Munich Kids

Multilingual Living is a magazine for multilingual families.  The magazine is in English.  It covers a wide range of topics pertaining to multilingual families, and expatriate families.  To preview the magazine before subscribing, a free copy of the current issue is available in PDF format from the website.

Website:  http://www.biculturalfamily.org/magazine.html

Doesn’t it always seem like the kids get sick on  weekends or holidays when your regular pediatrician is not available?  There is a clinic that is open on weekends and holidays.

The Children’s clinic of Schwabing (Bereitschaftspraxis der Muenchner Kinderaerzte in der Kinderklinik Schwabing)  is open on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 9:00 am - 8:00 pm. 

Address:  Parzivalstrasse 16, 80804 Munich

Telephone:  089/ 3068 2589

Nearest Public Transportation: U2/U3 Scheidplatz; U3 Bonnerplatz

There is an answering service in Munich (and throughout Bavaria) to connect you with medical attention after normal business hours.  (The hours that the answering service is available vary somewhat from city to city, but generally covers evenings and weekends). 

Most likely, you will need to be able to explain your medical problem to the operator in German.  If you are unable to provide the necessary information in German, find a neighbor or friend who can help you.  After describing your problem and giving your address, the service dispatches an on-call physician in your area to your home.   The doctor is equipped to provide you with basic care and advice. 

We have used this service on two occasions.  One time was at 2:00 in the morning.  In both instances, a doctor arrived at our home within 45 minutes of the call. 

Note:  This service should not be used in case of emergencies.  In case of medical emergency, dial 112. 

Phone:  01805-19 12 12

Phone calls are charged at 14 cents/min by Deutsche Telekom.

Do you know the phone numbers for emergenices in Munich?  Keep this information handy somewhere. 

Emergeny Medical Services: 112

Fire:  112

Police:  110

Emergency call regarding poisoning:  089/ 19 240

The magazine Kitz is a great resource for families living in and around Munich.  It is written in German, but the format is easy to follow with just a basic grasp of the German language.  In the June/July issue (2007), they have published a great resource for families.  A 3-page table lists almost 60 places to take the kids (of all ages) this summer.  The table includes information on the type of activity, address, telephone, and website, as well as prices for adults and kids.  Even better, the first 23 places listed are free to both kids and adults!  Suggestions range from the children’s farm in Neuabing (free) to the adventure playgruond in Pfanderling (free) to Legoland Deutschland in Guenzburg (daily entrance price).  Pick up a copy of the magazine and hang on to this handy table to keep your kids entertained all summer.  The magazine can be picked up at many places that cater to children, e.g, libraries, kindergartens, etc., or by contacting the magazine headquarters.

Telephone: 08131-50 50 28

Email: redaktion@kitz-magazin.de

Website: http://www.kitz-magazin.de

There are several good internet resources to help you translate German websites, or your mail, or your phone bill, etc. There are direct links to each of these sites from the Munich Kids home page.  Look under “Useful Links”

Google Language Tools -  http://www.google.com/language_tools

• You can cut and paste text into the “Translate Text” box, or type in the website address to have the entire web page translated.  Text can be translated from almost any language into any other language.

Free Translation Services - http://www.freetranslation.com

• This site has a free text translator that allows you to type or paste text. Translation can be to, or from, English from 11 different languages.  The translations can sound clunky, but you can understand the basic meaning of the text.  Professional translations are also available through this site, but for a hefty fee.

LEO Deutsch-Englisch - http://dict.leo.org

• This is an online dictionary.  It’s very helpful for those words that don’t translate well when you use an online text translator.  Also available are LEO on-line dictionaries that translate between German and French or between German and Spanish.

I know of three good web resources for English-speaking expatriates living in Germany.  On each of them you can get news, advice on relocation, find local businesses, and find tips for families.   Two of the sites offer a chat forum and free classifed ads as well.  Check them out.

Toytown website: http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/

Expatica website:  http://www.expatica.com/

Expats in Bavaria:  http://www.expats-in-bavaria.com/home/