Christmas Pictures (just a sampling)

Christmas Program rehearsal. Aren't the kids cute.


The word list for our Christmas stories along with my drawings. I was very proud of them.


My kids made the world's longest paper chain!!


One of the more decked out houses in Basel.


One of the outfits for the many attempts to take the Christmas Photo. We realized we all matched without planning it.


Diana and I lighting the Tree. I had to step, one footed, on the hearth to get the highest one;) Did you notice how long the flame is on my match?


Most of the Christas Eve Group singing Christmas Carols. Doesn't it look so cozy!

Weinachten

I know some of you might have been worried that I would be alone or lonely for Christmas being that I am thousands of miles away from the place I have called home. Rest assured, the Church and School communities here took very good care of me this Christmas.

For starters, I spent the morning of Christmas Eve running to the stores for some last minute things, like food, because everything in town would be closed for Christmas and the day after. I, then, picked up my Director, Diana, from her place because I had the van. After that, the two of us headed to Basel to pick up Janet and Nigel (two people from my Bible Study). The four of us were invited to have Christmas Eve dinner at Stephan's (another friend from Bible Study) parent's house (in Liestal). The drive there was uneventful in that we didn't have any accidents, but quite the experience with honking cars behind us and changing lanes at the last minute (some due to my distraction at the wheel and other's due to Diana forgetting the exact way to the house:)

Once we arrived, the snack foods started to make their way out. I got to try something completely new. Jalapeno jelly. It was much sweeter than I was expecting. I would actually eat it again, which is saying something, since I usually try to avoid Jalapenos in most forms:) Then, I was summoned to the kitchen to make the guacamole, which I appreciated because I like to feel useful (as well as be useful;) We had Sloppy Joes and veggies and potato wedges for dinner. A bit unconventional for Christmas Eve dinner, but I enjoyed it thoroughly (and it was quite filling, too). I did have a private challenge while we were eating: to be as un-sloppy as possible. I only had one little bit drop:)

After dinner, Diana, Stephan, and I lit the candle's on the Christmas tree (yes, you read that correctly). At first, I was leary about helping (I didn't want to burn the tree down), but novelty won me over in the end. With the tree lit, it was time to all gather around to sing carols. Janet played oboe, as well as taking turns on the piano with Stephan and his sister, Cornelia. It was quite cozy and relaxing to be singing with everyone. Finally, there was a call to dessert. I had vanilla ice cream with a rhubarb topping (also very good, despite my not particularly liking rhubarb the first couple times I tried it). I also got to try passion fruit for the first time.

Once done with dessert, we all started bundling up to head to the church for Christmas Eve service. It is such a quaint church with a very warm feel. The service was in Swiss German, except for the hymns and one of those was in English (Go Tell It On The Mountain). I recognized a few words, most of which were proper nouns (Mary, Joseph, Bethlehem). Despite my lack of comprehension, I enjoyed the opportunity to listen to the language, as well as practice my pronunciation.

The night continued with some tea and fun conversation. We finally left around 00:30 or 01:00 after about nine hours:)! Nigel, Janet, Diana, and I made our way back to Basel in the sqeauly, icy silver bullet. After dropping the other two off at home, Diana and I made our way to Weil. I got home at about 02:00 and started the rounds of phone call to the US, since I was still wired from the enjoyable evening and the black tea.

My bed welcomed me in at about 05:00. I woke up at about 08:00 to start getting ready for the Christmas Day service. Diana had made breakfast casserole for the two of us. Another first that was good. The service consisted of more Christmas carols (a theme for this Christmas;). There was a good social time afterwards (where both the pastor and his wife asked me if I had a place to go for the day). I assured them I did and proceeded to invite myself along to the Barbours' (fellow teachers at the school and their family). I spent a leisurely afternoon with them before hooking up with Diana and her friends Melanie and Matias for dinner. I learned a new game that night. It's called 6 nimmt (pronounced zeks nimmt and meaning take 6). It's a good thing we played it, too, because it was one of my Christmas presents frm Diana.

Lastly, I made my way home, with my Christmas presents from Diana. I got home and made a few more calls to the US to catch all the people I had missed the day before. Then opened my presents while watching a Thnksgiving episode of Gilmore Girls :) Needless to say, it was a full two days that I am overwhelmingly thankful for. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers during a time that can be especially lonely so far from the familiar. God did more than take care of me!

Therapy

I just received my first package from back home. It was so pleasantly unexpected. My grandfather had mentioned he would send it off soon, but we've been having that same conversation for about three months now and he didn't actually confirm that it was on it's way.

Besides, it was on a day when I was hurried and it gave me a reason to slow the pace for a moment.

I now have most of my treasured Christmas decorations, excluding the extremely breakable nativity I've had since I can remember, but including "Claymation Christmas" and my new stocking. I also found some jewelery I thought I had lost, but had actually left behind and my favorite mug from Crater Lake that makes me feel like I am snuggled up in a wool sweater. Christmas can, now, officially start!)

The biggest piece of therapy was the dvd my grandfather sent of my gramma's 'celebration of life.' It was an hour and a half long and I only put it in to see if it functioned, but ended up watching the whole thing. There were a couple moments where I teared up, but mostly it was good to finally see what I had missed. It was great to see all the things people said about my grandmother. It made me realize what big shoes we all have to fill and how God really did make one in a million with her.

I also found it fascinating to see what people choose to share once someone is gone (myself included). The pastor read my poem-esk contribution at the end; I noticed that it could probably make no sense to anyone else but me and I wondered if I would change anything if I were to rewrite it. Would I know any better now, four months later, of what would best describe my feelings and memories of her and our relationship.

Anyway, I had a wholely unexpected, but appreciated dose of therapy this evening. God is good!

X, Y, and Z have done it again!

They won the 'stay on the wall as long as you can' race. Now, I wonder how long they will actually stay there. We'll see...

Chocolate, Coke, and Veggie Burgers

*this post was written friday evening, even though it wasn't posted until saturday. i had trouble with the pictures*


This week was a long week. I think it was because we had a half day right in the middle for conferences and that just made the week seem really chunky. It is over now, and despite thursday, it was a good week. Don't ask me about thursday, I have no idea what was going on that day, but it was "looong."

The best part about Thursday was that Delice and I got to hang out. We went to my apartment so I could change into more comfy clothes. Then, we walked to Rewe (pronounced Rev-A) and got some tortilla chips, so I could finish off my refried beans, as well as some other shops on the Hauptstrasse. The whole time we shared about the different "big" ideas, lessons, feelings we have been rolling around our heads recently.

**side note: Thursday also prompted Kelly to bring me hershey's kisses and a coke on Friday**


There was an accompanying note that said: "here's to hoping today is not as looong. P.S. If this is going to give you a migraine, don't eat it." Caffeine is one of my triggers;) Thanks for remembering and the boost!

I cannot explain how it felt to let loose and share my thoughts and heart to someone in the same country as me, especially one who seems to 'get me' having only known me for a few months. Beth and Mary, I love you dearly and your wise counsel and encouragement will always be needed in my life. But, there is something that is amazingly freeing to have that connection with someone who is so close in proximity. It's also amazing how it makes you feel less isolated. The human connection...Relationships...God knew what he was doing. We ended up talking for almost two hours, out in the cold, and have barely touched the surface. I can't wait for our next hang out session.

I had driving duty this week. Today alone, I took four driving trips and crossed the Swiss/German border six times. Even with how much I feel like a mother when I have driving duty, I love it. For two reasons: 1) I get to see the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets while out and about, and 2) I get to hear the students have the most interesting conversations.

