Frühstück Party!

Today we had a party in my German language class. It was a Frühstück (breakfast), pre-advent party. We invited the other class to join us, which means that there was about 40 people all together. Everyone brought something for a typical German breakfast: bread, cheese, sausage, jelly, butter, cake, egg, fruit, veggies, nutella, juices, coffee, and tea. It was a feast! There was even food left over!

                       (Pic of a German breakfast)

Germans often have big breakfasts and lunches while their dinners usually consist of cold foods (like sandwiches). At the party we also divided into teams and decorated advent wreaths. There were so many people there that only a handful could help decorate the wreaths. I wasn't able to do very much, although it looked like fun. The wreaths were very beautiful in the end, and we were given 4 candles to put in them.  

It was nice to have a less intense day for a change. My class is usually 4 hours long with one short break. Today we were able to mingle and just have fun. A Filipina woman played music on her ipad while a woman from Georgia (the country) took pictures. During the meal the Filipina woman, who speaks English, told me how she met her husband (who is German). We were talking in English because I would not have been able to understand her story in German. Our teacher scolded us for using English in class J  Nonetheless, I am glad that I had a chance to talk with her and hear her story. There are many interesting people in my class and I learn new things about them every day.

Prayer:

1.  Please pray that I will have many opportunities to share God’s love with my classmates.

St. Martin's Day

Sonntag (Sunday Nov. 11) was Saint Martin’s Day in Germany. Saint Martin of Tours was a monk who gave half of his cloak to a beggar during a snowstorm. He is remembered for his humble kindness and selfless sacrifice. German children celebrate Saint Martin’s Day by making colorful paper lanterns. On the evening of the 11^th the young children walk through town with their lanterns singing songs about Saint Martin. After they sing and/or reenact Saint Martin’s good deed, they are given muffins and pretzels. This is an old tradition that many people enjoy, including the Witherall children. The 3 oldest Witherall children made lanterns at school and proudly walked through town at night with the other German children. They sang the German songs and enjoyed eating pretzels. It was beautiful to see 30 or so lanterns light up the night, and to hear clear little voices singing in German.

Recently the Witherall children’s favorite thing to do is play “fairies”, “mermaids”, and “naughty monsters”.  During this make-believe time, dressing up usually occurs and at least one of the characters always “dies” and comes back to life. Another story that they enjoy playing is “train”. This requires us to sit on the couch (or move from one couch to the other) with the pillows and blankets as we travel somewhere. We usually go to Austria or America. One of the passengers on the train is often sick and needs a doctor. My role transgresses from “train driver” to “nurse” to “mother” and sometimes ends with “cat”. The children all have bright imaginations and seem to really enjoy this make-believe game! The children were given play-doh this week and have been busy creating people, snakes, and food. I made a log cabin J They have also been working on a dot-to-dot book, which is helping them learn their numbers. They take turns saying the numbers out loud in English and German.  It has been a very fun week so far!

Austria

Last week the Witheralls and I went to Austria for a few days. The children and I had off of school for the week. According to the Witherall’s son, it was “the best holiday ever!”. Was it really? Let’s look at a list of some of the pros and cons of this trip.

Pros:

1.       We found a McDonalds to stop at for lunch during our drive to Austria. The children were able to run around for a bit and get rid of some energy.

2.       The landscape in Austria was gorgeous. Beautiful snow covered mountains, green forest and hills sprinkled with snow.  

3.       The B&B we stayed in was furnished and very nice. The view from our apartment was breathtaking.

4.       The village we stayed in, Bichlbach, was located in a valley and had many quaint houses.

5.       The children had the opportunity to play in the snow.

6.       We had nice breakfasts of fresh bread, jelly, cheese, and Nutella.

7.       We were able to visit the city of Innsbruck. It has many shops and old buildings. We ate lunch there and we all bought souvenirs.

8.       The weather was lovely the entire holiday/vacation.

9.       We ate authentic Apple Strudel.

10.   We saw the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

11.   We were able to catch the last bus to the Neuschwanstein Castle.

12.   It was raining on the drive home but by God’s grace we made it home safely.

Cons:

1.       We left Mosbach late and our drive took 3 extra hours because we ran into traffic.

2.       It is hard to keep 4 children entertained in a car for 6 hours. Some fighting and annoyance did occur.

3.       We had trouble finding parking in Innsbruck.

4.       A shop lady in Innsbruck yelled at Mr. Witherall for having the children in her souvenir shop. She was apparently having a bad day.

5.       It is difficult to tour a city with four children. I was not able to learn anything about Innsbruck while there, and I was only able to visit a few shops while the family was eating lunch.

6.       We had to stand in line for 30 minutes to get tickets for the Neuscwantstein Castle. We then learned that you could only get in the castle with a tour and the next tour was in 3 hours.

7.       The bus that took us up to the Neuschwanstein Castle was jam packed.  A lady even stole a seat from one of the Witherall children!

8.       After the bus dropped us off we still had to walk 10 minutes to the castle. The Neuschwanstein  Castle is not children, elderly, or handicap friendly.

9.       The transportation service to and from the castle was inefficient. We had to walk back in the dark and cold. We had done a lot of walking already and it was hard for the children.

10.   Since the tour was at 4pm, we did not start heading home till 6pm. We had to make a McDonald’s stop for food and bathroom. The children were all tired and some were not feeling well. We drove a different route so we would not hit traffic. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the Autobahn and we were stuck in traffic for about 3 hours. It was an antsy, interesting 3 hours. We also had to figure out a way for the children to use the bathroom  (while we were stuck in traffic) without anyone seeing.  We didn’t arrive home till about 1pm.

Some people may think that the cons outweigh the pros. A lot of things did go wrong and the trip was very frustrating at times. However, it was fun to visit a beautiful country like Austria and see an amazing castle like the Neuschwanstein.  Even though I was helping with the children most of the time, I am grateful that I was able to experience all of this. I bounded more with the Witheralls, and God taught me a lot about patience! So, I do believe that this was a great holiday, and one I will always remember!