So here in Germany it has grown quite hot and humid. I know
the temperature number in Kansas this time of year is usually higher, but when
you walk outside and immediately start sweating it does not matter where you
are from that to me is considered hot and muggy. But that does not mean I like
Germany any less, especially when it takes longer to reach that point in the
day than back home. But for those of you who think I escaped the Kansas heat during
the summer, I’m not so sure about that.
This past week was jam-packed with activities. If you have
not yet figured out, living in Southern Germany and now in Northern Germany and
with families of kids at different ages, makes for very different experiences-which
is totally awesome! And trust me, it’s just as busy being on a farm or home
with kids-there is always something going on. The only difference-I only helped
on the farm when needed, but the kids-I’m around them most of the day and I
love to play with them, but at the end of the day you are very tired. It
reminds me of what I feel like at the end of the day teaching. J
This week, I spent two days at Bettina’s house. Kai was gone
on a business trip, and Ihnes and the kids had plans to do different things so
it was nice just to go to Bettina’s home. I helped out with lunch and supper on
Monday, learned about the Bed and Breakfast Center she runs for the mentally
and physically disabled and then on Tuesday we went to the lake. This lake is
what I imagine when I think of a lake. It is still not as big as one of our
Kansas lakes, but the lake is much bigger than what I have seen before. There
were also a lot of people there at the lake-but even more bikes! Wow all the
bikes there! And in Oldenburg too! There are more bikes in Oldenburg than
people, and it is the city with the most bikes. But I have heard that Holland
is even more bikes-I suppose I will have to go and visit there too. I also got
interviewed for a local paper in Wusting. That was extremely funny to take
pictures for the paper. We took several photos. I was wearing an American Flag
Apron (not really an American flag) and looking like I was eating chocolate, of
course Later I had to actually bite into the chocolate bar and I was working to
keep from laughing while taking the photo. I also got shown around Hude by an
IFYE alumni and local to Hude. And of course as is customary-we went for ice
cream afterwards. By the way-the firetruck below is the truck that Til (IFYE Alumni) purchased in South Dakota and had shipped back to Germany! And to my Lowry friends-look closely at the name on the firetruck!
Over the next few days we did a lot of work in the garden in
the mornings to get ready for the family’s birthday party on Sunday. Imbetween
getting ready we also went to a birthday party of one of the girl’s of their
friends, played with the kids-found out letting a four year old take pictures
with your camera results in a lot of interesting photos! (yes I kept them all),
and other randomness. I got out the play dough that I had brought for Talina
and Bjarne, and they played with that for about an hour. Talina offered to make
me ice cream and then created a game where you pick one color to eat and then
you “eat it” and return it. And do it all over again. I also had music on, and
Bjarne was having fun dancing to the music-this is also when Talina decided she
wanted to take pictures with my camera! I wish I knew how to write more of the fun times I have with the kids-but how do you write some of this down? It just doesn't seem to do justice to the laughter that occurs, so please just know that these I love getting to play with Talina and Bjarne and they will always hold a special place in my heart.
On Friday, I went to Bremen with Hanna-another IFYE nearby. We
toured around Bremen, went to St. Petri’s Dome-and went up to the top(or as
high as you are allowed to go anyway) of one of the spirals. If you do not like
spiral staircases-this is not something you should do, but the view is amazing!
We got halfway and we thought we were at the top, but no. The stairs then got
smaller, and it was harder to get up to the top, we even had to pass others
coming down-now that was tough even for a skinny person like me. But the view from
the top is awesome! You can see so much from up there! After the Dome we took
the long way to the Schlachte for lunch-and by long way I mean, we may have
gotten ourselves a little mixed up in which direction to go……btw all that training
of what to do when you aren’t sure of where you are-yeah that went out the window
cuz I didn’t follow a single rule-oops! Anyway we got lunch, then headed to the
Schnoor-an area of itty bitty streets to shop and found quite a bit, and then
headed back to BotcherstraBe to get tea to take home! By now it started to
sprinkle, we bought ice cream, and then decided as the rain started to pick up
that it was time to head to the train station and go home. Granted by the time
we made it there we were quite wet! But regardless it was a great day, and we
plan to go Hamburg now with her host sister and friends too!
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