Snow days

Ugh! I have never wanted spring to come more. I'm dying to get outside for a run instead of driving the slushy roads to the gym on-post to run on a treadmill like a hamster. I need some fresh, warm--even frigid, whatever--just fresh air! The only benefit of all this snowy, arctic air is the anticipation of snow days. This, for a teacher or one who works at the school, is akin to Christmas time for a six year-old. Except instead of getting presents, we get something even more valuable--extra time! Now some of us will work like gophers with our extra time to get previously shirked duties done. Others of us will laze around and chat with colleagues we have only greeted while passing in the halls (one running to the bathroom, the other leading her students in a quiet, trudging line). It's the only thing teachers can talk about when there is a hint of snow in the forecast. Before you know it, a possible dusting of snow turns into an impending blizzard. Usually, we are all let down when the rumors (and our prayers) don't come true. We grudgingly go back to school (though maybe a minute or two late just out of spite to the weather) and resume our days as planned. Sigh.

But on occasion...We get woken at 4:30 am with excited proclamations of 2 HOUR DELAYS and--dare we actually say it aloud--NO SCHOOL (for students, but okay)!!! Hence, I'm still sitting here at home sipping my coffee in my pj's :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Okay, here's why I haven't been blogging. I started out blogging about everyday life and then, I started to feel like I needed to blog about more consequential things. And well, consequential thoughts just haven't been coming my way lately what with all the full-time working mommy-ing going on here. So anyway, I'm going to just write about life. Reichenbach life, which is what this thing started off as. A diary of sorts.

So...We flew to the States over the winter break. We wouldn't have done it again after last year's "House of Quarantine" fiasco, but hey, the brother-in-law was getting married (Congrats, Reg and Marisol!) All of us were in it. I was only worried about my little flower girl's ability to perform her job. And rightfully so. At the rehearsal, she cried "Mommy" everytime I left--and I had to because I was a secondary sponsor and had to walk down the aisle with my man. So after much stressing about how to get her to be the ideal and iconic flower girl, I came up with a plan. For nothing. About 3 seconds before we were all set to walk down the aisle in the real-deal wedding, Ava passed out. It was her nap time and there was no waking her up. She was comatose. So, the three of us walked down the aisle together to a collective giggle from the wedding audience. She was pretty. Looked like sleeping beauty, crown and all. Aiden performed his ring-bearer duties with much seriousness. And, despite his rehearsal-night proclamation of "I can't do it right," he did it perfectly. And was the handsomest boy up there, to boot (Sorry, Reg).

I thought I'd be hysterical on New Year's Eve by wearing the Edward Cullen t-shirt Rad bought me as a quasi-joke (because I swore I'd wear it if he bought it) to the party. And I was. Until one of the aunties brought down a life-sized cardboard cutout of Edward and insisted that I be a good sport and pose with it for pictures. OH H3{} NO!!!!! I actually had to hide behind the couch to avoid being caught for all eternity looking like an obsessed teen fan who was really a 30-something mother on film. In these days of Facebook and YouTube, one can never be too careful...

So, I was just hoping and praying that after last year's debacle of illnesses, we wouldn't get sick this time. Especially with H1N1 and hanging around planes and whatnot. Well, we did just fine until the day before we left when we all started coming down with something. Radley proceeded to act like he was dying from the time we boarded the plane. I suspected he was faking to get out of sitting next to Ava, but it turns out he had a double-ear infection. Ava had a single ear infection, which I got meds for upon braving a winter snow-storm and snow-covered roads to take her to the ER. I have just been taking care of getting everything in order again and went back to work the day after arriving back in Germany. And I believe I now have a double-ear infection. Plan to go to the doc's Monday.

So, now we're back home and it feels like we were gone way more than two weeks. But I think we've beat the jet-lag in less than a week, so that's something. Not to mention all the Christmas decorations are put away. It's always great to catch up with family and friends in person and there's a part of me that will always regret that we don't live closer to them. I was able to have some good heart-to-hearts with some friends that I've needed to connect with for a while. That was well-worth the harrowing transatlantic trips and all that entails. And of course, seeing Reggie and Marisol get married was very exciting and we're so happy for them! That was definitely a can't-miss life moment. We have many, many great memories from such a short time with our family and friends. Yet, I'm happy to be home and back to normal, as that is what I crave most of the time. Just a quiet, simple life where I can enjoy my family and notice the simple pleasures in life. And, dang...I need to get back to running!

