düsseldorf. Much like last year, many days started with taking Lily to kindergarten, followed by teaching English, caregiving work, and juggling household responsibilities. But it quickly became clear that this year would be about change — big, structural change.

Early on, we started seriously looking for an apartment to buy. What felt almost impossible at first slowly turned into a chain of unlikely events. We went to see an apartment for sale across the street from ours, fully expecting yet another dead end. Instead, the real estate agent happened to be there and showed us the place on the spot. It was disastrously moldy, but that chance encounter changed everything. She told us about other apartments they don’t list publicly — and that’s how we learned about a ground-floor apartment with a garden just 500 meters away. In Düsseldorf, apartments with gardens are basically mythical creatures. We couldn’t believe it.

The following months were dominated by financing appointments, consultations, rejections, reversals, and stress. Most banks denied us a loan because of my fixed-term residence permit. Another withdrew approval due to supposed flood risk near the Rhine — a clear excuse. Then, finally, Deutsche Bank approved our loan. Just in time, too: interest rates jumped shortly afterward, and we were relieved to have locked in a good one. Around the same time, Indra lost her job — but in a twist of timing, the accounting firm her company worked with immediately offered her a new position starting in October, with more hours and better prospects. It meant I had to reduce my caregiving work to take on more responsibility at home, but it also gave us more stability.

A major milestone followed soon after: I received German citizenship. Beyond the symbolic importance, it turned out to be a key condition for the loan - retroactively, no less. Shortly after, we received the keys to our new apartment.

Renovation season began immediately, and it was intense. The apartment had serious mold issues, ancient windows that weren’t even fixed in place, wallpaper everywhere — including above the shower — and questionable electrical work. The water-heating setup complicated installing a washer-dryer, which was necessary as the new place didn't have a basement hookup, and the company owning other apartments rejected every improvement they legally could. Rolling shutters were also denied — ironically, shortly before we were later broken into. 

As we dug deeper, more surprises surfaced. Floors had to be replaced because of potential asbestos — only to learn later that the floors were fine, but the balcony planters were actually made of asbestos. Those had to be moved and carefully bagged. With help from friends and family, we stripped wallpaper, sanded walls, installed mold-resistant silicate plaster in the bathroom, moved the old kitchen into the basement (flood resistant!) and tackled endless tasks. Friends like Mokhtar quite literally saved us — doing exhausting sanding work we never could have finished alone while caring for Lily and going to work.

There were also unexpected setbacks, like a motorcycle accident where I was blamed despite being hit by an aggressive driver. And when moving day came, we discovered that a piece of furniture that fit perfectly in our old apartment didn’t fit here at all, despite nearly identical layouts. Instead of forcing it, I built a custom unit — a combined desk and wardrobe — turning frustration into something personal and functional.

One project that really highlighted the difference this move made was the garden access. I spent hours driving around Neuss sourcing materials to build proper stairs down into the yard. The apartment had housed a family with two kids for 15 years, yet they never used the yard even though the space inside was far too small for so many people. Even one neighbor admitted they had waited until finally buying before installing stairs. I would’ve done it on day one. Now Lily spends hours outside, and the difference it makes is incredible.

Another major improvement to daily life was Lily getting a new kindergarten spot. Her old kindergarten was chronically understaffed, and the difference with the new one is night and day. It’s a Montessori kindergarten with a beautiful outdoor area, great equipment - a trampoline and even a water bed - and, most importantly, enough staff. Watching Lily thrive there has been one of the year’s greatest joys.

The garden quickly became another central theme. What had once been unused ground became the heart of daily life: lawn mowing, planting trees, building a swing set for Lily, installing a fence, creating stairs down from the balcony, setting up a solar-powered watering system, and filling the yard with fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and gifted plants from neighbors. The kindness of people here still surprises me — one neighbor lent me a wood chipper without hesitation and even showed up with a big plate of barbecue when we first started renovations. I love it here.

Summer brought moments of rest and celebration: camping in Belgium, bike rides, barbecues, our fifth anniversary, weddings, and finally — after weeks without — a fully installed kitchen. Expensive, stressful, but worth it. Of course, I still had to add my own storage system afterward. Using magnets, I turned the normally sealed-off spaces at the ends into hidden compartments the installers weren’t allowed to build.

