Spencer's EM Podcast

While sitting here enjoying a great European Cup match with Spencer I realized that I hadn't posted Spencer's recent podcast. Germany looks good right now - 3-1 in the 78th minute. Hopefully they can keep up the energy. Otherwise no chance. Portugal is too talented. Of course, check in on our Living in Germany Podcast for more fun from Germany.

Shantal's School-wide Project

Shantal and I did another podcast together - Episode #32 of our Living in Germany podcast. The podcast is about the school-wide project and she asked me to do the podcast. Very cool. I copied in some pictures below the podcast pickle player.

Shantal's Class Projects

Shantal and I did another podcast together - Episode #32 of our Living in Germany podcast. The podcast about her recent class projects was fun even though Shantal was very tired. One interesting thing was how Shantal kept switching back into German. I think this was due to being tired, but I found it interesting that she switched back into German.

Spencer's Jedi Training podcast

Spencer and I did another podcast together - Episode #31 of our Living in Germany podcast. The podcast was not quite as organized as I would have liked but Spencer added hilarity to the show by quoting a mini cartoon movie found on the internet about training to be a Jedi and blurting out random thoughts throughout the show.



And here is the flash movie Spencer kept quoting:

View the flash movie

DSDS

Here is our podcast about the finals of DSDS (Deutschland sucht den Superstar - English: Germany seeks its Superstar) the German version of American Idol. We've enjoyed watching the show together every Saturday night over the last several weeks and talked about some of the differences between the U.S. and German versions the show in our podcast.


One note from the podcast: Gardner was wrong. As Tamara clearly stated, in the U.S. it is free to vote for American Idol contestants. In Germany, the phone call costs 50 cents per phone call.

Each contestant will be assigned his or her own toll-free number and text message short code number during the performance show.

Thomas Gudoj was the winner and his signature song during the competition was Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. A video should be available at RTL.de, which is the channel that carries DSDS here in Germany.

We Lost the Nanny

The house shoes (Hausschuhe) are gone, and with them the magic of our Nanny. The sad day has arrived sooner than we were hoping. In other words, the health insurance company has denied our request to extend the Nanny (Haushaltshilfe) due to Tamara's anemia.

But, we knew it would come to an end one day, and we learned some amazing things from the short time the Nanny was with us. This repeated the pattern that we saw when my mom stayed with us, and when the Relief Society (Frauenhilfsvereinigung or FHV in German) from our church helped us directly after Tamara's surgery. Our lives our much richer because of the service others have provided to us. One concrete example is that Spencer will be able to go to the movies next week with one of the families that helped us right after the surgery. Without that connection, he would not have been able to go.

That's the upside. Now to the day to day realities of dealing with Tamara's anemia. How did the kids respond to the lack-o-Nanny? How is Tamara doing? Find out in Episode 28 of our Living in Germany Podcast.


Click here for all of the posts on the Nanny.

A Quick Update from Spencer

Here are a few quick items from Spencer.

By the way, he is struggling with listening to his own voice on the podcast - he thinks he sounds funny. That's a normal reaction the first time you hear your own recorded voice played back, but he doesn't realize that. So, let him know how much you enjoy his podcast and what you would love to hear from him.


Here are the jokes from HaHaHa.de (with translations) Spencer told on the show. The rhyming is important, which results in some gruesome situations (one boy stuck in the folding chair in a burning theater for instance). Have you ever read the original Grimm Brothers fairy tales. They are also gruesome. Evil step sister's foot doesn't fit in the slipper, no problem, just chop off some toes. That didn't make the cut in the Disney screenplay.

Alle Kinder sitzen im Riesenrad, nur nicht ... Klaus, der fiel raus

All the children are sitting in the ferris wheel, except for ... Klaus, he fell out.

Alle Kinder rennen aus dem brennenden Kino, ... nur nicht Abdul, der klemmt im Klappstuhl

All the children are running out of the burning movie theater, ... except for Abdul, he's stuck in the folding chair.

Alle Kinder spielen mit dem Holzbein, nur ... nicht Heinz, denn es ist seins

All the children are playing with a wooden leg, ... except for Heinz, because, well it's his.

Will We Lose the Nanny?

That is the question that occupies our minds these days. The Nanny is officially requested (by the doctor) and officially approved (by the health insurance company) through the 9th of April.

Because Tamara's blood levels have not improved (in fact they got worse) after the surgery, we have asked for an extension. This has to be requested by the doctor and approved by the health insurance.

