Evie's erster Schultag

 

Our baby girl was off to school!  Officially starting school is a pretty big deal to every kid and for our kiddo it meant skipping over the traditional Kindergarten that she would have been starting in (America) Fall 2020 and going right into the 1.Klass in Germany.  

• Children in Germany go to "Kindergarten" from age 2-6, basically their days are full of fun and play with no major school structure, so to speak
• After Kindergarten they are off to the Grundschule (Primary) for Classes 1-4

In the states Evie had the opportunity to attend an awesome preschool with great structure, many learning and growth opportunities, a loving environment and fun activities.  After pre-school she attended Transitional Kindergarten, which we sometimes referred to it as Kindergarten for kids with summer birthdays!  It was a wonderful small class from 9:00-3:00 everyday with wonderful teachers and Evie really loved it and learned a lot.  Now, a month into German school we are feeling very thankful for what she has already learned and experienced because her current curriculum is mostly review but now it is all in German!

Our week leading up to the first day of school was pretty busy.

1. Tuesday, ElternAbend - this is the parents information night for everyone in Evie's class.  My friend Monica went with me that evening to help translate all that was being said.  After 2 hours of introductions from the Director, Teacher and parents along with a quick glimpse of her classroom my head was about to explode. I spent over an hour after I got home translating the pile of paperwork I received, preparing anything I needed to hand in by the end of the week.  
2. Thursday, Ökumenischer - Schulanfangsgottesdienst für die 1. Klasse - This is a wonderful church service the night before the 1st day where the priest blesses the children and families and offers words of encouragement through prayers and songs.  Granted it was all auf Deutsch but I got the gist of it.
3. The erster Schultag - Friday, September 18th we presented Evie with her Schultüte and big backpack and marched off to join the other 21 children in welcoming them to the 1.Klasse

The Schultüte is an old German tradition, a symbol of tradition filled with goodies both sweet and useful in school or anything special to give the children on their 1st day.  Evie had a new umbrella, 1st Day School book, German workbook, stickers, erasers, things she can use in school and a few sweet treats. 

The enrollment ceremony on Friday morning was quite the event.  Two parents were allowed to come into the Schulhof to sit (at 1,5 meters or more apart from the others) to hear a few words from the Director, the teacher Frau Thomas and watch a welcoming song presentation from the 2. Klasse.  After that, each child's name was called to join the teacher and go to their classroom.  Evie ran like the wind when her name was called!  The kids spent about a half hour with their teacher while we waited on the other side of the school (William played and ran around the playground).  When the kids rejoined I looked out for Ev so that she could see me and when I saw her little face there was this look of panic, fear, confusion - I think all of the above.  We knew she was going to be confused not knowing anything that was being said but we tried to keep it as positive as possible telling her it's only going to get easier! 

Pictures from events of the first week.

Evie was pretty happy after we were home and discussed everything about school.  She seemed excited to start fresh on Monday.  It is also traditional to have a family dinner on this night with the school child deciding what to eat and finish off with a cake or something to celebrate.  Well we had already done the cake at the beginning of the week - Evie couldn't wait to make it :)  Since we had that to finish up she decided on pizza for dinner!

After a good, fun weekend our little Smurf was ready to roll into her first week of school. (She is in the 1c. Klasse and they all (1a. & 1b.) had a theme - Evie's being the Smurf/Schlumpf Klasse!) 

The first full week was great.  There was homework to do!  It was/is definitely a tough transition and information overload on a daily basis we are sure.  Six year olds do not know quite yet how to handle their emotions so there were some tough moments out of sheer exhaustion where she had to let some of it out.  Overall she has done really well.  I often explain that how she is feeling is exactly how it was for me when I attended the Volkhochschule every single day for hours a day back in 2011.  I didn't know anyone or have any idea of what was being said but it got easier day after day. 

By the second week Evie had caught the "welcome back to school cold" but it was accompanied by a fever and cough so it was best to miss two days and recuperate.  It was during these 2 days I realized the major struggle to get the school work done at home.  Part of it was because the material she was learning in school is "stupid and for babies" she said but really what that meant was that she has learned it already.  That is great though!  The struggle is with the language so the challenge for us is to keep it positive and tell her that she needs to review what she has already learned but this is in German.  We encourage her to write the letters and numbers and color the shapes as good as she can so that Frau Thomas knows she can do it!

