Weihnachten

This is the poem that Paul Luis wrote for Christmas. Remember - this kid is barely seven years old! He typed it all by himself one morning, printed copies, illustrated them, and gave it to us for Christmas. Claudia and Torsten were awesome parents and memorized it to recite for the Weihnachtsman (Harry) when he came to give us our presents on Christmas Eve. I memorized "Liebe Gute Weihnachtsman" - a simple poem that most German children learn before they are three! I roughly tried to translate Paul Luis´ poem, which will follow his original... help me out, those of you who are better with German!! I still have much to learn! Clearly, the poem is best in German - with the original flow, rhyming and all, so try to read that one if you can! I am so impressed with this kid!

Weihnachten ist da,
Wir freuen uns, hurra.
Wir freue uns auf das Christ-Kid,
Weil wir weihnachtlich sind.

Di Geschenke kommen bald,
Vom Christ aus dem Wald.
Weihnachten rückt heran,
Weil Dezember schon begann.

Heiligabend kommt nun bald,
Munter und fröhlich aus dem Wald.
Siehe dort und siehe da,
Weihnachtsbaüme sind auch schon da.

Dort sind Geschenke zu kaufen,
Gegenüber ist Tee zu saufen,
Dort gibt es Weihnachtsbäume,
Dort sind schöne Räume.

Dort gibt es Zuckerwatte,
Dort gibt es eine Latte,
Dort gibt es Weihnachtsmützen,
Um vor Kälte sich zu schützen.

Dort gibt es gebrannte Mandeln zu essen,
Dort gibt es Süßigkeiten zu fressen,
Dort gibt es einen Weihnachtsmantel,
Dort gibt es eine Spieltarantel.

Dort gibt es Lebkuchenherze,
Dort gibt es weihnachtliche Scherze,
Dort gibt es Adventskalender,
Dort gibt es Kerzenständer.

Morgen kommt die acht,
Dort wird Kaffee gemacht,
Dort gibt es Wikingerhelme,
Dort gibt es kleine Schelme,

Dort gibt es eine Flinte,
Dort gibt es blaue Tinte,
Dort gibt es Weihnachtsschlitten.
Die unter Geschenken litten.

Nun ist Weihnachten schon da,
Wir Freuen uns
Hurra! Hurra! Hurra!
Weihnachten ist da.

Paul Luis Röhl
am: 07.12.2008,
um: 09:09 Uhr


Christmas is here,
We are pleased, hurra.
We look forward to the Christkind,
Because we are Christmassy.

With gifts coming soon
From a Christian from the forest.
Christmas grows near,
Since December has already started.

Christmas Eve comes soon,
Awake and cheerful from the forest.
See there and see there,
Christmas trees are already there.

There are gifts to buy,
Also, there is tea to drink,
There are Christmas trees,
There are beautiful spaces.

There is cotton candy,
There is a latte,
There are Christmas hats,
To protect themselves from the cold.

There are roasted almonds to eat,
There is candy to eat,
There is a Christmas coat,
There is a tarantula toy.

There are Gingerbread hearts,
There are Christmas jokes,
There is Advent,
There are candlesticks.

Tomorrow comes at eight,
There is coffee made
There are Viking helmets,
There is little mischief,

There is a shotgun,
There is blue ink,
There are Christmas sleds.
The gifts have suffered (?) (not sure how to translate this...).

Now Christmas is already here,
We are excited.
Hurra! Hurra! Hurra!
Christmas is here.

der Harz

dscn6926,
originally uploaded by katemaeda.

As most of you know, I spent my last week of Christmas holiday with my host family, plus Claudia´s mother Jutta and brother Harald in den Harz, a region of southern Germany with soft mountains containing cozy little hamlets. Perfect for Christmastime. I know I have said this before and failed, but I´ll try to give some proper descriptions of my week sometime soon. In the meantime, please follow the photo link to my flickr.com account and look through my pictures! I´m feeling a bit sick (thankfully now and not last week!), and am going to rest for a bit. I think you´ll appreciate my post about my trip more when I am feeling closer to 90%. I hope you´ve all had a fantastic Christmas, and wish you the best in the New Year!

