Small World!!!

Sometimes in life there are such odd coincidences and it really makes you stop and think. One that always stands out to me is how; I am from Maine, Bryan is from Maryland, and we met in South Carolina....after dating for almost a month, we discovered that Bryan's Parents and my Dad went to High School together - and knew many of the same people - such a small world!!! I like to think of it as fate :-) Last night, we had another of those crazy coincidences... Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Mia is trying to choose which school she wants to to go to next year. They have started with the Open Houses and last night we attended the first one. The kids went off in groups as the parents sat and listened to various speakers. While my German is much better now than it was earlier, I still only take in about 75% of the information in a situation like this. The Director was telling us all about the various opportunities around the world for school exchanges (where kids travel for 2 weeks to a school and then that school comes here for 2 weeks). They mentioned France, Spain, China and then the U.S. I thought he said the state of Maine (but then I thought - no way - that is way too random). During the break, I spoke to one of the English Teachers and saw the picture display and sure enough - of all High Schools in the entire U.S. - the school does an exchange each year with Camden, Maine (not only the town that we got married in, but the town we named our son after). I think it must be fate once again :-). I was so impressed with the school and Mia loved it too. They showed the kids experiments using elements and fire (they took all of the finish off of a penny and turned it gold), we watched the older kids do a Unicycle Show using jump ropes and hula hoops (on a stage with no helmets by the way - gotta love the lack of liability in Germany :-)). It was one of those evenings where you were just so happy about the future :-) ...Now if she can just keep her grades up to get in to one of these schools :-)

What we've been up to...

When my kids were little, I used to take the time each month to write in a journal for each of them about what went on that month. With Bailey's book, there were lots of entries (years worth), Camden had many years too and then soon after Mia's arrival, we moved over here and I started this blog (and totally ditched the journal thing). We found the journal the other day and the kids enjoyed reading a bit about their young lives. It is funny now, because I feel like it is a bit of the opposite (I always post about Mia and her happenings and not so much of Bailey and Camden). They are teenagers and aren't always fond of pictures anymore and they are busy with school and friends. Often on the weekends, it is just Mia, Bryan, and I. I guess it is a bit of a foreshadow to our future. As hard as that is sometimes, I am happy, because they are happy (at least for the moment all is good :-)). I call Mia my sticker - because she is always with me - my little buddy. She gets out of school around lunchtime each day, so we have lots of time together - which is great! Camden is doing well (although - no pictures to include :-(. He just started soccer, after taking the winter season off. He is excited for High School in the Fall (and I am excited to narrow our lives down to 2 schools - instead of 3 :-)). Bailey is also doing well. She had such a fun time with Basketball Cheerleading and is now playing soccer. She has a great group of friends and seems to really be enjoying high school!

This is the cute face that still doesn't mind having her picture taken :-)

Mia at a grass Labrinth in Bamberg. We were walking home to our apartment one night and discovered this :-)

We were in Bamberg with Mia (Bailey and Cam were with friends) a week ago to pick up a couch that we got off ebay. After all of the sweat and tears (O.K. no tears, but the couch was truly a comical sight to be seen - Bryan and I lifted it up 3 flights of a narrow staircase into our apartment :-). This is around the corner from our place.

And right next to the Church, (conveniently for Bryan :-)) sits 2 Breweries with delicious traditional German food and an Eis Cafe (Ice Cream Shop) to boot. I took this picture of a poster in one of the Breweries. This is how many Breweries are in our small region  (even though we live in Oberpfalz now, I still consider myself Franken :-)). It is said to have the greatest concentration of Breweries in the World!

This is the couch that we lifted 3 flights of stairs by ourselves - in hindsight - it was hilarious (but didn't seem so funny as we were bringing it up :-)) 

Mia decorating our Easter Tree.

Bailey's Cheering award Banquet. She had a such a nice team this year, I am so glad that she seems to have found her niche in this school! I also laugh (and  totally cringe at the same time). Notice the food on the table (all plastic stuff to throw away). This definitely would not happen off the base - NEVER in a million years!! So different.

A great group of girls!!!

The picking of the schools...

I have mentioned (often :-)) that after 4th grade, all of the kids leave the "grundschule" and are tracked into 3 other possible school programs. There are definitely pros and cons to this system, but the good thing is that even if you don't go down the University path here, you will be able to find a good job that pays the bills, provides you with ALL of your basic needs, and even gives you 4+ weeks of vacation each year to boot. When you are in 4th grade, you receive a report card that tells you which school you are eligible to go to (based on the average of your grades in Math, German, and "HSU"). The kicker though, is that you have to keep those grades up until May when you get the second report card and then register for one of the various schools. The 3 possibilities are: Gymnasium (University Bound), Real Schule (which is where you could learn a variety of jobs such as Nursing, Banking etc) or Hauptschule (which is where you would learn a trade. Depending on where you live, there are choices of specific schools within these categories for kids to choose. There are several Gymnasiums in our town and each one is known for a "specialty." You have the Language Gymnasium, the Music Gymnasium, The all girls Gymnasium, The Math and Science Gymnasium etc.. Most of the basic courses are the same, but there is an emphasis on the specialty that it offers. Right now is the time where students visit all of the schools and then decide where they want to apply (yes - a bit like University without the costs :-)). There are differences too  - for ex. one school will begin Latin as the 1st language and 1 school begins with English. German kids learn up to 4 languages in school (and yes - they actually learn the language - it is quite amazing, but also quite stressful for the kids). I know a few kids who have the grades to get into the Gymnasium, but choose to go to the Real Schule instead (just because it is less stress). The thing is, they know they will receive a good job through this route too. If you do go the Real Schule route, you can always tack on a few extra years at the end and still try to go to University (it is hard, but possible). Mia has picked the school that she would like to go to and her teacher agreed that it would be a good fit for Mia. Now we just have to navigate the Application process :-). School here can come with a lot of stress, but the big plus that I find is that they do a thorough and very consistent job of teaching. The curriculum is extremely well thought out and makes perfect sense to me. The best part, is that kids have time to study because they get out much earlier than we do in our school system - it is such a difference!

