The following mini-lesson titled “Capsule Course in Human Relations”, I found tucked away in an old book from a previous trip to the U.S.A. The article might have been originally published by Forbes Magazine in the 1950s.

Five most important words: I AM PROUD OF YOU.

Four most important words: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

Three most important words: IF YOU PLEASE.

Two most important words: THANK YOU.

Least important word: I.

I am proud of you for wanting to improve your relations. What is your opinion of this mini-lesson? Print it out and put it on your fridge, if you please. Thank you.

I used to think that moving here to Germany would mark the end of my transition process. I was wrong in my belief as our international environment constantly keeps changing. Being an expat family requires continuous adjustment to new circumstances and after a few years we just got so used to it without realizing how often we still adjust.

The beginning of each new school year reminds us of the changes we need to make for another smooth transition. There will be newly hired teachers, some of whom I will never get to meet (except by e-mail). New classmates for my children, some of whom I might get to know by name at the end of the school year – just before they move away again. Private students change their lesson times as they start other projects. Friends move overseas, with some of our older ones already having left for retirement. Every year, there are Goodbye parties and Welcome Back parties.

Toytown Germany (with a very helpful platform I can recommend) probably has more newcomers posting their queries at this time of year, but transitions take place all year long. I have come to realize that we can stay put in one place, but our surroundings keep moving, affecting us with their sometimes challenging transitions.

Here is a little piece of advice I had given a while ago to a newcomer to the Frankfurt area (most likely applicable to non-working spouses):

If you have some financial security (e.g. no real pressure to find work right away), then I would suggest volunteering at first. This is what I did three times when moving overseas. I started volunteering two hours a week, made contacts, learned more about the city, got job offers soon after.
Places to volunteer: Frankfurt soup kitchen, hospitals, maybe the British Women’s Club of the Taunus, contact the “International Stammtisch at the English Theatre”, etc.
Teaching assistants do not get paid well. For part-time work at the international schools, the pay is about € 400 a month. Again, any job could help lead to more lucrative ones.
I frequently post available positions at Frankfurt International School on my blog category Vacancies at Frankfurt International School which also include teaching assistant positions. This is for you only to learn what is out there.
… and try to learn some German before coming here. Others have said that before and this is the best advice.

You may also want to read my initial post, with more details:  How to Smooth Transitions

I have just gotten a notification from bookcrossing that one of my released books had been picked up, this time by somebody from Bilingual PHORMS School in Frankfurt.

What is all this about? This is a free service where readers locate books, at no charge.

To learn more about this wonderful service, click on the icon below.

So far I have sent 72 books on their way.

Our 10th grade son will be leaving for a three-week summer course at St. Andrews University next week. We are doing our last bit of shopping from a seemingly never-ending list of things he needed. As he had signed up for the courses debate and golfing, we realized he needed a dinner jacket, dress shirts, pants (other than jeans), ties, a laptop (all for debate) as well as golfing shoes and chinos for the latter one.

Well, he needed clothing anyway and we hope to send him off in two years’ time (class of 2012) to embark on his career to become a future man of business. I will see this extra expense as an investment. Not to mention the tuition fee and flight expense. Should I include the new glasses he had to get and his allowance while being there? I think, not.

His choice of debate and golfing as subjects has left him with remarks from friends such as  Thinking about becoming a lawyer? His classes do sound like the prerequisite for law.

Nevertheless, St. Andrews would probably be only a little university town without its much acclaimed golfing capital. For more about St. Andrews and its (golf) history, read The New York Times recent article Storied Past Lives On at St. Andrews.

Visit The International Summer School of Scotland St. Andrews for more information about its summer programmes.

And yes, I plan on reporting about his educational experience.

I usually do not blog about a customer service experience, but this one is too unusual to pass up.

For the past five years or so, we have used the Brillenhaus in our neighborhood and were quite satisfied with the service. But with this new and young team, obviously lacking in soft skills, customer service has changed.

My experience there went as following:

* 07  Juni – ordered our son’s contact lenses at the shop, which were supposed to be in two days later.

* 10. Juni – another trip to the shop to pick up the promised merchandise. The lenses were not in, but the sales associate promised to call once the shipment had arrived.

* 15. June – sent an e-mail to inquire about my order.

* 15 June – got a phone-call to inform me the lenses had arrived.

* 16 June – another trip to the Brillenhaus to pick them up.

* 20 June -  our son noticed that I had been handed one wrong packet in terms of  prescription.

* 21 June – sent in my claim by e-mail, and inquired whether the right prescription lenses were available. Also pointed out the urgency of this matter, as our son needed them before his upcoming trip.

* 22 June – sent a friendly reminder in regards to my previous mail.

* 23 June – another trip to the shop, where I inquired if they had gotten my mail. Yes, was the answer. Once again I had to ask if they had the right lenses available and after a quick fumble under the counter, the right packet was produced and handed over.

Nothing else was said. No apology either.

I have been told Fielmann in Oberursel has a good and reliable staff – with excellent customer service.