Why am I pushing for this? I haven't seen Tamara this happy and upbeat in a long time. I hope our lifesaver will be able to be extended. Check out Episode 26 of our Living in Germany podcast for the update:
Here's our little reminder that the Nanny is here and still able to work a bit of magic for us. It's not Mary Poppin's umbrella, but our reminder that the Nanny is here. The question now is will she be able to stay with us:

A Nanny to the Rescue

Tamara has been sick with anemia for some time now (she takes iron pills and B12 shots) and recently underwent surgery to help improve the situation. with the surgery we applied for Haushaltshilfe (Domestic Help) through the health insurance and were able to receive it, just when we thought no more help was available after grandma was gone, and Tamara's blood counts actually got worse.
A little reminder that the Nanny is here.

It very common in Germany to wear house shoes, offer your guests house shoes, bring your own house shoes on trips, etc. We now have a reminder, even on the weekends, that the Nanny has come to help us (kind of like Mary Poppins' umbrella).

The benefit of a nanny is available here in Germany through the health insurance is a domestic help program. Social service organizations coordinate with the health insurance to provide homes with help after a surgery for example. In our case Tamara needs help with the housework and with the kids. After, the first week of surgery with lots of help from the congregation, and then two weeks of grandma, and I, Gardner, was back at work, we got this amazing help for Tamara, just when we thought she was back to being left all alone. It has truly been a life saver these last weeks.

Grocery Shopping in Germany - Tips

Tamara, my lovely wife, is an expert in grocery shopping. So, what did she do when she moved to another country and had to re-learn many of her skills? Find out in Episode 14 of our Living in Germany podcast.



It includes such fun things as how to drive a four wheel shopping cart, the purpose of renting a shopping cart (say what?), why we shop at Aldi, and the endearing check-out process. Here's a picture of the toy we opened on the show - an Überraschungsei, which is a favorite here in Germany (Ueberraschungsei, Kinder Surprise, Magic Kinder). The little yellow egg containing the toy comes inside of a chocolate egg. Great fun for the kids.



The first several minutes are about the kiddos, including how Emma is doing with German.

Shantal's take on Easter

Here is Shantal's take on our Easter celebrations and the wonderful, snowy Easter weather we had over the weekend.

She makes a fine snow chair and talks about one of her favorite Easter treats from the U.S.: sugar coated marshmellow Peeps, which are shaped like bunnies or baby chickens.

American Flag Football

What do Germans do when presented with an American Football and a brief explanation of the rules? Well, they play American Football. And pretty darn well, I must admit.

Spencer and I hosted a Fathers-n-Sons American Flag Football day for the boys in Spencer's class back in February. We called the Fathers-n-Sons Superbowl. It was a great day. Five fathers with their sons came for the event. We played one game of football (Giants were victorious) and then ate some breakfast (everyone brought something to share). And then we played another game (Patriots won). We played according to international flag football rules, which are well thought out and simplified some of the rules and made it easier for us to explain. The rules were also available in German, which helped me not have to translate everything.

It was a great day for football. I have only seen a few days with such great weather here in Düsseldorf, and that Saturday in February, was one of them. It was typical Fall football weather. Cool weather, warmed slightly by the sun. Beautiful.

The games turned out beautifully as well. And, it was a great day for Spencer. He played quarterback much of the time and was able to lead and direct the team very nicely. We talked about some of the highlights in our podcast. Enjoy:

Meet our Bilingual Kids - Shantal

Here is a brief introduction to two of our bilingual children (started in September, 2007, and finally got this one posted).

It is enjoyable to see the children experiment with, learn, and ultimately master a new language. At the time of these podcasts our children had been living in Germany for almost a year now. They are both in the 3rd grade and have recently been asked to put their bilingual language skills to work: Shantal (see below) helps teach English in school & Spencer is translating into German at church.

At parents night Shantal's teacher explained that she has a new teaching assistant in English this year - Shantal. Children in Germany begin learning English in 3rd grade. When the teacher asks Shantal, Shantal speaks English to the kids asking them simple questions, such as "what color is this?" while holding up a card with a color on it. The children answer in English. Shantal also described her experiences in her own words in Episode 16 of our Shantal's first Living in Germany podcast.

Meet our Bilingual Kids - Spencer

Here is a brief introduction to two of our bilingual children (started in September, 2007, and finally got this one posted).

It is enjoyable to see the children experiment with, learn, and ultimately master a new language. At the time of these podcasts our children had been living in Germany for almost a year now. They are both in the 3rd grade and have recently been asked to put their bilingual language skills to work: Shantal helps teach English in school & Spencer (see below) is translating into German at church.

