Georgia on my mind

We leave Georgia tomorrow so I figured why not write about our trip.  The town is interesting- there is government housing all around the campus, which you think would deter people from sending their kids to school here. Many of the gas stations have bars on all the doors and windows, and there are lots of signs that remind you to lock your doors and keep things of value with you-- again another sign that maybe you don't want your kids to go to school here. The campus is pretty nice and there are a few streets a couple blocks away that have lots of bars and restaurants that are nice, but in contrast to the rest of the city, it just seems awkward.

The first couple days we didn't have a whole lot to do but soon we found a couple parks that Jack really liked. There is a park here with a little zoo area and a pond with lots of turtles and geese that Jack thinks is interesting. Then we found another park with a lake and a beach that was lots of fun. The water wasn't cold, it wasn't too crowded, and both boys had a great time. On the way back we saw a nature center that had snakes and they let Jack pet a snake so he was in heaven. Then he tapped on the glass of a cottonmouth- this made the cottonmouth so angry that he raised up and 'bit' at Jack openmouthed with such force that he hit his head on the glass.

There are a lot of people in this area of math that are heading to various parts of Germany at the same time we are or are originally from Germany. There is a family with kids the same ages as our kids who are going to Leipzig for a postdoc- it is on the other side of Germany. There were a few German conversations going on, but I never understood what they were saying-- very sad. We were told that if we want to learn German we will have to learn it right away because all Germans speak better English than we will speak German so they will get impatient and start speaking English to us. I also learned that I will need to find a kindergarten (school for ages 3-5) that is done in German and English- apparently there are a few in the traditional public school system.