August 25
Finding it hard to think of what to write after the hoopla of beginning school! I'm still picking up bits and pieces of supplies that the kids need--the teachers want them to get "Einbands" or something like that for their textbooks. There are a couple different styles and sizes so I'm a little at a loss about what to get. One of ME's assignments on Monday is to look at what the other kids have and report back to me so I know what I'm supposed to be looking for! I'm also supposed to get her a recorder, but don't know what kind or where to get it. Must remember to write a note to her teacher about that...
Was up early this a.m. to hit the grocery stores/markets before the morning got away. I'm getting used to shopping often, although I still have to make myself stick carefully to my list (just what's needed for that day and the next day's breakfast) or I tend to end up with too much stuff in my tiny little fridge. I also have to remember on the weekends to stock up a bit on Saturday for Sunday when all the stores are closed! Last weekend we ran out of bread because I forgot to get extra on Saturday. :)
When I was done, the girls and I took our bikes to Bad Godesberg, Joshua took the train and met us in the pedestrian shopping zone. Picked up some of those aforementioned school supplies, plus some rain gear for MK and GE--for MK because she'll be biking to and from school sometimes in the rain and for GE who'll be walking/riding in the rain to and from places with me. Yesterday afternoon I finally got a call back from the Haus der Familie, the Lutheran church's family programs organization. They offer many different programs for parents and children, preschoolers and up. They have a one or 2 days a week practice "kindergarten" called a Maxigruppe. I filled out the online registration earlier this week and then left a couple of voicemail messages. There is one spot left in the Monday morning group (9-12) which starts this week. So, tomorrow afternoon GE and I will take a bike ride to the building to see how long it takes and then Monday a.m. we'll head there to try it out. If we like it and want the spot, we just have to call back and arrange payment. I'll stay with her at first but eventually she should be able to stay with the group for the whole morning. I have to meet HR after 1st grade lets out at 12:30, so as long as we can make the bike ride in under 30 mins, I think we'll do it. The program lasts 12 weeks, then we can hopefully get a spot in the 2 days/week Maxigruppe or maybe by then she'll have a Kindergarten spot somewhere.
HR and ME both went to the church Kinderchor in the Friday afternoon. HR was a little reserved at first but by the end was making the motions and trying to sing along. ME stayed for the older group and was thrilled when they sang an English round which she knew already so she helped to lead one section while the choir director sang with the other. All the girls wanted to be in ME's group to sing the round!
August 26
We attended the Pauluskirche (Evangelische) again this morning for Gottesdienst. It was their "Back Home" celebration--celebrating everyone's return from vacation and the beginning of the new school year. There were many more families and a Bratwurst and Biergarten for lunch in the courtyard afterwards (and yes, there was beer for sale! Local Kölsh brew.) We were able to make some connections with some families we had seen around but had no context with which to introduce ourselves. One was with a family with four girls! The oldest is HR's 3rd grade "Partin". The Grundschule pairs each of the new 1st graders with a 3rd grader who helps them navigate the school ground, find the bathroom, look out for them at recess, and make sure they get to the parent pick up location at the end of the day. The twins in the middle are in 1st grade too but in a different class. All three are in the Kinderchor with HR. The youngest daughter is the same age as Grace. They live near us (in the new houses next to the Aldi where I grocery shop) and invited us to come play Weds. afternoon after school. Another mother joined the adult choir this past week and this morning I was able to introduce myself and found out that her son's Kindergarten has an opening that might be available. She took my information and will tell the school tomorrow. Fingers crossed!
After church we took the bus to Bad Godesberg (it was raining so we decided not to take the bikes) to check out the Troedlmarkt. We found a few good book deals and picked up some used PlayMobil, then when the rain picked up decided to head home.
At home MK dug back into her Deutsch homework. Quite the accomplishment. She had an essay/report that she was supposed to do editing exercises on: reorganize the paragraph order, decide if info was important enough to keep in or not, correct punctuation, choose a better verb, consolidate redundant sentences, etc. J set her on a task to first highlight the words she already knows, then to figuring out what the other words mean and then to begin thinking about the editing questions. There were some tears, but in the end she finished it and was even forming simple sentences on her own. Way to go MK! We knew the first assignments would be the hardest and the scariest but that they would set the precedent for future homework. Math homework was easier, but still took some sorting out. The funny part was that she finished the whole math worksheet (on fractions) and then when she showed me what she had copied down from the teacher, I pointed out that H.A. means "Hausaufgabe" (homework). "H.A." was followed by just a few specific problems she was supposed to complete (for ex. 1c, f, g and 2 d, e), not the whole worksheet! She laughed and said, well now I know what "H.A." means! :)
August 27
Took GE to the Maxigruppe in Bad Godesberg (the practice "Kindergarten). The other children were all 2 year olds. During the course of the morning, the subject of Kindergarten openings came up and the teacher mentioned that Grace was part of the Maxigruppe because we hadn't been able to find a KG in our neighborhood with an opening. Another mother immediately said, "My son's school has 3 openings!" It's a Waldorfkindergarten not far from where the Maxigruppe meets. So, I called and made an appointment to visit tomorrow afternoon with Grace. We'll see... I can't tell from the website what the tuition is and there was one not-so-glowing review on an independent website. Kind of have to wonder why there are openings there when everywhere else seems to be full! At least this has pushed my buttons a bit: just spent an hour digging through the Bonn Kigan (city Kindergarten registration system--terribly convoluted and not user friendly at all) website again with a wider search radius now that I know how far places take by bike. I also have a better sense of what locations are easier to reach by bus--for example, bus lines seem to run either East-West or North-South. Anything on the east side of the U-bahn line is harder to get to by bus because I have to take one bus south, then switch and take one east. However, I can easily go a little further north or south on a bus line and not lose too much time. I have to keep in mind that wherever GE goes to Kindergarten, I have to be able to drop her off and pick her up in a timely manner while also sometimes being available to pick up HR from the Grundschule! It's a bit crazy. Most of the Kindergartens have several pick up times: 12:30, 1:30 or 2:30 or later if it's a full day program. The 12:30 kids get picked up before lunch, the 1:30 after lunch, and the 2:30 after the rest time. This is so that parents aren't coming in during the meal time or rest time and causing commotion. Makes sense. Funny to me that the days are longer than the Grundschule though! I'll end up picking my 1st grader up before I pick up my Kindergartener!
So, tomorrow I'll call my new list of Kindergartens to make sure there aren't any others that also have spots free.
August 28
Woohoo! Another KG has a spot. They are much closer. A family is moving away and the spot will be open from Sept 1 on. Not sure if GE can start then because we have to wait for the contract to be processed through the city. But I'm dropping off the initial agreement and then will get a big package in the mail to read through, sign and return. It looks like it will be a great fit--location as well as philosophy, drop off and pick up times, etc. I canceled the appointment with the Waldorf KG since that's so much further away.
Here's a link to photos from the KG.
http://www.kjf-ggmbh.de/index.php?id=1730
So, hopefully, in a few weeks, my days will flow a bit differently: send MK off to Gymnasium at 7:30, the middle girls off to the Bodelschwinghschule (BSS) at 7:45. Drop GE off at KG between 8-9 a.m. Do whatever I want (!!! what on earth is that?!!!) until 11:30/12:30. Then meet HR at the BSS at 11:30/12:30, go home for lunch, pick up GE from Kindergarten. ME and MK will bring themselves home sometime after 1 depending on the day of the week.
