Winter is Coming

Hey Everyone! Sorry, I dropped off the face of the planet a bit recently. It's not because I don't WANT to write, it is just finding the time and stories to entertain you through a post rather than just rambling about my adorable students. So far, November has been beautiful and insanely busy. As the month comes to a close so do my current grad school courses, leaving me with two more until I complete my masters! I'm definitely looking forward to not having homework to think about on top of school work. I've been learning a lot through these courses though and I hope to use what I've learned in my classroom!

This past week was a whirlwind of lots of teachers being sick or out of school, leaving Jolian (my amazingly wonderful coworker) and I to herd 2 classes worth of 3-5 year olds throughout the day of activities, singing, coloring, cleaning (lots of cleaning) and keeping them engaged in other things besides getting covered in paint or tracking playdoh footprints across the entire carpet.

Along with the colder weather, here in Germany, comes the Christmas markets! In every town across the country, little booths selling handmade crafts, belly-warming food, and Glühwein (hot mulled wine) to keep your hands toasty as you walk around enjoying the lights and decorations. Being in a country that absolutely adores Christmas is such a change from Korea, where Christmas was more of a day that they couldn't work. Here, crews start in early November to build up giant gingerbread houses or nutcrackers that tower over you as you walk through the maze of holiday spirit. Trying to teach my students about Thanksgiving was tough when all they wanted to talk about was Santa and snowmen. I had them excited about Turkey and Pumpkin pie by the time Thanksgiving had passed though.

This weekend, Bruce and I decided to check out a more famous spot for its Christmas market. Located right next to the River Neckar, Heidelberg is home to the huge Heidelberg castle and a town full of traditional architecture. Friday night, we went to my boss's house, also in Heidelberg. They live right on the river across from the castle. Showing us her view from her bedroom, my boss says she still can't believe she gets to wake up to that every morning. It was incredible to see the castle all lit up at night, and I was excited to check it out during the day as well! About a 15 to 20 minute train ride from Mannheim, we wandered around the various markets set up around the town enjoying our glühwein and the festive spirit. We climbed up to the castle, where another market is usually set up, only to find that it doesn't open until next weekend. Guess we will have to go back!

As the sun went down and temperatures dropped we made camp inside one of the booths specifically chosen for its use of heat lamps. Toasty and warm inside we chatted and watched them make their version of glühwein called Feuerzangenbowle where they pour rum over a giant cone of sugar sitting above the cauldron of wine. They then light the rum on fire, causing the sugar to melt and drip into the delicious warm drink. You'll have to come try it yourself! It almost lives up to mama Saad's version of mulled wine... (almost!)

 

 

That night for dinner we walked around trying to find a Korean restaurant (of all things), soon realizing that Google maps was sending us down random dark alleyways of Heidelberg. We ditched that idea and went for sushi instead. After dinner we wandered in and out various bars in the area before calling it a night and jumping on the train back to Mannheim. The town got so lively and busy that night, it seems like there are so many more places to explore! I can't wait to check them all out soon!

In a few weeks it's time for Christmas break! As much as I would love to travel home again to be with family, I am getting the opportunity to travel out near Bern, Switzerland to stay with some friends and celebrate the holiday together. This means I'm going to be trying out skiing for the first time since I was about 6. Wish me luck and warmth (mainly warmth) as my toes tend to desert me once the temperature drops below 60 degrees. I hope to have a ton of pictures for you from that trip as well as New Years, where Vienna, Austria is on our list!

Until next time,

German of the post:
"frohe Weihnachten! haben einige Glühwein!"
Merry Christmas! Have some Glühwein!

Making Mannheim Home

Has it really already been a month since my last post? I'm slacking. I apologize. Truth be told I have planned on writing a post for the past few weeks, but I either find that other assignments take precedence or I don't have too much to update everyone on, so I don't want to bore you with a silly post about getting my first round of groceries in my new apartment.

Speaking of said apartment-

Kitchen

entrance way

living area (door to bedroom)

 I absolutely adore this place. It is larger than I expected to have here, but it's perfect. Clean white walls (Soon to be decorated...) and lots of room for activities. There is an oven in the kitchen (YESSSS) which is a huge upgrade from korea, using a tiny, old toaster oven for any baked goodies. The train stop is a 2 minute walk from my door, and it drops me off right behind my school. I live a block away from the main walking/shopping street, which could be dangerous, but there are plenty of restaurants and shops to check out while I'm here. Also, on Saturdays, there is an outdoor market down the street where I can stock up on fresh foods, flowers, herbs, and snacks! Not too shabby-You all will have to come check it out some day.

