Christmas Marketing

The Christmas Market in Melle was extremely quaint, but definitely smaller than the one in Hamburg. I would say the food was equally delicious and the crafts were just as adorable, though. It was right in the center of town by the Rathaus, so Alex and I could swing by the bratwurst stand on the way home from school if we were hungry. A rather convenient setup for us… too bad it’s only up for the month of December!

Klaus invited Alex and me to see the Christmas Market in his town, Bad Rothenfelde, with him, his wife, and one of his sons. It was amusing for us to see how many Christmas Markets we would have the chance to visit. They all have the same cheery atmosphere, but vary in sizes depending on how big the town is. It was a cold night, but it made me happy to be a part of their family for the night. Only 13 more days until we go home to America for two weeks!

The Christmas show is going well. Everyone has memorized their lines, and I’m really happy to see that they are all becoming more comfortable with each other. The older kids usually sit on one side of the room, and the younger girls sit on the other. Lately, they are starting to interact more. Practicing on stage has helped them get into character more and bond with each other. They will perform the show twice at the school’s annual Christmas bazaar, and I am excited for my fellow teachers to see the progress these students have made with their English. They’ve come so far in such a short period of time.

Alex and I also attended the school’s Christmas concert which was held in the church by the Rathaus. With very short notice, we were asked to say a few words about our experience so far. We both agreed to speak in English, but at the last minute, my traitor-fiancé left me hanging and opted to show off his German. Clearly, I had no other option but to talk these non-English speakers in my native tongue since I could only compose sentences in German comparable to a two-year old. It was basically all crickets until I said, “Merry Christmas!” Naturally, that won me applause.  

Say "Yes" to Hamburg!

Melle and Osnabrück were setting up stands for their Christmas markets since mid-November, so Alex and I were excited to see what was in store for us this December. Each town prepares their own market with food and craft stands, so I knew where I was doing my Christmas shopping. This country knows how to celebrate Christmas! It’s very different than the holidays in America because we’re not allowed to have decorations for only one holiday in a classroom. It’s all or nothing. When I tried to explain to my students the idea of being inclusive and saying “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas,” they rejected that idea. Mostly everyone celebrates Christmas here, so the whole town is decked out with red and green.

My students also told me all about Weihnachtsmann, the German Santa Claus. They all leave their shoes out on Christmas Eve, and the Weihnactsmann fills them with candy. I’m not so sure how sanitary that is, but it’s a well-known tradition. For the record, I do not plan on leaving my shoes out for candy this Christmas, no matter how determined I am to blend into this country.

We heard from teachers and students that Hamburg offered one of the best Christmas markets, and since it was only a four hour train ride away, how could we not see for ourselves? We arrived later in the day to the city on December 1, which we learned was the optimal time to see the beautiful colors light up the market. Mistletoe stands, candle stores, craft stores, and so many delicious foods filled every row of this winter wonderland! Christmas Market’s quickly became my favorite thing about Germany. If I could bring one person in the world to a German Christmas Market, it would be my mother. She would be in heaven at one of these places. Christmas stores, decorations, carols, and hot Glühwein... every Christmas nerd’s fantasyland.

The harbor beside the Christmas Market made this one very unique. The water was illuminated by the lights from the celebration. It was a beautiful sight. As we were gazing out into the harbor, Santa was “flying” through the sky on his sled pulled by eight tiny and very artificial reindeer. This performance wasn’t unlike Tinkerbelle in Disney World flying through the Magic Kingdom. The story of Santa was projected through the market on loud speakers in German. While I couldn’t understand what was being said, the voice didn’t seem to match the famous story of Santa and Christmas. It was told in the most Satanic voice which I’m sure gave most of those children nightmares. Obviously, it was time for a new recording.

Santa flew through the sky twice, and after the second time, I saw Alex drop to his knee. My heart was racing because I knew this was the universal signal every girl waits for. My mind was flooded with the happiest memories from our past, the intense passion we still hold in the present, and the hope for a blissful future. After he told me how much he loved me and meant to him, he popped the big question and asked me to marry him. With all the confidence in the world, I accepted… Overwhelmed with love and Christmas spirit.