ME came home hopping up and down with excitement. She was voted the "Klassensprecherin" (girls' class representative) for her class. She explained that she would be the go-between when kids want to rearrange the desks or trade seats with someone else, or make any other requests to the teacher. There is a boy Klassensprecher for the boys and a girl Klassensprecherin (our ME!) for the girls. Since ME is still learning the language, she has a German "helper" until she can communicate better.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Week 5.5
August 20
Having bicycles changes things! This morning the girls trotted out on their bikes with me to do the big beginning-of-the-week shopping. Usually I head to the Turkish market first to get fresh produce for making things like salsa and beans for the rest of the week, then after I unload those items from my roller-cart, I head to the Aldi or Netto for the discounted items still on my list. This takes a good portion of the morning and having the kids walk with me was tedious and involved a fair amount of complaining, especially given how hot the weather has been. But today, they happily scooted down the sidewalk, waiting for me to catch up at the intersections/corners. ME was happy to fill her bicycle's saddle bags and when we returned from the Turkish market, I realized I wouldn't need the roller wagon if ME came along to the Aldi--we fit everything into my bike basket, a backpack and her saddle bags. In less than 20 mins we were finished with the second half of the shopping. Yeah! I rode my bike to the square to mail our rental agreement to England for our Swiss Chalet over the New Year's holiday and stopped at another grocery for a some fresh blueberries and sparkling water, then home again. So, the kids got their outside time and I got my errands done and all were happy! Wonder what it will be like when it's cold and rainy...
Tonight it's finally cooling off. I have all the windows opened like doors (if you aren't familiar with European windows, they can open as doors or in a tilt-back position) and since there aren't any screens it feels as if we are sitting outside while sitting in our living room. It's one of my favorite things about living here! The girls like to hang out the windows (yes, we are careful about this) and call hello to our neighbors. It's a wonderful feeling of belonging.
August 21
Stayed up until after 1 a.m. last night finishing cutting out the parts for HR's Schultute. Left all the bits out on the table with the glue and when I got out of the shower, found that HR had helped herself and finished gluing all the flowers/butterflies/horseshoes/clouds etc. onto the Tute. When it was dry, we folded it together and finished it. Now just to fill it with lots of goodies! Here she is with the (almost) finished product.
Dropped my bike off at the bike shop for them to install a child's seat on the back and a handlebar basket to replace the rear one. Now I'm all set to take GE on longer trips or to Kindergarten if we ever get her a spot somewhere!
August 22
ME was home soon after 11:30, so we ate a bit of lunch and then headed on our bikes to Bad Godesberg (GE in the child's seat rather than on her Laufrad), finding a nice bike route that took us easily into the pedestrian zone. HR is getting so much better at staying steady on her bike, starting and stopping more easily and maneuvering over curbs and other obstacles without mishaps! We got a few things at the Woolworth and then had a text that MK was finished and on her way home too. 20 minutes later we were all home! It's awfully nice now to bike everywhere but I keep waiting to see what it will be like when the weather isn't as lovely...
Both big girls had good days at school. ME doesn't have her schedule yet--the first few days are sort of weird, short days, rather than jumping straight into instruction time. MK came home with her Stundenplan (Schedule) filled in:
Every day starts at 8 a.m., each period is 45 minutes:
Mondays: Sport, Franzoesisch, Englisch, PAUSE (25 min recess), Deutsch, Musik, Physik (yes, that's physics!), MITTAGSPAUSE (1 hour Lunch break), Deutsch Foerderungsunterricht (extra instruction for non-native speakers). Finished at 3 p.m.
Tuesdays: Mathe, Geschichte (History), Kunst (art), PAUSE, Kunst (more art!!), Deutsch, Deutsch, MITTAGSPAUSE, Englisch, Englisch. Day over at 3:50. (Nice that her longest day involves double periods of art and English!)
Wednesdays: Mathe, Englisch, Biologie, PAUSE, Franzoesisch, Philosophie (instead of a Catholic or Lutheran religion class), Philosophie (whenever there's a double period of a class, they have a 5 min break in the middle for bathroom, drinks, etc.). Day over at 1:15.
Thursdays: Biologie, Musik, Deutsch, PAUSE, Physik, Sport, Geschichte. Day over at 1:15!!
Fridays: Englisch, Franzoesisch, Franzoesisch, PAUSE, Englisch, Mathe, Mathe. Day over a 1:15.
MK had Englisch homework--nice easy start! And had several girls' Handy (cell) numbers already. There is another English-speaking girl in her class which MK finds wonderful but I'm not so thrilled. Hopefully they won't speak English too much at school which could interfere with MK picking up German. On the other hand, MK *loves* her school after the first day despite not being able to read some of the teacher's writing (what did I say about that?!). She also came home with a huge list of supplies that she needed. Teachers here each have their own favorite types of notebooks that are either lined or graph with or without blank borders for writing assignments in. So for every subject she needed a different combination of classroom, vocabulary and homework notebooks as well as a straight ruler, triangle, and compass for Mathe/Physik. Then there's the list of stuff that goes into their Federmaepchen (pencilcase): colored pencils, regular pencils and erasers, fountain pens, ink cartridges, and the erasing pens with special ink to write over the erased ink! So, I got back on my bike, empty backpack in hand, and rode back to Bad Godesberg to the Woolworth and the school supplies store, returning soon after with all of MK's needs fulfilled. Tomorrow or Friday I'll have to go back to get ME's supplies once they send home the 4th grader's supply list (I already got the first grader's). Whew.
Tonight was the first parent meeting for the first grade parents. We met HR's teacher, Frau Henrich (sweet 20-something young woman who seemed painfully young. I have become the middle-aged mother of a grade-schooler. Oi.), listened to a spiel from the principal, then visited the classroom and got more lists and info. If I thought keeping track of all the papers at home was hard, try it in a language in which you are not yet able to scan! I can't tune out for even a few seconds or I completely lose the thread. There will be another meeting next week! Tomorrow a.m. the first graders will arrive 1/2 an hour after the upper grades, form into their class groups, walk across to the church for a little service/ceremony, then have 1 hour of "instruction" before being released to go home. Parents were asked to give out the Schultutes after the students are released (I was wondering about that!) so that the kids aren't full of candy and excitement over the toys in their Schultutes! We met another mother who lives just up the street from us whose son is in the same class, so that will be nice. A parent is supposed to meet the child at release time--11:30 or 12:30!!--every day for the first couple of weeks until we're sure the child knows how to get home safely. There is a heavy emphasis on teaching the kids how to get to and from school on their own, but making sure they are safe and take necessary precautions. We were asked to only bring the child to the classroom on the first day, then the school doors, then just to the edge of the schoolyard, and eventually just wave them out the door. Can you imagine that in the US?!
HR's Stundenplan:
Mondays & Tuesdays 8 until 12:30 with a 30 minute Pause from 9:30-10 and another shorter Pause 11:30-11:45. Wednesdays through Fridays she has school 8-11:30 with the one 30 minute Pause. She has Sport (sometimes that will be swimming) on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. All of her instruction (Mathe, Deutsch, Musik, Kunst, Sachunterricht*, Religion, Englisch) is with Frau Henrich except if they have Schwimmen during Sport (there is an indoor pool at the school).
August 23
Wow. Ok. First day of First Grade is a really big deal: ceremony, worship service, procession of all the First graders (wearing their fancy new Schulranzen) from the church onto the school grounds with the older grades standing on the sides cheering and waving flags, visit from the Bonn Chief of Police, someone from the Mayor's office, and more! HR had a great start. She came out smiling and said that she only used English once! That's our brave girl! She opened her Schultute which we'd been toting around since the beginning of the morning (8:30) on the school playground and then we carried things home to be eaten and played with later.
