Thanksgiving in Paderborn
On the Saturday following Thanksgiving, I went to visit my friend Lauren in Paderborn (a nearby city) and we cooked a huge Thanksgiving feast! It was my first time cooking a whole Thanksgiving meal and doing it without the help of family.
I showed up with cranberry sauce and pumpkin cheesecake already prepared. We worked all day on Lauren's bread stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, baked apples, and, of course, our Turkey. We searched high and low for a turkey, and once we found one, we decided to purchase it despite how embarrassingly expensive it was, because we wanted a real Thanksgiving. Everything turned out wonderfully!!! All of our guests were experiencing their first Thanksgiving. We hosted 2 Germans, 2 Brits, 2 Russians, and one Frenchman. It was an exhausting day of cooking, but tons of fun, and I can't wait to do it again next year!
Lauren prepping our bird for its long day in the oven
In her quiet apartment without a meat thermometer we wonder how this bird will end up tasting. We also wonder if it will even matter because at this point many of our guests have not confirmed that they'll be joining us to eat the feast.
Our French friend, Thomas, carving the finished bird (which was cooked perfectly: browned exterior, moist interior). Thomas went to a trade high school for cooking and was therefore the most logical person to have carve the turkey. 
A full table of international guests enjoying a truly American tradition.
Looks like Thanksgiving dinner! Tasted like it too! So proud.Christkindlauf
pre-race smiles
Wiedenbrück TV Lauftreff--my running group all excited to race
This is a pic of people warming up, but it gives you an idea of what our race route looked like.
The following weekend Lauren visited me here in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. Friday night was the annual 10k race, Christkindlauf, that circles around my beautiful town, which is fully decorated for the Christmas season. (The race route actually goes right in front of my house). About 1,000 people run in the race, and at the beginning all of the spectators line the race route holding sparklers and cheering us on.
It was fairly warm, with a slight drizzle, which was nice running weather for my first 10k race. Lauren and I ran together, and although we didn't get a spectacular time, we were both pleased with our race time of 54 min. My friend Carina made me a medal for crossing the finish line--so sweet. Afterwards we enjoyed the Christmas market and then went to a party held by my running group. The next morning we enjoyed some relaxed recovery time and some homemade pancakes for breakfast.
It was fairly warm, with a slight drizzle, which was nice running weather for my first 10k race. Lauren and I ran together, and although we didn't get a spectacular time, we were both pleased with our race time of 54 min. My friend Carina made me a medal for crossing the finish line--so sweet. Afterwards we enjoyed the Christmas market and then went to a party held by my running group. The next morning we enjoyed some relaxed recovery time and some homemade pancakes for breakfast.
pre-race smiles
Wiedenbrück TV Lauftreff--my running group all excited to race
This is a pic of people warming up, but it gives you an idea of what our race route looked like.Christkindmarkt & Nikolaustag
There are carousels at many Christmas markets, but I haven't found another one as large and as beautiful as this one.
The markets are mostly made up of stands that sell small gifts, ornaments, Glühwein and other drinks, and food (crepes, Christmas cookies, roasted chestnuts, candied almonds, wurst & pommes--french fries, etc.)
In Germany the Christ child (instead of Santa Claus & reindeer) brings presents on the evening of the 24th of December, which is the first, and main, day of 3 days of Christmas! They also celebrate the entire time of Advent. At home many families have a wreath on their table with four (traditionally red) candles in it. A new candle is lit on each Advent Sunday. Also, many have Advenstkalendars. On these calendars you open one door on a small card each day of the month to reveal a small picture, a piece of candy, or another small gift.
St. Nikolaus (the character most like our Santa Claus in German traditions) comes on the 6th of December and brings children sweets (cookies, candies, small gifts). My host teacher and my landlady both gave me gifts for St. Nikolaustag, which made me smile!! Those, along with a package from my grandma, have kept my kitchen full of Christmas cookies and candies.