My life should be a movie. As if moving to Europe post-college with my boyfriend for a year wasn’t romantic enough, now he proposed to me at a German Christmas Market in Hamburg? Not only was this the ideal setting, but that moment made me the happiest girl alive to have everything I ever wanted. I am happy with the direction my life took and the decisions I have made. I would never change a single thing, and I’m lucky to say that. As a recent college graduate, I’m sure it comes as no surprise to most that I have no idea what I’m doing sometimes, but I am sure about this. Everything I like about myself comes out more when I’m with Alex, and that’s what life is about for me. Finding yourself and loving everything about it. If the last three months haven’t been a path of self-discovery, I don’t know what is. As far as the ring, well… I couldn’t stop ogling at it the rest of the night. Okay, the rest of the trip.

Newly engaged and floating on cloud nine, we explored the area some more. We even found ourselves in a very elegant Rathaus which looked like a church. The resemblance was so uncanny that we were actually fooled and blessed ourselves in the fountain next to the entrance… town halls in America are just not that fancy! I had a Jersey girl moment, but it could happen to any American!

After the humiliation passed, we decided it would be a good idea to grab a few drinks and celebrate our big night! We went to the Reeperbahn, which is Hamburg’s Red Light District, and had ourselves quite an evening. The first bar we went to had mostly old people kicking back with some cold ones. There was, however, a very old and entertaining woman chain smoking next to us at the bar. She looked about 110 pounds and was ripping shots every song change. She knew all the words to just about every song, too. A true regular. As much fun as it was watching the old bag of bones, we only stayed for one drink and then made our way to a younger scene. The club we went to gave all the girls one free glass of champagne, and then Alex and I decided to drink too many LIT’s. It was enough to make us dance like Swayze. I’ll never learn my lesson with that drink. Good thing Alex had enough wits about him to leave, otherwise I would have stayed all night.

When we were at the U-Bahn station, Alex actually went to look at departure times. Sober Megan would not have been surprised by this because the boy checks the schedule about 20 times each trip. That being said, a night with LIT’s never fares well for me, so I wasn’t in my right frame of mind. I didn’t realize he left, so I went into panic mode wondering where my personal translator went off to. Was he coming back? How do I say “help” in German? What’s the name of the hostel? Would I have to barter my beautiful ring to pay off his kidnappers? I did the only thing I could think of in that moment… cry. The second he was in sight, I felt an instant wave of relief. He was really only gone for about 30 seconds total. No more LIT’s for me.

The next morning, we went next door to a restaurant that served us an American breakfast. And it tasted like home! It started to snow outside, but the cold was bearable. On the way to the harbor, we took a small detour in Hamburg’s sketchiest park. It seemed desolate with hipster graffiti and a fun jungle-gym to climb on, so we thought it would be worth the stop… and it was a great idea, until we were approached by Middle Eastern drug dealing gangsters. We tried to slip out of the park without engaging in conversation, but one of them caught up to us and started to speak in German. We thought he was asking to take a picture of us, so I gave him my camera. He looked baffled, but snapped a quick shot. Then he gave the camera back, which I wasn’t really expecting to happen. He switched over to English and tried to sell us weed, but we quickly said no and walked out of that park without looking back. Awkward.

Once we made it to the harbor, Alex and I bought tickets for a cruise. Everything was said in German, but it seemed like the best way to see the city. As soon as the sun went down, so did the temperature. As cold as it was, we were happy to walk around and get some Christmas shopping done. We even got into the sea spirit of things and bought Nordsee crab sandwiches…. I’m not so sure how Alex ate his whole sandwich. After one bite, I regretted my meal and wanted to upchuck everything in my stomach. It was too fishy for my liking.