ME came home with her schedule today as well:
Tuesdays & Thursdays until 1:15. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until 12:30. Same recess, "Pausen" as HR. She has Schwimmen first thing on Weds. mornings and a double period of Sport at the end of the day on Thursdays. She has the option of taking French for an additional period at the end of the day on Mondays and she has Englisch for the last period on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She has Frau Siegburg for all her regular instruction (Deutsch, Mathe, Sachunterricht*, Religion, Musik, Kunst) except for Englisch, Sport, Schwimmen, and Franzoesisch.
*We weren't sure what this Sachunterricht was but after some searching online have figured out that it's sort of an all encompassing General Studies for science/social studies/environment, etc.
We're going to get spoiled having these shorter school days and then less than 5 minute walk home--or we'll all drive each other crazy! At least Grace won't be at home for so long with no one to play with. Both HR and ME will eat a late lunch at home and just take a Pause-Brot (snack sandwich) to eat during the long break.
I'm working on finding something for Grace to do in the morning. There is a transition-to-Kindergarten program that is run by the Evangelische church that meets 2 mornings a week, but so far I haven't heard back from the program directors (filled out the online registration and left a voicemail message). I've filled out the online forms for the Bonn Kindergartens and sent the info to all the schools in our area, including ones that would involve a bit of a bike ride or a bus ride. Everything is filled up. Many are all day Kindergartens (I find this interesting since the first graders don't have long days--why the long Kindergarten days?!). So, we'll just wait and see. In the meantime, at least she'll be able to play sometimes in the afternoons with neighbor, TP or perhaps we'll meet some other families with stay-at-home moms through the Grundschule.
Having bicycles changes things! This morning the girls trotted out on their bikes with me to do the big beginning-of-the-week shopping. Usually I head to the Turkish market first to get fresh produce for making things like salsa and beans for the rest of the week, then after I unload those items from my roller-cart, I head to the Aldi or Netto for the discounted items still on my list. This takes a good portion of the morning and having the kids walk with me was tedious and involved a fair amount of complaining, especially given how hot the weather has been. But today, they happily scooted down the sidewalk, waiting for me to catch up at the intersections/corners. ME was happy to fill her bicycle's saddle bags and when we returned from the Turkish market, I realized I wouldn't need the roller wagon if ME came along to the Aldi--we fit everything into my bike basket, a backpack and her saddle bags. In less than 20 mins we were finished with the second half of the shopping. Yeah! I rode my bike to the square to mail our rental agreement to England for our Swiss Chalet over the New Year's holiday and stopped at another grocery for a some fresh blueberries and sparkling water, then home again. So, the kids got their outside time and I got my errands done and all were happy! Wonder what it will be like when it's cold and rainy...
Tonight it's finally cooling off. I have all the windows opened like doors (if you aren't familiar with European windows, they can open as doors or in a tilt-back position) and since there aren't any screens it feels as if we are sitting outside while sitting in our living room. It's one of my favorite things about living here! The girls like to hang out the windows (yes, we are careful about this) and call hello to our neighbors. It's a wonderful feeling of belonging.
August 21
Stayed up until after 1 a.m. last night finishing cutting out the parts for HR's Schultute. Left all the bits out on the table with the glue and when I got out of the shower, found that HR had helped herself and finished gluing all the flowers/butterflies/horseshoes/clouds etc. onto the Tute. When it was dry, we folded it together and finished it. Now just to fill it with lots of goodies! Here she is with the (almost) finished product.
Dropped my bike off at the bike shop for them to install a child's seat on the back and a handlebar basket to replace the rear one. Now I'm all set to take GE on longer trips or to Kindergarten if we ever get her a spot somewhere!
August 22
First day of school! MK and I rode our bikes to her school yesterday for a trial run and to check how long it would take: just around 15 minutes depending on the traffic signals. She needs to be at school today at 7:45 to check in at the office for her school ID card and to find her classroom by 8 a.m., so we left the apartment a little after 7:15 this morning, got out the bikes from the garage and with MK leading the way, rode to her school. J finished getting ME ready for her first day and walked with all the younger girls to the Grundschule to see ME settled into her 4th grade class. When MK and I were finishing up in the school's office, her Klassenlehrer (Homeroom teacher), Herr Dickman, came in and led us out to the entryway where he introduced MK to some other girls from the 6a class. They took her in hand and promised to make sure she got to her classroom, etc. I hurried back on my bike to the Grundschule and had just enough time to stick my head into ME's room, say "Hallo" to her teacher, Frau Siegburg, and squeeze ME one more time.
MK ready to launch. My bike with child's seat in the background.
MK in front of her school (she was not happy about me trying to take a picture with everyone milling about outside).
ME was home soon after 11:30, so we ate a bit of lunch and then headed on our bikes to Bad Godesberg (GE in the child's seat rather than on her Laufrad), finding a nice bike route that took us easily into the pedestrian zone. HR is getting so much better at staying steady on her bike, starting and stopping more easily and maneuvering over curbs and other obstacles without mishaps! We got a few things at the Woolworth and then had a text that MK was finished and on her way home too. 20 minutes later we were all home! It's awfully nice now to bike everywhere but I keep waiting to see what it will be like when the weather isn't as lovely...
Both big girls had good days at school. ME doesn't have her schedule yet--the first few days are sort of weird, short days, rather than jumping straight into instruction time. MK came home with her Stundenplan (Schedule) filled in:
Every day starts at 8 a.m., each period is 45 minutes:
Mondays: Sport, Franzoesisch, Englisch, PAUSE (25 min recess), Deutsch, Musik, Physik (yes, that's physics!), MITTAGSPAUSE (1 hour Lunch break), Deutsch Foerderungsunterricht (extra instruction for non-native speakers). Finished at 3 p.m.
Tuesdays: Mathe, Geschichte (History), Kunst (art), PAUSE, Kunst (more art!!), Deutsch, Deutsch, MITTAGSPAUSE, Englisch, Englisch. Day over at 3:50. (Nice that her longest day involves double periods of art and English!)
Wednesdays: Mathe, Englisch, Biologie, PAUSE, Franzoesisch, Philosophie (instead of a Catholic or Lutheran religion class), Philosophie (whenever there's a double period of a class, they have a 5 min break in the middle for bathroom, drinks, etc.). Day over at 1:15.
Thursdays: Biologie, Musik, Deutsch, PAUSE, Physik, Sport, Geschichte. Day over at 1:15!!
Fridays: Englisch, Franzoesisch, Franzoesisch, PAUSE, Englisch, Mathe, Mathe. Day over a 1:15.
MK had Englisch homework--nice easy start! And had several girls' Handy (cell) numbers already. There is another English-speaking girl in her class which MK finds wonderful but I'm not so thrilled. Hopefully they won't speak English too much at school which could interfere with MK picking up German. On the other hand, MK *loves* her school after the first day despite not being able to read some of the teacher's writing (what did I say about that?!). She also came home with a huge list of supplies that she needed. Teachers here each have their own favorite types of notebooks that are either lined or graph with or without blank borders for writing assignments in. So for every subject she needed a different combination of classroom, vocabulary and homework notebooks as well as a straight ruler, triangle, and compass for Mathe/Physik. Then there's the list of stuff that goes into their Federmaepchen (pencilcase): colored pencils, regular pencils and erasers, fountain pens, ink cartridges, and the erasing pens with special ink to write over the erased ink! So, I got back on my bike, empty backpack in hand, and rode back to Bad Godesberg to the Woolworth and the school supplies store, returning soon after with all of MK's needs fulfilled. Tomorrow or Friday I'll have to go back to get ME's supplies once they send home the 4th grader's supply list (I already got the first grader's). Whew.
