Church and a Fall Festival

We went to church for the first time this morning. We drove as we were not sure exactly where it was, but we should be able to walk it on walking paths in about 12 minutes. St. Marien/St. Mary's was very small, stark and contemporary. There were maybe 100 or so people there for the English Mass and some were familiar from school and the American Women's Club. A folk group provided the music and most of the songs we recognized. The regular priest is American, but today we had an Asian fellow who spoke very good English.

Two big surprises -- everyone did self-intinction (dipping the host into the wine yourself), which I thought was a big no-no (you don't want wine dripping on anything). I panicked at the last moment and didn't dip. And, the kneelers were bare pieces of wood. As I kneeled there with my knees in pain, I figured I was doing penance for having missed so many weeks of church.

The only English masses in the Frankfurt area are held at a larger church in the city, and then also at our little church. We are very lucky to be so close.

Our little town was having their fall festival this past weekend, so we went this afternoon. It cracks me up to see the difference between how Germans and Americans handle things. There were 3 rides: bumper cars, kiddie cars and those swings that go around and out.

There was no line for the bumper cars (or dodgems as I called them growing up in Massachusetts). People stood all along the edge (there was no "safety" border) and when the ride stopped, it was a mad rush of people to claim a car. Then as the kids rode around, they would swipe at their friends hanging out along the edge or try to hit each other with swords they had won at a game booth. There was nothing to keep little kids from running out onto the floor, and sure enough, I saw one toddler get several paces out until her dad ran out and got her.

In a way, it's kind of refreshing to see things handled in a less than orderly fashion; in another way I find myself holding my breath, waiting for something bad to happen.

Rebecca rode on the kiddie cars. First she rode on the firetruck, but she really wanted to ride on the train and the horse. When I picked her up off the firetruck, she started pointing and yelling with urgency, "Choo-choo!" and then made that sound of horse hooves - you know, clicking you tongue, because she cannot, of course, say horse. Rebecca kept pointing at the train and horse, yelling over and over, "Choo-choo! Click, click, click! Choo-choo! Click, click, click!" I told David later that she sounded like she belonged to one of those African tribes that uses clicks in their language. Some amused glances were cast her way.

Détente

Things are finally starting to calm down at school. The after school activities were causing most of the headaches, with me, often in tears, running around the school with Rebecca on my hip, trying to find out where the kids were supposed to be. The school should have given us a list of the activities they were accepted into 2 weeks ago, but they never did. The kids were starting to get reprimanded for not being at the right activity, but no family at the school had gotten confirmation of which activities their kids should be attending.

In the end, Micaela has juggling, tennis, swimming, yoga and guitar. James has soccer and kung fu and Emilie will do gymnastics and swimming. After all the craziness, they ended up getting pretty good activities. Soccer practice for James has been going better, not great, but better. We just found out we need to submit a bunch of paperwork, including a health certificate, for him to be eligible to play in a game.

For the first few weeks, I was wondering why I wasn't running into more Americans on the playground after school. It turns out many Americans have their kids take private buses to and from school. I have met some moms now, and when I ask them if dealing with school issues gets easier, they all say the same thing: "No, but you get used to the chaos."

Eine spinne

I think we have found the culprit. Rebecca still woke up yesterday morning with a bite on her back, so last night the kids and I searched her room. There, under Emilie's loft bed, tucked up in a corner was a spider, one with a tiny body, but long, spindly legs. I told James to crawl under the bed and "Kill it till it's dead!" James reminded me that if he killed it, it would already be dead.

There were no bites to be seen this morning, so everyone is keeping their fingers crossed that we got the right bug. Just the thought of that thing creeping around the room every night...ewwww!

Emilie said something funny today. She asked me, "When will our visit here be done?"

Höchst

A colleague from David's office invited us to join his family for a Sunday afternoon in Höchst, a town I only knew for its huge chemical plant. It is more well known for its historic old city center. We enjoyed a picnic at a crowded park along the Main River and watched barges pass by. It took a while for the kids to warm up to each other (their two children didn't speak much English) but soon enough, Emilie and the little girl were off to the playground and the other kids kicked around a soccer ball. The grownups chatted about the challenges of living in a foreign country and burned off some calories chasing after Rebecca.

Before we knew it, it was dinner time, so we made our way past the castle wall which dates back to the 1300s and had a delicious meal at an outdoor restaurant in the square. I had Mexican wiener schnitzel. How's that for an interesting combination?