The bar we went to that night wasn’t too crowded and was located near our hostel. It reminded me lot of good, old New Brunswick, which will always hold a special place in my heart. There is a lot of youth in Hamburg, and very dirty in a struggling artist kind of way. It unmasked the city’s heart and soul, I thought. Our hostel was great, too. It had its own kitchen, so we saved a lot of money by bringing our own meals to prepare there.

Before we left Hamburg, Alex and I felt compelled to get more Glühwein from one of the Christmas Market stands. No, not just for the buzz. We wanted to keep the mugs as souvenirs because they said Hamburg on them, the city we got engaged in. We also bought a bratwurst there. Yes, I remember what Herr Meyer said about the cute wild boars, but I figured it was a German specialty that I couldn’t miss out on… and to be honest, I’m glad I didn’t because it put sausage in America to shame!

Starting Christmas Early

By some early Christmas miracle, Alex and I wrote the entire script for our American Theater Group last night. We made sure to include a role for each student, and cast them accordingly. It’s about a little girl who is trying to find out whether or not Santa Claus is real. Classic American Christmas tale. We decided to use the names of our friends and family members, too. Since we don’t really know the names of our students, we started calling them by their names in the show… including our homeless person character. She now goes by “homeless.” Our Santa Claus is from Azerbaijan, and one of our other characters is from Thailand. Apparently, word spread about our theater group and another girl came to rehearsal today, even though we already casted everyone. Alex and I didn’t want to tell her to leave, so we told her that we would write in a part for her and she would have it by next Friday. She can open the show, everyone needs a show starter.

We have a very diverse group of students, and working on their English is going to be a fun challenge. To get everyone in the Christmas spirit, we even brought in homemade Christmas cookies for everyone. Off to a good start.

Essen und Döner Kebabs

I had my second lesson with Günther today, and we talked about different types of food. I was surprised to see what I was already familiar with due to my very frequent exposure to these words at the grocery stores we visit far too often. I can form simple sentences, but anything that is complex is beyond my brain capacity. The structure and word order of German sentences is so different from English. Every word has a gender, too. Apparently, it’s intuitive for Germans to know the gender of a word and how to conjugate it. It feels like learning this language is going to demand a lot more attention than the Spanish classes I took in high school… I wasn’t even that great in those.

Wednesdays do have their perks, for us, though. After our German lessons, we go down the street from our house to Metin’s and eat döner kebabs. It’s similar to a Greek gyro, but in my opinion, far superior. I’ve become a huge fan of Turkish food and the deal we get at our restaurants. The döners are 2.50 euros… half off their normal price! It’s the little things in this town that seem to make me happy… but those little things make Wednesdays something to look forward to. I can’t believe America doesn’t have more döner kebab stands!

Remembering Home

It’s the end of the first week back to school after fall break, and our schedule is still MIA. Alex and I are hounding teachers to give us hours, and some are more helpful than others. We’ve met our hour requirements for the week, at least. On Tuesday, we both went to Ingmar Brunn’s 8^th grade class. As soon as we walked in, all of the students stood up and said the Pledge of Allegiance… hands over their hearts and all! It was a really precious moment, and I was so impressed with how proficient their English was at such a young age. Alex and I talked to them about Hurricane Sandy and how it was impacting our friends and family member back home in Jersey. I won’t lie, I’m glad I missed that one. We also discussed the presidential election, and Alex taught them about the Electoral College. Imagine explaining that concept to a bunch of German 8^th graders… I don’t even think most Americans fully understand how it works, so I’m pretty sure a lot of it went over their heads. Overall though, it was a fun lesson and Ingmar is going to give us more lessons with his class.

We repeated the same lesson in a few other classes. Klaus Brinkmann and Matthias Beck have agreed to make us a permanent addition to their classes. I will be with Matthias’s 7^th graders, who are the most energetic group of students I have yet to meet. It’s amazing to see the level of class participation with the younger students because they all raise their hands to answer a question in class. Their genuine eagerness to learn motivates me to go to school each day. Klaus will have Alex and me speak with his 8^th graders and 10^th graders in conversation groups. His younger students visit us in groups of three, whereas his older students must engage in a one-on-one conversation with us. The concept seems to intimidate them, but once they have finished our discussion, it’s obvious how proud of themselves they all are for maintaining a dialogue.

