Life is settling down again after our whirlwind fall break. I'm caught up on the laundry and the fridge is restocked (not that that is very hard given how very tiny the fridge is!). Everyone is back in school. This afternoon after Kindergarten, I stayed at the KG with GE to put her St. Martin's lantern together. It's in the shape of a hedgehog. Fun! She was very excited to bring it home. Now I have to find out where to buy the little electric candles and lantern poles/sticks with the hooks on the end. HR's teacher sent home a note with a list of supplies that she needs to bring to school by Friday so she can construct some kind of lantern as well. ME is making one in her class too. If MK doesn't make one in school, I'll have to get some poster board and tissue paper and make one for her too. On November 8th is the Martinszug (lantern walk). Children and their families gather at the Klufterplatz and walk all through the neighborhood with their lanterns (the Kindergarten and the girls' elementary school all participate in this event, so I'm sure it's going to be quite the crowd!). I think there are some songs that are traditionally sung during this time as well. Here's a link to the Wikipedia page explaining the roots of this tradition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin%27s_Day. It's one of my favorite German traditions!
Another cool Kindergarten thing: when I dropped GE off yesterday morning there were sheets and blankets draped over all the toy shelves. I asked what it was all about and the teacher pointed at the tables in the room where there were cartons full of pieces of wood, old spindles, bottle caps, and other assortments. She said they periodically have a day when they don't get any of the usual toys out but just play with these collections of things. I thought this seemed sort of Waldorf inspired. Anyway, the kids looked like they were having fun. Maybe I should do that at home from time to time... Another German friend told me about her daughter's Kindergarten and that they had done a 3 month period of no toys--they literally took all the toys out of the rooms and the kids were encouraged to just use their imaginations. I think they were allowed to play with things they found outside, but the blocks, figurines, dolls, puzzles, etc. were all gone. It was quite a revealing experience. The kids really didn't need them. Wonder what my kids would say if all the toys went in a box for a week?
October 24
This morning I went with my friend, MD, to her Blockflöte (Baroque recorder) music circle. They are putting together a simple concert for Advent and wanted a group of singers to sing with a couple of the pieces (one by John Dowland and a French Pavane by Arbeau). I was free and happy to participate. MD picked me up in her car and we went to Beuel, another Bonn-city "neighborhood" on the north side of the city center. The group practiced the vocal-instrumental pieces first (I was the only soprano, but there's another coming later) then the other singers left and I stayed to listen to the recorders rehearse the other pieces. The first piece was an arrangement of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus! They suggested I sing along with the soprano recorder since there was only one of them on that part. Oh my! They liked it so much they asked if I'd sing along with a few of the other pieces they are playing. So now I'm singing a Austrian folk song arrangement (Advent is a Leuchtn), Sing we and chant it by Morley, Machet die Tore weit by Hammerschmidt, A lieta vita by Gastoldi, and the Hallelujah chorus plus the two ensemble pieces. Hah! That reminds me... I need to find a youtube video/recording of the Austrian folk song because I don't know how to pronounce the low German at all!
At 5:50 p.m. I met up with JS, another mom of a 1st grader in HR's class, to ride over to the Catholic school for the running group training session. We started off with a little warm up on the school black-top: jogs and sprints back and forth across the courtyard. Then we went into the school building where the trainer, H, had set up 7 stations for circuit training: 1. run up and down the stairs, then up and down carrying a 1/2 full 5 liter water canister, then up and down a 3rd time carrying a full 5 liter water canister, 2. balance on a balance board (an oval board balanced on top of a ball resting inside another board that one must stand on and maintain one's balance!) while lifting a heavy sack from waist height to overhead, 3. sit-ups with a weight on your chest, 4. an exercise similar to what I know as a "balance buffer" where you stand on one leg, the other extended behind you, lean forward, lift a heavy weight in each hand and extend arms in a reverse fly, 5. from sitting on a bench, lift both feet up, bend knees and pull knees in towards shoulders, don't let feet touch the floor, 6. seated on the floor, knees bent, hold a ball(s) in hands with arms extended straight out and rotate arms as far to each side as possible, swinging back and forth over knees while keeping hips and core from moving (ouch, I was sore from this one!), 7. while seated on a bench, stretch a circular resistance band under one foot and over the opposite knee, lift leg up as far as possible. OK, so each of us took a station and the trainer, H, set the stopwatch. At each station except the stairs we just continued to do sets of 8 reps with a short rest between sets until the person running the stairs had completed the 3 reps up and down the stairs. Then she would call "Fertig! Wechsel!" (Finished, Switch) and we'd all shift stations. When everyone had completed each station, H, hit "stop". We rested, then did it again and tried to beat the first time. We beat it by 10 seconds! Then a short break and we went out in the dark for a 4.1 km run through the neighborhood and into the woods. Had a great conversation with JS while we ran. Looking forward to getting to know her better this way. Also met another mom who lives on our street and has 4 children too (age 5 to 15, so just a little older spread from ours). I didn't have a lamp along, but H had an extra I could borrow. I have one at home, so next time I'll know to bring it. There is a 1/2 marathon in Bonn in April. Depending on when it is (if it doesn't conflict with the spring break or visitors) I'm going to sign up for it with this group! H will lead a more concentrated training towards that goal in the spring. My first 1/2 marathon! Woohoo!
