sorry for the streak wihtout updates.
im bad with these things.
im going to start off by telling you enjoy the weather in texas when its good.
i know right now its not so beautiful.
but when its not rainy and cold.
enjoy it.
dont take advantage of it. and say 'its too hot to go outside.'
its so cold in germany. so cold. so ssssoooooo cold.
and its always raining. or sleeting. or snowing. or ice-ing. or some form of wet, miserable precipitation that i hate.
german Christmas is around the corner! and im ever so excited for it!
basics: everything is going to be totally different. and im ready to learn about it all! Christmas season actually started the first sunday in december. and its been going on since then. we've all already opened a few gifts for saint nikolas' day. then actual Christmas, is on the 24th. they dont have Christmas Eve. and they celebrate Christmas for 3 days in a row. and from what it sounds like, its just three days of family fun and eating.
there are all these little german 'gedichts' that the children learn. i guess its similar to a goodnight story that parents would tell their kids. and my host mom has taught me two! so now im like a real, little german kid. : )
and once i learn the details of the german traditions, ill be happy to share them with everybody. : )
severin and i started talking the other day about the difference in american and german Christmas music. its kind of interesting actually. so much of the american Christmas music is so up-beat and lively and all about having a party. and the german is the total opposite. its all very calm, with an orchestra playing, like a babys lullaby. it just shows how much the younger american generations have changed the point of Christmas from remembering the baby Jesus to 'hey. i love you. let me buy you an expensive gift. then we'll celebrate the holidays.'
im not bashing the american culture. we have 'silent night' too. (by the way, thats originally a german song.) but the excitement of Christmas is different here and in most households in america. and im also not saying that germans dont like our christmas music, because believe me, they do! : )
two things about the german school system i love:
*they have
monday german. french. spanish. music. math. history.
tuesday math. chemistry. english. spanish. latin. physics.
wednesday pe. pe. german. french. geography biology.
thursday french. english. english. art. latin. greek. chemistry. german.
point is-every day is totally different. every monday is the same as every monday. but monday is different than tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday. i dont know why its better, but it is. : )
*they dont have substitute teachers in germany. so when a teacher is sick, you just have the period off. so you can go home. you can go into the city. you can sit at school and do homework. the options are endless. and its really nice when you have the first period or the last period off. because then you can either sleep in longer and be done with school earlier. its nice. its nice. : )
one thing about the american school system:
you get to start choosing your classes in the 6th or 7th grade. and in germany, you dont choose what classes you take until the 12th grade.
i know there is a lot i could say.
but i am absolutely exhausted.
so im going to hit the sack.
and ill try to update sooner! : )
hope all is well in texas!
-tori
2 comments:
Glad you are having such a wonderful time. South Texas, where we are, is warm for a few days and cold for a few days. Continue to work hard and have fun.
I couldn't help but notice that your view of snow may have changed a little since your Nov entry. The problem with snow is that it comes with cold and wet. Wear your comfy boots, hat, gloves and coat. We are having to run the A/C some days. Over 80 but today it is cold - 42 but will get to 65. Mean aren't I?
Merry Christmas!!!
Love Uncle Charles
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