Fast forward to last weekend, where a select few Saad members and I planned a secret trip home to surprise the rest of the family. I landed in Dulles where Beth came, picked me up, and drove us home to Wilmington. A little back story, Mum had just recently received a new car as a surprise from Dad. Little did she know that this second surprise was coming too! Beth had wrapped a huge box and I jumped into the back of Mums new car with that box on my head. I actually thought about recording the surprise from my point of view in the box, but I was too excited, and it was dark...

Mum came out to show Beth the new car, and then she saw this giant gift in the back seat. By the time she opened the door, I think she realized what was going on (it could have been the legs coming out the bottom...). We pulled it off! I got to surprise Edward that night too as we picked him up from Homecoming at Tatnall. I love surprises!

Thus begins the fastest week in the history of weeks (including that last trip home over Christmas last year). The next day we all piled into the suburban and drove up to meet some of the rest of the family for a lunch at a favorite Italian place. I got to surprise a few of them too who weren't in on the secret! It was amazing how much my cousins have grown! I think I may be shrinking.

We stayed there for the whole afternoon and into the evening. Driving and arriving home a tad later than expected, but that happens when you catch up with family! I loved seeing you all <3 I hope it won't be another 10 months before it happens again!

The next morning, the Saad gals (and Grandma Barratt) woke up early to drive down to Washington DC for a tour of the Capital and some other touristy activities.

Union Station

construction of the dome

beautiful sisters

Arlington

While I had seen a lot of these sites before, it was different both coming from abroad for so long, and spending it with my Grandmother who hadn't been to Washington DC before. The weather couldn't have been better, and the company was obviously incredible.

That night, Alex and I spent the night in Beth's new house (yes HOUSE!) in Arlington. We stopped by and visited with Sara for some Korean for dinner, which...while it wasn't the most amazing Korean, the food was good!

Sara is amazing and I'm so glad we could have met up! From there we stopped by a few high school friends for a bit, before meeting Dan (from Korea). I just wanted to see anyone and everyone I could during my super short trip!

After a hectic trip back to Delaware (involving a stopped metro, a lost Uber driver, no taxis, DC traffic, and delayed trains), I spent the day enjoying being home. I'm not sure how long you have to live abroad before your home in the States is no longer your home. But for now, it definitely still feels like it when I go back.

The rest of the week involved a lot of Delaware site seeing with Bruce when he came to stay. Snuck in there was a trip down to Frederick to see Hood and catch up with some friends down in that area that I missed the last time I came stateside. Hood campus looks amazing as always. Some things haven't changed, while others *cough* TENNIS COURTS! *cough* have been added to make the campus even better. I got to meet with Dean White, who is always so loving and thoughtful, and Reverend O'Malley, who I could talk with all day <3

Heading downtown, I had so many dejavu moments and memories coming back from the shenanigans that went on down there. We stopped into Brewers Alley, Isabellas, La Paz and Firestones. I got to see so many amazing people! (Tairen I'm still upset you didn't hide in my suitcase) Getting down there was such a treat!

For Halloween, we spent the day decorating the house and brainstorming ideas for costumes. In the end I just reused my Where's Waldo costume from school and Bruce was Bill Cosby (which was over a lot of the trick-or-treater's heads sadly). After serving out apple cider to the freezing cold kids (and young adults), we headed off to grab some sushi for dinner in Trolly Square downtown.

The next morning, I drove down with the Flanagans to Arlington, where I met up with Beth once more and we got to catch up with some other family members in Reston before dropping me off at the airport. It seemed like the trip came full circle with Beth picking me up and dropping me off. While it was a short trip, I feel like it was both restful and full of meeting up with family and friends who I haven't seen for way too long!

Getting back to work and Mannheim, I've started looking into my next trips for the year. Can't wait to get lost on travel sites and make my way around Europe!

German of the post:
Bitte geben Sie mir einen Platz auf diesem Flug
"Please give me a seat on this flight!"

