Soccer and Pretzels

This morning Alex was unusually hungry and so after breakfast we stopped at our local bakery on the way to school, so he could munch on a soft pretzel as we walked. When we got to school, he immediately ran off into his classroom and climbed up unto a loft bed that is used after lunch for those kids who still nap, but the rest of the day, kids can build forts out of pillows and cushions and this has become one of his favorite first stops of the day. I could barely find him to say god-bye.

I headed back to our apartment to get to work for a few hours, which would be great if there were at least one comfortable place to sit. The apartment has 2 desks and we have 6 wooden chairs, which look really cool and modern, but are truly uncomfortable. Then there is the one couch, but it, too, is exceedingly uncomfortable. It seems like a very silly thing to complain about, but alas, it will be one of the main reasons for me to find a different spot to work. Is a moderately comfortable chair too much to ask?

When I picked Alex up from school this afternoon, he was outside kicking a soccer ball around with a bunch of other kids. It had snowed a little earlier today and was quite frigid, but there they were, the little kids, joyfully kicking the ball around in the frozen mud. What a delight. When I could finally extricate him from the group, take his mud pants and rain boots off, so we could head out, he said to me: "School was awesome today." How great is that?

Here's a quick clip of Alex and some other kids, playing soccer in the backyard of his school today:

We then headed off into the city where we had a few things to pick up, including a pair of tumbling slippers (kind of like soft ballet shoes) so that Alex can participate in the gym/tumbling activities at his school. Along the way, we, of course, had to stop at a bakery where Alex had his second soft pretzel of the day. Look at the joy on his face as he takes a bite:

A Normal Weekend

It's Sunday night, Alex is in bed, and we had a totally normal weekend. It's beginning to feel like home.

Since Friday was the last day of the first week back for everyone at Alex's school, the two teachers in his classroom decided to organize a New Years Brunch for the group! On a normal day, the kids all bring their own morning snack, then have lunch prepared for them at school by a cook (out of fresh, local, and mostly organically grown ingredients!), and then bring their own afternoon snack. The school also provides drinks (water and herbal tea!). Well, about midweek a signup sheet appeared outside the dragon group classroom asking families to sign up to bring stuff for the New Year's Brunch for the kids on Friday. All sorts of things appeared on the list from soft pretzels to cold cuts to yogurts etc. Alex and I decided that he should bring mandarin oranges. (Some of you may remember that he brought those to New Pathways for his special birthday snack when he turned 3, so it was an easy choice for him.) I just loved the idea of all the kids sitting together around a common table sharing their goodies and starting into the new year together with their teachers. They used real tablecloths and since it was Alex's birthday week, the job fell to us to take home the two tablecloths and wash them for Monday. It all seemed so easy to organize and was so much fun for the kids. Have I mentioned that we love this school? Alex was allowed to stay until 2:30 on Friday, his longest stay yet. I think next week, he'll be there for full days.

After school, we took the tram (much to Alex's delight) to the local library downtown. It was easier than I thought to get a library pass (though various pieces of paperwork: passport, registration certificate etc. were required again, but I'm now a pro at having those in my bag), though I was surprised that we had to pay for the privilege. I guess some things aren't free - even in socialist Europe. It's a few Euros a month to carry a card and then most media are free to rent, but bestsellers, DVDs, etc. cost extra. Hmmm. Once we were legal, we headed into the kids section which was amazingly well stocked and superbly organized by age, type of book, and even subject. Wow. We were thrilled. Alex chose 10 books, including at least one that Julie had read to him in English at New Pathways! Small world, I guess. I picked up a novel as well and we headed home to revel in our new books! (I was sad to find out that none of the German versions of Troy Cummings awesome kids books seem to be available at this library. Boo!)