Tonight was the first parent meeting for the first grade parents. We met HR's teacher, Frau Henrich (sweet 20-something young woman who seemed painfully young. I have become the middle-aged mother of a grade-schooler. Oi.), listened to a spiel from the principal, then visited the classroom and got more lists and info. If I thought keeping track of all the papers at home was hard, try it in a language in which you are not yet able to scan! I can't tune out for even a few seconds or I completely lose the thread. There will be another meeting next week! Tomorrow a.m. the first graders will arrive 1/2 an hour after the upper grades, form into their class groups, walk across to the church for a little service/ceremony, then have 1 hour of "instruction" before being released to go home. Parents were asked to give out the Schultutes after the students are released (I was wondering about that!) so that the kids aren't full of candy and excitement over the toys in their Schultutes! We met another mother who lives just up the street from us whose son is in the same class, so that will be nice. A parent is supposed to meet the child at release time--11:30 or 12:30!!--every day for the first couple of weeks until we're sure the child knows how to get home safely. There is a heavy emphasis on teaching the kids how to get to and from school on their own, but making sure they are safe and take necessary precautions. We were asked to only bring the child to the classroom on the first day, then the school doors, then just to the edge of the schoolyard, and eventually just wave them out the door. Can you imagine that in the US?!
HR's Stundenplan:
Mondays & Tuesdays 8 until 12:30 with a 30 minute Pause from 9:30-10 and another shorter Pause 11:30-11:45. Wednesdays through Fridays she has school 8-11:30 with the one 30 minute Pause. She has Sport (sometimes that will be swimming) on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. All of her instruction (Mathe, Deutsch, Musik, Kunst, Sachunterricht*, Religion, Englisch) is with Frau Henrich except if they have Schwimmen during Sport (there is an indoor pool at the school).
August 23
Wow. Ok. First day of First Grade is a really big deal: ceremony, worship service, procession of all the First graders (wearing their fancy new Schulranzen) from the church onto the school grounds with the older grades standing on the sides cheering and waving flags, visit from the Bonn Chief of Police, someone from the Mayor's office, and more! HR had a great start. She came out smiling and said that she only used English once! That's our brave girl! She opened her Schultute which we'd been toting around since the beginning of the morning (8:30) on the school playground and then we carried things home to be eaten and played with later.
Waiting for the other classmates to arrive--she's visibly a little worried.
But she put on a brave face (I told her if she smiles she won't start to cry so to just keep trying to smile!)
Her teacher, Frau Henrich, for the Klasse 1a.
HR spots me as she comes in for the procession of 1st graders.
GE playing in the small trees (great for climbing) on the school yard as we wait for HR's 1 hour of instruction time finish.
All smiles and lots to tell!
These shots speak for themselves. :)
ME came home with her schedule today as well:
Tuesdays & Thursdays until 1:15. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until 12:30. Same recess, "Pausen" as HR. She has Schwimmen first thing on Weds. mornings and a double period of Sport at the end of the day on Thursdays. She has the option of taking French for an additional period at the end of the day on Mondays and she has Englisch for the last period on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She has Frau Siegburg for all her regular instruction (Deutsch, Mathe, Sachunterricht*, Religion, Musik, Kunst) except for Englisch, Sport, Schwimmen, and Franzoesisch.
*We weren't sure what this Sachunterricht was but after some searching online have figured out that it's sort of an all encompassing General Studies for science/social studies/environment, etc.
We're going to get spoiled having these shorter school days and then less than 5 minute walk home--or we'll all drive each other crazy! At least Grace won't be at home for so long with no one to play with. Both HR and ME will eat a late lunch at home and just take a Pause-Brot (snack sandwich) to eat during the long break.
I'm working on finding something for Grace to do in the morning. There is a transition-to-Kindergarten program that is run by the Evangelische church that meets 2 mornings a week, but so far I haven't heard back from the program directors (filled out the online registration and left a voicemail message). I've filled out the online forms for the Bonn Kindergartens and sent the info to all the schools in our area, including ones that would involve a bit of a bike ride or a bus ride. Everything is filled up. Many are all day Kindergartens (I find this interesting since the first graders don't have long days--why the long Kindergarten days?!). So, we'll just wait and see. In the meantime, at least she'll be able to play sometimes in the afternoons with neighbor, TP or perhaps we'll meet some other families with stay-at-home moms through the Grundschule.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Week 5
August 14
Getting the kids registered for school is the top priority this week. The school administrators are back from summer break. I called the schools yesterday and set up appointments (of course!) to go to the schools. I was most concerned that the Gymnasium (the middle-high school) would not accept MK. Not for any specific reason but simply because they can! I had heard of some people having trouble getting their kids into the schools that they wanted. MK and I left at 9 to try finding the bus to her school. She has a couple of choices: she can catch one bus near our house and travel as far as the U-bahn station, then switch to another bus. Or she can simply walk to the U-bahn and take a single bus from there. The total distance is just far enough to make walking a little too much. She'll ride her bike when the weather is good but we'll also get her a Schuler-Ticket for the public transportation. We chose to walk and ride this morning. The bus either got us there 1/2 an hour early or 2 mins late, so I made sure we got there early. As it turned out the Schulleiterin (Head Mistress) was free and we happened to bump into her in the hall way as we were trying to figure out where to go. After a short meeting with her, showing her MK's report card (all A's!) and 5th Grade SOL results, she asked if she could meet with another administrator to discuss which class to put MK in and then she would get back to us this afternoon, but that she anticipated that they would be able to allow MK to come to the school. So tomorrow we go back to officially fill out the paperwork for MK to go to the Nicolaus-Cusaunus Gymnasium!
After we finished there, MK and I took the train to Bad Godesburg and hit the Woolworth for more school stuff (so much cheaper! Like a mini-Walmart!), ate a nice lunch at a little Bistro in the pedestrian zone before heading home. When we came around the corner to our apartment there was a mother unloading her kids from their min-van. I realized it was the van with the GB (Great Britain) tags and that another American I've met had mentioned that she thought there was a GB living near us. So I introduced myself and she invited us over to play in their garden (yeah!) and have some cold drinks, chat, etc. She has a 3.5 year old boy and a baby boy. GE will have a nice playmate! We had a lovely visit. She had wonderful advice about finding a Kindergarten and we made promises of some babysitting swapping so we can go out with our hubbies. They are also relatively new to the area (last Oct.) so she continues to feel like she's finding her way around. They also have bicycles and an "Anhaenger" (the large carts for kids that you can pull behind a bike) that we can borrow if we want to go for a ride along the Rhine. I may have to rent a bike for Hannah and spend a day teaching her to ride so we can all go together. She also offered their garage for additional bike space or if our garage arrangement for MK's bike (which is kind of complicated) is too cumbersome. Cool! But most importantly it was very pleasant to have someone to talk to about adjusting to life in Germany!
(Interesting side-note: On Friday we visited together again in the afternoon and we started talking about what our husbands do. When she told me that hers works for the European astronaut's program, I told her that one of my old German friends, VD, is one of the doctors for the German astronaut's. Well, turns out VD and our neighbor have been working together on the same team for the last couple of years! What a small world!)