On tuesday morning, one of our more witty students blurted out in surprise "I have frankincense." The other students were as confused as I, though I doubt their minds thought of myrrh, as well. Then she proceded to explain that she had a ten franc coin. Get it, franc-in-cents.

This students' little brother was also quite silly this morning with both his knit cap and jacket hood on inside the car. I could only see his eyes by the end of the 10 minute trip because he kept sinking more and more into his jacket. He also blurted out when we saw some of the fields near the school, "look...snow!"

I responded with, "Well, actually...frost. Sorry, we'll probably have snow soon, though."

"It looks like snow.?"

"You're right, but it's frost."

This was followed by contemplative silence. We also had fun jumping on the ice in the potholes, which lead to talk about ice skating (on lakes I think). I'm so excited for winter in a new place. As long as there's not a ton of rain, I can deal with the cold:)

This afternoon we had a conversation about all the kinds of sharks that exist, which led to whether or not Germany had any native species of sharks. I kind of laughed (although I don't know for certain if there are or not) because Germany is basically land locked, which a couple of the older girls brought up. This led to a discussion of this term and then fell back into what sort of shark species are people's favorites, etc.

Random daily bus event: We always check to see if the storks are home. They live in a nest at the top of a tower near the border. Their names are Maria (mom), Bob (dad), Maria Jr. (daughter), Bob Jr. (son), and Jack (other son). They were named by the "Frankincense" student.

I ended up staying at school tonight until about 7pm and still only have the basic framework of lesson plans done. Maybe the motivation will strike me and I'll go into work over the weekend. I stayed so long because I made three driving runs. Two to the Badisher Banhof in Basel and one to my apartment to drop off Amy-Jo and her new computer monitor. I also had to sweep and vaccuum the downstairs floor, as well as clean up my classroom. It was in quite a state.

Mainly because I decided that we were going to use up some scraps for art. The kids have acumulated an entire bucket full of 'only slightly used paper.' So, we cut a bunch of scraps into small pieces. All colors, red, hot pink, neon green, orange, blue (sounds like the nineties;). Then, I printed off an outine of a turkey (while I can skip Halloween, I refuse to ignore Thanksgiving) and had the kids paste the scraps on in a mosaic fashion. Needless to say, first graders can make quite a mess, especially with little scaps of paper. It looked like we had had Mardi Gras in our room. You should see our neon colored Turkey's. Definitely not traditional, but still gorgeous. The concept of 'mosaic' was also lost on the students. They ended up sprinkling the paper around in piles of glue, instead of laying each piece deliberately, as well as flat.

None of my classroom decorations want to stay on the wall. I now have a race between "L,M,N" and "X,Y,Z" to see which is the last portion of the alphabet to stick to my wall. Oh, we found "U,V,W" Blaise was writing at the white board during centers and she put her fingers behind the board and out she pulled "U,V,W" So much for the yard stick and sticky tack:)

Once I got home, I set off to make dinner. It was an experiment. Most cooking here is an experiment! A couple weeks ago I had bought a mix for making veggie burgers (Gemuse Burger). I also made pasta with a krauter (herb) sauce. For an experiment it turned out pretty darn tasty. If anyone from Weil reads this they will just laugh because it's another thing to add to the granola/vegetarian list. They all think I'm a hippie:) If they only knew...


The cooking state for dinner.


The presentation before mastication. (I liked the rhyme)

I am currently watching Princess Bride, which is such a fantastic, low key, yet enjoyable movie. Talk about the perfect action/comedy/drama/romance movie all wrapped into sweet goodness. We were talking about it at lunch and I thought it would be a nice way to end a long week.

It's now ten o'clock. My bedtime. And I am fading fast, so I will say goodnight.

Don't be too hard on the ducks. Nobody can be perfect.

Word of the day: Flaneur

Recently I again realized that being a primary school teacher tends to limit the vocabulary one uses and that I would like to actually sound relatively intelligent when conversing with people who are older than ten years old. So, I decided to subscribe to dictionary.com's word of the day.

This is also a great way for me to get my trivia fix for the day:)

The point of this story is that the word of the day a couple days ago was Flaneur, which means someone who strolls about aimlessly. My first thought was about how it must be french. It is. And, then, what an interesting picture is conjured in my brain by the definition of the word. I like even more that the french word it is derived from can mean 'to saunter'. What attitude!

I told this word to a couple colleagues and one of their responses was, "well, that's you." I guess, I am also known for wandering around the school aimlessly chatting with whoever I happen to find. What can I say, I am an extrovert. Plus, some of my best conversations happen during these times.

The weather outside is frightful

Actually, the weather hasn't been too bad, so far. Besides a day or two of rain and the wind in Freiberg, things have been relatively nice.

Although, I think we are now headed into the cold streak of the year. Today I looked at about 19.45 and it was 34 degrees fahrenheit but felt like it was 23 degrees. Tomorrow's forecast is for a high of 34 and a low of 19 and thankfully with no percipitation.

Some of the students today were mentioning that they had snow at their house and I saw a couple cars while on the bus route that had snow on them, but we have yet to experience that pleasure in Weil. I'm really hoping for a white Christmas this year!

But, I should probably try to get some winter clothes soon, so I don't come to school in an ice cycle costume. It's just a matter of the where and the when and then, always, the how much;)

P.S. You know it's winter in Germany when the city turns off and empties all the fountains. I noticed that the other night and thought to myself, "well, I gues winter has officially started." Although, I guess we, technically, have to wait for the equinox? solstice? whatever it is.

Parent/Teacher conferences

Today we had parent/teacher conferences. It was a half day and we only accomplished math and reading because we were supposed to take a school picture in the middle of the morning, but it was cancelled at the last minute due to rain. Yes. It is raining here. Honestly, I didn't notice until someone mentioned it. I must still operate under the assumption that it is raining unless otherwise noted:)

It's too bad the picture wasn't taken today because everyone looked so cute in their Christmas colors. I even had some of the ribbon that Angie gave me last year in my advent calendar.

After lunch, the kids went home and the teachers started conferences. I only had two today because one set of parents can't travel due to the new baby not having a passport, one set postponing due to the fact that their daughter missed a month of school to go to Colombia, and the other set of parents feeling it wasn't necessary to have a lengthy meeting, just a couple minutes to catch up would suffice.

*Side note: I hope you all appreciate my attempt at using larger and more varied vocabulary in my blogs because I spend all day with words the likes of "bed, sled, zed, fed," as well as, "add, cut, write."

The conferences went well, even though I was a bit intimidated. I know I am knowledgeable in this field, but I can sometimes feel inferior for whatever reason. I think I am a person who needs a considerable amount of positive self talk to buy into something that should be innately understood in my perceived level of confidence. (I'm sure that last part doesn't make sense, but trust me it does) It was good to know that the parents think things are going well!

I was done with conferences by about 1:30pm and went to work on some other projects I had been meaning to get done for a while. I was relatively productive and went home earlier than normal, but still not too early (about 5pm). I guess I have a reputation of being the late one, which is almost always true. But, in my defense, I do start my after school routine an hour after everyone else (because of tutoring).