When we woke up on Saturday, there was a dusting of snow on the ground, it was still coming down, and it was cold. Nevertheless, we headed to the market, because we had a few things to shop for. On the way there we ran into or friend Nanina, who showed us around the market (now much busier than 2 weeks ago) and we found fresh spinach (hurray, the week is saved) and even a butternut squash! These are very unusual in Germany, yet beloved by Alex, so I had to get it. Nanina accompanied us to a cafe where we warmed up with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. She then left us to study Latin and Math (ah, I remember the 10th grade...) and we headed on to complete our errands. Once the groceries were stowed away at home, Alex talked me into going to his most favorite playground (so far). It's on the university campus near-ish our apartment (about a 15-20 minute walk) next to the children's hospital and has a huge play-ship on it, which Alex has decided is a pirate ship. Somehow, he took on the persona of Captain Cookie and I became Captain Plunger as we romped around the big ship. (Does anyone know the origin of these names?) Here he is with the pirate ship in the background. You can also still see the little bit of snow on the ground.

Today, on Sunday, we had a leisurely morning and then headed out to watch Annika and her team play basketball. She plays on several teams a U13 girls team (she is 11) and U12 Co-ed team. This was the co-ed team and it was really fun to see her play. We also got to meet a few of the other parents and had a lovely time. During half-time Alex and Christian goofed around a little bit and it was funny to see how Alex aways wanted to kick the ball and not catch or dribble it. I guess the one season of soccer last fall has made a bigger impact than I thought. Thanks, Coach Pedar and Coach Rebecca. When asked if he wanted to play basketball, too, he proudly answered: "Nein, ich spiele Fussball." (No, I play soccer.). Here he is with Christian tossing/kicking the ball around.

And here he is still running around on the field as the team behind him is already warming up for the second half. You can see Annika over his right shoulder holding her normal size ball and also the little one Alex was kicking around pretending it was a soccer ball.

Needless to say, we had a blast. On the way home, we stopped at the pirate playground again, but the rest of the day was spent doing laundry, reading library books, skyping with friends and family, coloring and drawing, and playing with his new birthday toys.

We had totally uneventful, normal weekend in our new life. It was wonderful and we're ready to face another week.

More Official Errands

After dropping off a happy Alex at school this morning (he barely says good-bye to me any more, he's so eager to play with the other kids), I ventured over to Sherry's house and we set off on a number of official errands. I was thrilled she offered to take me around, because even though I sound like a native, I have no idea how anything works and I sometimes wonder what people think of me: Why does this 44-year old person who looks and sounds so normal not know how to properly use her bank account? Has she recently been released from a mental institution?

Anyway, Sherry graciously took the bus with me (instead of biking) into old town where the humanities part of the university is located (our apartment is in a new-ish part of campus that is dedicated almost entirely to the natural sciences, and various labs, hospitals, and research facilities, which means we see many folks walking around in white lab coats - while smoking?!). She showed me around the various humanities buildings, I got my ID card for the Mensa (which is sort of a subsidized cafeteria where I'm allowed to eat at reduced prices, because I'm a guest scholar!), and we ventured into the main branch of the library. I was in search of a library card and Sherry helped me find the registration desk. Since almost nothing here is properly labeled (including the welcome center for international scholars which I found a few days ago only because I'm fluent in German, since I had to ask 3 or 4 different people for directions!), I was glad to have her along. To get a library card, I needed not only my university ID, but also my passport, as well as my official registration with the city that shows my street address! Wow. It was a minor miracle that I had all the right paperwork with me. Sherry showed me all through the building and I feel moderately comfortable that I'll be able to find my way around when I go back by myself.

We then headed to the History Department. I wanted to say hello and also talk to the IT person from the department, so I can get an access code to the wifi system (I've been using Sherry's login this whole time - don't tell anyone!). First of all, the history department is in a beautiful old building off a cobble-stoned interior courtyard that has a medieval tower on one side. Secondly, there also are no signs anywhere. I would hate to be a first year student here. I have no idea how anyone ever finds anything. The only signage we saw at all was this one:

If you speak German it needs no further explanation. For those of you who don't. Well, it prohibits entry into the aforementioned medieval tower (Hexenturm - witches tower), because of the large amounts of dove excrement which is - according to the sign - not only aggressive (!), but also a health hazard and would be brought in to the rest of the building via the treads of one's shoes. I don't know why, but for some reason this cracked both of us up. We have no idea where or how to find any actual offices in the building, but heaven forbid we bring dove poop with us.

