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!"