Emma Sophie´s Art

Emma Sophie

marker and colored pencil

"Tsunami and Volcano destroy a village on a Sunny Day"






Emma Sophie

red colored pencil

"Kate"





























Emma Sophie

colored pencil and marker

"Three Volcanoes with Lava, One eaten by Tsunami"

Kansas Terror

I think Emma Sophie is terrified of Kansas. When I first arrived in the autumn, she wanted to know ALL about tornadoes and was VERY impressed that I have actually seen them. The subject kind of dropped, until today again. We were tying shoes (she´s finally started to master the bunny running around the tree bit), and she thought she saw a spider scuttle across the floor. It was actually some lint and hair, but a conversation starter nonetheless. She said there is only one dangerous spider in Germany, which has an X on the back. It isn´t poisonous, but the bite can hurt. In general, though, all spiders in this part of the country can be held in your hand. She asked if it was the same in Kansas, and I said no and told her about Black Widows and Brown Recluses. She was really excited about the violin design on the back, but horrified that they can hurt people so badly. The she asked about snakes, and again I said there are a couple varieties that we must beware of in Kansas ("Red and Black, poison lack, Red and Yellow, dangerous fellow, right?"). Plants? Well... yes, there is poison ivy, and other wild plants that might give rashes. She was shocked, and stated with confidence "Kate, you must feel VERY happy to be here in Germany where you are safe. It was so dangerous in Kansas!" I have never in my life considered Kansas to be a dangerous place! But when I thought of it from nature´s perspective, she does have a bit of a point. There is nothing to harm a person here in Northern Germany - no poisonous plants, spiders, or snakes, no bears, wolves, mountain lions, no hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes. A haven for people afraid of natural forces! I still think it is kind of hilarious, though, that Emmi thinks Kansas is so terrifying! I wonder what she´ll think if she visits someday! Funny kid. While she is so frequently the cause of my daily stresses, she is also a great source for silly stories. She´s very doomsday lately. She gave me the BEST drawing today of a volcano, with lava pouring over the houses. There is a giant blue ball that wraps over the top of the houses from the other side. She said that part is the tsunami. Oh Emmi...

Update: The kids have memorized "Twas the Night Before Christmas" up to the "the children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads" verse. Progress! Maybe they´ll have it by Christmas after all! Apparently the Christmas Man (probably Harry in costume) only gives presents to those who can recite a poem. Paul Luis has been helping me to learn "Liebe gute Weinachtsman" - a very simple poem that nearly every German child learns. Apparently Emmi could do it when she was two! It is coming along slowly but surely.

3rd Advent

Today at noon I went to Oma Jutta and Jurgen´s house with Claudia, Torsten, the kids, Harry, and his friend to make Christmas cookies. What is it about spending an afternoon with cookie cutters, flour, frosting, and sprinkles that is just so satisfying? We started with detailed shapes and designs, and things quickly became sillier. Torsten started making creepy finger cookies, Harry made a castle "gingerbread" house, Emmi made dozens of volcanoes (her new favorite thing) and I added a Christmas spider for good measure. Fun times! As they cooked, Jutta prepared a gorgeous spread of pretzels, almond-marzipan cakes, nuts, tea, coffee, kakao, and other goodies for us to enjoy in the living room. A nice way to relax this afternoon. Jutta tried to bargain with me so I could stay next year. They are making plans to go to Finland after I leave! No fair... No worries, though. I will be back in Kansas by then. In fact, I´m kicked out of the country in August. When I mentioned this, Jutta quickly replied that she could find someone to marry me for a visa, and then we could have him promptly disposed of. I never knew she was so cunning! It was a funny conversation.

Oh, another weekend so quickly passed. Just 5 more days, though, until Winter Holiday! We´ll head south to the Harz mountains to stay in a lodge, and go cross-country skiing if there is snow. With no snow, we´ll just sit around the fire and be lazy all week... both options sound okay to me!

I know...

I seriously fail at blogging. I promise to atone for it somehow. Perhaps I´ll write tonight. Or in a month. I think it will probably be the former (my attempt at self motivation...).

If you don´t hear from me for some time, please start pestering me. I really do want to keep this blog well updated, and will be disappointed in myself if I let it slip away. I can do this!!

But for a short blurb - I am alive and happy and well. Christmas holiday is in the air, and this makes me glad.