When I got home, I didn't go for my usual run, instead I made refried beans for dinner and they were so good, but I ate way too much. I ate almost an entire bowl full (two cups) and an entire bag of tortilla chips (smaller than in the states, but still not a wise move). It was exactly what I needed, but I somewhat regretted it a bit later. I think refried beans and tortilla chips are my comfort food; one last piece of home to enjoy (besides all the hippiness;)

**On a random note: I lost 'U,V, and W' to the oblivian behind the white board yesterday. I, now, have a new challenge of whether or not I can get it out. I'm thinking yard stick and sticky tack. I'll let you know how it goes.


me at the open house a month or so ago, but I look roughly the same, just with longer hair and warmer clothes:)

a Hedgehog?

Hi all-
Today we had crazy hair day and it was so fun to see the students and staff. The staff stayed pretty tame, although Diana's hot pink "Marge Simpson" hairdo was a kick. I decided to do a bunch of little twisty buns all around my head. That way when we went for staff pictures later, I could take it out and have curly hair.

I had only tried this hair experiment once before and with only about a third of the buns. We got some crazy hair pictures done before the normal ones. But, let me tell you...I took out the buns and my hair was still pretty crazy. I think I liked it most in the middle stage where I had really tight ringlet/dred looking curls. Once I fingered these out it turned into a poof of frizz. I tamed it down a bit for the serious picture, but I'm sure it still looks wild.

The funny thing about this is that for my individual picture my hair was long and stick straight. Today was quite the opposite.

Once I got home from work, I went for a run. I had a nice chat with God and was able to pray, which is one reason why I think running releaves such stress. All you have time to do is think and pray.

While on the run, I was struck by how, despite having not run for several days, I felt really good. I could have run several more blocks and probably not felt it. Also I was not winded, which is always a good feeling.

After the run, during my cool down walk, I was headed towards the end of the street where the glass recycling bins are to look at the skyline of Basel, which is beautiful normally, but has lately been enhanced by the Herbstmesse (which is now over, sadly). While on my way there, I saw a creature crawling up onto the sidewalk from between a couple cars and I was struck by the fact that it was not a cat or even some sort of squirrel, etc.

It was in fact a hedgehog. "Are hedgehogs native to Germany? Are hedgehogs wild? Of course they're wild...but in Germany?" I stood and watched him for a while to see where he would go and he mosied along but was quite aware of my presence. His spines were in all different directions. I had an urge to try and pick him up, but thought the wiser of it when reminded of Sonic at Wildlife Safari.

Anyway, quite random, and relatively enjoyable. Actually, really enjoyable because I love random things like that. How often do you see a rogue hedgehog sauntering across the sidewalk?


My crazy hair for crazy hair day. I kinda like it. Maybe I'll start doing it like this for real:)


My crazy hair style in phase two. Another look I might try in 'real life'


Our crazy hair and our silly faces


Three of my cutie girls and their crazy hair


Me, the way I look most days (minus the wierd hairdo, of course); children trying to attack me;)

Good weekend

Yesterday I went with a group to Freiberg, Germany. It's a fun University town, I guess. I really enjoyed just walking around relatively aimlessly and chatting with the people in the group.

We saw the Cathedral that was not damaged (in the war?), whereas practically everything else around it was. There was a picture. It was amazing to see the church standing unscathed while the surrounding area was flattened. The church was nice. Much like many of the other European Cathedrals I've been to. Although it is always intriguing to see what people decide is important to display in the church, I always enjoy the stained glass rose at the back of the church best.

We also walked around and looked at the market and shops. We went into a second hand shop that was like it had scooped up Eugene and planted it into this shop. This also intrigues me because I loved being in that shop and seeing those things, but most of it I would never think of owning. Especially because the majority of it I can get back home from the person who made it. Everyone here thinks I am a hippie, as well and I am still undecided on that point. Really, I guess it's just fun to see such a familiar piece of home.

We also saw a demonstration that had something to do with Turkey. We're not quite sure what, but it had some decent energy and there were plenty of Turkish flags.

Another interesting thing was while we were walking through a smaller side street we saw a window display that had real models displaying the undergarments for sale.

The observation that was made was that the town had quite a few underwear (women's mainly) and tea shops (at least 7 or 8).

We ate lunch at a Thai restaraunt where I got to have some decent Pad Thai. I'm not quite sure if it's as good as Bangkok Grill's, but it's worth a trip back.

It's amazing how an hour train ride can go by so fast, especially with good scenery and good conversation.

Once I got home, I called Beth and caught her up on the week and day. I think it was good for her to hear about a good week and day because the last few calls have been good, but with a note of sadness. Not because of anything bad, just because of transition. I also got to speak with my uncle, who I hadn't talked to in a while. It was good to chat with him and catch up. I got to hear a pretty funny story about my grandfather's attempts to cook himself a steak and potato meal.

Today, I went to church at Basel Christian Fellowship (BCF). We had coffee afterwards and then went to Diana's for lunch. I got back at a quarter to nine. It was a ton of fun and I could have stayed late into the night. I got to try this great cheese, as well. It's called Vacherin Mont d'Or and comes in a wooden box and is cooked in the oven. We had it with potatoes and bread. In this meal alone there were my three favorite foods:) It was really good and I guess is only available in the autumn time. I can't wait for next autumn to roll around!

Anyway, It was a good weekend and I am now recharged and ready to go for the week, even with a stuffy nose.

BTW, I was so confused while on facebook because I saw different things about veterans. Then, I looked up what holiday might be on 12 November and duh, the 11 NOV is Veteran's day. The things you become less aware when you live away from someplace. So, enjoy your day off. I'll be going to work:)

Up before the alarm

This never happens during the week. Actually, I usually turn the alarm off (there is no snooze) and then proceed to sleep until about 20 minutes before I need to leave for work. Thank the Lord for making me a person who can get ready quickly.

But, it seems that on my days off work, such as last week's four day weekend, I wake up before the alarm anywhere between 7:20 and 7:40 am. That's what happened today, Sunday, where I could sleep in because church isn't until 10:30, but no, my body doesn't like that idea. Oh well, I guess it gives me an opportunity to catch up on things and think.

Like this morning, I am blogging. I also got to lay/lie (whichever is proper English) in bed and watch the wind make the tree across the street dance. It was beautiful, rhythmic, and calming.

Alas, I think the conclusion that can be drawn from these occurrences is that I might be in danger of becoming a morning person:)

Laundry

I thought I would share with you a typical load of laundry and the various steps involved. This round I did about three loads, which took about five or six days. Even though it takes longer (planning attire ahead of time is important) and my clothes get stretched out because they don't have the heat to shrink them, I kind of like this method. You can do other things while the load washes and then there is some mandatory think time while you pin the clothes on the line. We'll see if I ever adapt back:) I'm just grateful I don't have to scrub my clothes in a wash basin;)


Sorting my laundry. I'm sure all the mothers are scolding me for not sorting by color. I sort by types of clothes, which is really what clothes I wear most often and need to clean first, etc.


An hour (this is the shortest cycle possible on our machine) after putting the laundry in with detergent and softener (which I had not previously used in the states). I am pulling out the laundry to take it to the line. Notice that this is our kitchen (do you like the floor?)


Me hanging the clothes on the rack. My fingers were frozen by the time I was done with this load. Notice the difference in inside and outside attire. I'm getting quite skilled with clothes pins, as well.


After about two days outside, where it's cold, but not as cold as it could be, I decide to bring the laundry inside to finish it off because it's still not dry.


The last hold outs that get layed out by or on the radiator. They were dry within the hour.

Thanksgiving

I know the date posted is before Thanksgiving, but I wanted it to be in the general area of the actual time so it would not be so confusing. Sorry that this particular update is so tardy.