Well, of course, we finally found the department (up a somewhat hidden staircase behind the departmental library!) and met up with a wonderful secretary. The professors were not available! We chatted with her, found out her son went to the same preschool that Alex now joyfully attends some 20 years ago and I think I've made an ally should I ever need one. Sadly, though, the department's IT person had quit and had not been replaced, so I was advised to contact one of the advanced grad students, who is said to be good at this kind of stuff. We'll see what that yields.

Sherry then showed me various other parts of the old university (founded, by the way in 1386!) and then we had a lovely cup of coffee in the old Marstall (stables) that have been converted into a cool cafeteria. And then, on we went to have lunch at this amazing hole-in-the-wall middle eastern place where we had the following amazing falafel plate.

Ah. All is well in the world.

I do hope that most of my official errands are now finally done and I can sink my teeth into actual work.

Alex is 4!

My little guy is 4 years old. It seems hard to believe. After my baking efforts last night, I wrapped presents and set his birthday table. What you can't see in the pictures are the yellow batman streamers that look a little like crime scene tape Alex got from his teacher Rachel before we left. I had sort of hidden them away and thought today would be a great day to bring them out. Here's how everything looked before I went to bed. Note the ruin of a cake in front.

Alex, who is usually a great sleeper woke up just after 4 am and snuggled in bed with me for a while. I'm usually bummed when he wakes up, but I was a little wistful this morning and was perfectly happy to feel his soft little body curl up next to mine in bed for a while. When we couldn't stand it any longer, we got up and Alex tore into his presents.

We managed to get the chocolate cake and the cookies to school for his celebration there. They were waiting for him with the specially decorated birthday chair, 4 real candles and even a little gift. The other kids all knew it was his special day and greeted him as we walked in. To make matters even better, today's lunch was spaghetti with meat sauce, or as he calls it: scapetti. Either way, they're one of his favorite things to eat. He was still in a thoroughly happy mood when I came to get him 5 hours later and showed me the home-made kaleidoscope and card he had received from his class. He's already eager to go back tomorrow.

We went home and played with his various new toys: a playmat with streets on it for cars (or whatever), a playmobil race car from my brother and his family, a new coloring book and some cool crayons, a puzzle, and a whole bunch of Überraschungseier (Kinder surprise eggs). It was really fun. Then we got ready for party # 2 with our friends, baked yet another cake, and cleaned up the apartment a bit. Sherry and Annika arrived first in the mid-afternoon and Alex completely took Annika under his wings, showing her all his new stuff, getting her to draw some batman pictures for her, the usual stuff, which gave Sherry and me some time to drink tea, eat cookies, and have adult conversation. In the early evening, Christian and Nanina joined us and we had dinner together.

Alex was more than a little hopped up on cake, candy, and excitement and started goofing around and taking silly pictures. Here is just one example.

All throughout the day, we got calls, email messages, electronic cards etc. (including a really funny talking pink pig from Clara) from friends and family back home - a really nice reminder of the rich lives we've left behind. We miss you, dear friends.

Life in Heidelberg

Has it been 4 days? I can't believe it's been that long since I wrote the last post, and yet, so much has happened.

Sunday was our last day of vacation - so to speak. After a leisurely morning, Alex and I headed out to our friends for lunch. Sherry had made a delicious lasagna, no ricotta in sight, just how I love it and Alex gobbled down copious amounts along with a pile of tomatoes which Sherry had graciously put in front of him. News of the tomato-monster spreads quickly apparently. Appropriately fortified, we set out on a walk/hike along the famous Philosophenweg. It's a path that snakes along the hills that line the Neckar river and once we had made it up a steep climb, the view of the city was spectacular. Upon seeing me huff and puff, Christian declared that this was only my warm-up for bigger and better things to come. Hopefully by the time spring comes, I'll be in good enough shape to be able to tag along with the Föhrs without too much complaining. Though the weather was not great, we had an panoramic view of the city of Heidelberg and Alex just couldn't stop talking about the "olden times."

I was thrilled to see 11-year old Annika taking him under her wings and telling him all sorts of tales of knights and castles along the way. At some point we clambered down a steep staircase/mountain path which dropped us off right in front of one of the really old bridges across the Neckar that leads directly into the Old Town or "Alte Stadt" as Alex likes to call it. He was sort of surprised to see the old buildings inhabited and being used. I guess my descriptions of Old Town had made him think it was more of a living museum than an actual living city with Starbucks, etc.