It got better, the 3rd and 4th weeks were good.  Full weeks and a happy school girl.  She loves making friends and everyday has a new best friend.  She loves recess of course because it is her social time.  She likes to give "English lessons" on the playground and collect Kastanien (chestnuts).  We try to make the Hausaufgabe (homework) fun each day - for example I will do it with her, we make copies on the printer of whatever it is so that we can all do it or daddy does push-ups while Evie writes her rows of 1, 2, 3, etc.!

Week 2 - Here we go!

Week 3 - Here we go!

On to week 4!

The walks to and from school are great (as long as little brother is being cooperative - ugh!) We have a Laufgruppe (walking group) that we meet everyday to walk to school.  There are a few others in our neighborhood and it's wonderful for the kids to walk together and for me to chat with the other parents.  (Great for my German speaking especially :)

We are now in the 5th week and next week is the Herbst-Ferien (fall break) which will be a good time to rest her brain for a bit.  So far it has been going really well.  Evie is happy and excited to go to school each day.  We don't ask too many questions to frustrate her and let her discuss whatever she wants to discuss about school.  I do communicate with the teacher through an app called SchoolFox and she agrees that Evie is doing well.  She is adjusting and certainly needs time to learn the language, but it will be so neat when she really gets it!  Evie has already corrected me a few times with my pronunciation of certain words!

I swear, she seems a year older to me only after a few weeks right now.  Maybe because this new experience has forced her to mature a little bit.  I don't know, but she is in good spirits regardless of the language barrier and continues to go with the flow.  Fingers crossed for our good roll to continue.  We know there will be ups and downs.  This is a really great and exciting opportunity for our kids and I'm happy they are experiencing another culture and learning another language at such a young age.  Now hurry up and learn so you can translate for us hahahahaha!

Bis zum nächsten Mal,

Tschüss!

August and September - what have we been doing?!

I have not been in the mindset to write this blog.  I started the last post when we got home from vacation in early August and never finished it until October 11th!  I had envisioned writing our daily trials and tribulations and while I have to a certain extent I thought I would be more into it.  This year with the move, stress, uncertainty, pandemic etc. it has taken a toll on me mentally.  Life is good - don't get me wrong!  We are healthy and so are our families.  We are happy and have taken each day as it comes, some with more challenges than the others but we carry on.  This expat experience is far different than I ever imagined.  My expectations were shot when I really realized that this pandemic was going to have a bigger impact than I anticipated.  We would NOT be traveling like we planned.  We are NOT taking the public transportation like we planned.  We ARE being cautious and careful and respecting the rules set forth.  We ARE finding fun things to do around home keeping the kiddos busy.   The past 5 months have really flown by and honestly have been really great.  I just have to keep an open and positive mindset that this IS going to be different than what I anticipated and to make the most of it (as I always do in our numerous moves)!  Obviously if you follow us on Facebook I post a lot of pictures and keep tabs on what we are up to on a regular basis.  In a nutshell this post will have some videos of the past 2 months and what we've been up to.

After our vacation we spent many days in August at the lake, we are so lucky to have that here.  The kids love it, it is safe and clean and fun for everyone.  We had some really hot days and used our terrace with the little pool to cool down too.  We finally got an enormous umbrella for the terrace to help shade the living room without having to draw the shades.  There were so many beautiful sunsets we captured off the terrace as well.  We ate lots of Eis, climbed back up to the Windeck Ruins, played at the Schloßpark and walked through the forest-the Odenwald- next to the Schloßpark.  We went to the Weinheim pool for the first time with our friends and had a blast.  There was a huge waterslide that William must've went down 25 times.  

A collection of the August pictures. 

We continued to visit our favorite alla hopp playgrounds and finally visited the Heidelberg Zoo. The Zoo is not far from our house and really nice.  It was a bit rainy the day we went but we still had a great time and look forward to going back when it's a bit warmer.  

The Heidelberg Zoo

The first week of September was supposed to be our “before school” trip to France, just across the border to the Mosel River area but we decided to cancel at the last minute because the Corona numbers were on the rise and we were afraid they were going to put restrictions for quarantine upon us crossing the border back into Germany.  It was a beautiful house with a lovely garden and we were really looking forward to it but better to be safe than sorry.   This is the time it sort of slapped me in the face that our travel plans were/are being interrupted by this pandemic. I get it, I do but it still has gotten me down in the dumps.  So, we carry on and fill up the days with “fun around here” activities. As I looked back over the pictures we really crammed a lot of fun into a few weeks. 