Christmas blackmail

Ah...Christmas! Lights, gifts, cheer, festivities, family and friends, and...blackmail. You know you've done it (if you're a parent, uncle, aunt).

Ava: As we're walking through the new "mall" at Ramstein: I want candy!
Me: No, Ava.
Ava: I want candy!!
Me: In warning tone: Ava, do you want Santa Claus to come and bring you presents?
Ava: YEAH, YEAH, PRESENTS!!!!!!!
Me: Then you better be good or Santa Claus won't come and bring you presents.

Ah...Christmas blackmail. May it be joyous while it lasts.

Children

Last night was Halloween, and as is our tradition, we brought Aiden's little German friend, Devin, with us. That, and the fact that I was surrounded by swarms of German and American kids last night, got me reflecting on the differences between German and American kids. Yes, they are quite different in some ways. Disclaimer: neither group of kids is better or worse than the other, but the differences in the children are so striking to me that I feel compelled to explore them.

First thing you'll notice is that German kids call adults by their first name--a shocking and disrespectful thing to many Americans. At the very least, we expect to be called Miss Andrea or Uncle so-and-so. This is something I've gotten used to since my son has started bringing his German friends around and I've been called aunDRAYuh by all his friends. But I still notice it each time because I am so used to my students calling me Miss R.

The other thing you'll notice is the confidence these little 5 year-olds exude. American children, when they encounter an unfamiliar adult are usually reserved and cautious. Not so for a German child. Take Aiden's birthday party, for instance. It was the first time that many of Aiden's friends had met me, and yet...They were appalled that I did not provide ice cream to go with the cupcakes that I'd painstakingly baked and decorated. They kept asking where it was. At one point, one of the children took it upon himself to "help" me by going over and checking out the price of the Sternenland-provided ice cream, stating, "It's only .41 cents." So, I finally took the hint and the kids got their ice cream.

Here's another funny, but typical, contrast. We're standing in line for movie tickets. There are some kids running around the lobby, screaming. They're German. The American parents in line are glaring at the German parents, who are oblivious because this is just what children do, right? Yes, German kids are allowed to run more freely than our American children.

Again, these are stereotypical examples. Not all American children are reserved and respectful, while not all German kids are audacious and confident. These are just general observations I've made over the years and have found that other American friends tend to notice these things, too. One set of kids is not better or worse than the other. As a matter of fact, what may be unusual or disconcerting for one group of adults is normal to the other. And my perspective is the American one...I've not been brave enough to ask a German adult what they think about American kids. It's very interesting how different people can be from the very start, and I think these differences are significant in how we end up as adults viewing and interacting with the world. But in the end, once we're all adults and you strip away the varying viewpoints stemming from very different life experiences, we're all just people who are curious about each other in the end.

Local

Wow. Went to a dance show last night at the gemeindehaus (community center) down the street with two other Reichenbachers and good friends. There were people there competing and watching the dance troupes from several villages around here. Some of the dances were just okay, but others were quite impressive and dramatic, so it was fun to watch. I could've done without the obligatory and cheesy whole-group fest song which required my participation. But that's a German-style party for you! Anyway, I was impressed with the all-around good humor that accompanied the event. Though it could've easily gotten quite competitive (Reichenbach vs. Heimbach or everyone), it didn't because everyone cheered for each dance troupe equally. Even the groups that were mediocre got hoots and whistles, which I found to be very generous of the audience. Everyone was in such a good mood that it was hard to be worried about the fact that I was out waaaaaaaaaaay past my bedtime (it ended at midnight). One of the last dances of the night was a duo of young girls who demonstrated to me just how horrible I was at belly-dancing. My friends and I were laughing about how we'd taken belly dancing classes together and were not that good (hoefte! HOEFTE!!!), sharing inside jokes. So, I felt like I had a place there, but still...