This year's Thanksgiving was a little odd in that I did not actually celebrate on Thursday or in The United States. Thursday was a Teacher Inservice day. To celebrate Thanksgiving we went to Subway in Lorrach (the neighboring town). I was completely thrown off by this experience. I think because I was expecting it to be familiar, which means I forgot that I would still be in Germany, they would still speak in German, and it would be a subway German style (no toasting, different sandwich combos and toppings, as well as dressings). Added to this, three people trying to mediate for me does not help ease my frustration or confusion nor increase my comprehension level.

I also spent that evening staying up late to call various houses of family and friends that I knew were having celebrations, so that I could have a better chance of talking to more people. It was fun to hear all these voices that I hadn't heard for a long while, but also sad because I wasn't home to enjoy their company.

I started the official Thanksgiving day (Saturday) by attending the Anglican Church of Basel's Christmas Bazaar with Anne, Allison, Amy-Jo, and Delynn. I bought a candle holder and some earrings. It was fun to have the air of Christmas all around, even though we were going to be celebrating Thanksgiving later that day.

Amy-Jo and I finally headed back to Weil from Basel at about three. We were supposed to be at Diana's at four. We got home with just enough time to grab our desserts and walk over to her house. We ended up eating about about 4:30, which was pretty good timing. There were all sorts of people there from all sorts of places. Quite the ecclectic group of people all with the common thread of either knowing Diana or knowing someone who knows Diana. There were at least two people in the latter situation.

Before I forget, I must mention how there were fifty people who were invited, but only thirty-four of them showed up. We had taken the tables and chairs (6 Tables and at least, 35 to 40 chairs)from school to Diana's apartment, so that everyone could eat at a table, which made things very crowded in her living room. More crowded than you can imagine the most crowded of any American party you have been to. And, of course I chose the seat where I was literally trapped once everyone sat down. No seconds for me:)



During dinner I sat with Amy-Jo, Josie (the ESL teacher), Stephanie (a girl from Bible study who is from Portland, Oregon) and one of her former collegues from Germany (I forgot what part). After dinner, I shifted tables and got to spend some quality fun time with Janet (another girl from Bible study who is in Basel studying at the Music Academy), Stephan (a guy from Bible Study who is from Basel), Richard (Bible study guy from England), Elaine (a friend I met through my friends at Bible study who is from Ireland), and once he arrived, Josh (another guy from Bible study who is from Wisconsin). We had fun eating all the delicious desserts and playing with candles and orange peels. Richard ended up making a jack-o-lantern (this is the web address to a picture, http://cambridge.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=453652&id=547871265) out of a clementine peel and Stephan showed me how to create a spark using the oil from the peel in the candle flame. We ended up not leaving until about 10 or 11 pm.

The Thanksgiving holiday continued on into Sunday with a lunch at Diana's house of leftovers. She remembered to bring out the cranberry jelly (no whole cranberries:) I got to hear that great sucking sound it makes, which I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to describe to my European friends. They didn't get as much joy out of the sound as I did. In the past I have never been a particular fan of cold turkey sandwiches or pumpkin pie (especially out of a can, to which my mother can testify because I would only eat exactly one piece every year), but this year, it all tasted fantastic! I would have eaten thirds or fourths...maybe not on the same day.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there were at least 8 nationalities represented at dinner. How cool to have a European style Thanksgiving where it's a true uniting of the nations around a holiday that is home to only one!!!!!

(Another web address for Photos, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31514&id=706425168)

Randomness

This morning I remember the other thing that went in my streak. The other day, I was blow drying my hair and some of my hair got sucked into the back portion of the hair dryer. It was quite fascinating to try to get my hair out without having a section noticibly shorter than the rest.

We started today with getting class pictures, which was an event in itself. I had the priviledge of chauffeuring my students, which took too long for Diana, to the studio in Weil. When we got there, they organized themselves into the picture taking position and all I had to do was sit down. Talk about efficiency and professionalism.

They also took the individual pictures today. I was up first. My students were in a fit of giggles the entire time I was being photographed. I don't know how well they'll turn out. Maybe that's because I like to be in more control over the way the pictures look, not just pose randomly and see what comes out. The students' individuals were absolutely adorable. Rosina sort of smiled, the most she has so far with a camera in her face. And, in typical child fashion, she burst out with the most gorgeous, full faced smile as she was getting up from her sitting. We thought she might not understand the word, so I smiled and asked her if she knew what I was I was doing, which she said she did. Then I asked her what it was called and she responded with "smile." So, I guess she did know what we wanted, she just didn't want to give it to us.

When living in Europe make sure to test the temperature of the water first, especially when brushing your teeth, or else you might burn your lips, like me.

I received my staff merchandise the other day and I am thoroughly enjoying the fleece I bought.

No matter what, I can't keep the posters on my wall to stay up. Our school is made of shipping containers, so the walls are metal and have limited insulation. You can't put pins or nails in the walls, only sticky ack or tape. The problem is that now the weather has turned, so it gets cold and then warm and back again and the sticky tack doesn't hold. At one point today, my students and I were playing higher/lower and I had one section of the alphabet fall completely off. I didn't notice until the students told me it was on the ground. Then, all the kids start their giggling again. My goodness, what is up with them today?! I looked and there was another section of the alphabet slowly creeping down the wall behind the white board like it was trying to non-chalantly hide from us. What randomness.

Something else random: whenever I leave the toilet room, I feel the need to click the light, whether or not I have turned it on on the way in. It kind of annoys me that I do this and yet, I am slightly ammused at the quirkiness of it.

Oh, the light switches here are different. You don't flick up or down, you click the top or the bottom. And, up is off, whereas down is on.

Lastly, my kids are so funny becuase I had asked them to walk quietly up the (metal) stairs. I was walking up next to them and I must have been too loud because Blaise turned to me and said, "quietly, Miss Aubrey!" Sorry Blaise. I then walked very slowly and very quietly up the stairs. Man, can they be bossy. I hope they don't get it from me;)

I'm sure I will have more randomness for you all, but for now I am going to sign off. I hope you followed and enjoyed the complete unorganization of this blog.

Grammar and Spelling

I was looking through some of my posts to see what I have missed sharing with you all and am slightly mortified at the amount of spelling and grammar mistakes I have made.

Please know that when I am teaching I am much more aware. I am writing my stream of consciousness when I am writing here, thus am paying less attention to those details.

Sorry, if any of these things bother you. I know sometimes I am jarred to a halt when I read errors in others' writing, so please forgive the oversights.

Just thought I would throw that out there.

Thank you all so much for all your prayers and encouragement. They are what keep me going!

-Aubrey

I found the tack!

Yesterday, I was procrastinating by putting up some ivy lights, that I got at ikea, around one of my windows. I was using some tacks and lost one in the process. I looked for it, but couldn't find it. It seems like that always happens. So, I thought to myself, "well, I'll find it later." Expecting that I would probably step on it because that is usually the way things go for me. Well, this morning I was walking to see what I should wear for the day and lo and behold I step on the tack. My thought was, "ow! I found the tack."

This sort of randomness always seems to take place in streaks. Hence why I have a hole in my jeans. The ones Angie gave me last year. I wore those things almost everyday for a whole year. Now I have to pach them up. They've lived a good life, though, and hopefully I will still squeeze som elife out of them. Incidently, this hole also occurred while I was putting up the ivy lights.

Report cards are being sent out this week. I was starting to fill them out when I accidently started putting my name on the wrong line. Dang it. Now do I use white out (on a brown piece of paper), do I go ask for another one, or do I just cross out the few letters and write the grade like I was supposed to? I did the latter. Then, I was writing the name of another student and proceded to try and fuse her first and last names together. Again, do I white it out, ask for another one, or pretend that it didn't happen, leave it, and see if anyone notices. And, again, I did the latter. I'll let you know if anyone notices;)

GO DUCKS!