Sneaky bug

We have been noticing for the past few weeks that Emilie and Rebecca are getting bitten by bugs. The bites are about the size of a nickel and look sore, though the kids don't seem affected by them. One day Rebecca woke up with 5 or 6 bites on one arm and sometimes there are bites on both of their cheeks. Rebecca often has a bite on her back, right where pajama top meets pajama bottom. At first we thought that they might be bites from the bugs we see outside in the evening, or even bugs flying into their room at night. German homes don't have screens and our windows have been propped open to allow fresh air in. The thought had occured to me that there might be bugs in the rental mattresses we had been using until this week. I have killed many spiders in our home, but haven't noticed any other bugs.

Today, Rebecca woke up and had another large red bite on her cheek and several bites on her arm. Then at about noon, she came downstairs and her right eyelid had ballooned to the point where she could barely open her eye. It looked puffy, nasty and red, but she didn't seem bothered by it. She looked like Rocky Balboa in the ring.

David took her to a clinic where the nurse said, "Yup, it's some kind of insect bite," but she couldn't tell what kind of bite it was. She gave David an antihistamine prescription and a child's suppository, which he kindly let me give Rebecca later. Germans believe in using suppositories to by-pass the stomach so there is less vomiting with medicine.

Now the problem remains of where these bugs are coming from. They were in the rental furniture, are coming in from outside or else they came over with our furniture in the moving container. We changed all the bedding and looked around but didn't find anything.

By bedtime, her eye looked better, but I can't get the image out of my mind of some nasty creature crawling around our house at night, stalking my tender little children.

And yet more unpacking

Today was the day to roll up the shirt sleeves and get down to business. There is still plenty to be unpacked. I worked very hard for a few hours, then did what any sane woman would do: began to feel overwhelmed, made a cup of tea and popped a Jane Austen film into the DVD player. My mood called for Sense and Sensibility.
I mean really, what would you rather be doing: screaming in frustration at Marianne for refusing Colonel Brandon's attentions or unpacking box after box of items that we really don't need anyway?... I thought so.

Before our things arrived, it was not a rare occurrence for me to suddenly realize that I had been staring off into space for a 1/2 hour. I had read the books we had brought twice each, there was no easy way to communicate with friends back home, the only TV I could truly understand was CNN International and you can only watch that for an hour before it repeats itself. I would literally stare off into space.......................ahem, but now our belongings are here so there are plenty of books and things to occupy us. At some point, I hope to set up my scrapbooking supplies and get all caught up with our photos.

Just one more picture of the yummy Alan Rickman:

Unpacking

The workers were back today to unpack boxes and set up furniture. David and I had watched a fairy tale on TV recently, where a poor man kept getting goaded into making bad trades (Tauschen! the townsfolk would chant: Trade!). Today, I needed one of the workers to switch bookshelf pieces. He couldn't understand what I was indicating with my gestures, so I pointed to the two pieces and declared, "Tauschen!" He got it.

It's great to have the kids' clothes and toys, and our books and CDs, but I was surprised at how happy I became when unpacking cleaning supplies and paper products. I had made an ill-timed shopping trip to BJs warehouse (like Costco) the week before we found out we were moving. We were loaded up on food, toilet paper, floss, Windex, washing detergent, etc. and we weren't sure what would make the trip over. David, on his trip back to Atlanta, saw that the packers refused to pack any food or cleaning agents, but he wasn't sure what they packed either.

It was like Christmas, finding Swiffer sheets, shampoo and conditioner, dryer sheets, toilet paper, soap and Ziploc bags. That meant fewer things I had to buy at the store!

Our stuff is here! Our stuff is here!

This is an exciting day. Our belongings arrived! First, the relocation company sent people to collect all the rental furniture (we'll miss our comfortable German beds) and then the movers began moving our stuff in. Many, many boxes were sent right down to our basement.

It looks so strange to see our furniture here. It makes this move seem much more final. We're not just here on a 2 month-long trip, living in someone else's house, using their things.

The kids are thrilled and are having a great time unpacking their things and getting their rooms set up. And they have their clothes! and toys!

I only unpacked the necessities in our kitchen and most cooking things went to the basement. I figure items will only earn a place in our kitchen if they are actually sought out and used.