I had another one of those "out of the box" experiences I sometimes have over here. I knew a lot of Reichenbachers there from various places (Aiden's kindergarten teachers, my nanny and her group of girlfriends, the tree cutter, etc.). Everyone always seems very pleased to see me, the American, enjoying the local events. But I sense that people are still very curious about us, as the Americans living in the town, because I notice people watching me.

I assume they're watching to gauge my reaction and see if I'm following what is going on. Or, they're waiting for me to commit some sort of faux pas. I frequently catch them whispering to their companions with their eyes in our direction. I don't sense mean-spiritedness at all. As a matter of fact, the exact opposite. I feel like a minor celebrity when we join "the masses" in our town. But after living here now for 6 years, I'd expect our novelty to have worn off by now!

I guess there really is limited excitement in a small farm town. So, if I want to just be low-key and observe, I really can't do that here. So, with that, and the long history of relationships that I know little about amongst the Reichenbachers that have lived here for generations, I do remain "outside the box" still. But I can put my foot in and shake it all about when I want to.

Innocence lost...and found!

Just got back from a frigid hour at the spielplatz. Aiden, Ava, and I walked down there since it's a sunny day and what luck! We ran into Aiden's favorite girl, Angelina. I personally think he loves her and that he will remember her as his first girlfriend like I reflect back on the boy who I loved in kindergarten. I don't remember his name, but I do remember vividly grabbing his hand on the way to school and him whining, "Aw, do I have to?" Of course the answer was yes. And he listened! I wonder whatever happened to that boy...Anyway!

So, Aiden and Angelina are running around and playing together while Ava digs in the sand. At one point, Aiden asked me to help them get the zipline within their reach and so I did and I stood there watching them get situated. Aiden gentlemanly gave the thing to Angelina to ride first, but then I heard him ask, "Moerchtet du doppleganger machen?" Or loosely translated, "Do you want to go doubles?" She nodded her assent and Aiden jumped on the seat, straddling her. Now did I mention that there were a bunch of teens hanging out at the park, too? (it's a farm-town and not many places to chill...) So of course, I expect to hear snickering at the fact that these two are riding together like this. But no, to my surprise I seemed to be the only one thinking this is a little naughty :) And further demonstrating my lack of innocence, two of the teen boys then jump on together! It was all totally--innocent--but I know if I'd been at my American school playground and two kids straddled each other on the swings or zipline or whatever, there'd be razzing for sure!

So I guess you could say I've definitely lost my innocence, but that for a moment I found it again. I was truly touched to see that, yes, even in this world where stories about kids killing other kids are on the news every day now, there are still those that haven't yet lost their innocence. There is still sweetness. There is still just play for the fun of playing. There is still purity in this world. The challenge is holding on to it for as long as possible...

Who'd have thought?

I've come to believe that some of the most spoiled people in the world whine the loudest. I came home today with this on my mind and thought about how little we have to really whine about. In the spirit of not becoming one of those people, I've decided to document some of the cool things that have come about in my life as unexpected surprises, and which yes, I often take for granted.

1. I remember sitting in French class one day in high school and thinking to myself, "Too bad I'll never get to use this in France--that would be cool." Funny, but it wasn't even an option in my mind at that time that I could travel overseas. And here I am. Living 45 minutes from France and popping over there for dinner once in a while.
2. So I would've never imagined that I would have visited 12 countries (and counting) by 32.
3. And I certainly wouldn't have dreamed that I would OWN a house in a foreign country.
4. I would not have guessed that I would've found in myself something of a leader. It actually still surprises me now.
5. I would be ecstatic to learn that I have MUCH more self-confidence and self-esteem than when I was a teen (ugh.)
6. I would not know how to feel about me driving a minivan. My 32 year-old self can reassure the teen in me that, no, it's not really cool, but it is a rockin' van.
7. I would be fascinated to learn that I have two (and that's it) kids and that they have a nanny who has come to mean so much to me that I hyperventilate at the thought of separating from her and her family.
8. I have learned that friends can be your family.
9. I would perhaps be nervous in seeing that what you've always known is not the absolute truth oftentimes, and that I now consider myself a person who questions more.
10. I have learned that there's nothing in this world that brings me more happiness than my husband and two amazingly unique and awesome kids.