October 25
HR's friend, E, came home with her from school today. We made pancakes together for lunch and then they played and played. HR is using more and more German while she plays but a lot of it still doesn't make any sense! E thinks it's kind of funny when HR talks, but she doesn't tease, just smiles and nods like she knows what HR means. Pretty cute!
ME went home with A again to play at her house (she came home with real, warm Marmorkuchen (Marble cake).
The weather has been unseasonably warm. Today I could feel the air changing though--a bite to the air and feels more fall-like.
J and I went to the Führerscheinstelle (Driver's license place) again this a.m. to try to pick up our extensions, but they hadn't gotten the written confirmation of something from the Stadtsamt and I'd forgotten the kitchen sink, err, I mean, the letter from the Max Planck proving that J is only working here until June 2013. It wasn't enough proof that we both had our foreigner's visa's with us with their hologram photos and microchips storing our finger prints with a clearly stated "good until 30th of June 2013" on them which we could only have gotten with our passports, the letter from the Max Planck and a copy of our lease! No, that wasn't enough "proof". They have to see the letter too. Grrr. We at least got a phone number to call to see if they've gotten the written confirmation from the Stadtsamt before we make the trip in again next week!
October 26
Rain, cold. Very cold! Only supposed to be 10 Celcius today and it is raining, raining, raining. Since it was only spritzing, I took GE on the bike to Kindergarten, but put all her rain gear on: Matschhosen, Regenjacke, Gummistiefel (slush pants, rain coat, galoshes). I took a poncho and wore it on the way back. Went straight to the church to join the elementary school kids at their monthly Gottesdienst (church service). The 4th graders were part of the service, so I wanted to see ME with her class. The service was about Martin Luther's changes and what the kids "Dream church" might be like. ME didn't have any parts to say, but it was still fun to sing along with the kids and see the school in action.
Rode home quickly in the rain afterwards and put the bike way in favor of walking with an umbrella and my own Gummistiefel to the grocery store. Home just before HR arrived. HR forgot that she had an umbrella in her backpack so she walked home from school with her coat slung over her head. Brrrr! MK left her poncho here this morning when it was only spritzing, so I offered (kind mother that I am who also did not want a sodden, cold, miserable preteen to arrive on her doorstep) to meet her at her school with the poncho after her last class. So, donning rain pants and jacket over my regular clothes, I ventured into the cold, dreary day. My bike chain decided to jump it's tracks... twice (once on the way there and once on the way back), so my gloves were utterly dreckig and soaked through by the time we got home. I changed and went right back out to catch the bus to pick up GE--did not want to ride over to the Kindergarten in this weather! J decided to tag along since he hadn't been inside the KG yet. GE was thrilled and didn't know which one of us to hug when we got there!
At 4 p.m. I took GE and HR back to the church for a concert, Krümelmucke II. A little more info for those of you who can read German: http://www.kruemelmucke.de/start.htm. Basically, a fun, silly songs for children ensemble (guitar and voice). There were tons of kids and lots of silliness! A nice break from the cold, wet dreariness outside! The big girls stayed home to listen to J read "The Hobbit" since he's leaving early tomorrow for Chicago for a conference.
October 27
The elementary school has school today: it's the Tag der Offenentür (Day of Open Door) where families with children who will enter 1st grade next year can come visit and see the school in action. It's just a short day, 2 periods, from 8:45 to 10:45 with a 30 minute Pause. During the second period, the parents of the 1st graders are invited to join their children in making the Martinszug lanterns (remember I did this with GE at the Kindergarten earlier this week). HR's class is making papermache caterpillars. Step one: spread plaster-glue on a bumpy balloon (shaped sort of like the body of a caterpillar), then put strips of white waxy tissue paper all over with more plaster-glue on top of that to make it smooth, then another layer of paper on top of that. After the 2 layers of white paper, put a third layer of orange paper. Most kids got this far, then we left them to dry on top of little bowls with their names written on them. On Monday the kids will put a 4th layer of red paper. When it's all dry and hard they'll cut the balloon "tail" off (which they were to leave hanging out of a small hole at one end) to let the air out and leave the hard shell behind. Then they'll cut holes in the top, and glue on legs, antennas, eyes, etc. This is the sort of thing I'd love to keep and bring home, but how on earth do you take this on an airplane or pack it in a suitcase?! I guess we'll just have to make another one back in VA!
October 28
The choir sang in church today so I had to be there early. J is in Chicago for a conference so I got all the girls ready to go, then set a timer to let them know when it was time for them to walk together to the church while I went all ahead. Right on time, they trotted into the sanctuary. Thankfully, there was a Kindergottesdienst during the service, so I didn't have to try to keep the girls out of my hair while I went to sing with the choir. It was a LONG sermon from a guest speaker who spoke so quickly that I could only catch about 1/3 of what he was saying. Too bad because apparently he was pretty funny--lots of laughter! We hurried home afterwards so I could make a quick lunch. The afternoon has been quiet, just relaxing and playing at home. A much needed day "off" for everyone. Tomorrow it all starts again! :)
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