We are greatly anticipating having our computer set up so we can communicate with family and friends back home.
One funny item: Our bed is a high, four poster bed and the ceiling in our bedroom slants down on one side. So David has to bend over quite a ways to get around to his side of the bed. I will have to as well each morning when I make the bed, come to think of it. Or else we can crawl over the top of the bed.

The movers will be back tomorrow to unpack boxes for us. That will be a big help.

American Women's Luncheon

Today was the day of the American Women’s Club luncheon. It is an organization found all over the world for American women living in different countries. There are activities, trips and ways to participate in the local area. Several people had mentioned that I should join and this luncheon is one of their biggest events of the year. It also serves as a welcome to people who had moved to Frankfurt over the summer. I would finally be among a large group of Americans and would be able to compare stories with other newcomers and see how things are with families that have been here a while. The day did not quite go according to plan, however. I need to learn that that is to be expected.

The luncheon was to be held at the Ramada Hotel in a nearby town. I had the address plugged into my navi and was ready to go. Driving in a strange place and looking for parking can be very stressful, so I wanted to be prepared. In the middle of the town, the navi kept saying, "Destination on the right." Well, there was no Ramada on the right. I drove a few more blocks, turned around and tried again. No Ramada, though there was a plaza with other hotels and maybe it was tucked back in there. I found a public parking lot that only allowed 2-hour parking (the luncheon would last longer than that) and went in search of the Ramada. My intent was to get to the hotel, put Rebecca in the provided babysitting service and then go back and move the car to the hotel's parking lot. With Rebecca on my hip and her diaper bag and my purse on my shoulder, I trudged through town looking for the elusive Ramada. And I trudged and I trudged. I finally asked a man where the hotel was and he pointed further up the street. And I trudged and I trudged. I finally reached the Ramada which was at the top of a hill. The navi said, "Destination on the right" at least a mile too early. And I parked at least a mile further back the other way.

Before lunch, there was a "fair" with booths for many of the American Women's Club activities. With a reddened face and sweat running down my back, I asked a lady where the babysitting was. She gave me a blank look and said, "Babysitting????" Not good. I was already peeved. She checked and come to find out, the sitting would not start for another hour, when the actual luncheon would begin. I took a deep breath and did what I had to do. I trudged all the way back through town, from one end to the other, to get the car and move it to the hotel so it wouldn't get towed. And I trudged and I trudged, carrying a toddler who seemed to put on a few pounds every block, with tears of pure frustration running down my cheeks a good part of the way.

The walk was, in retrospect, a good thing. By the time I got to the car and drove back to the hotel, I was exhausted, but calm. I had gotten it all out.

I put on a happy face and went to look around the fair. Our international school was represented, a church in Liederbach that offers Mass in English had a booth, as well as bookclubs, mother's groups, etc. I was really hoping to see a scrapbooking group, thinking that it would be a good way to meet some other people, but there was none. I had been warned by a German friend who often scrapbooked with me back in Atlanta that scrapbooking doesn't really exist in Germany. In fact, you can't find craft stores, like Michael's, here either.

I got Rebecca into the sitting at last and was looking forward to a nice lunch with interesting conversation. We were seated according to where we lived and I was curious to see if there would be anyone else from Liederbach. The luncheon began with a few short speeches and then a long presentation by a local historian. Finally, lunch was served. I met several very nice women, though none from Liederbach. And then, Surprise! "The babysitting is ending now. You must pick up your children." I looked down at my plate. I had managed to eat most of my lunch, but not all and dessert was sitting at the table in the front of the room mocking me. Ah, well....

I did exchange numbers with several women. Many of the women are here through General Motors and the American consulate. The consulate in Frankurt is the largest American one in the world. They talked about shopping at the commissary in Wiesbaden, which is basically an American grocery store. You need to be part of the consulate or the military to go, but you are allowed to bring guests. Most of the women demanded an automatic car upon arriving in Germany and felt quite bad for me that I would need to learn to drive stick. It was comforting to hear other newcomers admit to frustrations and other women assure us that things would settle down.

We got the news that our container has arrived in Frankfurt and our belongings will be delivered tomorrow. The movers will need two days to get everything unpacked and set up for us.

Much as I need to have "my things" around me (like Mary Kate Danaher in The Quiet Man) we have relished having a sparsely furnished, easily kept house. I guess all good things must come to an end.