Autumn slowed things down a bit but stayed full. Trips to the Netherlands and southern Germany, a seminar connected to Lily’s recovery journey, hiking up to Neuschwanstein Castle near Lake Constance, and finishing outdoor projects — including a custom sun sail system built for a fraction of the retail cost.

There were harder moments, too. Frank’s hospital stay was worrying, though thankfully it ended well. Later, Indra lost her wallet, which meant me driving the whole time during a planned six-hour round trip to Bad Wildungen so we could visit Frank in rehab — only for the wallet to be returned by the time we got back. And despite installing a security light, our apartment was broken into while we were out for Thanksgiving dinner. The damage felt invasive, even if only a ring was taken. Still, it could have been worse, and we were grateful for insurance and support. Just before the year ended, the window company managed to replace the broken windows — squeezing ours into the very last shipment of the year.

Looking back, 2025 was demanding, exhausting, and often overwhelming — but also deeply rewarding. We built something lasting this year: a home, a garden, a new rhythm for our family. Lily has more space to grow, Indra has a new professional chapter ahead, and we’ve put down roots in a way that finally feels solid — and brings us closer to achieving everything we’ve ever dreamed of.

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2024

This year the days often started the same way: taking Lily to Kita (kindergarten). While she spent her mornings there, I taught English, worked on a new skill, and Indra got a much-needed break. Unfortunately, Kita closures were frequent, and Lily often couldn’t go due to infections she caught there. 

Lily's recovery journey has continued, though, with physiotherapy helping her strengthen neglected muscles. She hadn’t learned to crawl and was already trying to walk, but one arm had started to atrophy from using the other to scoot around. 

Switching to a specialized burn center also made a huge difference. They offered better fittings for her compression clothing and taught us new techniques for her care. While transferring there during the skin transplant process would have been a nightmare, the difference in expertise is undeniable.

Lily gets regular updates to her compression clothing, valued at over 1,000 euros per outfit. Because of the cost and the strain on our insurance provider, which is burdened by its primarily elderly clientele, authorization delays have meant her outfits almost don't fit anymore by the time we get them. It's a frustrating downside to a healthcare system that otherwise provides so much, like Pflegegeld (care money), a monthly sum we could have applied for from the start—if anyone had told us we were eligible!

Through it all, Lily’s grandpa Frank has been our rock. He makes long trips to watch her, giving us much-needed breaks. On his birthday, he didn’t hesitate to take her back to Bochum for a weekend—a trip he seemed as excited about as she was!

These breaks also gave Indra and me the chance to carve out time for each other. One of the most relaxing days was when Lily was at Kita, and we went to the sauna and had a fantastic lunch at an unexpectedly great restaurant in Edeka. Another favorite was hiking in Grafenberger Wald. We’ve done it before, but it’s probably the best outdoor spot in Düsseldorf, complete with a wild animal park that’s free to visit.

Family time is always special, and we make the most of it. Our Ruhrtop card, a 50-euro discount pass that pays for itself in just a few activities, got us free entry to places like the Dortmunder Zoo.

A week in the Netherlands brought some much-needed rest and fun: swimming, biking, and playing games like Saboteur. We also indulged in a giant fish-and-chips meal at a café, enjoyed time at the park with Lily, and went on bike rides through the peaceful countryside.

Other highlights included a balloon museum trip with Indra’s parents and some friends, and upgrading our car to a Renault Grand Scenic. The hatchback wasn’t cutting it anymore, so we found one for 16k at a dealership—only to discover and purchase the same car for 11k at another dealership the next day. It even had better mileage!

This year brought personal milestones, too. Gardening on our balcony took off, with dwarf tomato plants and raspberries thriving in their small space. Next year, I plan to grow more berries and spread out the strawberry plants.

The big hobby this year, though, was programming—with Indra as my digital artist! After many failed attempts to learn coding, AI tools finally helped me break through. Of course, I still had to solve countless challenges, like figuring out why canvases glitch, learning demanding animation techniques, and setting up in-game stores for real-world currency. Programming health bars and using cameras sometimes took days of trial and error. I also learned the value of backup projects—after one update broke everything, transferring files to a fresh project was my only solution. As for the massive time requirements, I was pleased to learn that my daughter can play on her own!

After finishing my first game, Idle Magic Defense (see my completed apps here) a half a year after starting, I jumped into my second project, Life Abroad. Only a couple months later, I had gained production access for Life Abroad, a much faster process compared to my first game. Later in December, I began work on my new game, Fernweh.

