German Girl

OK, ok... No I'm not. But, that would be a good reason for not writing for ten days, huh?

Been a little busy--and doing lots of other writing online. And, you know when you get to that point where you just feel tooooo overwhelmed to even contemplate restarting something that you have neglected. Almost got there... whoops! I know I have a loyal audience ;-) who is eagerly awaiting news of my adventures. (Seriously, I definitely count on other people's blogs to entertain me when I am killing time..I hope this blog helps some of you out there kill time as well!)

So... (my top ten things since the time I last wrote)

Top Ten Things:
10. Halloween. Hilarious! A few people from my Deutsch class & the AuPair girls and I went to the Irish Pub by the old church for Halloween Karaeoke. Sooo fun--except for the couple people who just wouldn't stop going up... There is always that one group at Karaeoke who, admittedly, is have a great time but simultaneously subjecting everyone else to that 'great time.' OK, kid dressed as Superman... you sang Superman! For. The. Love. We met a bunch of British armyguys there--and they were hilarious. It was fun comparing accents and accusing each other of being 'wrong.' Too funny.

9. Grey November. Germany is supposed to be cold, grey, and rainy. The weather has been gorgeous since I came, but every week I hear, 'Any minute and it is going to get worse. Enjoy this, Heather, it won't last much longer.' Ok, ok... November came in its 'normal' beastly fashion, but since then it has returned to previous wonderful-ness! Especially appreciated when I am running my 'favorite run of all time' ad nauseum. The sun shining on the field, appreciating the coolness of the trees shading the Silbersee.

8. So, when is Halloween anyway? Halloween really used to be looked down upon in Deutschland. Despite its Irish origins, Halloween is viewed as a symbol of American commercialism, greed, and (likely) obesity. Ina used to have a Halloween party for the neighborhood kids, but a lot of parents didn't like that. She didn't have one this year, and Henrik didn't go trick-or-treating (they have their own 'i demand candy' day at some point in November). Well, kids showed up on our doorstep on the 31st and again on the 1st. I got to answer the door on the first and shoo the kids away. You can't come around 2 days in a row scrounging for treats. Most of them quickly got the message, but there was this one that stared stupidly at me until I shut the door. uhhh, ok. All of your friends are leaving, you go too!

7. LaternaFest! This is such a Deutsch tradition! Kathi's kindergarten had a Laternafest (lantern party) and we hosted it at our house. The kids came during the day to set up and at night we all met at a point about 1/2 mile away. Every child had made a lantern in kindergarten. They hook them onto these sticks that have electrical bulbs hanging from them--about the size of a Christmas-tree light. The lanterns are all reaaaalllllly impressive. Kathi's was shaped like a cat, there were angels, Santa Clauses, pigs... We all walked in a big group toward the house, stopping every once in awhile to sing a lantern song. (I still have one stuck in my head--what the Germans call an 'ear worm.' Laterna, laterna... Sonne, Mond, und Sterne...) It was fun. All of Kathi's classmates were so cute--and fun to 'talk' to--and the twins and their little sister Eva (my favorite!) were there. Eva is superfriendly. She remembered me, grabbed my hand, and we hung out the rest of the night. Each of Kathi's grandparents, at some point during the night, asked if we had a similar tradition in the US. When I told them 'no,' they said I should start it. Hmm, ok. So, when my neighbors see me walking around with a lantern singing, I am sure they will run right out and join me...

6. I love being a Lehrerin (teacher). My courses at the Uni are sooo much fun. Yes, they are a lot of work, and a little stressful (I had to get up at the crack of dawn on Tuesday to get to Uni early to make copies because I hadn't had time to really plan until Monday) but they are so worth it. I really really like all of my students, they are so smart and funny. I love teaching! Sure, my topics aren't super-exciting, but I am trying to make them interesting--comparing research papers to Law & Order, introducing 'fake students' to segue into research questions (Don't be like Karla KissUp, pick a topic you actually enjoy!--yes, it sounds incredibly corny, but c'mon, I have to talk about MLA... they appreciate the drawings.) This week we got to talk about 'working bibliographies'--that necessitated gummi bears. They are thinking of research questions right now--some of the students are sooo brilliant! One is looking at how the idea of the frontier affects modern American culture, another is looking at the way Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland critiques the Victorian monarchy. Some are having a bit more trouble--- 'I want to research Canada. I found this book.' Hmmm, ok. ?? However, I respect them all--taking Uni courses in a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th!) language. incredible. My piddly little Deutsch lessons overwhelm me sometimes.

5. KinderKirche. Kathi & I went to children's church on Saturday. Admittedly, I had not-a-clue about what was going on at times; however, I did learn some new vocab and successfully hid the fact that I didn't know what was going on. We sang some songs about God--and this was a kids' service so they were very simple and very active--good for learning! We did crafts and listened to stories. I held yarn! It was really neat and Kathi seemed to like it. When we came home I told Ina about it (she had to work that Sat am) and she said, 'OK, so I will have a religious daughter...' It was good for Kathi & me to hang out. Sometimes I am not sure if she is simply being three or if we are comfortable with each other now, but she has been being a bit...bitchy... so, it was good to spend some QT together.