I just found out that I can actually watch the home games for Oregon online. I hadn't ever seen the link on the site, but found one that said "watch ASU v. UO live." "What?!" was my reaction.

You should have seen me squealing and jumping for joy when I got everything registered and hooked up. I am currently catching up on the USC game, but am sad that I can't watch the Michigan or UW games because they were away. Oh well, my consolation is that we won.

This morning has been exactly like a college saturday morning. Wake up lazily, put some laundry in the wash, get some random breakfast (tortilla chips, beans, and guacamole), and watch a duck game. And, it only gets sweeter by going to Basel tonight to the Herbstmesse.

So, if any of you are online during the game on Saturday, I will be too! I can't wait to actually watch a game live, even if it will be an 11:30 pm kick off time for me.

Thanks for

Halloween?!

Today was Halloween, yet it felt nothing like it here in Germany. It was a good day, but it was without the usual pre sugar-high jitters and trick or treating excitement. I only had one student mention that it was halloween and that he was going to a party. I didn't read a scary book, have the students color jack-o-lanterns, or have a school parade to show off all the fun costumes.

I did, however, know it was the thirty-first, saw the staff room be turned into a changing room for all the post school halloween festivities, and wrote in orange more than usual.

I got to thinking about this holiday today and how it has always been one of my favorite. I have always loved the opportunity to dress up and the extravert in me is always looking for an excuse to socialize. The candy was always icing on the cake, although I never got to have more than one piece a day afterwards and couldn't rival the stories of a fullpillowcase worth of loot. But, the interesting part is that i don't really miss it now that it's not being celebrated around me. Not to say that if it was, I wouldn't be joining in full force, but it's a holiday I can live without.

This made me think about all the other holidays we celebrate in the states and which ones are important to me. I decided that Christmas was a must, as well as Easter (more for the religious aspect). Then I decided that New Years is pretty fun and life is a little more blue when the New Year passes and there has been no deliberate acknowledgement of it. The last to make the list and I think the one my heart becomes possessive over is Thanksgiving. I refuse to not celebrate Thanksgiving (I would obviously survive, but I would be very sad).

So, there you have it. I'm sure I will have more about holidays as I live here longer and gain more experiences. Hope you enjoyed

Kind of a wierd day

Today started out like any other. The exceptions to the morning were that I had enough time to go get brot (bread) from the Backerei (this word is missing an umlaut over the 'a' because I don't know how to add it in blogspot). I love laugenknoten! I also had extra time in the morning because I was actually fully prepared for the day's lessons. I think this is the first time since the year has started.

The day went as planned and the kids learned a lot. More than I was expecting. They even pointed a few things out to me. Today would have been a great day to have my filmed observation if I was still in college because the lesson went as planned (not really planned, I made a good portion up along the way) and the kids were "on," especially in math.

Then, during tutoring, I just hit a wall. I'm not sure exactly why, but both my student and I were just not feeling learning about ancient egyptians. We got through a bit and the time seemed to drag. Alas, we survived and maybe we will have better luck with Ancient Egypt tomorrow.

I had the feeling I would want to run today, so I packed my stuff to school. I was more than ready to run after tutoring. I didn't go very fast or far. It's been way too long since I last ran, but it felt good. As much as I don't particularly like it and the impact it has on my body, it really is the best way for me to releave the tension and stress I am feeling. I also tend to do better with God when I am outside and moving. I felt better when I got back to school to finish some things up for tomorrow.

I thought it was a unique aspect of teaching that as soon as I got back from my run, I sat down at the computer to look for ideas for an activity to do with warm colors, while counting how many points my students have earned so far towards their goal (still in my sweaty running clothes, mind you).

Random side: Derek Webb, Corinne Bailey Rae, and U2 have been the best music/therapy lately for me. They are just so good to listen to. Klove has also been enjoyable. I was really encourage by both Paul Wright "Take this life" and Phillips, Craig, and Dean "Friend of God" today.

I have just made my awesome refriend beans and almost burned them. oops. I'm distracted by this blog.

Now, I am sure at this point you all are wondering what is going on with this emotional turmoil. Sorry if these email seems quite melancholy. I am actually feeling better, now that I have spoken with my grandfather, which goes into the whole theme of a wierd day because, though I love him and we have pretty decent chats, he has not necessarily been my emotional support over the years. "Papa, you are slowly and successfully starting to fill Gramma's shoes."

The oddity of calling my grandfather today, instead of my grandmother, is, I think, some of the reason that I have felt so melancholy about such an odd day. Today is my Grandmother's 76th birthday, only she passed away three months ago yesterday. I didn't realize that much time had passed since her death and I'm sure some of you are stunned at the moment because I wasn't very good about informing people. Also, I think I have recently felt that significant missing piece of my support team. But, my grandfather brought up the good point that we should celebrate in some small way, anyway, and remember that when we mourn, it is for ourselves and we should take a bigger perspective of God's plan and His control. Thanks, Papa.

So, happy birthday, Gramma. I love you, I miss you and I called papa, since I know you would have reminded me to.

Thanks all for listening. May God bless your journey today.

Teared up twice...

but it was a good day! I started my day lying in bed for an hour after my alarm. Man, I have started to really enjoy my bed. The down comforter is amazing. Just the perfect weight, warmth, and plumpness to be the coziest place I have ever experienced.

Then, I had a three hour chat with Beth who I lived with for two years in eugene and with whom I traveled through eastern europe. We talked about everything and it was so good to have a chat with someone who I have history with. You can just let loose with your conversation and don't have to worry about sensoring or explaining what you mean. People who have history with you seem to just get it. This is one of the points where I teared up because I was talking about the different communication styles from our group of friends in Oregon to the people I have interacted with here. Not that one is better than the other. They're just different. And I am having to learn the new one, whereas I already understand the old one. I totally needed this conversation and it was so good.

I then, took the car back to school because we had used it to get groceries the night before. I picked up my bike and went to get some bread, caffeine, and a map of Basel, just in case I got lost. I met up with Diana (my director) and a couple of her friends at the Herbstmesse. We went on a ride called "crazy mouse" that is like a combination of a mini rollercoaster and disney's teacups. I was laughing the whole time and the girl sitting on the complete opposite end of the car would scream at every turn or dip. It was quite the ride of opposites. We also rode the Ferris wheel, which was a big step for Diana because she is afraid of heights. She did really well not freaking out and I even got pictures of her enjoying herself. I could have taken a nap, the ride was so smooth and peaceful. If you ever come during Herbstmesse, you should take this ride because you get to see all of Basel from above. It is such a beautiful sight, even if it's overcast.

On my way home, I rode my bike through the bike paths near the grenze (sp?) and started to tear up because I realized how much I missed riding my bike in Eugene and simply enjoying nature. I decided that I need to start riding my bike more often. I can't wait to explore all the various paths!

The day ended totally differently than expected. I was going to make cookies for the church potluck the next day and went to Diana's to get the pumpkin and ended up staying until a quarter to one. We had dinner, baked pumpkin everything (bread, pasta, etc.), and washed dishes. It was a good, relaxing, fun time. I laughed all night, partly because we were all being funny, and partly because I was delirious from having been up for 18 hours.