Spencer came to me at church one Sunday in September and said: "translating into German. That's easy!" I am one of the translators at church (mostly from German into English). After Spencer watched me translate one week we spoke about translating a bit. I told Spencer that it is easy to translate into English, but hard to translate into German (my foreign language, and the second language of our children). Here's how he explained it in his own words in Episode 17 of our Spencer's first Living in Germany podcast.

Kids First Podcasts

Had to split the post into two, one for each child:
Shantal
Spencer

Talk a Mommy, Mommy!

The title was Emma's request to Tamara on Saturday when we had a German couple over for dinner. Translated it means: "talk the way you normally talk, mommy." During the evening with our friends Tamara naturally spoke German and when she would turn to Emma she would stay in German mode and speak German to Emma as well.

This did not sit well with Emma. In trying to make sense of her world, she has learned that Mommy speaks English and that Daddy speaks German. If that changes suddenly, her world is a bit upside down.

Her expression for telling us that the world was now upside down, and that we should right the ship was just so adorable. "Talk a Mommy!" is what she repeatedly said to Tamara whenever Tamara spoke German to her. It was a tender moment, especially after the past week of bilingual discovery that Emma has had.

We have also described the day in Episode 22 of our Living in Germany podcast.

Driving in Germany & The Autobahn

Ever wonder if the autobahn is as cool as it sounds. Want to no more about driving in Germany? Here is some first hand experience that my wife and I have made over the last nine months of living and driving in Germany, including driving on the German autobahn.

We've also captured some of our experiences in Episode 7 our Living in Germany podcast which you can listen to using the player below. This show was inspired by my getting my 2nd speeding ticket in Germany in 8 months (more on that below).


For fans of the literary version, read on.

One of my first memories of driving in Germany came as a 19 year old missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly nicknamed the Mormon Church). I was assigned to work in Aachen, Germany at the time and had only been in the country for about 3 weeks. A couple from the congregation in Aachen were driving me and my companion somewhere in the city of Aachen. We came to a stop light, which was turning yellow and the husband sped up to make the light (he was turning right, which I'll talk more about in a minute).

I thought nothing of this and just watched out the window, until suddenly the wife yelled out "Josef, Kamara!" You can likely guess the translation - "Joseph, Camera!" This took me by surprise and I was not sure what to think. By the time I figured out what she had said and was referring to I could just catch a glimpse of a little green box back at the intersection we had just passed.

For those who have been in Germany, you know that the little green boxes are cameras (commonly referred in German to as Starenkasten or Blitzer). These cameras are used to take pictures of traffic violations and send out tickets to the violators. When this happens to you you have been "geblitzt". This is the common method for issuing tickets and I remember the couple in Aachen discussing whether or not a picture had been taken, and if the camera was new, why they hadn't seen it before, etc. The Police speed cameras come in stationary and mobile forms (see Wikipedia for more).

I did not personally learn much from this history lesson, as I have already been geblitzt, or captured on film twice for traffic violations in our first nine months in Germany. But in a way this inspired our podcast and has hopefully inspired me to drive a bit more slowly.

Well here are a few of the other things we have learned about driving in Germany and about the thrill of driving on the German autobahn.

• No right turn on Red. In other words, a red stoplight means stop 100% of the time.



• Yellow means slow down. Why? Because of the next interesting rule.



• Red, Yellow, Green, means go. It's like at the race track. Before getting a green light you are forewarned that green is coming with a Yellow light. When the Yellow is shown (red is still lit as well) then you start driving. Thus slowing down on yellow is generally a good idea because the other cars are reving up on the other side of the intersection.



• street on the right has the right of way (unless there is a sign to indicate otherwise).



• As mentioned above, Cameras are used to catch moving traffic violations, and they are very good at catching people (see the podcast for more).

Some Rules for the German Autobahn

• Contrary to popular belief, there are speed limits on the autobahn. These occur near major cities, in tunnels, in high traffic, and near major interchanges.
  



• Just like any other moder freeway system, the German autobahn experiences traffic jams, especially during rush hour. In German this is called a Stau. The radio stations (British stations as well) generally report on any Stau or traffic jam of greater than 3 kilometers. If there are not very many traffic jams, then they report on any Stau or traffic jam of greater than 2 kilometers.
  We had the lovely experience of sitting in two traffic jams of 10 plus kilometers each on our way to Hannover this summer.
  



• When enforced, Autobahn speed limits range from 80 - 120 kilometers per hour (roughly 50 - 75 m.p.h). 80 km p.h. is common for tunnels.
  