Today, Alex and I held auditions for our Christmas show. Auditions were far more relaxed than the ones I was used to in high school, but I think it was better this way because we had such a wide array of age groups. Everybody auditioned in front of each other as I took notes on their performance. Alex and I plan on writing the show by next week and divvying out parts to each student by then. We’re not sure exactly how we’re going to do this in a week’s time, but I’m sure it will get done.

We also bought our plane tickets home today! I’m so excited to see my family next month. This has been the longest I have been away from home, and I miss them terribly. Until then, we have a lot to do, so I am sure time will go by quickly and we’ll be home for the holidays before we know it.

Wednesdays with Günther

The Meyers introduced us to their family during their “Oktoberfest” dinner. Alex and I went downstairs and ate supper with them in the Wintergarten. It was a typical German meal with a lot of sausage and beer. I used just about every German phrase I knew, which wasn’t many, but it was rewarding to practice my new language skills. There are plenty of sounds I don’t think I will ever be able to make, but I’m certainly working on it.

Herr Meyer introduced us to his old friend, Günther. He is such a tragic character. He is an elderly man whose wife just passed away, and now he has nothing to occupy his time. His house is always very cold and messy, and he is always wearing the same disheveled looking clothes with a terrible comb over. This is why men need women around. Ironically, he used to be an English teacher at Gymnasium Melle, so Herr Meyer thought it would be a good way for me to practice my German, and also keep Günther company.

Our first lesson was focused on learning vocabulary, and Alex has been learning new words, too. We plan on meeting weekly on Wednesdays. It’s beneficial for all of us, really. It’s our very own German version of Tuesdays With Morie… “Wednesdays with Günther.”  

Taking a Trip to Amsterdam!

Just like September, October seemed to vanish into thin air. Time was going by fast, but we had a lot to show for it. My contract officially started October 15, though I had already been working with some of the classes since September. My most recent lesson in Katja’s class was fun for a film buff like me because I had her 11^th graders create a deleted scene from a movie they watched called Outsourced. They weren’t too keen on speaking German with me initially, but I think the ice will break eventually. I was also with her 8^th grade class that Alex also joins once a week. The younger students are much more eager to learn because they don’t seem as embarrassed when they make grammatical errors. Their enthusiasm is appreciated on my end, and I’m officially regretting all those moody teenage moments I ever had in high school. To any victims of my teenage angst, you’ll be happy to know that karma found me.

I’m going to start my American Theater Group after fall break. It started on October 20 and actually lasts two weeks. Another benefit to a European vacations. These kids have days off left and right. Alex and I are really excited to have our future students perform a Christmas show!

As far as a set schedule goes, Alex and I still don’t have one for after break. We’ve just been going to classes with Silke, Katja, and the few teachers who want us. Most teachers only invite us in their class for one lesson and then can’t seem to think of another reason to have us. It’s kind of embarrassing that we’re practically begging for hours at this point… and our mentors aren’t much help. They just tell us to keep asking. So, to further humiliate ourselves, we handwrote a letter to every English teacher and put it in their mailboxes offering our assistance. Hopefully that will do that trick… or at least buy us a few more pity hours.

Germans don’t celebrate Halloween like Americans do, that’s for sure. There were no scary decorations up anywhere or places to buy costumes. Most pumpkins we saw were Japanese pumpkins, and they weren’t good for carving! We did uncover “normal” pumpkins, though, and we brought them back to our apartment to celebrate Halloween the American way! They rotted after two days, but it’s the thought that counts.