A few moments

I am currently cooking dinner (Salmon Tortellini with lemon butter sauce) at 8pm. This is quite late for me nowadays. But, I thought I would take a moment to chat with you all since I have been quite bad at it lately. I think part fo me feel like there is so much to tell, I don't know what to leave out, so it's exhausting to just think about what to right, much less actually write it, and then life is life here like anywhere else and so what part of it is really special.

It's interesting how each week I feel more and more confused and behind, yet I also feel like I am finally getting settled and understanding things.

Recently, God and I had a little meeting. It wasn't so pleasant, although after the fact I was excited because my grandfather had asked me a few weeks ago what he could share with his sundayschool class about what I was learning over here. That hadn't been the first for that question from the states and I finally have something to share...

It was recently brought to my attention that I can so easily get wrapped up in my frustrations and anger that I lose sight of anything past me. I, thus become selfish, as well angry. I think the funniest part of this sudden realization was that it came while I was at the grocery store and I was completely uncensored about it. **Sorry, if you get offended by this next part, but it's the truth and most of you reading this are adults.** I was standing in the soup aisle when I looked up at the ceiling and stated audibly, "I am such an ass." No one was around to hear me, but it sent the message home for me. I am a jerk sometimes and that is not a good way to be a witness for Christ.

The kicker was when I got home and had my time with God that night, I read James 1:19-20. My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (NIV) I was not doing any of that and it didn't matter whether or not I was right; I should be doing all of it. The part that really sunk in was that I had always had the interpretation that if I acted in anger, the recipient would probably not lead a life pleasing to God, but that night I saw a new perspective. If I have anger, I will not lead a life pleasing to God. Wow. simple I know, but profound when I was so poorly navigating my feelings and relationships.

Anyway, I hope you all are encouraged that God is teaching me and I have a renewed desire to be open to that teaching, but aren't too discouraged that I am imperfect;)

On a happier note about James. My students and I have decided to try and memorize the book of James this year. We'll see how far we get. It's been about a week and a half and we have the first two verses down pretty solidly. Although, I keep trying to slip into NIV (New International Version)while they only know the NIRV (New International Reader's Version). We better step it up, though, if we're to get through the whole thing.

A half an hour later, I am finally done with dinner and out of energy for blogging, so I will say guten abend and hopefully see you sooner versus later.
-Aubrey

This week

Hi all-
I was riding my bike home today thinking about the week and how crazy it has been, yet how great it has been, as well. I decided that I would update you all about this week and then do my best to catch up on the stuff in between.

On Tuesday, the first, second, and third grade classes went to Truz (pronounced troots), which a natural, garden, ecosystem thing that is literally across the street. We went with a class from a local montessori (sp?) school and learned about colors in nature. We went around and picked things that had color, which is everything, although some are considered more beautiful than others. We then separated the plants and flowers by color and ground them with pestle and morter (again, sp?) To this was added a liquid that is kind of stinky and sometimes an egg. This is how we made paint to paint pictures. It was a fun morning for the kids and I enjoyed it because I got to be outside on a very Oregon-like day, as well as getting to just explore and "be" with my students.

Wednesday, we (being the staff at RIA) had the opportunity to attend a fussball (football/soccer) game that was Switzerland versus the US. We got all decked out in red, white, and blue, as well as stars and American flags. There was a very small, yet lively contingent of American fans. Before the match, we ate at the closest thing I have seen to an American mall, which includes a supermarket. We had pizza that was measured in grams, not by slice. The pizza was made of focaccia bread and the guy just took his knife and cut a huge chunk. Then they weighed it and you were charged by how big or small you wanted it. I got two pieces, which were way too huge because I have no idea how to express that I want it this specific size. I also tried this juice that was kiwi, banana, and orange. It was so good.

Anyway, we (USA) won. The score was 1-0. It happened two minutes before the end of the game and at the end, the US team cam over to the USA section, which was mainly BFA (Black Forest Academy (another Christian International School in Germany)) and us (RIA), to wave a thank you and I thought that was so cool of them to recognize us. I was also wondering how you get on the US team and who exactly is represented on that team. Anyway, it was a great time to be American and not feel like you are the oddball that stands out and wishes that you could fly under the radar. Not to say that we weren't all oddballs, but at least we were together and it was accepted that that's the way we would be.

And, today, the preschool through third grades went to Laguna, which is the local swimming pool for an "all school swim," even though it was only half the school. The kids had so much fun and it was so good to get to interact with all of them for an extended period of time and to just hang out. For most of the time I didn't even have my students hanging off me, which is unusual. Not to say that I don't love my kids because I do and am so thankful that they shower me with smiles and questions and wide eyes and hugs. And they are always so excited to show me something. But, I do like the fact that they are all pretty self sufficient and I could disappear for an hour and I don't think they would notice, care or cause any trouble. Anyway, it was a good day to hang out with all of the students.

As a side note, it's interesting to see the students who are self aware, have or have no inhibitions, and those who desire the free spirit, but are truly terrified once they make the commitment to branch out. Whenever I observe kids, I feel like there is a window of clarity as to how all people work. It just all seems so boiled down and simple. Maybe, it's because they haven't quite learned how to mask the moments of reality and feelings. Just an observation and thought.

France and Temba Fest

So, I am incredibly far behind on my blogs, but here is a slide show of pictures from the Temba fest a few weeks ago. It is a festival held in Weil-Friedlingen every year to celebrate different ethnicities through music and dance. Our school was asked to perform, so I went an watched. I wasn't able to perform because I missed rehearsals due to tutoring. It was really for the kids anyway.

After the festival, we (the four A's) went on the world's longest foot bridge to France. We found some fun socks at a little shop there. One pair has an "A" on it and we all bought a pair and the others I bought have smiley faces. One of the latter is green and yellow. Go Ducks!

I hope you enjoy and I will try to figure out how to post the video of the kids because it is so cute.

http://oregon.facebook.com/profile.php?id=11514162#

Field Trip Slide Show!

So, Last week the whole school took about two hours out of their day to walk across the road and pick grapes at a vineyard for some of Diana's (School Director) friends. The kids had a great time. The best part was before we left and my kids talking about how they should be repayed for their work and maybe the wine makers will give them wine and then they realized that grape juice would be a better repayment. Little did they know, the guy who owns the vineyard made fresh grape juice right in front of us. It was the best, purest juice I have ever had. Almost too much, but not quite. The grapes were also the sweetest I have ever tasted, even the green ones. By the way, the most productive pickers were Aden and Sam. The picked about seven or eight buckets full. The kids had so much fun and so did I. It was fun to have the whole school and to get to run around and watch all the kids have looks of pure joy on their faces, even my rosina who barely every breaks a smile, especially if she knows someone is watching. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

A Sleepy Saturday Morning

I'm sitting here in my orange chair in my friendly looking room. I'm drinking German water, chowing down on Corny bars, and listening to M.A.S.H. in the background.

This week was a good, but long week. Monday, I took my first turn driving in Germany. I drove from the school to Anne and Allison's apartment. I, then drove back to the school because Allison forgot her wallet. Then we had to get gas because the gas light came on. We stopped at a new (for us) gas station and had no idea if we were supposed to pay first or pump first. So, we went in to ask. The guy had no clue what we were saying in English and we had no clue how to ask in German. Then a paramedic was in line to pay behind us (they were filling up the ambulance) and he said in broken (yet to ears that don't hear English from Germans often, perfect) English that we were to pump first and then pay. We go out to pump, and at this station the pumps don't stretch (they do at other stations), so I had to back up and pull into another spot. I got the pump to exactly five euro even though it kept wanting to pop out.