Attending Gamescom in Cologne, the biggest gaming convention in the world, was another major highlight. Networking and promoting my work there left me inspired for what’s next.

There was also plenty of adventure. A bike ride with the Kalaidians gave us a chance to enjoy the outdoors, and a Kräutertour (wild plant tour) with Indra’s parents—despite us battling colds—was a great way to relax with family and learn something new. At the Kölner Zoo, we spent a meaningful day with other parents of severely burned children, sharing experiences while the kids enjoyed the animals.

The year’s end felt extra special, from a Thanksgiving dinner with a couple friends who are getting married, to a meaningful gathering with a student and his son - an opportunity we were glad to have after years of teaching them English.

This year also brought some big moments. Applying for German citizenship felt like an important step in building our future here. And then there was our trip to the USA, a highlight of the year.

We reconnected with family and old friends, paddled to a beaver dam, and even had a wild day of road rage and tubing. My dad stood up to a road-raging lunatic who later called the cops on us, but the matter was resolved before we enjoyed an afternoon on the lake—until the tube ripped during one of my dad’s signature maneuvers!

There were quieter moments, too, like meals at our favorite restaurants and catching up with old friends over hikes. We even managed a few practical stops, like getting Lily’s social security number and clarifying tax details with the IRS—proving that I am me and now live in Germany.

Looking back, it’s been a full year with plenty of family, friendship, and finding joy in the small things. 

2023

This year was no walk in the park. In fact, some parts were outright nightmarish. Our daughter, Lily, had a couple fevers and infections that got pretty dangerous. And she gave us a real scare with an accident that left her lying in the hospital for a whole month - the recovery is ongoing but at least she's healthy! Anyway, you've gotta take the good with the bad. It was also a year full of great experiences. We spent a lot of time with friends and family, got a KiTa (kindergarten) spot for Lily, and went on trips to Norway, Holland and, of course, the USA.

If you're lucky enough to get one, a KiTa spot is supported by the city. To be fair, not every city in Germany offers this support but, considering that people in Switzerland pay thousands a month for basic childcare, the situation here is extremely advantageous regardless of your city. This is one of many things that makes raising a family in Germany so great. Right from the beginning we were also getting regular visits from a Hebamme (midwife), who advised us on pretty much everything that you can imagine, and even a representative from the city came to make sure we had all the information we needed on relevant services. Then, of course, there's the help we've gotten from friends and family. Almost all of Lily's clothing came from friends. And in times when we've needed it, many have also cooked and babysitted for us.

It seems that every year we spend more and more time with friends and family. This year we went to lots of family events, including a big Familientreff (family reunion) near Dortmund. Even some relatives from the US were supposed to be there but, unfortunately, something came up. Maybe we'll see them at the next one in 2025, though. 

During the holidays we spent a lot of time eating cake and Raclette. Thankfully this year Lily didn't have a heart attack when the fireworks started going off and even slept through it. Last year we were with friends and didn't realize how scary it is for babies... it certainly didn't help that someone threw a firework directly at us! Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. For the last couple years now, a big problem here has been people throwing fireworks at the emergency services. So, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they're also targeting babies. Annnd that's why fireworks are slowly being banned here.

We've also been getting a bit closer with our neighbors. A couple of neighbors come over regularly for Spieleabend (game night) after Lily goes to sleep, and with others we've started working together on gardening projects. As they have a yard, and I grow lots of stuff, we've really been able to help each other out. Anything that doesn't fit on my balcony, goes directly into their garden. I then theoretically have access to the harvest. Although, they get a lot less light, so this may not necessarily work out. Still fun, though!

Finally, we still really enjoy travel as well - I even published the first part of my series this year! This time we did have to figure it out with a baby, though. Turns out it's doable! First we had to get her a German and a US passport as she has both nationalities. One is needed in order to enter the US and the other to return to Germany. Crazy, huh?

We cut it pretty close having bought the tickets before even applying for the passports, but it worked out pretty well. In April we flew to the US without too much difficulty. This was largely thanks to the fact that we requested a bassinet in advance - basically a bed on the wall so that you don't have to hold your baby the whole time. At six months, she was already reaching the size limit, though. So, next year we'll probably have to hold her on our laps.

We had a pretty relaxed visit to the US. Lily went swimming for the first time at my mom's, we walked around in the Theler wetlands and paddled around on the lake at my dad's, and visited some friends. 