Even though it was Sunday and the weather was getting worse by the minute, the city was full of people wandering around, many Souvenir shops were open (and we bought a postcard to be sent to Mrs. Hamm's Class at New Pathways that prominently features the castle) and we had a hard time finding a table for 6 in one of the myriad cafes. In the end we went back to Sherry and Christian's house and had our well-earned Kaffee and Kuchen there. Alex did a great job keeping up and I know this was only the first of many such adventures. In the late afternoon, we all went home to prepare for the end of vacation and the reality of school and work that lay ahead the next day.

Monday was Alex's first day at his new school: Kindergarten Neuenheim. Here is Alex on his first walk to school.

Since Annika had gone there a few years ago, Sherry had shown us the premises a few days earlier, and they had sent detailed information, we both felt like we were well-prepared and would know what to expect. In some sense that's true. Nothing really surprised either one of us, except maybe, how much we would both love it. I knew instantly, as soon as we walked in and saw all the happy little kids giving hugs to their teachers after 2 weeks away (the Germans take their vacations much more seriously than we do in the US) that we would both love it. Alex joined one of the three classes in the school. His group is called the Drachengruppe (Dragon group) and is made up of 15 joyful kids and 2 very welcoming teachers, Nicole and Jenny. The groups are age-mixed and range from 3 to 5 years in age, so he fits right in. He was shy for less than 5 minutes and then he was off playing cars with a bunch of other boys and waved me off. I had arranged to come back at noon (before lunch) to pick him up and when I did return, all the kids were on the playground outside in their rubber boots and angler pants. Alex was sitting on a teeter-totter with 2 other children perfectly content. He only got upset when he realized that I was there to get him and that he wouldn't be able to stay. The vibe at the place is very kind, relaxed, and welcoming, though there are also very organized. They were clearly expecting us, had all the paperwork ready for us and Alex's hook/cubby for his stuff was all ready for him. Since none of the kids can read (more on that another time), everyone's stuff is marked by a picture. Alex got a bicycle, which seems appropriate. So if he looks for his shoes (all kids wear slippers inside), his rubber boots, his coat, his folder, his toothbrush (!), all he has to do is look for the bicycle sticker and it's there. He figured it out immediately. Once I picked him up that first day, I took him to one of the many many bakeries in town and he had a soft pretzel and chocolate croissant for lunch. Not the most nutritious, but it was a celebration after all.

And my coffee:

Alex's verdict was that he absolutely loved the school and was eager to go back the next day. I am so thankful to New Pathways for so many things, but they get a lot of the credit for his easy adjustment to the new school. Once we got home, we had fun playing dress up and figuring out the laundry situation (more on that at a later time, as well). Here is Alex pretending to be a diver. Somehow this was related to reenacting an episode from Fireman Sam.

Today was his second day at school and it went equally well. He was cheerful and excited this morning, even taking the 20 minute walk from our apartment entirely in stride. I actually kind of like these morning walks with him. We'll see if they stay this harmonious. He stayed at school a bit longer today and even had lunch there, while I headed into the city to do a bunch of bureaucratic errands. I got us properly registered with the city, picked up my Gastwissenschaftlerausweis (how's that for a long German word that means visiting scholar ID) from the administrative headquarters of the university, got my rent squared away at my bank, and also picked up a few special things for Alex (who will be 4 tomorrow!!).  This is the entrance to the main administrative building.

By the time I got back home, it was almost 1pm and time to get him. I watched him finish his lunch with his group (a thoroughly German lunch of boiled potatoes with sour cream dip, followed by fruit). It was so cute to see them all at the table eating and interacting. I haven't seen this very much before and was glad for the glimpse into his life at school. After school we headed to see his local pediatrician who was to clear him for school. I had found her on the Anthem website and her office is in walking distance from Alex's school. She was terrific and Alex passed with flying colors. I'm glad we met her, so if we ever need a doctor we now have a great one. Also, Lisa Martin has been so wonderful with Alex that he had no fear of the Dr. at all. Thanks, Lisa. Here he is being a ham as we're waiting to see the Doctor.