The whole reason for getting the car was so that we could go to the grocery store "Hiebers" and stock up on a bunch of groceries. I tell you, it felt like a trip to Costco because there were ten times as many choices and it was four times as big as any other grocery. Anyway, it was fun. And, it was raining, of course.

Tuesday morning, I went to get my visa, but didn't have passport photos, so I got the photos after school and then went for a nice walk.

Wednesday, Amy Jo arrived and we moved into our new apartment. It's quite bare, but it will come along soon. I also got really sick on wednesday and had to leave school early.

Thursday, I was well enough to go back to school. We, then went to Tadim, which is a Turkish Restaraunt on the haupstrasse. It is so good and has some amazing food. It was really fun to have the whole staff out to eat. We hadn't done that since my welcome dinner.

Friday was an inservice day, so we got to come in an hour later. We had a really good bonding experience learning about Biblical Intergration, Curriculum Mapping, and Differentiating Instruction. I aslo got time to work in my classroom, moving things around and whatnot, which I am so excited about. The stuff in my room is not fully organized, but the furniture is pretty close to where I want it to be. I'll put up pictures when the room gets settled.

I also went to the Strassenfest in Weil. We saw the mayor (Herr Dietz) give a speech and tap the keg of beer open. He then serves the beer to the people who want it. We went up and got some. It was pretty bitter, but alright. We had to dump most of it out because it was hard to finish. Herr Dietz immediately recognized us and started speaking English with us. He came up to us a bit later to see what we thought of the beer and see how we were doing. We then, walked around and got some food (waffles with honey and powdered sugar, and onion bread with bacon). Oh my goodness, the food was so good! I also got to try new wine, which is the first batch of wine for the new harvest season. It tastes as though there is almost no alcohol in it and get I guess it contains quite a punch (you get get quite drunk without realizing it). I also had the pleasure of listening to a brass band in one of the pub stalls. They were so good. They filled the whole stall, around the customers of course. The best part was that they played "My Guy" and all of us girls were dancing around and singing at the top of our lungs while the Germans stared at us like we were nuts. Neddless to say, it was a ton of fun.







Today, we have the big clean of the apartment complex. I'll explain more about that later. We will also be going to IKEA to pick some things up for the apartment and classroom. Then, I will probably crash because after church tomorrow I have to go into school to do my lesson plans for the week.

Pictures of my kids and school

N driving the train. The best picture I've gotten of her so far.



S working the wheel.



G being Queen of the mountain. She is the strongest girl or boy I have ever met.



This is P playing at the rock park.



A view of the indoor playground (from the second floor).



This is a part of the top floor of the school. You can see the front windows and some of the flags that represent the countries that our students come from.



Anne trying out the equipment at the rock park.



The view from my classroom windows. I feel like I'm in a tree house and I get to watch the squirrels chase each other.



These are my five first graders. They are more than adorable and almost perfect.

Some Observations

In the two weeks I have been in Weil and at the school, I have noticed a few things. I am sitting in my half assembled classroom at the school. It's half assembled because I have started to move things around to where I actually want them to be versus where they were put and I haven't had time to finish because the daily duties of teaching take first priority. Just a side note, I think I pulled my back a bit trying to move things around. I have never actually done that before and it doesn't feel good. I will definitely be more careful next time!!

I love the windows in Germany. You have three options: closed, open, and what I call "the V." You can put the window in these three position by moving the handle to various degrees: 6 o'clock, 3 o'clock, or 12 o'clock (respectively).

They also have these great systems for blinds, that not only block out the sun, but also act as security. That way you can have your window open, but feel secure that no one will just climb in. I've seen these types before, but just can't get over how cool they are.

If I could, these would be two things I would import to the US!! Money maker?;)

The slugs here are way different than those in Oregon. I'll take pictures as soon as possible. Some are bright orange and you can find them everywhere. I've only seen two earthworms.

Blackberry grows here, but I have seen very few ripe ones and they aren't as big. Sad day because I absolutely love blackberries. (Sandy, have you figured out how to get them and ship them from Oregon. yet?) It's still nice to see familiar shrubbery.

God makes the most beautiful clouds here. I'll try to get as many pictures as possible. Some of the mornings have been absolutely glorious.

The weather is incredibly similar to Oregon (Eugene, specifically). This morning we were in a cloud bubble that was constantly raining and now it id warm an the sun is shining brightly with no rain in sight.

I have more, but I will save them for another time. Know that I am doing well, besides the back. I so appreciate your encouragement and prayers. I feel so blessed by all of you. Thank you for making the last two weeks of transition easier!
-Aubrey

Germany Day 1

Was 32 hours long. Immediately after getting off the plane (the airport is actually in France), we drove to the school (which is obviously in Germany, but you have to drive through Switzerland, so I got to be in three countries in a matter of minutes. That’s how close to the border I am.) The staff, parents, and students were at the school for an open house/meet the teacher’s afternoon. It was quite interesting to be the person to talk to at the open house. The staff went out to Nino’s for Italian after the open house and we had a great time. Allison and Anne and I stayed up until 12:30am or so just chatting about random things. So, in all I had a great first day, despite the fact that it was actually longer than a full day and really felt like three days.

Day 2

I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, stayed up for several hours trying to go back to sleep and finally got out of bed at about 11:30. I eventually got to school to try and get some work done, but I got a migraine. So, I went back to the girls’ apartment and shut myself in the dark. The rest of the evening was spent with the girls in the apartment doing as little as possible.

Day 3

Saturday was a day to just hang out and get my bearings, as well as celebrating Josie’s birthday. She is the ESL teacher. We had party at the apartment. Jen was rally funny about the birthday candle’s because she said she couldn’t find “Josie” so she got the next best thing, which was “Dagmar.” If you don’t think that’s funny, I’m sorry. I guess you probably had to be there. It was a nice night, but I wasn’t really looking forward to having to get up for church the next morning.

Day 4

Was able to get up for church, even though I was really half asleep. I went to an Anglican church in Basel. It was good. I really appreciated the way they did communion. It just felt more personal somehow. The wine was great. (I know that statement for various reasons will shock some of you) The people were very nice, but I didn’t really take much away from it because I was still in the throngs of jet lag. There was one point during the sermon where I had to keep looking at different places around the sanctuary just to keep from shutting my eyes. The really cool thing was that on the way to church I actually recognized some places from when I went to Basel last year. The rest of the day was so chill. I took a nap, read, and worked on some lesson plans.

Day 5

The first day of school and can I say, I slept terribly the night before. I think it was because I was excited and because I still hadn’t quite switched to the time zone yet. It took all I had to get out of bed and get to school. The kids were great and we had a very fun and relaxed first day of school. Thankfully it was only a half day and we got some time to work. I stayed at the school until after 7pm getting the weeks lesson plans done and writing my parent letter, etc. When I got home the girls (Anne and Allison) had dinner all ready to eat and we watched little house on the prairie and then I crashed in bed with the help of some melatonin.

Day 6

The day went as usual. I hadn’t planned enough things so the kids got a good portion of free time and I realized that they really aren’t where they should be in reading. We have a lot of work to do this year. We had a staff meeting where we decided who would be organizing which of the yearly events. I will be co-planning the fall fundraiser and the spring concert. I got my room ready for the next day, locked everything up because I was the SMIC (staff member in charge).