Our German bank account at the Sparkasse is also looking better since Alex finally got paid… nearly two months later. Better late than never, I suppose. Since we were feeling wealthier and not relying on the 25 cent Pfand from our water bottles any longer, we took a two night trip to Amsterdam from October 26-28. Everything was planned out perfectly. The night before we left, we chose what attractions we wanted to do through the Holland Pass since it offered such a great deal. It was the first trip I ever planned so thoroughly without my parents, and I’ll admit, the control freak inside of me felt liberated to be in charge of exactly what we were going to do each day. We also packed and prepared food to bring to cut down on our spending… yes, we got paid, but we had to make the paycheck last for the month. It was our third overnight trip, and I’m proud to say that my packing skills are vastly improving upon each endeavor. I only bring the essentials now instead of two weeks worth of clothes for a weekend getaway.

On Friday, we went to the train station with our mapped out train transfers, platforms and all. All the excess planning we did went awry when we ended up getting on the wrong train since we never switched platforms. We travelled two hours in the wrong direction, making us four hours behind schedule. The third person to check our ticket told us we were on the wrong train… not the first or second… the third… how attentive. So we took a five minute train back to Hannover, and went to the help desk, who advised us to buy a 30 euro ticket back to Bünde, and from there, our original ticket would be valid. Once we were on the train and headed in the right direction, all was well in vacation world. Everything we do in this country seems to take us twice, maybe three times as long as a typical German. We’re bound to get the hang of it, eventually…

By the time we actually arrived in Amsterdam it was nearly 5pm, and we were quick to purchase our Holland Passes at the train station… it was nice, and somewhat bizarre, to speak English again and actually understand conversations around me. I’m so used to being a feather in a whirlwind and sticking out like a sore thumb that blending in was a foreign feeling.

We walked for 40 minutes to our hostel, admiring all the glorious sights along the way and breathing in the scent of Amsterdam tulips, among other familiar scents. After we dropped our things off in the six bedroom hostel, we went to a nearby bar where we met our new friend, Devon. He heard Alex and I speaking in English, and was very blunt when he asked to hang out with us. Naturally, we welcomed the company. Coincidentally, he is also a part of Fulbright and is living in Turkey for his second year. This is not the first time Alex and I have been stopped to converse with someone because the two of us were speaking in English, and I find it harmonious that language can be such a uniting factor.

After we parted ways with our new friend, Alex and I attempted to explore Amsterdam more. We even walked around the Red Light District. It was far cleaner and safer than I had imagined it to be, and I’ll even go a step further to add that the Atlantic City hookers don’t have a thing on Amsterdam prostitutes. The women in their windows were actually really pretty. Kudos to the girls that pretend to read books, brush their hair, and talk on the phone… they’ve given me hope that Pretty Woman may actually be a nonfiction film.

We certainly were able to sightsee that night after getting turned around in all of the canals. It all looked the same! Once we collected our bearings, it was late and we were ready to call it a night.

The next day, we did a “100 Highlights Canal Cruise” that lasted about an hour. There was an audio guide that spoke in five different languages… as annoying as it was to switch languages every other sentence, it was surprisingly well timed out with every landmark we saw. We learned about the houses with 15-40 rooms each, the gables, and the hooks on top of the houses to lift things from outside to inside the rooms since the staircases were designed to be too narrow to move things through them.

Then, we headed over to the Heineken Experience where we were schooled on the many wonders of beer. We received a quick history on Heineken and the family, and it made me appreciate the brand much more than I ever did. Great marketing. Not only did we see how much effort went into brewing beer, but we tasted it without the hops, too, and that is just all in all an unpleasant experience. There was even a virtual ride, which made me slightly nauseous. The free beers we were given at the end didn’t do much for my stomach, but I somehow choked it down.