This afternoon, our little kitchenette became the backdrop to a baking bonanza. Since Alex is allowed to bring home-made goodies to school for his birthday, we have baked an enormous batch of his favorite oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip cookies. Since, there also has to be cake, of course, we braved that as well. We had borrowed a few baking dishes from our friends, but sadly the first cake (a delicious lemon cake that was supposed to be in the shape of a castle) was a complete disaster. Well, the cake is indeed delicious, but I couldn't get the cake out of the castle-shaped pan. Not enough butter? I don't know. The cake is now sitting like a ruin on a plate and I set about to bake another one, this time chocolate chip, in a regular loaf pan, thank you very much. In the meantime, I had run out of butter, but you can bake with canola oil, right? Well, once the chocolate icing and the colorful sprinkles were on there, it looked awesome, so who cares what it tastes like. It's for 4 year olds. How we will get all these goodies to the school tomorrow I'm not sure yet, but a solution will come to me, I guess.

Right now Alex is asleep with blissful anticipation of his birthday and I wish the very best for him for tomorrow and the year ahead. I love him.

Shopping and more

Well, the past few days have been pretty relaxed with intense bursts of shopping in between. We had to get a few items for Alex to go to preschool (Kindergarten) and also stock our pantry and get a few fresh things. This is not so much fun when you're 3 and I'm proud of Alex for tagging along without complaining. In fact, he has been amazing this whole time. He just goes with the flow. Not even the time difference has made much of an impact on him.

First off, I decided to get a monthly ticket for the local public transportation. This felt a little like giving in, because our friends do everything on foot or on bikes and I probably could have bought a used bike for the EUR 62 it costs to ride public transport for a month, but I decided I didn't need to be some kind of hero nor did I have to prove anything to anyone, so now I have the ticket and we've been taking the bus and the Strassenbahn (tram) everywhere. Alex still rides for free as he is under 6.

On Wednesday, Sherry took us to her local market in Neuenheim and it was lovely - a little sparse, but of course it's winter and most folks here are still on holiday. Then again, there was way more produce there than at the Greencastle Farmer's market (which we love) on its best day. We got a bunch of stuff, most importantly fresh spinach, one of Alex's favorite things, but also cherry tomatoes, mushrooms etc. I guess my days with bags of triple washed ready to eat spinach are over for now, but alas. We then went on to her local bakery (the sourdough rye bread is my favorite and I even got Alex to eat some of it with honey this morning), her butcher, and then on to a supermarket.

Here are some random observations, however preliminary: milk is cheap, which is good, because Alex consumes epic amounts of it. One liter of organic whole milk is EUR .95. Pork is abundant, chicken less so. There is no chicken stock in boxes (organic or otherwise). Yogurt is awesome and cheap. EUR .39 is a normal price for fantastic whole milk yogurt. In fact, most yogurt is whole milk. If you want lowfat, you have to really look for it. Then there are baked goods and bread... Alex has had a soft pretzel (Laugenbrezel) almost every day. All toilet paper is 3-ply. Nice. People are obsessed with being ecologically sound. Even the cheap chocolate has labels that certifies the cocoa is fair trade. Almost all products are packaged in a way that makes the package recyclable. Almost all beverages have a deposit on it. (In fact, they're obsessed with trash here. Most folks divide their trash into 4 parts: compost, paper, recyclable packaging, and Restmüll, which means left over trash. There are 4 distinctly labeled trash bins behind our building, in addition to glass recycling containers. Impressive.)

Yesterday, we went into the city to get some of the things Alex needs when he starts school on Monday: a pair of rubber boots (Alex chose bright yellow ones) and a Matschhose. This is a typical German thing. All kids have these rubber pants with bibs (they look a little like angler pants) that get pulled on over their regular clothes when they go outside to play, which they apparently do in all weather, including rain. We also got him some Strumpfhosen, which are thick cotton tights. In the US these are only available for girls, but here it is normal to have them as a boy as well - and why not? One of his new pairs is dark blue with monsters on it, another one striped etc. We'll see if he continues to wear them when we get back to the US. We also got a Lion King soccer ball for good measure (and also because it was displayed in such a way that it was impossible for me to say no).