August 15
This morning we went back to the Nicolaus Cusanus Gymnasium and finished registering MK for school. She'll also be taking French (she could choose French or Latin as a second foreign language--her "first" is Englisch!) and a Philosophy class. Mathe, Biologie (science), Kunst (art), Musik, Sport, Deutsch (German) and Englisch will be her other core courses. School starts at 8 a.m. She'll get her full schedule plan on the first day of school, as well as a supply list and text books. We had to buy some workbooks for Englisch and French. The school is BIG and she was pretty nervous about finding her way around, but I assured her all she has to do is get to her homeroom class on the first day and then the other students will help her find her way when she has to change classrooms. I have horrible memories of having trouble reading my teacher's handwriting and bringing home written notes and homework assignments that my mom couldn't decipher because I was unable to copy the words down correctly. We were both relieved to see that her homeroom teacher had very neat handwriting and that she wouldn't have any trouble reading his writing!
After visiting the school we all went to Bad Godesberg again to pick up her textbooks, eat some bakery snacks (the girls love getting the giant soft pretzels from the bakeries), and then MK and ME both got their traditional beginning-of-the-school-year hair cuts. MK was sure she wanted bangs but the hair dresser made such a stink about how terrible that would look and how wonderful MK's hair was that MK let her do something different. In the end, MK came home flipping her hair around and saying "I just LOVE my hair cut!" And no tears about not getting bangs. Whew. ME got a shaggy bob. HR was sad that I wouldn't let her get hers cut but I promised to do a trim at home myself. So, while GR was napping (much needed after skipping a few days of naps recently!) I gave HR a make-over too. She was pretty happy although I think she wanted me to make it shorter. Why is the grass always greener on the other side? When I was young I always had a short hair cut with bangs but wanted long hair with no bangs. Now my kids have long hair with no bangs and want short hair with bangs! Go figure.
August 16
One of the hardest things about being here is missing my friends and family. Especially when one of them is sick. A dear friend found out soon after we left that she has breast cancer. She has been my daughters' preschool teacher and care-giver, as well as my friend, for the last 4 years. When I read her updates on CaringBridge I just about can't keep it together. SH, know that I'm thinking of you often and am sorry I can't be there to wrap my arms around you, bring meals for you and your family, and participate in celebrating you and mourning this journey that you're on! Lots of prayers and love being sent your way!
HR and ME are all set up for school now too. The Schulleiterin (principal) at the Bodelschwingheschule was very kind and helpful at our meeting this morning. HR will be in the 1a Klasse and ME in the 4a. We were able to see their rooms and tour the building a bit. First grade is much more like our Kindergarten in the U.S. HR will come home by 11:30 most days. She'll have lots of fun! ME isn't in the same class as the two girls we've met who go to the same school, but that hasn't dampened her enthusiasm. I'm sure she'll be making friends right away. ME starts on Weds. of next week and the first graders have a special starting day on Thursday.
I joined the Pauluskirche Chor this evening for their weekly rehearsal. They are preparing a Mendelssohn piece for a joint concert with the choirs of all the Thomaskappelle Gemeinde (a broader local church community made up of 3 congregations in the surrounding neighborhoods) along with some smaller things for Sunday mornings at the Pauluskirche here in our neighborhood. It was the first rehearsal after their summer break and after the rehearsal was finished, they invited anyone to stay and fellowship together with drinks! It's the first time I've had wine after a rehearsal! It was lovely, though, to visit with the other choristers, who of course, wanted to know why we're here, why my German is pretty good, and ooh and aah over the fact that I have four children. My brain was in German mode after an hour and a half of following the director's instructions, so I didn't have too much trouble conversing. Yeah for German practice!
August 17
I finally dreamed in German last night! Woo hoo! Always a good sign. I'm sure it had something to do with having an hour of conversations in German right before going home to bed. :)
Ordered and received a couple of small tables and chairs--one for the LR area for my laptop and calendar and one for MK's room where she can do homework etc. Here she is set up with her new desk lamp, listening to the radio on her cell phone, and drawing. In the background you can see my storage "corner" where I have extra food and household goods that don't fit in the kitchen.
As I've already mentioned, first grade is a big deal here. We bought HR a Schultute that she can decorate herself and that we'll fill with goodies to give to her on the first day of school. This afternoon HR and I got busy working on cutting things out and starting to glue stuff on. She's in heaven!
A Friday evening tradition in the making? Eis at the cafe after dinner.
August 18
It's HOT. Dry at least, but still very warm. The locals are in an uproar about how terribly hot it is. Actually doesn't feel that bad to me. No Virginia humidity and the nights are still quite cool. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter still, then some storms and cooling off.
We got up very early for a Saturday morning and took the bus (7:36 a.m.!) to the Rheinaue (big park along the Rhein river) for a HUGE Flohmarkt (giant yard sale/fleamarket). Goal was to find very cheap used bikes for the younger girls. Initially we thought we'd just get bikes for ME and HR who so far just have scooters. I decided that with how well GE is doing on the Laufrad, that we must really focus on getting HR onto a 2 wheeler--something we'd failed to get done at home in VA. She'd had a small balance bike when she was 4 but didn't really master it completely since we only have grass and gravel at home. But I knew she had gotten to the point where she would keep her feet up for short distances. We found a bike for ME pretty quickly, then searched for HR. Finally settled on one and then made up our minds that I would go look for a bike for myself so that I could ride with HR and monitor her ability to navigate traffic and intersections, etc. So, J took the kids to a large paved area near the Spielplatz (playground) while I dug back into the fleamarket area. No more than 5 minutes later J texted me that Hannah was launched and riding solo! Woohoo! I soon found a bike that fit me OK, was in decent condition, but that I knew would fit MK better. The one we'd already gotten for her was good for me and just slightly too big for MK, although we knew she'd grow into it. So, when I got back to J and the girls, I asked her to try it and she was thrilled when I said we could "trade". :) We also found good helmets for the smaller girls. MK and GE already have ones. So, now we're all set. J can borrow the neighbors bike or rent one if we want to go for a bike ride. If GE continues to get better control on her Laufrad then we might find her a used 2 wheeler later. The Flohmarkt happens every 3rd weekend of the month, so there will be many more chances to go back.
Getting the kids registered for school is the top priority this week. The school administrators are back from summer break. I called the schools yesterday and set up appointments (of course!) to go to the schools. I was most concerned that the Gymnasium (the middle-high school) would not accept MK. Not for any specific reason but simply because they can! I had heard of some people having trouble getting their kids into the schools that they wanted. MK and I left at 9 to try finding the bus to her school. She has a couple of choices: she can catch one bus near our house and travel as far as the U-bahn station, then switch to another bus. Or she can simply walk to the U-bahn and take a single bus from there. The total distance is just far enough to make walking a little too much. She'll ride her bike when the weather is good but we'll also get her a Schuler-Ticket for the public transportation. We chose to walk and ride this morning. The bus either got us there 1/2 an hour early or 2 mins late, so I made sure we got there early. As it turned out the Schulleiterin (Head Mistress) was free and we happened to bump into her in the hall way as we were trying to figure out where to go. After a short meeting with her, showing her MK's report card (all A's!) and 5th Grade SOL results, she asked if she could meet with another administrator to discuss which class to put MK in and then she would get back to us this afternoon, but that she anticipated that they would be able to allow MK to come to the school. So tomorrow we go back to officially fill out the paperwork for MK to go to the Nicolaus-Cusaunus Gymnasium!