La Petit Venise- Colmar, France

Time for an update! This past weekend we had Friday off for German Unity Day, celebrating the reunification of east and west Germany. To celebrate the extra day, Bruce and I headed to Colmar, France, which is about a 2 hour drive from Mannheim (gotta love Europe!). If you Google "Colmar" you will find some postcard-like pictures, which show exactly what the town looked like. Honestly, I thought I walked into some sort of photo album of adorable European cities. The houses were colorful and traditional, and the small canal that goes through the town is covered in flowers as small boats take people up and down its path. Heading down there right after work, we arrive at our hotel around 8 ready to head out and grab some dinner. The maître d' told us about a restaurant about 10 minutes drive away called 'The Theater'. Walking inside we are welcomed by such beautiful, warm and cozy decor with lots of antique pieces, supposedly used in an old theater.

 veggies

I ordered a seasonal vegetable dish, and Bruce ordered some white fish in a white wine sauce, which was deliciously heavy and warm. We started off with some foie gras, because well...when in France... I can't say I'm a super fan, but nothing can taste bad on an authentic French baguette right? (the first of many this weekend)

The next day we woke early, grabbed a bite from the hotel continental breakfast (see here www.youtube.com/watch?v=st21dIMaGMs) and then drove downtown to park and begin wandering the small side streets and shops for the day. We began by getting our bearings from the information area, but ultimately we zig-zagged through streets and squares, sometimes back tracking and going in circles, but seeing something new each time.

 

We spotted some restaurants sitting next to the small canal going through the town and decided to squeeze onto a table in the sun. Grabbing some wine and a snack, we enjoyed people watching and had to keep double checking that it was real. This town is just so picturesque it's unbelievable.

 

 shadow puppet pizza

From there we found ourselves in a small indoor market selling anything from fresh produce to cheeses to even some Arabic dishes. Two discoveries were uncovered here. The first was headcheese. Yep. Head. Cheese. Firstly, there is no cheese involved in headcheese. Unfortunately, there is some head. Chunks of meat from different areas of the head (cheek, chin, brain, etc.) are put into a kind of jelly mold (I know I'm selling this well aren't I?) and served in slices to put on a nice baguette with some mustard. The butcher asked if we would like the tongue headcheese, blood headcheese, or just the mix of all the different head parts. Of course we opted for the latter. After getting a slice of our headcheese we met a man selling his wine who recommended us to go to his shop in town to visit his coworker who would let us try some wines. We decide to take him up on that offer and go into the shop to make a new friend and learn a lot about the wine area of Colmar.

That row of bottles you see in the background is the tasting list from that afternoon. Not only was the man friendly, but he also loved America and told us all about his adventures there with his family to the national parks and other west coast cities. I told him he should try the east coast sometime too!

Don't worry, I didn't forget about our headcheese. After tasting a significant number of delicious wines and swapping business cards (well...his card) we picked up some bread and mustard to follow the butchers advice with regards to this...treat...

Again, similarly to the foie gras, I can't say I'm a convert. A bit too meaty and jelly-like for me. But hey, you have to try everything once right? After our snack we wandered the town some more and enjoyed the perfect weather we were amazingly lucky to have.

 

American Biscuit aka Oreo....

That afternoon, we decided to explore Colmar via water and hop on a boat tour. The canal itself is apparently about 40 km long, although the tour would only cover about .5 km of that. We traveled up the canal a bit learning about the houses back there (going for multiple millions of Euro) as well as the wildlife (some sort of aquatic rodent making its home there). We learned about the houses. Those with hearts on the shutters that means the woman of that house is looking for love, and the shutters with diamonds are hoping for lots of children. Bruce compared it to a facebook status. A bit more difficult to change the shutters than a status, but similar concept I suppose. "It's complicated" might be hard to translate in to shutter. Anyway- I'm getting sidetracked. We enjoyed the quick, but pretty boat tour and continued on our walk around the town.

Harris

 

Sneaky sneaky

At one point we snuck (sneaked? snuck? snook?) into the Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi museum, the man who created the Statue of Liberty. Turns out, Colmar is the birthplace of Bartholdi, and his presence is made known all over the town in small miniature tourist knick-knacks of the statue, fountains, and even hotel room artwork. Anywho- no one was at the desk, and we didn't really feel like shelling out the 5 Euro to see the museum, so we decided to take a quick self-guided, and free, tour ourselves. Naughty Americans, can't take us anywhere.