Heidelberg

Today we drove to Heidelberg which took about one hour. While driving on the autobahn, we passed the U.S. Army Garrison Darmstadt and several castle ruins on the hills to the side. We saw signs for Frankenstein Castle, the actual castle that was the inspiration for Mary Shelley's novel. Apparently, only these two towers and a chapel remain of the castle which was built before 1250.

We got to Heidelberg right at lunchtime. The historic center of town was bustling with restaurants, cafés and touristic shops. In the shadows of a beautiful cathedral built in the 1400s, we had lunch at...Subway. Sometimes, especially with kids, you just opt for what is easiest.

Our next stop was the Old Bridge Gate.

Near the gate is this amusing bronze monkey statue. There had apparently been a monkey statue on the other side of the bridge as far back as the 15th century, but it was stolen at some point. This monkey has been there since 1979. You had to wait to turn to get your picture.

We passed many groups of foreign tourists in this area and several times, one of them would come up to one of our children, put his arm around their shoulders or crouch beside them and indicate he wanted a picture with them. I told the kids to smile and wasn't sure what to tell Micaela when she asked, "Why would they want a picture with me?"

It was an arduous climb up to famous Heidelberg Castle, but the view made it all worth it.

The castle, first built in the 1200s, is in mostly ruins, but impressive all the same.

Here is the courtyard where Rebecca threw a formidable tantrum and attracted many stares. Even the statues on the side of the building seemed to have their eyes focused on her.

David and I in front of the Heidelberg Tun, a wine vat built in 1751.

This powder turret was split by an explosion in the late 17th century, courtesy of the French.

In the gardens of the castle, forget about the fountains! The kids were fascinated by a dragonfly whose wings were caught in the thick algae. Would it survive? They made David pick the poor thing up and set it down someplace else.

Saturday shopping

We all needed a bit of cheering up. We went to the mall and bought a universal DVD player that would play our American DVDs (whenever we receive them) plus any new DVDs we may buy here. I couldn't resist buying Rebecca a Dora DVD that has the original English track so that she could watch something familiar. We threw in lunch at McDonald's.

Micaela went into Frankfurt with friends to see the movie Hairspray (there are some theaters that show American movies in English with German subtitles, otherwise they're dubbed into German).

David chatted a bit with a woman we see everyday walking her dogs. When she found out we were American, she told David that her father had been a soldier in the war and afterwards a prisoner of war. "The Americans treated him very well," she said. We've made another friend.

Lowest Point

I knew it was coming. We had been warned. We knew it was not going to be a bed of roses, Brötchen and Oktoberfest every day. There was going to come a day where I would say to myself, "I think we made a big mistake...."

James joined the soccer team and it has not been going well. Suffice it to say that he does not have as much experience as the other players and they are letting him know it. When the team huddled up at the end of the practice, James stood six feet away from everyone else looking miserable.

He repeated to me on the way home some of the comments that have been thrown his way and when I asked what the coach says, James replied, "Nothing." My heart was just breaking for him. This was the kid who was the most enthusiastic about us moving here, who was so excited for school to start so he could make friends, who said the night we first told all the kids we were moving to Germany and that we knew they would miss the U.S., "You know, I bet when we are moving back to the U.S., we're going to miss Germany." And now this?

It was Curriculum Night tonight and I just could not bring myself to set foot in the school again. David went and when he returned, said, "You know, they kept referring to the Parent Handbook, saying 'a lot of answers to all your questions can be found there.'" Hmmm, I pointed out that the handbook would indeed be helpful, it we had received one, which, of course, we had not.

Today has been the lowest point of our stay here so far. That means things can only get better, right?

Swim Test

Well, we're one step closer to being connected to the world. We got phone and internet today, but our computer with everyone's e-mail addresses is still somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. Things were so hectic when we were getting ready to leave the U.S. that we forgot important things like writing down e-mail addresses and checking to be sure we packed our camera charging equipment. All of the pictures we have been taking lately have been with a disposable camera, so don't be surprised that the quality is not great. But, we can now call home and check news on the internet on a hand-me-down computer. We're getting there.

We decided to sign Emilie up for swimming lessons after school and as there were several different levels of beginner lessons (non-swimmer, beginner, etc.) we were advised that she should take the swim test. As I was signing her up for the test, one of the teachers asked, "Can she swim?" Hmmm. I answered truthfully, "She has taken some lessons but she is not a "good swimmer." The teacher responded, "We don't expect 5-year olds to be excellent swimmers." Fine. If you threw Emilie into a pool, she could make it back to the edge. I thought everything was fine.