After we finished there, MK and I took the train to Bad Godesburg and hit the Woolworth for more school stuff (so much cheaper! Like a mini-Walmart!), ate a nice lunch at a little Bistro in the pedestrian zone before heading home. When we came around the corner to our apartment there was a mother unloading her kids from their min-van. I realized it was the van with the GB (Great Britain) tags and that another American I've met had mentioned that she thought there was a GB living near us. So I introduced myself and she invited us over to play in their garden (yeah!) and have some cold drinks, chat, etc. She has a 3.5 year old boy and a baby boy. GE will have a nice playmate! We had a lovely visit. She had wonderful advice about finding a Kindergarten and we made promises of some babysitting swapping so we can go out with our hubbies. They are also relatively new to the area (last Oct.) so she continues to feel like she's finding her way around. They also have bicycles and an "Anhaenger" (the large carts for kids that you can pull behind a bike) that we can borrow if we want to go for a ride along the Rhine. I may have to rent a bike for Hannah and spend a day teaching her to ride so we can all go together. She also offered their garage for additional bike space or if our garage arrangement for MK's bike (which is kind of complicated) is too cumbersome. Cool! But most importantly it was very pleasant to have someone to talk to about adjusting to life in Germany!
(Interesting side-note: On Friday we visited together again in the afternoon and we started talking about what our husbands do. When she told me that hers works for the European astronaut's program, I told her that one of my old German friends, VD, is one of the doctors for the German astronaut's. Well, turns out VD and our neighbor have been working together on the same team for the last couple of years! What a small world!)
August 15
This morning we went back to the Nicolaus Cusanus Gymnasium and finished registering MK for school. She'll also be taking French (she could choose French or Latin as a second foreign language--her "first" is Englisch!) and a Philosophy class. Mathe, Biologie (science), Kunst (art), Musik, Sport, Deutsch (German) and Englisch will be her other core courses. School starts at 8 a.m. She'll get her full schedule plan on the first day of school, as well as a supply list and text books. We had to buy some workbooks for Englisch and French. The school is BIG and she was pretty nervous about finding her way around, but I assured her all she has to do is get to her homeroom class on the first day and then the other students will help her find her way when she has to change classrooms. I have horrible memories of having trouble reading my teacher's handwriting and bringing home written notes and homework assignments that my mom couldn't decipher because I was unable to copy the words down correctly. We were both relieved to see that her homeroom teacher had very neat handwriting and that she wouldn't have any trouble reading his writing!
After visiting the school we all went to Bad Godesberg again to pick up her textbooks, eat some bakery snacks (the girls love getting the giant soft pretzels from the bakeries), and then MK and ME both got their traditional beginning-of-the-school-year hair cuts. MK was sure she wanted bangs but the hair dresser made such a stink about how terrible that would look and how wonderful MK's hair was that MK let her do something different. In the end, MK came home flipping her hair around and saying "I just LOVE my hair cut!" And no tears about not getting bangs. Whew. ME got a shaggy bob. HR was sad that I wouldn't let her get hers cut but I promised to do a trim at home myself. So, while GR was napping (much needed after skipping a few days of naps recently!) I gave HR a make-over too. She was pretty happy although I think she wanted me to make it shorter. Why is the grass always greener on the other side? When I was young I always had a short hair cut with bangs but wanted long hair with no bangs. Now my kids have long hair with no bangs and want short hair with bangs! Go figure.
August 16
One of the hardest things about being here is missing my friends and family. Especially when one of them is sick. A dear friend found out soon after we left that she has breast cancer. She has been my daughters' preschool teacher and care-giver, as well as my friend, for the last 4 years. When I read her updates on CaringBridge I just about can't keep it together. SH, know that I'm thinking of you often and am sorry I can't be there to wrap my arms around you, bring meals for you and your family, and participate in celebrating you and mourning this journey that you're on! Lots of prayers and love being sent your way!
HR and ME are all set up for school now too. The Schulleiterin (principal) at the Bodelschwingheschule was very kind and helpful at our meeting this morning. HR will be in the 1a Klasse and ME in the 4a. We were able to see their rooms and tour the building a bit. First grade is much more like our Kindergarten in the U.S. HR will come home by 11:30 most days. She'll have lots of fun! ME isn't in the same class as the two girls we've met who go to the same school, but that hasn't dampened her enthusiasm. I'm sure she'll be making friends right away. ME starts on Weds. of next week and the first graders have a special starting day on Thursday.
I joined the Pauluskirche Chor this evening for their weekly rehearsal. They are preparing a Mendelssohn piece for a joint concert with the choirs of all the Thomaskappelle Gemeinde (a broader local church community made up of 3 congregations in the surrounding neighborhoods) along with some smaller things for Sunday mornings at the Pauluskirche here in our neighborhood. It was the first rehearsal after their summer break and after the rehearsal was finished, they invited anyone to stay and fellowship together with drinks! It's the first time I've had wine after a rehearsal! It was lovely, though, to visit with the other choristers, who of course, wanted to know why we're here, why my German is pretty good, and ooh and aah over the fact that I have four children. My brain was in German mode after an hour and a half of following the director's instructions, so I didn't have too much trouble conversing. Yeah for German practice!
August 17
I finally dreamed in German last night! Woo hoo! Always a good sign. I'm sure it had something to do with having an hour of conversations in German right before going home to bed. :)
Ordered and received a couple of small tables and chairs--one for the LR area for my laptop and calendar and one for MK's room where she can do homework etc. Here she is set up with her new desk lamp, listening to the radio on her cell phone, and drawing. In the background you can see my storage "corner" where I have extra food and household goods that don't fit in the kitchen.
As I've already mentioned, first grade is a big deal here. We bought HR a Schultute that she can decorate herself and that we'll fill with goodies to give to her on the first day of school. This afternoon HR and I got busy working on cutting things out and starting to glue stuff on. She's in heaven!
A Friday evening tradition in the making? Eis at the cafe after dinner.
Notice the HR peeping over Daddy's shoulder?
August 18
It's HOT. Dry at least, but still very warm. The locals are in an uproar about how terribly hot it is. Actually doesn't feel that bad to me. No Virginia humidity and the nights are still quite cool. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter still, then some storms and cooling off.
We got up very early for a Saturday morning and took the bus (7:36 a.m.!) to the Rheinaue (big park along the Rhein river) for a HUGE Flohmarkt (giant yard sale/fleamarket). Goal was to find very cheap used bikes for the younger girls. Initially we thought we'd just get bikes for ME and HR who so far just have scooters. I decided that with how well GE is doing on the Laufrad, that we must really focus on getting HR onto a 2 wheeler--something we'd failed to get done at home in VA. She'd had a small balance bike when she was 4 but didn't really master it completely since we only have grass and gravel at home. But I knew she had gotten to the point where she would keep her feet up for short distances. We found a bike for ME pretty quickly, then searched for HR. Finally settled on one and then made up our minds that I would go look for a bike for myself so that I could ride with HR and monitor her ability to navigate traffic and intersections, etc. So, J took the kids to a large paved area near the Spielplatz (playground) while I dug back into the fleamarket area. No more than 5 minutes later J texted me that Hannah was launched and riding solo! Woohoo! I soon found a bike that fit me OK, was in decent condition, but that I knew would fit MK better. The one we'd already gotten for her was good for me and just slightly too big for MK, although we knew she'd grow into it. So, when I got back to J and the girls, I asked her to try it and she was thrilled when I said we could "trade". :) We also found good helmets for the smaller girls. MK and GE already have ones. So, now we're all set. J can borrow the neighbors bike or rent one if we want to go for a bike ride. If GE continues to get better control on her Laufrad then we might find her a used 2 wheeler later. The Flohmarkt happens every 3rd weekend of the month, so there will be many more chances to go back.