4. RandomHannoverDay. On Saturday afternoon, Tara and I planned to do the 'Red Thread.' This is a red painted line that goes all over Hannover past all the important sites. We had to go to the tourist office to get a book, but by the time we got there the office was closed. That was fine with me because we still have something to look forward to and we were in Hannover and could hang out. We walked down the Lister Meile (pedestrian zone) and went into all kinds of shops. We went into this huuuge Second Hand store (where they sell clothes by the Kilo) and I got this cute new red shirt for €2.31. We walked alll over the city, checking out stores that are normally closed when we hang out at night. Tara bought a winter coat (Australians don't really own these) and I got some cute slippers that look like ballet shoes. After coming out of one store, we were overtaken by this incredible scent... Where was it coming from??? Ohhh... freshly sugar coated Almonds... mmm.... (Yeah, random, but they smelled soooo good.) We literally stopped in our tracks, about-faced, and marched into the candy store where they were roasting the almonds. We bought a still-warm bag and dug in! Heaven. We also began our mission to see Hannover by UBahn--we want to get on a random UBahn and go somewhere. Well, we got on the 2 (which we have both been on before) and went to this Chinesisch restaurant Tara had seen before... mmmmm.... Delicious Chinese. Stuffed to bursting we went back to the city and strolled a bit more before parting.

3. Family Laufen. On Sunday, Lars asked me if I would run the route again. Henrik said he wanted to come, Kathi wanted to come too, and Ina agreed, so we went on a family run! I felt like part of the Von Trapp family or one of those 'we really love each other' 1950's sitcom families. Sooo funny. Lars & I ran--he pushed Kathi in the Babyjogger--and Henrik & Ina biked. The run was successful into Kathi wanted to get out and run, too. We run on some gravelly trails, which are fine when you have big grown-up feet, but she went down hard after tripping over a rock. Ick... I did learn that to get dogs to go away you just say 'Aus' (out)--so that is simple! Good survival tool. ;-) I also used the babyjogger to pick up Kathi from Kindergarten on Tuesday. I felt sooo out of shape--it messes up your stride or something. So, I propose that a new 'rule' should be enacted. Whenever you run with someone faster than you are, you make them push a babyjogger. Perfect. I might 'sneak in a run' from now on on Tuesdays--way to (1) do my job and (2) work out at the same time!! Might be helpful during the busy marathon-training season (starts at the end of December)!!

2. Deutsch/Coffee. I have been sooo lazy in learning German! I have been swamped with Uni stuff, plus my class moves so slowly that I haven't really had to study. Well, now I have to... you can only learn so much vocab without trying, and this isn't like school German where you need vocab for the tests. I would like to be able to speak! So, Tara and I met up on Tuesday night at the Balzac by Steinto--which means nothing to anyone reading this, huh? (Gotta come visit!) This is a big coffee shop on the corner of a busy road when you walk from the town center toward the Uni. I loved it!! It reminded me a bit of 'secret starbucks' in Williamsburg--it felt so American. Again, I don't think you should go abroad and try to replicate your own culture, but I have always studied well in those big but cozy Starbucks-es, so this was great. Í copied vocab onto index cards, and we chatted. (A bit too much, frankly, but whatev.) Tara and I talked about our options for next semester--this class has been a bit too easy and I don't want to move up with these people. They are very very nice, but I am ready for some new faces and a faster speed. We discussed studying on our own or maybe hiring a tutor once per week. This seemed fine until tonight, when Michael (my Deutsch Lehrer) talked with me. I told him that I wanted to skip a level, but he told me that I would have to skip two levels (based on next semester's offerings). He told me that he definitely thinks I could do it, and he would help me out over the break! Hardcore. I really think I want to do that, but Tara isn't sure and she likes our other plan better... Hmmm... I really think I will go with Michael's option though. It would force me to study and I would be challenged. Plus, I would like to stay in Germany for at least another year. I can't be screwing around at Balzac pretending to study but actually just chatting...

1. Finally, number one... Biking!! How did I not bike before!?!?! I bike to Deutsch class alllll the time. I probably bike about 50 miles per week (give or take). That really isn't that much... but I never used to bike at all (except in spin class). I love my bike. The other day, I practiced riding one-handed. Taking a finger at a time off the handlebar. Today, I hopped on my bike, started peddling, and automatically took my right hand off the handlebar. (I am more secure with the left hand--probably because I drove with my left hand.) It sounds stupid, but it was such a neat feeling! Earlier this week there was a big rainstorm. Henrik decided that he wanted to play around with the route he took home, crossing the street and getting on a different bikepath. I tried to stay with him but ended up hitting the lip of the ramp sideways because I had to bike through this big puddle. I thought Kathi and I were toast--if it had been a month earlier we would have splatted on the sidewalk. Somehow... we didn't. My feet found the peddles again and we kept going as if nothing had happened--although my heart was beating like crazy. I love biking home from class, being on the road with the cars, being outside. Soon, I will be superDeutsch and be able to talk on my cellphone and bike or drink coffee and bike. Hehe, I am crazy about my bike! (can you tell??) Maybe it seems weird to you, but if you lived here you would understand. Biking just helps me feel... like I belong here.

ok, that is all for now. Promise to get back on track with my journalling! :)