• Autobahn = No passing on the right --> very important rule at speeds near and above 100 m.p.h.
  



• The German word "Autobahn", means highway or freeway.

Before showing some of the common signs that we found worthy of posting and discussing on our podcast, I'll discuss driving on the autobahn, and one of the best and most exhilarating signs in all of German driving, the one that takes away all the speed limits.

Seeing the "no more speed limits" sign on the autobahn is truly awesome. For me it's like being on a race track and driving under yellow or caution (120 k/mh or 75 m.p.h.) and then seeing the green flag starting to wave. Cars start to speed up and race ahead. The traffic starts to thin out and the stronger cars move left and to the head of the pack, while the slower cars move into the right hand lane. Truly exhilarating!

When there are no speed limits I generally drive between 80 & 90 m.p.h. Since most modern cars are designed to drive this fast it seems normal and natural to drive this fast. I'm not sure how many tickets I'll get when we go back to the states, or if I'll be able to slow back down to 55 - 65 m.p.h. This I know, I literally hated driving long stretches of highway in the U.S., but here it is a pure pleasure. And so, for now I'll just continue enjoying our time on the German autobahn.

Here the pics:




Right of way for the Street (until we tell you otherwise - see next sign)


END of right of way for the street


right of way for the next intersection only (thereafter, the streets on the right have the right of way again)




frogs could be crossing here (we have this cute little sign in our neighborhood)



speed limit sign 60 km hour (normally 120 on the autobahn)



"no more speed limits" (normally 120 crossed out on the autobahn)





The police speed camera that caught me at 62 km/h in a 50 km/h zone from the back side (Starenkasten, Blitzer). The sad thing is they have maps published on the internet that tell you exactly where the police speed cameras are located.
Had I only known sooner.

Here are some informative links for driving in Germany :
Getting Around Germany - the Autobahn
The German Way - Autobahn
OfficialUS Embassey Info - good details

Want Levis in Germany?

Looking for a deal you can't pass up? Want that comfortable fit you're used to? It's got to be Levis. No, this isn't an add for Levis. It's an update from our Living in Germany Podcast by Tamara's better half?!?! ; -) The lovable DH you've heard so much about.

In Episode 12 of our Living in Germany Podcast we discussed a sale at the local department store here in Ratingen, Germany. It's a sale for Levis 501 blue jeans for 65 €. That translates to almost $87.



I had heard about this phenomenon of high prices for popular blue jeans from the United States from others who had visited Germany, but I had never looked at the prices before, so this one blew me away when I saw the advertisement.

And how much are those Levis 501 blue jeans in the U.S. right now? We looked at Sears online and they are offering the jeans for $31.99 or $3 off the normal price (approx. 23.50 €).

For all you math majors out there (or non math majors who haven't calculated the difference yet), the jeans are about $55 more expensive in Germany than in the U.S. - that is Amazing.

The First Day Of School - German Style

Well, we now have our first day of school behind us.

The kids started school yesterday. Spencer and Shantal are now in the third grade. And Hannah is in first grade. First Grade is when the kids enter the Elementary School here in Germany (Einschulung). And when that happens, well, let's just say.....it is a HUGE deal. We have also described the day in Episode 9 of our Living in Germany podcast.

This is how the first day of school went yesterday for Hannah. All festivities began at 10am. We met at the Lutheran Church where there was a combined Lutheran and Catholic service. After a 45 minute service, we all walked to the school. That was about a 15 minute walk. Then there was an assembly at the school. It was a good 45 minutes long as well. Perhaps even longer. All the classes in the school did some sort of presentation. Some were songs, dances, poems. Stuff like that. Then, it came time that they called the kids to go with their teacher to class. The kids spent 45 minutes in the classroom and the family and visitors all waited outside for the kids to come out. When the class time was over, the kids came out and we all went home.

But afterwards, everyone had parties, special dinners, etc., planned. Family came for this special occasion from long distances to be a part of the big day. Grandparents, aunts, friends. I couldn't believe how many people came. It was treated as if it was a Graduation from High School in America. And to top it off.....The kids got what is called a Schultüte, schultuete, or school cone. It is a big shaped cone filled with presents. It was amazing to see these school cones in person. Many of the school cones seemed larger than the children carrying them. I actually made Hannah's. It has a Lillifee on the front. Which means Lilli Fairy. But some people went ALL out for these.