A couple months later we took another flight - this time to Oslo, Norway! We got a great deal on an AirBnB just out of town (had to book a few months in advance) and used two all-inclusive tickets for public transportation for the week using the "Ruter" app. The first few days were pretty simple - we went for a walk around a nice lake in Sognsvann, had brown-cheese waffles at a flea market, visited the Royal Palace and ate in town using the Toogoodtogo app. This was actually essential as the prices in Norway are several times that of Germany... even a regular hamburger was over 20 bucks! But the app, which we also use quite a bit at home, gets you food from places that would otherwise have to throw it away. Still good, as the name suggests, just too much for them to sell. 

Around halfway through our trip, we visited the Folkemuseum (The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History). This is probably the coolest museum I've ever been to. I mean, I was a bit skeptical at first as it was just basically rooms full of nice wooden chests (a major item in the traditional Norwegian home), but soon we were outside looking at different structures imported from regions all over Norway! Seriously, just look at the pictures (at the end of the post).

After seeing a couple dozen variations over the course of about an hour or so walking around the expansive grounds of the museum, we finally arrived at a "town" with traditional residences and businesses that were presumably also imported from actual sites. And, just like in the previous areas, they also had period-appropriate actors that even sold goods in old-timey shops. A real living museum.

On another day we went to Hovedøya Island where we saw the monastery and went swimming... at the wrong beach. It turned out there was a much more appropriate swimming spot down the way, but then again our spot was more private.

Our last stops during our visit to Oslo were the opera house and Drøbak. As you can see, the Oslo Opera House can be climbed for a really cool view over the bay. It's also just around the corner from the port where the boats for island hopping dock, so it was a good add-on. 

Drøbak, on the other hand, is a day trip in itself. The bus also leaves from the port area but takes about an hour each way. Drøbak is a cool little town with a nice spot for jumping into the Fjord and a beautiful coastal walk. 

The last couple weeks of September, we took our final trip of the year to Holland. Indra's parents found a nice family resort in a town called America. There we rode bikes to Venray and other local towns, used our private infrared sauna, and played around in the little water park they had there in the resort. All in all, a really great way to spend time with family!

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Sliding into the New Year

Aside from a few busy days and weeks here and there, the rest of 2019 was pretty relaxed. I spent time with friends, got back into bouldering a bit, did some hiking, took part in a few church conferences, gatherings and BBQs, went to Japan Tag again (just got some Japanese fried chicken and walked around), stopped by the kirmis (local carnival) a couple times, and ran around Phantasialand with my friend Robert.

Oh and I bought more land! This time it was a bit more expensive, but still a real steal. I look forward to seeing it when I go back to the States for a visit in February. Unfortunately, by then my Dad will have finished developing it without me, but at least we were able to work together a bit on the first one.

So, a quick summary of Amsterdam: on Friday, June 7th, I caught a late train to go meet my friend Garret at our AirBnB that we would be staying at for the weekend. Right off the start I was reminded of one reason why I don't take trains - delays. Fortunately, the tree in the tracks only delayed us for 20 minutes or so, but this was still inconvenient considering that it was already almost midnight. We managed to both arrive around 1am only to discover yet another fun challenge... finding the secret entrance to our accommodations.



It was a bit tricky finding the part in the bushes that led to the path behind the apartments but, thanks to Google Maps, we were able to feel our way to our destination. It was an interesting place with strange, seemingly makeshift facilities that could easily be mistaken for being out-of-order. Of course, this bothered Garret more than myself - I don't mind a little inconvenience so long as it all functions. But I digress...



We spent the next day walking around eating Indonesian food (really common in Amsterdam and really good!), Stroopwaffles, and samples of local cheese. Then, the following day, we visited the Rijksmuseum to see the big Rembrandt exhibit. We then basically finished the trip with a bit more walking around and eating stuff like Patatje Oorlog (Dutch fries).



In the months following the trip to Amsterdam, I finally got in a little local travel. Some of us did some hiking over by a nearby city called Bochum, and in a region of forest called the Neandertal (where the caveman was discovered). I actually found these hikes to be a bit unusual as they didn't exactly give the feeling of really getting away from it all. Sections of the hikes were pretty good, but they regularly intersected with civilization which, in my book, is a bit like cheating. In any case, I was in good company, so the nice scenery was more of a bonus.