Finally, I have to say that so far folks have been really nice and friendly all around (including the lady at the supermarket today when I told her that we (Alex) had spilled a bottle of liquid laundry detergent in the yogurt aisle). The proverbial German gruffness has not been on display which has made our shopping adventures significantly more pleasant. We're now stocked with most of the basics and some goodies, too, so come on over.

Welcome to 2013

We finished the old year with our marvelous friends and welcomed the new year with a splash!

December 31 was not only my sweet nephew Niko's birthday (I hope he got lots of trains!), but also a holiday here in Germany. Well, a half holiday anyway. Many shops are open until noon, but by the time Alex and I woke up and were ready to get out of the house, all the establishments near us were already closed. We got in touch with our friends and walked to their house for a fun-filled day. The walk took us along the picturesque Neckar river and was only about 30 minutes at a leisurely stroll. I am sure we will do that walk many more times. We hung out with the Föhrs all day, which was fun and relaxing at the same time. In the afternoon, we went back to the banks of the Neckar to explore the fabulous playground where the kids played (i.e. the girls entertained Alex) and Sherry and I sat on a sunny bench to chat. Wonderful.

The park was full of people and families and Sherry and Christian ran into various people they knew. In that sense it was a little like Greencastle and I was wondering if Alex and I will meet friends in the park and on the streets in a few months. For dinner, Sherry made a local specialty - Flammkuchen. It's kind of like a pizza (in fact, the kids' version was very much like pizza with tomato sauce and mozarella - though Alex's corner also included bacon), but the dough gets rolled out almost impossibly thinly and then topped with sour cream, onions, and bacon bits. I definitely have to get the recipe for it.

Then (well, after we waited for a long time for the "rush" delivery of our stroller) we all took the bus back to our place. I was thrilled to find out that there is a bus we can take from their front door to ours (for those days or evenings when the 30 minute walk along the Neckar might seem too long) and Alex was just thrilled to ride the bus (especially once he realized that it passes right by his new school). The grown-ups settled in a with a really nice bottle of champagne and the girls mixed delicious cocktails of various fruit juices complete with sugar rims and citrus decorations.

Our friends had also brought a typical Silvester (New Year's Eve) treat: Luftschlangen. These are basically colorful paper streamers that you blow out to decorate the room (or make a huge mess). Alex LOVED them.

Our friends left before midnight and we headed to bed, only to be awoken at the stroke of midnight by fireworks being shot off all around us. There are no organized fireworks as far as I know, but individuals just shoot off whatever they want at midnight and the display in the night sky over the city of Heidelberg was spectacular. My camera really doesn't do it justice.

What a fun and festive way to welcome in the New Year. As I was watching the explosions I  remembered standing on my grandmother's balcony in Hamburg oh so many years ago watching a similar display.

Today, we welcomed in the New year in a really fun way. We joined the Föhrs and many of their friends on their annual New Year's trip to a fantastic and huge indoor water park in a nearby town. We took the tram to the closest stop and then Christian led us on a walk through the town and across some fields to the pool. Alex giggled and I was amazed when we caught our first glimpse of it:

The structure seemed like a magical dream that suddenly appeared in the otherwise pretty barren landscape. What a treat it was! We spent a full 6 hours frolicking in the water! There were various pools including one with huge artificial waves, several thermal pools with lazy rivers and other water features in both regular pool water and salt water. These had both indoor and outdoor sections. Alex was up for everything. He played in the water the entire time (his little hands and feet were really shriveled by the end of the day). All those trips to the pool last summer really paid off when I saw him literally throwing himself into the waves, floating for long whiles in the saltwater thermal pool, swimming between our friends, and, of course, hurtling down gigantic water slides that would never ever be open to kids his age and size in the US. We all had a blast! All day we wandered from pool to pool and the experience ended with an almost impossibly enchanted final trip to the salt water outdoor pool after the sun had gone down and the huge salt statues we had been admiring all day were lit up in various colors and the steam from the hot water was rising into the dark and cold night air. What a great way to start the year.

We hope you all had a great start to the year as well and we wish you a happy and healthy year full of wonderful new experiences.