Our anticipated trip to Miramar the indoor water park on September 2nd left me with zero desire of returning!  It was fun, Dave and the kids had a great time but not so young me somehow managed to flip off my tube going down a fast water slide, slammed my head on the side and landed upside down on the head- then continued to fly down the spiraling slide like a dead fish in the water.  I had an X-ray on my neck at the ER because I was in a lot of pain but thankfully no fractures. Just rest and heat!  Luckily daddy took the kiddos to the Schloßpark and the lake over the next couple of days. 

A few of the highlights over the month:

• We visited the original alla hopp in Schwetzingen- another super fun one of course!
• Another bus trip to the Waidsee (lake)
• Made homemade pizzas and Evie’s 1st day of school cake 
• Lots of walks to the playground by our house and the Schloßpark
• Wonderful day trip to the beautiful Luisenpark in Mannheim
• First trip to the dentist- Dr. Silke Buck (such a fun name to say!)
• Elternabend (parents night) at Pestalozzi Grundschule and preparation for Evie’s Erste Schultage (1st school day is in a separate post)
• First trip to the Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum shopping center in Viernheim (kids and I took the tram for the 1st time!)

A collection of the September pictures 

On a very sad note we once again had to deal with losing a pet. Our beloved Marley was failing very fast, just as her sister did just 4 months prior.  It was so hard to say goodbye to our other fur baby from so far away and not be able to hold or pet her one last time. (Clearly this did not help with me feeling the blues.)  We were thankful once again to Grandma for taking such good care of her and being with her in her final moments.  At least Marley and Kensie are together again.

Another positive note for me is that I found a new gym!  I always feel better with a fitness routine.  It is called Mrs. Sporty and it is a lot of fun.  It is a small environment, with super friendly and helpful staff.  The functional training concept workout can take only 30 minutes but I like to stretch it out.  There is an online booking system to reserve my time (due to Corona social distancing restrictions of course) and with a key card I can access the studio when it's closed as well.  There's a little play area that the kids can sit at while I work out too.

September was also very exciting because Evie started school - more to come about that in the next post.  It's a pretty big deal and warrants its own exclusive blog post ;)

The weather is turning into fall for sure.  The days are getting darker earlier and we are (not so much welcoming) the fall German rain season.  Time to get out the hats, scarves, mittens, boots, ramp up the Vitamin D when we can and stock up on Elderberry!  

Bis zum nächsten Mal,

 Tschüss!

Our First Family Vacation

Taking a vacation during Corona times is honestly less than desirable but we wanted and needed to for our family to regroup and have some fun and get out of the house for a while. We knew it was going to be a driving vacation - to avoid all airports was a must - and there are a bazillion places to go in driving distance from our home base.  Heading to southern Bavaria to see the fairy tale castle Neuschwanstein was a must do for the kids so we planned the trip around that. 

Planning a trip with kids is completely different than the last time we lived in Germany! Researching kid friendly hotels, areas, parks are all part of the agenda. I learned that Germany has tons of fun amusement parks so we narrowed it down to what was in our path. 

Day One:

The excitement had built for days and the kiddies were so excited for vacation. Saturday morning we were off!

The first stop on the trip was about 1 hour and 45 minutes away at the Ritter Sport Shop and Factory in Waldenbuch.  The factory was huge and the shops was a chocolate lovers dream come true.

The workshop to make your own candy bar was already booked which was fine, we spent about €13 on pick-your-own boxes and everyone was as happy as a clam. 

Next we were heading to the Metzingen Outlet Center, a huge collection of stores including Birkenstock!

The plan here was for me to do some shopping while the family ate some lunch. That all changed when we got into the town and saw that there were lines to get in all of the stores! It was a very warm beautiful day and TONS of people were out so they dropped me off at the Birkenstock Store, William fell asleep, Dave drove through McDonald’s and I met them when I was done. That was all I could manage for one day. It was so hot, mask wearing and heat and lots of people does not equal a great mix. So we went on to our hotel for the next 3 nights. 