We rode/walked all the way home and then everyone crashed for naps!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Week 4
August 7
Tonight I said "Sleep gut" to my daughter when she came to say good night. Heh.
ME has started to say "Was?" instead of "What?" when I call her.
We picked up GE's new Laufrad (balance bike) yesterday afternoon. I give it about a week before she's going faster than I can keep up with at a fast walk! Today she had already improved significantly over yesterday.She still topples over sometimes but has figured out how to catch herself so she doesn't go down with the bike. She'll pipe up "I'm fine!" and haul herself up and start again. Love that little go-getter spirit.
Took HR to the Gesundheitsamt for her school physical. One of the examiners took her to another room and although I told her that HR doesn't speak German yet, she must not have heard me clearly or misunderstood because she proceeded to do the evaluation all in German and poor HR got so flustered and worried that she started to cry. I finally had to go in and make it clear to the woman that HR wasn't being dumb (she was supposed to be telling the woman whether there were more blue balls than yellow or something) but that she couldn't understand what was being asked of her. When I explained to HR what the woman wanted her to do, then she had no trouble. Otherwise the meeting went fine. Of course, I also found out that because we are foreigners, the schools will require a similar examination for MK and ME, so I have to go back with them on Thursday a.m....
Stopped at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) on the way back from the school physical appointment and bought a "Schönes Wochenende Ticket" for this Saturday. We'll take a train to Koblenz then to Braubach to visit one of the few nearly intact medieval castles still remaining in the Rhine valley, Die Marksburg. We visited it once before 3 years ago on our France/Germany vacation but this time the kids will be older and, hopefully, appreciate the tour a bit more. Plus it'll be fun to the take a passenger train instead of just a subway. L helped me navigate the train system website so I could figure out what trains we will take and what times they leave the stations for the whole round trip. It's about an hour long train ride (only a little longer than a car ride would be). The "Wochenende Ticket" is good for any train ride from 12 a.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Sunday and covers the whole family (GE is still free) for only 40E! Maybe we'll have time to go into Koblenz a bit too on the way back (we switch trains at the Koblenz Hauptbahnhof). Makes it hard to justify getting a car...
August 8
Today was pretty normal: breakfast, make some soup for lunch, head to the store for a few things leaving kids to play on the playground nearby, then home again, lunch around noon, naps, L arrives 3-ish to take the older girls out for some German conversation, then the kids played for a while inside while I made dinner, after dinner walk with GE on her Laufrad (I had to run some tonight to keep up and she only fell over once!) to play at the park again, then home for bed. Tomorrow we have to get up early to back to the Gesundheitsamt for MK and ME's school physicals. Hopefully they'll go quickly and we won't be there long. We have plans for the afternoon that I'm looking forward to. :)
A peak at GE this evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvCU3f4OL-0&feature=player_detailpage
August 9
Great day! Took MK and ME to their school physicals. Alles in Ordnung (everything's in order). Ran up the hill into the woods after lunch for my 40 min run--set a timer on my smartphone for 20 mins and then just ran until it went off (all up hill!) then turned around and went back downhill plus a little bit around the neighborhood for another 20 mins. Gorgeous weather. Then my old friend V and her husband C came to our place, got a little tour of the apartment, and Skyped a little with my sister L (also a friend of V's). Then we headed to the Friesdorferplatz for some Eis and Kaffee. Spent a good couple of hours speaking German (yeah, it's getting so much easier!) and bought a few items for our Abendbrot before heading back to the apartment. GE is getting quicker and quicker on her little Laufrad. If you watch the video, you might notice that she already wiggles the steering around to help keep her balance. It's been pretty cool to see her very intuitively learn how to "ride bike". I think the shift to a pedal bike when we get back to the US will be very seamless. Next lesson: how to use her handbrake!!
August 10
HB has begun to have her figurines talk to each other in German. Quite often there are actual words such as "Ich" "Ah, nein!" "Komm mit!" and so on. Love it!!
We went to Bonn Zentrum this morning to do some school shopping. Bought some things for HR's "Schultute", a large cone-shaped gift bag that each first grader gets from their parents on the first day of school. The first day for First-graders is a BIG deal here. She picked out a Schultute that she can decorate herself. The Schulranzen (special backpacks for the grade school kids; older kids get a Rucksack like our backpacks in the US) were too expensive at the downtown shops so I checked Amazon.de when we got home and found some nice ones for 1/3 of the store prices. How do they get away with that?! She'll be all decked out for the first day of school (August 22). :) The big girls each got a Federmäpchen (pen/pencil case for fountain pens and small supplies). We finally found an inexpensive purse for MK to keep her wallet (which will have her bus pass in it) and her phone in.
Tonight GE asked to go outside on her bike after supper. It's another beautiful day, so I said, "Sure!" While we were at the playground, she wanted to ride around on her bike in the parking area. Another 3 year old boy was riding his Laufrad around as well. Suddenly as she came down a small incline, she hollered "Look Mom! I'm balancing!" I turn to see that she has both feet spread eagle and is gliding along! From that point on she would push with her feet, then put them up on the rest pad and glide until she got too slow, then pushed off again and glided. Woohoo!
August 12
Lots of good stuff this weekend. We got up early Saturday morning, took a bus to the Bad Godesberg train station (actually the bus only got us to downtown Bad Godesberg, then we had to walk to the station and I wasn't exactly sure where it was so some back-tracking was involved), then caught a train to Koblenz. The train followed the Rhein river for a good part. Gorgeous sunny weather. Lots of folks getting on and off the train wearing hiking gear or carrying walking sticks. At Koblenz we switched trains. Our final destination: Braubach to visit "Die Marksburg". http://www.marksburg.de/default.htm
We were first introduced to this castle 3 years ago when we visited France and Germany for a summer vacation. Our family friends suggested it as a place to visit as we traveled from their house to Marburg where I lived as a child. It was stunning then and we decided to take the girls again now that they're older and could appreciate it more. We weren't disappointed!
Back in Koblenz there was a party gearing up along the Rhein, the annual "Rhine in Flames",(http://www.koblenz.de/stadtleben_kultur/rhein_in_flammen.html). Koblenz is known for being at the "Ecke" (corner) of where the Mosel river meets the Rhein river. There is a large Schloss in town as well as a fortress, Festung Ehrenbreitstein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenbreitstein_Fortress) on the opposite bank of the Rhein with a gondola line going over the river. We walked through the Aldstadt to the Rhein and took the Sielbahn across the river to the Festung, explored the fortress (which housed parts of the German army during WWI and was used as a prison at other times), then went back to Koblenz for some street vendor food for supper before catching the train back to Bad Godesberg.
Sunday we returned to the Pauluskirche for morning Gottesdienst, had a quiet lunch at home, naps, then took a walk up in the woods with some sandwiches for a picnic. All in all a great weekend. One more weekend left before school starts on the 22nd. This week I have to get the kids registered at their schools. We have an invitation to go to a family's home to play on Weds. morning and I have a long list of school supplies to get.
Tonight I said "Sleep gut" to my daughter when she came to say good night. Heh.
ME has started to say "Was?" instead of "What?" when I call her.
