June 1st, 2016
Happy June Everyone! The days are longer now with the sun rising around 5:30am and setting close to 21:30 (9:30 p.m.). I still think in the 12-hour-clock using a.m.’s and p.m.’s which causes me to do a little mental math at times to calculate time using the 24-hour-clock. It’s getting harder to keep an earlier bedtime when it is so bright outside. We are trying though since school is still in session through June 16th.
Here are some snapshots of faces I’m enjoying, places we have been recently and a new experience to add to the sum total we are accumulating…
My handsome guy when he got home from work the other day. He calls this his Bavarian outfit (minus the lederhosen)!
E had his first field trip a couple of Fridays ago to the Das Praehistorium, a museum that takes you through the history of life on Earth. The entire first grade joined together to ride the cool, double-decker bus which may have been E’s favorite part of the day.
S and I joined everyone at the museum. It was quite the EXPERIENCE! The place was surprisingly large with robotic, life-like animals that give you an authentic feeling for what it may have been like to encounter a dinosaur, a woolly mammoth or even a prehistoric alligator. Unfortunately, this got a bit intense at times for our oldest. S was more fascinated than anything.
The boys and I walked through the exhibits with another Mom and two girls. The Mom started pointing out the differences in the museum that we would not see or experience back home. For example, the water exhibits didn’t have any railings or structures to keep a child from taking a swim. If the thought crossed the boys’ minds, they thankfully did not act on it! There was also more real-to-life depictions of historical events. When we walked through the middle ages exhibit, one mannequin was slumped over a wall with a bloody arrow in their back while another was about to be hit by a hatchet. No sugar-coating here!
Another big difference we noticed was the openness with the human body. Germans do not hide what they feel is simply natural. Thus, the cavemen didn’t have the loincloths you might imagine them being covered with in a museum back home. Medieval women were openly breastfeeding and even the monkeys were well endowed. This aspect did not go unnoticed as the little girls started calling out the “private parts” in each exhibit. Though it’s different, I’m coming to appreciate a piece of this. The human body seems to be demystified and perceived more naturally. We have heard comments of how our culture back home seems to be overly worried about modesty yet accepts and exposes our youth to incredible amounts of violence in games, tv and movies. I’m still formulating my thoughts on this but I do see truth in it. Hmm…
E got quite excited when he saw a picture of a snail in another exhibit. He continues searching for snails in our yard with his brother and collecting empty shells. His first field trip was quite memorable!
A new coffee shop/bakery opened up downtown. It has a WONDERFUL children’s room and provides the most delicious scones! One of the ladies from our church invited me to join her there last week. We met up with two other women from our church that were also meeting that morning. I’m enjoying getting to know this diverse group of ladies…a German, a Malaysian and an American. I’m grateful we all speak English!
May 26th was the festival of Fronleichnam, also known as Corpus Christi. It’s a regional, Catholic holiday here in Germany celebrating the Holy Communion, Last Supper or Lord’s Supper. The night before, green branches were attached to poles around our village and a couple of altars built by congregants were set up. On Thursday morning, S and I walked over to our village square and participated in the outdoor service.
Afterwards, we walked in the procession when they invited the families with children (at least I think that’s what they said in German). As we walked, I noticed individual homes and driveways decorated with banners, greenery and flowers. Some villagers were dressed in beautiful garments from their home regions. The Polizei (German police) blockaded the streets, creating a parade route through the village.
A band played music and people visited with each other while we all walked down the streets. We met a woman in the procession who spoke English. She explained to me that the government decorates the streets with the green branches as a sign of respect and recognition of the holiday. She also pointed out the open door of the Protestant church as we walked by, another sign of respect within the body of Christ. I find beauty in this simple display of unity versus pointing out all the differences or holding “rank” over each other.
The procession had its first stop near the intersection by our house. Prayers were spoken. At this point, my little walking buddy was done with this cultural experience. We quietly stepped out and waved to the others as they continued to walk.
We are grateful for all we are learning on this journey!