*A funny side note- one of the problems that I used to have with Camden's experience in school was that he didn't receive back any feedback as to what he would get wrong on an assignment. For example, in Math, he would get a grade, but would never learn what he got wrong or why it was wrong - and then you move on to the next thing, never having mastered the first thing. It is the most simple, yet brilliant thing that they have as part of their Math Curriculum in German school.... Beside each answer blank is a number. If you add up the numbers in the answer that you got and they equal the number listed beside the answer blank, then you know you got it right. If not, then you have to rework your problem. It makes so much sense (in my opinion at least :-)!!! The kids then know that they understand the Math even before they turn it in. So simple!!!

The Metzgerei

I wrote earlier about the Bakery and thought I should mention the Metzgerei (butcher) also. A Metgerei is also on every corner here. We have 2 within eyesight of our house. Our old house in Bamberg actually was near the "Butcher (Schlachthof) District". (where you would go if you needed bulk amounts of meat for B- BQ's and such. It was very fresh - so fresh that sometimes you would have to close your eyes (and ears) on the way through the gate. Yes - I could EASILY be a vegetarian!. The Germans know their meat and it is funny because once again they are very educated with regard to each specific cut of meat - and in English to boot! I think it is part of their schooling - it must be (I guess I will soon find out with Mia). Anyway, another thing that is funny, is that I have always bought Hamburger in a sealed package from the Grocery Store. When you go to the Metzgerei, they shred (is that the word?) the large pieces of meat into what I know from the grocery store. Once again - definitely fresh! Mia loves going to the Butcher because they give the kids free samples of gelbwurst (yellow sausage). Yes - no cookies - just a good old slice of sausage - so funny!

Our morning conversation...

Mia and I were talking this morning about how funny it is that we pass the same people and cars every single day on the way to school. When you drive, you don't tend tend to notice this so much, but it is really interesting how each day seems a bit like "Groundhog Day" when you walk or ride bikes. It is so eerily consistent. There is the big truck parked facing towards the street that we pass - we wonder who the driver is sitting and waiting for? There is the same city bus that passes us at almost the exact location each morning - makes us laugh (we know we are right on time when we see it). There is the lady that we pass each morning who works at the car dealership (I happened to see her when I was there, and felt like I knew her, but of course didn't). There is the man that passes us on his bike each day (funny enough, we see him pass us on our way home too). There are the same older students walking to school with their group of friends. The same people waiting at the bus stop. The same Mother with a baby stroller walking her son to school. We see Mia's classmate zip by on his bike. It is really funny. When we bike, we go a different route and see a completely different group of people. The funniest, being the young couple in love that meet in the quietest part of our ride at the exact same location each day. I joke to Mia that she has to close her eyes real quickly :-). Bryan had the same experience when he used to ride the train to work. It is also quite interesting how even though you pass the same people every day, you don't say hi. It used to bother me, but I am quite used to it now. Funny, the conversations that happen on the way to school :-)

Die Bäckerei (The Bakery)

Before moving here, I always thought of a bakery as somewhere you could buy sweet pastries, cookies etc.. The German Bakery is an essential part of the German Culture. Fresh bread is a daily consumption. There is literally one in every village and on every city corner. We have one about 20 steps from our front door and it has been the best thing ever. I never even pondered the fact that our bread back home would last for over a week. Why did I never even question this fact? This is real fresh bread - which means it will harden over night (so you have to eat it fresh). The best thing too is that our Bakery is open very early - which means I can send my kids off to school with Fresh Bread each day. Did I mention - how reasonably priced it is?  I keep a little jar of change by the door and the kids go and order their bread each morning. It is funny too, because last week Bailey didn't come by until the afternoon, and the lady told her that she missed her that morning - so nice to be missed :-).

So here is the funny thing...when I passed my German Test, I thought that maybe I could get a job at the bakery each morning (it would be fun and work perfectly with Mia's schedule - I could work in the morning and then be home in the afternoon). Well, come to find out that in Germany, a bakery worker is a very respectable job and you need a 3 year practicum to work there. My little morning work opportunity went down the drain with that notion. That little difference is definitely part of the German work ethic and why they are often successful and accomplished at whatever they do. Of course the bakery worker would need 3 years to learn ALL aspects of working in a Bakery. You need to know about the various nutritional aspects, the different grains, the business aspect, the restaurant side of it etc.  With that said, Mia has decided that working at a Bakery would be her "dream job". She loves handling money and change, folding the little bag so that the bread doesn't crush (oh - she is good at this :-)), organizing the shelves so they constantly look full. All she wants is a little Bakery - so cute!

The fold to the bag is very important! This was one opened and then refolded (so not quite as nice looking as normal) :-)  Oh yeah - and the word Fuchs is: Fox (hope if you are reading this your mind didn't go somewhere else :-)