It's time to move on
The big news of this month is that I decided to move. There are a bunch of reasons why I finally came to this decision.
1) Going broke in Nov. really helped me realize that I can't keep paying as much for an apartment as I am currently.
2) Talking to other foreign language assistants who have moved to Bielefeld and have a daily 1-hour long commute made me realize that it is doable.
3) I've been feeling pretty lonely this month and want to move into an apartment with other Germans so that I can meet more people my age and so that I can use German at home more.
4) Along with point 3--there is nothing going on in my small town (nichts ist hier los), so I need to get to a bigger city where I can go out more, enjoy museums, go watch movies or concerts, and meet more German students.
5) It's a pain in the ass to go anywhere from/get back to my apartment with public transportation most of the time--living in a bigger city would be easier.
Sooooo....I have spent a lot of time this month looking at apartments in Bielefeld, and I found two which I really like. I'm waiting to hear back from them about where I will definitely end up living. I won't be moving until February, which is actually okay because I have a lot of things I need to do here to move out (German bureaucratic stuff). Also, I haven't told my landlords here yet....gotta get around to that soon :(
I've loved living here in Wiedenbrück and am glad that I will be splitting my year between this town and a bigger city. I think it was really important for me to become familiar with the community where my students live and to be a member of this city for a short time. It helped me integrate well into my work environment, but now it's time to move on and do my own thing.
I'm very excited about the move!!! The one thing that has been a little surreal about it all is that I have never searched for an apartment in the US before, so it was my first time with this whole process--and I did it in German!
Coming up next
The last week of school before our 2-week long break is next week, and there's lots to be excited about. Tomorrow, like I said, is my trip to Berlin, which will be a nice change of pace.
On Tuesday I'm going on a field trip with a 6th grade class and two of my favorite teachers. (Many of the students are in my English club) We're going ice skating!! Then, on Tuesday night, I'm taking a group of 10 students from the 13th graders who take English conversation classes with me to Paderborn to see Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" performed in English.
And finally, on Friday I'm taking the train to Frankfurt so that I can be at the airport bright and early when my parents and Max, followed by my grandparents, arrive early on Saturday morning!!!! After a month where I have been feeling pretty lonely here, I can't wait to have some excursions to break up my typical schedule and to have my family visit.
Have a Happy Winter Solstice & New Year!
I'm thinking of you all and hoping that you have a nice Holiday season, which you get to share with your loved ones. For those college students out there--good luck on finals & just remember that in less than a week you'll get that much needed month-long rest! In case I don't write again until January, I wish you all a happy and healthy new year, and I hope that our paths cross sometime in 2008 :)
A slightly artsy pic to wrap it up. This kind of shows my impression of Wiedenbrück: charming, sweet, and lovely Christmas atmosphere with traditional, well-restored buildings, but too much of my life is controlled by the bus schedule and waiting at bus stops like the one seen on the right-hand side.
Every town in Germany has a Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindmarkt) during the time of Advent (3-4 weeks leading up until Dec. 24). I've been hearing about the one in my town, Wiedenbrück, ever since I arrived. It is very charming, and because I live in the center of town, I walk through it just about anytime I go anywhere. Despite rainy weather most days/nights, there always seems to be people wandering about. We drink lots of Glühwein (spiced wine, basically) at these markets.
I've also been to the markets in nearby cities of Gütersloh, Bielefeld, and Münster, and tomorrow I'm taking a one-day trip to Berlin with a friend of mine, another teacher at the school, to see a Christmas market there with many organic/handmade goods. I took some photos of my market in Wiedenbrück to share it with you (and especially for Maggie Fick who wanted a glimpse of December in Germany).
I've also been to the markets in nearby cities of Gütersloh, Bielefeld, and Münster, and tomorrow I'm taking a one-day trip to Berlin with a friend of mine, another teacher at the school, to see a Christmas market there with many organic/handmade goods. I took some photos of my market in Wiedenbrück to share it with you (and especially for Maggie Fick who wanted a glimpse of December in Germany).