I was really frustrated at the end of the day. I think because I have had this issue with being able to operate the various German doors and because I felt like I should know what is going on and yet, I had no clue (partly because I was new and partly because some things have been communicated very sporadically). Thankfully, Michael and Delynn were amazing. They took me to see the apartment I will be moving into once they are able to move into their place. It is really nice. I like it a lot! Then they went with me to the grocery store. I so appreciated Michael’s knowledge of German and that they just let me mosey to figure out what I wanted. When I got home, the girls had dinner ready, again. We ate and watched Gilmore Girls. I went to bed as soon as possible.

Day 7

Wow. I couldn’t believe that I had been in Germany for a whole week and yet, only a week. It felt like three weeks had passed and yet I barely new how to get around or what to do. The day was great with the kids. They got to have their first German lesson, as well as music and PE started. The bummer to the day was that I woke up with painfully swollen sinuses a headache and indigestion. PE consisted of the kindergarteners and first graders playing on the playground, and thankfully other teachers teach German and music, so I could be a little less “on” during those times.

This was also the day that we went to town hall to get my trash card (I’ll explain later) and meet the mayor of Weil. I was thankfully feeling much better at this point because of the two Excedrin I had taken earlier. The mayor told us about the history of Weil, about himself, and about his job. He is a very nice, funny guy. He studied in the US a couple times and has amazing English ability. He is a huge supporter of the school and is so positive about what can be achieved in the future for the school, but also for Weil am Rhein. We were there for about two hours where we got a picture taken for the local paper and were sent home with a ton of information on sites and activities around Weil and Basel. I might try to join one of the clubs a little later in the year when I get more of a handle on things.

While we were in the meeting, I had to use the toilet. I had to ask the mayor’s right hand man for directions and he was kind enough to show me to the staff restroom, which need a key that looks like a miniature head of a crow bar. I stood there looking at the door, which had a normal keyhole, trying to figure out how the two of these worked together. Finally, I decided to try the door without the key, and amazingly, it opened. I then discovered that the key was to open the stall door. Now, in Europe, it is always interesting to flush a toilet because you never know how the flushing mechanism will work. I have had to push, pull, twist, etc. This one was like a knob on a sink and you turned it and water flowed freely. You let it go until everything is gone and then you turn it back off. I have to say, my learning curve was much shorter on this toilet than it has been on others. Anyway, fun story about using the mayor’s bathroom.

By the time we left there, it was after 6pm and we decided it would be easier to go out than to make dinner. We were all tired. So, Anne, Allison, Michael, and Delynn, and I went to Tadim, which is a Turkish restaurant. I had the Turkish pizza, which was a bit spicy (I don’t normally do spicy, that’s my Gramma’s thing), but when you spread the lemon on it, it is amazingly delicious. I had the leftovers for lunch. I was excited that it wasn’t a sandwich.

Day 8

School was a day full of me trying to figure out what we would do when and how to fill the gaps. I think the kids really enjoyed the lax week and I took the opportunity of some preps to work on the second week’s worth of lesson plans. I got quite a bit done after school, as well. I then, had to meet Diana (my director) and Delice (one-on-one with a special needs student) at the bank to set up my bank account. We were only able to get the paperwork started because we got there right before closing, so I have to go back this Wednesday. Thankfully, though, I got home earlier than the previous days, so I was able to chill a bit more. I think we watched two episodes of Gilmore girls before bed that night.

Day 9

The last day of school for the first week. I survived my first week of my first year teaching! Oh my goodness. I made it through the day, finished my lesson plans, turned them in and got the room ready for Monday. I tutored a student for about a half an hour and then started on my cleaning duties. Because Fridays are cleaning days at RIA. This week it was my turn to clean the multi-purpose room, which is mainly used for the cafeteria. I got to sweep and mop. I also helped vacuum the upstairs hallway. Then, I got home as soon as I could. It was such a good feeling, walking home knowing I was prepared for this coming week and had the weekend free. I was home by myself that night because the girls had choir practice. I made myself dinner and then spent the rest of the night half conscious on the couch watching Gilmore Girls (with the English subtitles because I didn’t know how to get them off).

The weekend

Saturday I slept in to a whopping 8:30 am, but forced myself to stay in bed until 10:30 am. I am told that because of this, I am past the jet lag and I will be fine. I had a leisurely morning of laundry and Gilmore Girls. Until I figured out that we threw a breaker in the kitchen and I had no idea where the breaker box was. So, I found an extension cord in the hall that housed the phone, computer and internet. I found all of those new homes and relocated the extension cord to the kitchen where I fined the load in the washer and then plugged in the fridge. You may be wondering how the extension cord worked in the kitchen when a breaker had been blown, but one wall of outlets still worked for some reason. I know because I made toast to make sure. Since, none of the appliances had long enough cords, I had to use the extension cord. The house was an obstacle course, with the computer across the hall and the extension cord blocking the kitchen entrance. I tried to wash the dishes later, but the light wouldn’t turn on, so I couldn’t. Bummer☺

I went grocery shopping, and to a football (soccer) game. Josie’s husband, Jamath plays for the local team. It was a hoot. The old guys are so cute and there were two fights. One in the crowd and one on the field. The goalie got a red card. It was great! Next time, I will get a bratwurst and beer and let you know what I think. Before the game we were at ice cream and we heard all of this honking on the street ahead of where we were and then all these cars started to pass while honking their horns. It was a wedding party headed to the reception. They were all honking and they all had some sort of ribbon hanging off their antennae and whatnot. Anyway, cool tradition.

Today, I opted out of church just to give myself another day without anything. I finished my laundry this morning, enjoyed mid-morning devotions, and caught up on more Gilmore Girls. I have since spent the afternoon hanging out with Anne and Allison and working on this blog. School starts tomorrow and I am partially excited because my kids are great, but I will also miss the time to just relax and feel settled.

Ending of PFO

I am sitting in the Library of the SBEC building listening to the last of the people packing up all the PFO materials. My flight doesn't leave until 7 tonight, so I have to hang out until the 5:45 shuttle to the airport. I have said goodbye to all of my beloved new friends. I love them more than I will ever be able to express. The last two weeks I have felt more apart of a family than ever before. I can't wait to hear about everyones stories and experiences in all the places of the world we are going. I actually know people that will be living on almost every continent of the world!

Anyway, no more sadness. Kind of.

The next story I have for you all is about how I had the most emotionally overwhelming day. The story begins on monday night in my room where one of the girls starts talking with some of her friends about how there is going to be a simulation of a coup the next day. They are starting to get a little excited and anxious about it, which made me start to get anxious. I was so stressed out about what type of simulation it was going to be (masks, guns, yelling, etc.) that I couldn't get to sleep. So, I walked around for about twenty minutes, praying and singing and making strategies of what to do depending on the situation. I slept terribly that night and was close to tears most of the morning. I just wanted to get it over with. Then the simulation started and it was just sitting in a dark stair well that was locked at both ends and figuring out who should be evacuated and whatnot. Once I figured this out, I was fine and relaxed and enjoyed the relaxing in the dark. But I had already spent the last eight to ten hours with my adrenaline pumping, so I was emotionally spent. Then we went and learned about conflict and what our personality tends to be in conflict and this brought up the struggle with my parents for so many years and how much that hurts. I have also been trying to process through everything that has been going on with my grandmother's health and the possibility of not seeing her again after I go to Germany. All this put together made the day an emotional rollercoaster and my thought was, "I am such an emotional wreck, why are they letting me go on the mission field?" I then had a chance to call my grandmother and had a good cry with her. I don't know if you know how good it is to cry with someone who has life experience with you, but it is totally the thing you need sometimes. I was fine after that and had a great day the next day. But talk about exhausting!