The Achalm Hotel sits way up high on the hills in Reutlingen, Germany. The rooms have beautiful views and there is a large infinity pool. We chose a Junior suite where we all stayed in the room together and played musical beds till we found the perfect sleeping spot. We watched a wedding while waiting to check in, swam in the pool, enjoyed a nice dinner at the restaurant, and watched the most amazing fireworks display right in front of our balcony. 

Day Two:

On Sunday we visited the Lichtenstein Castle an awesome castle perched atop a rock on the edge of the hillside.  Sometimes it’s just amazing to see these and wonder how in the world they were constructed!

We walked around the courtyard and hiked down to the original castle ruins dating back to 1300. We didn’t go into the castle because Ev did not want to walk the bridge up to it!  We had lunch at the nearby restaurant and headed back to the hotel for some pool time. We booked the pool 2 times that day, because of  Corona only a certain number of people were allowed in every hour.   It was much cooler this day and rain was in the area but it didn’t stop the kiddos who insisted on swimming!

Day Three:

On Monday we set out for Traumland Freizeitpark Adventure Park. This is a wonderful amusement park nestled in the forest about 30 minutes south of our hotel. We couldn't say enough good things about this park.  It was fun, clean and not too big at all.  We spent over 1/2 a day there, arriving as soon as it opened and had a great time.  It is definitely recommended for kids 3 and 6 (even younger and older too!)  The rain held off until we left!

Day Four:

On Tuesday we hit the road to Schwangau to see the fairy tale castles that Evie wanted to see since our move to Germany.   Driving along and seeing the Alps in the distance was absolutely beautiful.  The to pull into town, look up and see Neuschwanstein - WOW! 

The next 3 nights we stayed in The Chalet which is part of the Hotel Villa Ludwig at the base of the mountain where King Ludwig's castles sit.  The Chalet did belong to the Royal Family years ago as their hunting cabin.  It has a lovely garden and views that are to die for!

The weather was a bit chilly on our first night there so after getting some groceries and venturing through the house and yard we enjoyed a nice warm fire and got a good nights sleep so that we could explore the next day.

Day Five:

Wednesday, August 5th we walked into town which was just a short distance from the Chalet. We went through the main tourist area (the Alpseestrasse) en route to the Alpsee (lake).  It was a beautiful morning and we decided to take a paddle boat out on the Alpsee for an hour.  It was tons of fun and quite the leg workout!

After the Alpsee we walked back to the Chalet for lunch and a break before hiking up the Pöllatschlucht Gorge.  We didn't take this hike before to get to Neuschwanstein but it was practically in our back yard so we packed up and set out to see what we could see.  I wasn't sure if the kids would be able to make it but much to our surprise they were quite the trooper and had a great time.  The best part was the flat, beach area that we stopped at for a while to let the kids play, stick our feet in the water and enjoy the sun.

Awesome view of the Marien Bridge!

A video of some of the day's highlights is below.

Day Six:

On our last day in Schwangau we had tickets to tour Neuschwanstein.  We were interested to see how this played out during Corona because the last time we toured it was a very large group and there were just tons of people everywhere.  The kids wanted to hike back up the Gorge again to the castle so we headed out early and made it in plenty of time.  They did awesome hiking that Gorge 2 days in a row!

We waited outside the castle with others, you could only enter the grounds within 5 minutes of your tour time.  They had a pretty good process with letting people in and social distancing.  There were only 8 people on our English tour!  Last time we think it was about 60 people.  Pictures were not allowed inside the castle but the kids were in awe at the interior and the huge chandeliers and paintings.  After the tour we took the horse drawn carriage back down the hill, another fun experience for the kids!

That afternoon Evie and I walked around Schwangau looking in on a few little shops and enjoying the beautiful architecture of Bavaria.  We grabbed some Eis and bought some hats.

It was a great trip away.  We needed to get away.  We had about a 4 hour drive home that actually took 5 when you count in the numerous bathroom and food stops!  We were happy to get home on a Friday and have the weekend to recoup.  The weather was looking great for the weeks to come and we knew we had days to spend at the lake and pool and parks around. We had a house booked in France for a week in September but you'll read in the next post how those plans went down the toilet - darn CORONA!   Our first getaway was a success and we will look forward to future trips and experiences for Evie and William.

Bis zum nächsten Mal,

Tschüss!