There are carousels at many Christmas markets, but I haven't found another one as large and as beautiful as this one.
The markets are mostly made up of stands that sell small gifts, ornaments, Glühwein and other drinks, and food (crepes, Christmas cookies, roasted chestnuts, candied almonds, wurst & pommes--french fries, etc.)
In Germany the Christ child (instead of Santa Claus & reindeer) brings presents on the evening of the 24th of December, which is the first, and main, day of 3 days of Christmas! They also celebrate the entire time of Advent. At home many families have a wreath on their table with four (traditionally red) candles in it. A new candle is lit on each Advent Sunday. Also, many have Advenstkalendars. On these calendars you open one door on a small card each day of the month to reveal a small picture, a piece of candy, or another small gift.
St. Nikolaus (the character most like our Santa Claus in German traditions) comes on the 6th of December and brings children sweets (cookies, candies, small gifts). My host teacher and my landlady both gave me gifts for St. Nikolaustag, which made me smile!! Those, along with a package from my grandma, have kept my kitchen full of Christmas cookies and candies.
It's time to move on
The big news of this month is that I decided to move. There are a bunch of reasons why I finally came to this decision.
1) Going broke in Nov. really helped me realize that I can't keep paying as much for an apartment as I am currently.
2) Talking to other foreign language assistants who have moved to Bielefeld and have a daily 1-hour long commute made me realize that it is doable.
3) I've been feeling pretty lonely this month and want to move into an apartment with other Germans so that I can meet more people my age and so that I can use German at home more.
4) Along with point 3--there is nothing going on in my small town (nichts ist hier los), so I need to get to a bigger city where I can go out more, enjoy museums, go watch movies or concerts, and meet more German students.
5) It's a pain in the ass to go anywhere from/get back to my apartment with public transportation most of the time--living in a bigger city would be easier.
Sooooo....I have spent a lot of time this month looking at apartments in Bielefeld, and I found two which I really like. I'm waiting to hear back from them about where I will definitely end up living. I won't be moving until February, which is actually okay because I have a lot of things I need to do here to move out (German bureaucratic stuff). Also, I haven't told my landlords here yet....gotta get around to that soon :(
I've loved living here in Wiedenbrück and am glad that I will be splitting my year between this town and a bigger city. I think it was really important for me to become familiar with the community where my students live and to be a member of this city for a short time. It helped me integrate well into my work environment, but now it's time to move on and do my own thing.
I'm very excited about the move!!! The one thing that has been a little surreal about it all is that I have never searched for an apartment in the US before, so it was my first time with this whole process--and I did it in German!
Coming up next
The last week of school before our 2-week long break is next week, and there's lots to be excited about. Tomorrow, like I said, is my trip to Berlin, which will be a nice change of pace.
On Tuesday I'm going on a field trip with a 6th grade class and two of my favorite teachers. (Many of the students are in my English club) We're going ice skating!! Then, on Tuesday night, I'm taking a group of 10 students from the 13th graders who take English conversation classes with me to Paderborn to see Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" performed in English.
And finally, on Friday I'm taking the train to Frankfurt so that I can be at the airport bright and early when my parents and Max, followed by my grandparents, arrive early on Saturday morning!!!! After a month where I have been feeling pretty lonely here, I can't wait to have some excursions to break up my typical schedule and to have my family visit.
Have a Happy Winter Solstice & New Year!
I'm thinking of you all and hoping that you have a nice Holiday season, which you get to share with your loved ones. For those college students out there--good luck on finals & just remember that in less than a week you'll get that much needed month-long rest! In case I don't write again until January, I wish you all a happy and healthy new year, and I hope that our paths cross sometime in 2008 :)
A slightly artsy pic to wrap it up. This kind of shows my impression of Wiedenbrück: charming, sweet, and lovely Christmas atmosphere with traditional, well-restored buildings, but too much of my life is controlled by the bus schedule and waiting at bus stops like the one seen on the right-hand side.