Thanksgiving

This December 6th, as most German children were waking up to see what Sankt Nikolaus left for them in their shoes, my friends were recovering from a traditional, American turkey hangover. That's right everyone, it was Friendsgiving! It's also fitting for it have been pushed back since I never do anything on time....

I decided to share the Thanksgiving spirit with my students with pumpkin brownies. Because nothing is more American than brownies and the pumpkin makes them festive. I also figured it might make them start talking to me more...

I figured I depressed them enough by always being the Debbie Downer in the classroom because of my realistic view of issues. Pretty sure I'm no longer viewed as a bringer of sad news and crusher of utopian views.

It's kind a shame that no one aside from the strangers in REWE experienced my excitement as I found frozen turkeys. Also, major thanks to my vet-med student of a roommate,  Marie, for helping with bird related issues. And most other cooking issues. 

Next up: Pumpkin Pie. Fairly certain I am still finding pumpkin around the apartment. The end result was good, so it was worth the mess. I warned the guests to not ask about butter or sugar use....it would be better for their consciences. 

Flashback to last time in Gießen. A fellow exchange student, Kevin, introduced Astrid and Svenja to American apple pie. They instantly feel in love. Astrid had been impatiently waiting to use both her new pastry blender and the handed-down recipe.

Again, we attempted to keep the amount of butter a mystery.....

Poor, unsuspecting dinner guests, they didn't see it coming.

8 of us fit cozily in the kitchen. The table picture does not show all of the feed since it didn't fit. I didn't actually get pictures of the rest of the food...

The night commenced with card games and festive beverages.

The decorations were not as elaborate as for Halloween, but kept on par with the creepy-factor.

When in need of appropriate decorations, nothing is better than crafting them yourself and forcing your roommates to participate.

Hand turkeys or criminal act?

I was going to have my students make hand turkeys, but it didn't fit with the current topic. But what is Thanksgiving without hand turkeys?

Shout out to Mom for sending me a stained-glass style turkey and Christmas window clings, which I'm sure will make an appearance later on.

After finally eating a Thanksgiving dinner, it's kind of starting to feel like Christmas is around the corner. Of course; Glühwein, Christmas markets, and Santas in shoes help, too.

St. Nikolaus did visit me!

Halloween

Upon the asking of my friends, I hosted a Halloween party. I was anxious about not living up to their expectations as I usually worked every holiday and didn't really celebrate. For the most part; they put more time and effort into their costumes than I have in the last....10? years.

The following pictures show that they brought their A game.

The food and decorations aren't too shabby either.

The one flavor reads "Mini Americans"

 1. Decorations and everything Pumpkin

This is the creation of the beloved Jack-o-latern,  Hans Peter Kalle.

He still adorns my balcony and is lit almost every night.

His insides became soup and cake.

These were wise decisions.

The above photo brought to you by awkward moments. Such as; that awkward moment when your friends' roommate walks into the kitchen to find you elbow deep in a pumpkin, stares and says "boo" before leaving the kitchen.

(I'm also fairly certain most exposed skin was pumpkin covered by that point)

Who knew med students could be so crafty? I'm quite pleased that I did not have to supply all of the Halloween-ness myself but was aided by my neighbors and roommates. 

Introducing Herr and Frau Geist: the inspiration behind dozens of baby ghosts hanging around the hallway.

left: Frau Geist right: Herr Geist

Baby ghost

2. All the sugar. All the carbs.

Halloween is the perfect time to mix beverages together in a pot on the stove and pretend it's a witches brew.

All received positive reviews as none lasted until the next morning.

"Grandma's Apple Pie"

I finally find the example to help explain the difference between "cider" and "cidre". It's called "Winter Zauber" .

It tasted more like fall and I did not notice any magical effects.

Pirogues, Pigs in a Blanket, and Halloween torte. Gotta have all of your bases covered. And cultures.

Not pictured: Breaks between food and trick or treating filled with card games. Nothing like bonding over discovered similarities and the ability (or inability) to bluff your way to the win.

3.1 Trick or Treating and costumes

Trick or treating was requested. 

I'm pretty sure there was enough sugar to incapacitate small animals and children. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the costumes were really quite creative. I believe it was a successful "American" Halloween, aside from not being able to watch "Hocus Pocus" or various Halloween Scooby-doo movies.

the candy stash

Ghost, Hulk, Dr. Dalmatina

Poison Ivy

Mr. Freeze & Hulk

3.2

Halloween party 2.0. Because who doesn't like to dress up two days in a row? And I just happened to have brought 2 costumes options with me. Had to make it worth my while for bringing both along. Now I'll just have to get legitimately creative for Fasching (or Karneval, Mardi Gras, whatever you want to call it).

Wandering in the Woods and other Reflections

I've been in Germany for a little over a month now. I figured it might be time for some reflecting. Also, I've not done any traveling or another super exciting and this will give me an excuse to post outdoorsy photos.

Reflection 1:

I am not the most outdoorsy of people. The best way to describe it, is that I have the completion and constitution of a scholar - the natural world and I don't normally get along: i.e allergic reactions to bugs, getting bitten by random things, almost stepping on rare, poisonous snakes, and perpetual sunburns.

However, this last month I think I've spent more time outside than in the whole summer combined. It may be due to a mixture of a less hectic work schedule, irritating internet connections, and feeling compelled to not just sit around.

Reflection 2:

All of my nature photos start to look the same. Guess it's about time to make a trip for some new locations.

Reflection 3:

My students either don't believe that I understand German or are impressed by how quickly I understand them. I'm still enjoying the shocked look when I respond to them in German. I had a little "teacher authority" moment the other day while working on a handout. We had just gotten back from a break and the students were quite chatty. A student tried to get their attentions saying we were going to continue, as they had heard me start saying something in English. Another asked "said who" to which I replied, "Ich". The whole class fell into a unison, "ooo" and then silence. It felt kind of nice.

The Darstellendes Spiel (DS) course I co-teach in German has the opposite view. A few of the students have complimented me on how quickly I understand them and respond. It's helpful on those days when either language just isn't happening.

Reflection 4:

When you stumble upon a Krämermarkt and don't exactly know what's going on.

Reflection 5:

The woods seem less creepy during full daylight hours and when the only people you run into are older people with dogs or on bikes.

Reflection 6:

There are rarely signs for distances and towns in the woods. Sometimes you wind up in the next town over on purpose and sometimes on accident.
I decided to cross the bridge from the half of the woods near my apartment to the Klein Linden (neighboring town) side. After wandering through the side of the woods for a while I decided I should probably head back home. So I crossed another bridge. I should have known it wasn't right when the bridge went over railroad tracks instead of highway. I found myself near a building with people and dogs. It turned out to be a dog training center in Grossen Linden. Luckily the sign had the town name on it.
Yay for every day adventures.

The ever allusive mustard tree

Reflection 7:

As soon as I say my name, generally, all hopes of speaking German stops. A major downside to having a very English sounding name is that it takes twice as long to convince people you can speak German and that it is not required of them to only speak English with you. Or I simply baffle them by my last name, which they try to make German. 

Reflection 8:

This coming week starts Herbstferien. Fall break. Fall break is a new concept to me. I feel like I haven't been in the school long enough to get a two week break, but I'll take it. Luckily, Halloween falls in this time and I can show my roommates a typical "American" celebration. Bring on the pumpkins!