We picked up GE's new Laufrad (balance bike) yesterday afternoon. I give it about a week before she's going faster than I can keep up with at a fast walk! Today she had already improved significantly over yesterday.She still topples over sometimes but has figured out how to catch herself so she doesn't go down with the bike. She'll pipe up "I'm fine!" and haul herself up and start again. Love that little go-getter spirit.
Took HR to the Gesundheitsamt for her school physical. One of the examiners took her to another room and although I told her that HR doesn't speak German yet, she must not have heard me clearly or misunderstood because she proceeded to do the evaluation all in German and poor HR got so flustered and worried that she started to cry. I finally had to go in and make it clear to the woman that HR wasn't being dumb (she was supposed to be telling the woman whether there were more blue balls than yellow or something) but that she couldn't understand what was being asked of her. When I explained to HR what the woman wanted her to do, then she had no trouble. Otherwise the meeting went fine. Of course, I also found out that because we are foreigners, the schools will require a similar examination for MK and ME, so I have to go back with them on Thursday a.m....
Stopped at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) on the way back from the school physical appointment and bought a "Schönes Wochenende Ticket" for this Saturday. We'll take a train to Koblenz then to Braubach to visit one of the few nearly intact medieval castles still remaining in the Rhine valley, Die Marksburg. We visited it once before 3 years ago on our France/Germany vacation but this time the kids will be older and, hopefully, appreciate the tour a bit more. Plus it'll be fun to the take a passenger train instead of just a subway. L helped me navigate the train system website so I could figure out what trains we will take and what times they leave the stations for the whole round trip. It's about an hour long train ride (only a little longer than a car ride would be). The "Wochenende Ticket" is good for any train ride from 12 a.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Sunday and covers the whole family (GE is still free) for only 40E! Maybe we'll have time to go into Koblenz a bit too on the way back (we switch trains at the Koblenz Hauptbahnhof). Makes it hard to justify getting a car...
August 8
Today was pretty normal: breakfast, make some soup for lunch, head to the store for a few things leaving kids to play on the playground nearby, then home again, lunch around noon, naps, L arrives 3-ish to take the older girls out for some German conversation, then the kids played for a while inside while I made dinner, after dinner walk with GE on her Laufrad (I had to run some tonight to keep up and she only fell over once!) to play at the park again, then home for bed. Tomorrow we have to get up early to back to the Gesundheitsamt for MK and ME's school physicals. Hopefully they'll go quickly and we won't be there long. We have plans for the afternoon that I'm looking forward to. :)
A peak at GE this evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvCU3f4OL-0&feature=player_detailpage
August 9
Great day! Took MK and ME to their school physicals. Alles in Ordnung (everything's in order). Ran up the hill into the woods after lunch for my 40 min run--set a timer on my smartphone for 20 mins and then just ran until it went off (all up hill!) then turned around and went back downhill plus a little bit around the neighborhood for another 20 mins. Gorgeous weather. Then my old friend V and her husband C came to our place, got a little tour of the apartment, and Skyped a little with my sister L (also a friend of V's). Then we headed to the Friesdorferplatz for some Eis and Kaffee. Spent a good couple of hours speaking German (yeah, it's getting so much easier!) and bought a few items for our Abendbrot before heading back to the apartment. GE is getting quicker and quicker on her little Laufrad. If you watch the video, you might notice that she already wiggles the steering around to help keep her balance. It's been pretty cool to see her very intuitively learn how to "ride bike". I think the shift to a pedal bike when we get back to the US will be very seamless. Next lesson: how to use her handbrake!!
August 10
HB has begun to have her figurines talk to each other in German. Quite often there are actual words such as "Ich" "Ah, nein!" "Komm mit!" and so on. Love it!!
We went to Bonn Zentrum this morning to do some school shopping. Bought some things for HR's "Schultute", a large cone-shaped gift bag that each first grader gets from their parents on the first day of school. The first day for First-graders is a BIG deal here. She picked out a Schultute that she can decorate herself. The Schulranzen (special backpacks for the grade school kids; older kids get a Rucksack like our backpacks in the US) were too expensive at the downtown shops so I checked Amazon.de when we got home and found some nice ones for 1/3 of the store prices. How do they get away with that?! She'll be all decked out for the first day of school (August 22). :) The big girls each got a Federmäpchen (pen/pencil case for fountain pens and small supplies). We finally found an inexpensive purse for MK to keep her wallet (which will have her bus pass in it) and her phone in.
Tonight GE asked to go outside on her bike after supper. It's another beautiful day, so I said, "Sure!" While we were at the playground, she wanted to ride around on her bike in the parking area. Another 3 year old boy was riding his Laufrad around as well. Suddenly as she came down a small incline, she hollered "Look Mom! I'm balancing!" I turn to see that she has both feet spread eagle and is gliding along! From that point on she would push with her feet, then put them up on the rest pad and glide until she got too slow, then pushed off again and glided. Woohoo!
August 12
Lots of good stuff this weekend. We got up early Saturday morning, took a bus to the Bad Godesberg train station (actually the bus only got us to downtown Bad Godesberg, then we had to walk to the station and I wasn't exactly sure where it was so some back-tracking was involved), then caught a train to Koblenz. The train followed the Rhein river for a good part. Gorgeous sunny weather. Lots of folks getting on and off the train wearing hiking gear or carrying walking sticks. At Koblenz we switched trains. Our final destination: Braubach to visit "Die Marksburg". http://www.marksburg.de/default.htm
We were first introduced to this castle 3 years ago when we visited France and Germany for a summer vacation. Our family friends suggested it as a place to visit as we traveled from their house to Marburg where I lived as a child. It was stunning then and we decided to take the girls again now that they're older and could appreciate it more. We weren't disappointed!
Can you see the castle peaking out at the top of the hill?
The wall was built first in early 1230's, the first building structures in 1239!
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| The cannons were the real deal! |
(The Knight's Stairway)
We ate a lovely little lunch at the castle's cafe, then hiked back down the hill to the train station and went back to Koblenz. The walk to and from the castle, by the way, was quite a hike. Pretty much cut up the side of the steep hill! The little town of Braubach was picturesque and the signs to the trail leading to the castle took us through some pretty little alleys.
Back in Koblenz there was a party gearing up along the Rhein, the annual "Rhine in Flames",(http://www.koblenz.de/stadtleben_kultur/rhein_in_flammen.html). Koblenz is known for being at the "Ecke" (corner) of where the Mosel river meets the Rhein river. There is a large Schloss in town as well as a fortress, Festung Ehrenbreitstein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenbreitstein_Fortress) on the opposite bank of the Rhein with a gondola line going over the river. We walked through the Aldstadt to the Rhein and took the Sielbahn across the river to the Festung, explored the fortress (which housed parts of the German army during WWI and was used as a prison at other times), then went back to Koblenz for some street vendor food for supper before catching the train back to Bad Godesberg.
(A tradition when we go into a Katolische Kirche: the girls light a candle for Grandma!)
When I took this picture GE had been walking *all* day. This was taken at her usual nap time--no nap today! I'm still amazed by how much walking the kids tolerate and how the littlest one keeps going and going. She was zoning out a bit listening to the street musicians.
Sunday we returned to the Pauluskirche for morning Gottesdienst, had a quiet lunch at home, naps, then took a walk up in the woods with some sandwiches for a picnic. All in all a great weekend. One more weekend left before school starts on the 22nd. This week I have to get the kids registered at their schools. We have an invitation to go to a family's home to play on Weds. morning and I have a long list of school supplies to get.
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