We also got to visit some other local destinations, such as Gut Elim (a small farm in the countryside that belongs in part to the church), and Bielefeld where we met with many from the churches in neighboring cities. I have to say, Gut Elim is pretty cool. We've got a lot of space for sports and gathering together, and the farmers there also have some crazy animals (check out the video at the bottom).

We made it out to some other cities as well, like Hamburg, Aachen (twice), Brussels (Belgium) and Utrecht in the Netherlands for a youth conference. Aachen was great; we bought tons of chocolate at the Lindt factory, had an awesome BBQ and recorded hymns. Hamburg seemed like a nice city (even though, as in Utrecht and Brussels, we didn't see much), but the trip back was exhausting. We got stuck sitting in parked traffic on the autobahn for probably 2-3 hours. We even witnessed people from one car sharing food with the car next to them in order to survive!



Now, I did mention that the last few months weren't all bowling and glow-in-the-dark minigolf (though I did do these things a bit as well). I also dealt with visa concerns, confusing insurance documents, and the occasional 12-hour day of back-to-back classes. One of these classes in particular was quite strange. I had a business student come in who immediately decided he needed to test my German ability (even though I teach English)... I later found out that he was judging my professionalism based on said skill. He then proceeded to reject all tasks after only looking at the first question. After the first 20 minutes or so, we had about a dozen or so various tasks sitting on the table - all of which I would have to sort back into my files. At this point he asked about meeting everyday, including Saturdays, and then decided to "take a break". He left everything on the table and went home. I was stunned. It was only in the following week or so that I heard from one of the sales managers that this guy was giving him a hard time as well. It turns out the student had shown up the first day asking for the sales manager thinking that he, a German who works in administration, would be his English teacher. So, he was already confused and upset by the time he got to me. At one point he emailed the sales manager asking for a call back. During the call the student told him that he didn't think any of the tasks were of any use to him (even though he hadn't even tried them) and, after it was explained that my students are generally quite satisfied with my lessons, the student got flustered and demanded a call back, as he suddenly had a meeting; the response to this was priceless, "no, when your meeting is over, you call me back."

I was later relieved to learn that this student would no longer be my problem, or that of anyone else at our school. Good riddance.

As for the visa problems, I will be taking a long holiday in Southeast Asia for three weeks in January before returning to the States for a couple weeks to visit family in February. On the 5th of December I was happy to learn that I had been granted two more years in Germany (at the end of which I will be able to apply for permanent residency). I was not happy to find out that, due to a broken visa machine, and temporary visa documents not having been signed by the supervisor, the visa itself wouldn't be available for several weeks... possibly even until after I had planned to already be in Asia. This is a problem as I can't return to Germany without a visa. So, I had to make an appointment to go back later and get what's called a Fiktionsbescheinigung - basically a 13 euro visa extension. But no, this would also be a problem because my original visa is in my old passport - no extension possible. Instead, I would have to pay 55 euros for an actual visa that would replace the old one until the new one arrived. Good thing I recently got a raise at work!

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Yasoo Samos, Hallo Amsterdam!

Today I got on a plane and went to Athens where I sat in the airport for 8 hours. It was there that I found out some interesting news. According to one of the guys from airport security I had no choice but to drink as much of my Jeiger as possible before boarding... so I went up to a McCafe and got started. While I was sitting there sipping away a lady from Texas came over and asked me in a suspicious whisper, "can you drink that here?" to which I responded, "It's Greece, I really don't think they care."
She asked if she could have some and I said "sure, bring your friends - I could use a little help."
She went and got her friend and we all spent the next hour or so hanging out at the cafe talking and giddily sharing a regulated substance out in the open. After I explained the airplane situation to the first lady she gave me a travel sized bottle of Johnny Walker and a coke cup. She told me that they usually don't care about coke cups and, at the very least, the travel bottle wont be a problem. After we parted ways I lined up to board my plane where they wouldn't let me board with the "coke" so I drained what was left and stepped on.

A few hours "flew" by and I landed in Amsterdam where I took the train into the city center.

On the way I tried speaking Spanish to a guy from Spain. We ended up going to a bar where I met a Texan who was thoroughly enjoying his legal prescription of green stuff then, after chatting for a bit, I went on my way.

After a few hour stroll around town I stopped for some pizza on the street and went to relax at the quietest bar I could find.

After an enjoyable drink of the local ale and a chat with the bar tender, I headed for the airport.

On the plane I dozed off a couple times but, as usual, I was awoken by the stewardesses who's passion seems to be ramming carts into any passenger that gets in their way...

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