Now, to talk about what happened with Hannah on her first day of school. We got to the church for the service and they had the kids sit on the first 5 rows. Of course, Hannah did not want to and stood by us in the back of the room. They gave us a big strip of yellow paper for us to write a wish that we had for Hannah during the school year. At one point in the service, The kids all took their strips up and it made the rays for the sun. I got Hannah to go up and of course, I had to go with her. Anyway, while we were up there, a girl named Debbie asked Hannah to come sit next to her. And Hannah did. I was so happy. BUT....that happiness was short lived by Hannah. A bit later in the service, The pastors called all the children up so that they could give the kids a blessing. Hannah immediately started crying and came over to find me.

After the service was over, we walked back to the school. Hannah was walking with two friends, Debbie and Lena. We got to the school and they did the assembly. Once again, the kids were sitting on the first 3 rows. Hannah this time DID sit with the kids. I think it is because I was just 2 rows behind her. She could see me and touch me if she needed to. But, when it came to go to the classes, the principal called out the kids names and they were supposed to come up as the kids names were called. Well, Hannah's name is last on the list due to our last name beginning with a W. Everyone was already gone. And Hannah just started crying and saying she didn't want to. I got up and seriously DRAGGED her to the front of the stage where the kids all went. Then I had to pick her up and carry her to the classroom. Of course, all the parents were laughing. That did not help at all. I got her up to her classroom and her teacher asked if she was in her class. I of course responded with a Yes. And she said, "Do your daughter a favor and just put her down and leave." I did just that. As I started to walk away, the fire alarm went off. I think that startled everyone a bit and helped distract Hannah with what really was happening.

So while she was in the classroom, I was outside with the kids, Gardner and other parents. They served Mineral Water while we waited. Mineral Water is what they drink the most here. If you ask for water, Mineral Water is what you will be given. It was a hot day, so it was a nice offering due to the heat.

After about 45 minutes, the kids came out. Hannah was happy and said her teacher was really nice. All the kids got their School Cones and gathered together to get a class picture.

To me.....it all seemed SO over-rated, but Gardner loved it. This big day. I felt it was too long for the kids who were going to school. Sure, maybe the adults like this stuff. But it seemed like too much on the first day of school. And why all the grandparents, friends of the family, and extended family? Seriously, for what there was, it just seems so odd. I have to add that Nadine, one of our exchange students we have had live with us when we were in America, came up for to spend with Hannah on her special day. And that was nice.

Here are pictures from yesterday. You can see the back packs they use here, the School Cones, the massive amounts of people.

The Lutheran Church where the Service was held.

Gardner, Tamara, Nadine, Emma and Ian with Hannah.

The Walk to the School.

The German Style Backpacks (Tornister, Schulranzen).

Hannah waiting for the assembly to start.

Family and Friends lined up EVERYWHERE to watch.

Students coming out of class.

Hannah coming out of class.

Where Hannah sits in class.

Trying to get a class picture.

Still a class picture.

Hannah with her Schultüte (schultuete, German School Cone).

Hannah in front of our house with her Lillifee school cone.

Hannah reaching in to get something out.

Hannah showing off her Chocolate Surprise Eggs.

Our Vacation Day #1 - Traffic Jam (Stau) near Hannover

Friday July 6

We left for Lengede around 12:30pm. It should have been a 3 hour drive. We were doing great. I remember at one point, Gardner telling me we would be there in one hour. And then the unthinkable happened. TRAFFIC! Not just any traffic, but a dead stop traffic jam on the German autobahn (the German word is Stau!). The traffic jam or Stau was about 13 kilometers long. A stretch of highway (about 1 kilometer) that should of taken us minutes to drive took more than an hour. At one point, we let the kids get out of their car seats and we got out of the van (as you can see in the pictures below). We did end up getting off the freeway to drive around it, but not right at first. Driving around the traffic jam was not much faster than sitting and waiting for traffic to be cleared, but the moving car was 100 times better for the kids.

We then finally got back on the freeway and starting moving again. And what happens? another TRAFFIC JAM (or Stau)! This Stau was 10 kilometers long and we did not stay on the autobahn, but rather got directly off to drive around it again. Our drive through the countryside ended at a McDonalds where the kids could run around for a bit and could eat a bite or two. We then continued our journey without further problems, but our 3 hour trip ended up taking us 6 ½ hours.

We got into Lengede after 7pm. We had dinner plans at six. So Sibylle, our Au Pair from a few years ago, took us straight to her church where they were having a barbeque. We met her mom, dad and sister there for the first time.

We described our vacation and naturally our wonderful experience of sitting in traffic in Episode 4 of our Living in Germany podcast.

This is our Van with the Storage on top.