If it looks like this was taken out of the sun roof of a car...that's because it was....

From there we went to a restaurant, located right on the canal, recommended to us by the boat tour guides. This time, I went for the onion soup (again, when in France), while Bruce decided on some trout. Turns out the trout was trying to get back at the world for killing it for dinner by exuding an exorbitant number of bones in each bite. Eating it was like checking for landmines in the DMZ (Ahh see what connections I made there?). It tasted good, but overall an average French meal. Beautifully plated though!

We headed back to the hotel to get some good sleep before a day of resting and relaxing at the Caracalla Spa in Baden-Baden. About an hour and a half drive, we headed off to the spa in hopes of getting some sun and some mineral water therapy in the different baths. I didn't bring my camera into the spa with me (for obvious reasons) but if you Google the spa you can get a good idea of how gorgeous this place was. The indoor pool connects with the outdoor pool and hot tubs are sprinkled around everywhere. Waterfalls and other faucets provide some great back and shoulder massages as well. While it wasn't exactly a super hot day, it was clear and bright, and we competed to see who would get more sun after the day (Arabic skin takes the lead!).

After soaking up the water and sun we packed up and hit the road back home to enjoy a night of sushi and drinks with friends before passing out immediately. While we didn't do anything too crazy, it was still a lot of walking and driving, which drains you. I love being able to talk to friends from home and say that I visited France for the weekend though, so that makes it all worth it in the end!

Time for another week with the kiddos! Also, I will be moving into my own apartment this week, so pictures of that will be up as well!

German of the Post:
"passieren die Sülze bitte"
 Pass the headcheese, please!

Fests on Fests on Fests

Hallo! Time for the update from the past few weeks! I haven't had a chance to sit and write this out, but I promise I'll get better! Exciting news from this past week, the teacher I've been covering classes for in 3rd and 4th grade has arrived, so now I am only teaching my Reception (prek/kindergarten) classes! This has been a long time coming. I felt so much less stressed this week, because I only had to plan for my own classes. It's amazing what those few extra lesson plans add up to be for teachers. Overall, I'm getting more used to the school, routine, and students. I think I'm starting to learn how to teach these tiny humans! They are so adorable though, so it makes it all worth it. If you want to see what we have been doing in class, check out the school blog site--http://miskindergarten.blogspot.de/

Now an update for what I've been up to exploring and celebrating! Last weekend we had a welcome dinner for parents and teachers at the school. It was so nice to talk to the parents outside of the school setting. It was at a restaurant on the edge of a golf course, and it had a huge bouncy house for the students to enjoy while the boring old people talked. We chatted and enjoyed good food, sunny weather, and new friends.

This past week, we had a field trip with the kiddos at a corn maze nearby! The students basically sprinted through the maze trying to find the castle with the "super fast slide" to play on. My coworker, Ms. Krisztina, and I tried to keep up with them and take photos of the adventures along the way. Again, the weather totally cooperated with us again, and the sun kept us warm as we navigated the labyrinth.

Yesterday, a group of us went to the Oktoberfest celebration in Stuttgart. Oktoberfests are happening all over the country right now, the biggest one being in Munich, but from what people have said, the Stuttgart fest is a bit more intimate, less crazy crowds, and much closer! I was the only one on the bus not dressed up in the traditional garb of lederhosen or dirndl. Guess that will have to be on the list of things to get while I'm here so I can fit in a bit better.

Once we got into the festival we went into one of the giant tents made for lots of drinking, dancing, and singing, all while wearing any variety of lederhosen or dirndl you could find. We found an empty place at a table with a group of French guys who immediately became friends with us all of course. The atmosphere was lively, but friendly! Everyone is cheers-ing, hugging, and sometimes trading shirts (don't ask questions).

This next week is a 4 day weekend, because the school recognizes "German Unity Day". I will be headed to Colmar, France (or little-Venice) as well as Baden-Baden! Commence traveling around all European countries in the 2 hour radius.

Miss you all and can't wait to see you soon! (Maybe Christmas time?) Or you could come visit! I will hopefully be moving into my own place in the next few weeks :)

Until next time!

German Phrase of the post: 

Was meinen Sie damit Sie nicht wie Bier?
"What do you mean, you don't like beer?"