Imagine my surprise then, when through the glass window, I see a coach instruct Emilie to climb up onto the 2-foot high starting block, dive off and swim three lengths of the junior Olympic-sized pool. I could see the panic in Emilie's face and I froze. I knew she couldn't do that. Emilie balked at doing anything and the coach came out into the waiting area and, in front of about 8 other parents, admonished me for sending Emilie in there to take that test. "You said she could swim! I don't want her to drown!" she practically shrieked at me, with a glare in her eye.

It was so humiliating. In retrospect, I should have asked what the swim test entailed, but never in my wildest dreams would I have expected them to demand what they did of a five-year old whom I had indicated was not a good swimmer. I thought it would be, "Let's see you float on your back," "Tread water for a minute" and "Swim to the edge of the pool."

I tried to stay calm and said, "Yes, she had lessons, but she was never required to swim entire lengths of the pool and they weren't allowed to dive. I signed her up for the swim test so we could determine which of the classes she belonged in." The coach went back to the pool and had Emilie jump in and show her specific strokes, but Emilie was so frazzled, she really couldn't do anything.

In the end, she was put into a non-swimmer level class, but I was still so angry and really wanted to tell them that they did not ask me the right question from the beginning. "Can she swim?" Not specific enough. They should have said, "She'll have to dive off the diving block and swim three lengths of the pool. Can she do that?" I would have known to say, "Heavens, no!"

It didn't help that I was walking by that waiting area later in the day and heard a bunch of people talking about me. "Well, she said she could swim, but....." Ugh. I felt like I have a big sign on my head that says, "Stupid American." My humiliation was complete.

The bright side of it all is that when Micaela came later in the day to take her swim test, I was able to warn her of what it entailed. She refused to do it. "I can't do all that, Mom! We've never had to dive before!" It's true. In all the lessons the kids have ever taken, they were never allowed, let alone taught, to dive. Plus, by that time, the older high school kids had swim team practice and were swimming like Olympians. We went back and forth,
--Micaela, this is a great opportunity to learn to swim really well.
--But Mom, we'll have swim lessons anyway as part of phys ed class.
--That won't be enough to make a difference. You need to have some after school activities. This would be a great one.
--No, Mom, I won't do it. Everyone will think I stink. I can't swim like they can.
--Micaela, you're already signed up to take the test. They're expecting you. They already think I'm an idiot. It'll look even worse and I have to go and cancel.
--No!

Finally, I gave up. That's when Micaela, with tears running down her cheeks, said reluctantly, "Fine. I'll do it." And she did. She refused to dive off the diving block, but swam the three-lengths doing different strokes. I was so proud of her.

The other big surprise of the day was when I went down into the locker room to help Emilie get dressed after her test. There in the middle of a room full of little girls in various states of undress was a dad talking on his cell phone. The little naked girls couldn't have cared less. I don't think he was supposed to be there, but still..., he apparently must have thought it wasn't a big deal. To him there was probably no "deal" at all.

Nudity is not as taboo here. We've seen glimpses of naked women and men's behinds in TV commercials and I'm curious to see what the kids think the first time we go to a beach and the clothes come off.

Sunday Hike

Sundays are quite different here in Germany. Remember, it's quiet time all day (in our neighborhood, at least), so no mowing the lawn, hammering, vacuuming or yelling in the back yard. Don't even play your TV or radio too loudly. Plus, stores are closed. No running errands today. What's a person to do?

Enjoy the day, apparently. Get up, walk to the bakery before it closes and buy some fresh brötchen (rolls) and a few chocolate croissants for the kids. Then get out into the fresh air and enjoy the day. On Sundays you see people everywhere walking, biking and hiking in the mountains.

We decided to be German today and go hiking up into the hills near Hofheim. As we walked up to the entrance way to the mountain-area, we came upon a playground. You can't go by a playground with four kids and not expect to stop.

I have been noticing that people dress more warmly here. We were in long sleeves and sweatshirts, good for the 65-degree day. There was a preschooler at the park with us dressed in a winter coat, ski pants, woolen hat, scarf and mittens. His parents must have thought we were neglectful.

We climbed the hills for quite a while, passing a monastery and very old church and finally made it to the top. There was a lookout tower to climb with a sign saying that little kids were verboten. Rebecca was too young (OK by me, I needed a rest), but the rest of the family had a good view of the area.