It was getting darker, and with that, colder, so we put warmer clothes on at the hostel and headed to the Pancake Bakery. This was somehow the only food we managed to buy on this trip. I’m thinking that German Megan is turning into quite the survivor. Anyways, the restaurant was absolutely packed and we waited for at least 30 minutes, but it was well worth it. We both had one pancake the size of our plates. My pancake had banana, nutella, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I’ve always been a dessert kind of girl, but I wish I got a ham and cheese pancake because it was too rich. The pancake was really light and omelette like, so I think I could have gotten something of that nature and have been happy. Alex ordered a delicious pancake with apple, bacon, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I had the worst case of food envy. The Holland Passes we bought paid off yet again because we even got a glass of free apple cider.

We capped off the night with drinks at a bar themed like The Doors. Alex turned me onto their music and the movie, so it was a good time had by all.

Sunday, we woke up early and refreshed since it was daylight savings and headed to the train station. Since we didn’t buy our return ticket in advance in Germany, we had to go to the information desk in order to use our Bahn50 cards. We had to go to the booking agency and wait 20 minutes to get our ticket from an agent. Again, simple processes like these probably take far less time for your average German, but we’re clearly still new to everything. Thus, the simplest situation will be complicated

Once business was taken care of, we rushed to the Anne Frank Huis to make use of our last day in the Netherlands. I was looking forward to this leg of the journey for a while! Before we left Melle, we both read her diary in preparation for the museum. The eagerness and pure excitement washed away the minute we saw how long the line was… it wrapped around the corner for hours. It was like seeing a wait for Splash Mountain in Disney World in 100 degree heat.

Disappointed, but resolute on cramming in as many activities as possible, we didn’t waste any time and entered the Amsterdam Dungeon. This is a place I shouldn’t go in 50 years if I have a weak heart, or I’ll probably end up in the emergency room. Lucky me, I was selected for audience participation in one of the scenes. I blame my parents for this because I think it’s the red hair that makes me stand out, and thus, I am more likely to draw unwanted attention to myself. I was dubbed a witch in one of the acts and had to knock on a door three times. To my dismay, the door opened and I was instructed to enter the room by myself where a ghostly character was waiting to frighten me… yes, it worked. His frightening demeanor disappeared abruptly when he noticed I was just about hyperventilating. Then he told me to sit, and said, “Sorry love for scaring you. Who are you here with?” Before I could even mumble some kind of English, he jumped up and got ready for the rest of the crowd who was finally rejoining me. There was even a fun 15 second ride at the end, comparable to Skull Mountain at Six Flags.

After that, we went to the Amsterdam Museum. My favorite room included celebrity photos taken by a man from Amsterdam that captured a unique essence of each person that I could appreciate, but my mind was still on the Anne Frank Huis.

When we went back to Anne’s, the line was still too long and along came the unwanted icky feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even though the idea was abandoned, we took pictures of the outside of the house. On the bright side, we were up 40 euros.

Daylight was burning rather quickly, but we managed to visit the Houseboat Museum in all of 12 minutes to see and admire the entire thing. It was adorable, and if I wasn’t moving back to an apartment in Jersey next year, I just may have opted for one of these. However, I have a tendency to get seasick, so I’d probably OD on Dramamine after the first week.

Pressed for time, Alex and I dashed to the train station. There was a minor and very necessary pit stop along the way though… one of the shop windows displayed the most popular, the most delicious, and the most addicting candy ever… Reese’s! No, blog followers… not marijuana, candy. And we are deprived of anything peanut butter in Germany, so we had to take advantage of the situation. After those last minute purchases, we were forced to literally sprint our way to the train.

Once the train pulled into Germany, the police asked to see our passports and asked if we were vacationing, standard customs check. It was our first time showing off our brand new residence permits, which was way better to show than our passports in this scenario to prove that we were living in Europe. Of course, they had to comment on Alex’s last name, “Firsichbaum,” which means “peach tree” in German. They always ask him if he knows what it means, and then have a good chuckle to themselves about it, as if they were the first to ask this American boy with a German last name this question. If we had a euro for every time a German commented on his last name, we wouldn’t have to worry about getting paid anymore, I can say that much. Amsterdam was a fantastic trip, but it is on my bucket list to go back and see Anne Frank’s Huis.