Hello all!
Wow, do I have a lot to report on. This has certainly been a month of adventures - and there’s more to come, with my long-awaited Berlin trip coming up in two days. So before I have four action-packed days to write about, I thought I would get you caught up on my latest experiences… Springtime is Confirmation, or Konfi (short for Konfirmation) season, and this was Marta’s big year. In the Lutheran church, Konfi is a much-celebrated, highly significant rite - it is not only the initiation into the church community, but also seen as an important step into adulthood. Many guests are invited to take part in the celebrations, neighbours stop by with congratulatory gifts and cards, and the newly-confirmed youth are allowed to try their first sip of champagne. The weekend before Marta’s Konfi, we drove to Sophiental (near Braunschweig) to attend the Konfi of a daughter of family friends (the father and son had stayed with us in Denmark, so it was really nice to see them again and meet the rest of the family). It was festive and fun, complete with catering (including white asparagus soup, a seasonal delicacy), fireworks, and very smartly dressed guests (plus me). Next, it was Marta’s turn. Early in the week, the guests began to arrive - starting with the Latvian family and godparents. I found it very neat to sit and listen to the Latvian conversations, of which I understood a grand total of about three words, but was luckily also able to communicate with all of them except Opus (“Grandpa”, ie. Signe’s father) in English. They were very friendly and interesting to talk to, and I learned a lot about Latvian culture, adding yet another country to my list of “places to go and people to see”. On Saturday, the German guests arrived and we lunched together, trouped off to church at 2:30, and returned home to celebrate until the wee hours. It was another day full of people in party mode and delicious food, and the star of the show looked very elegant and grown-up in high heels and a black (according to tradition) confirmation dress. I also managed to squeeze in some local exploring and culture in the week of the Latvian visit - watching the semifinals and finals of the Eurovision Song Contest (the European “Olympics” of music) with the family and going to a Halde and lake with friends from my dance class. For those who don’t know what a Halde is (so probably everyone, right? I certainly didn’t before I went), it is translated as ‘heap’, and is essentially a pile of rubble from coal mines. They are strewn liberally across the landscape in this area of Germany, a testament to the coal-mining days, and mostly look like normal grassy/wooded hills, although some have yet to be “rehabilitated” and are dusty, black mounds of rock. Those that are open to the public often have well-maintained hiking trails and even roads leading to the top, where a viewing platform, sculpture, garden, playground, or other attraction brings people from far and wide. They are also often the sites of concerts, weddings, and festivals. I found this to be a very neat way to convert the ugly remnants of a forgone era into places to gather and celebrate nature and culture, while still respecting their historical significance. We hiked to the top of a Halde near Essen (passing an indoor ski hill along the way, which apparently supplies artificial snow (transported in refrigerated trucks) for cross-country skiing competitions as far away as Düsseldorf!) and stopped for a picnic before climbing the giant metal pyramid crowning the hill. From there, we had a 360 degree view across the landscape - Essen in one direction, Düsseldorf in the other, and in the distance, the familiar steeple of the Heiligenhaus catholic church visible over the trees. My friend indicated to the lushly forested landscape and told me to imagine all the green space as a black, rocky, dusty coal bed. It must have looked so bleak and depressing; I’m truly impressed by the change, and actually felt hopeful for the future (which is the normally the opposite affect of when I learn about environmental development). On the way back from the Halde, we stopped by a man-made lake (interestingly a big biker gathering place) - which I didn’t have high expectations of, but actually looked very natural and peaceful and reminded me strongly of home. There were swans and ducks along the shore and lots of people out enjoying the good weather in rowboats and canoes. Unfortunately, the water is not yet safe to swim in, but it certainly looked clean and inviting. This weekend was another adventure - this time, in the lovely city of Düsseldorf. I spent much of Saturday with friends along the Rhine Promenade, observing and taking part in the annual Japan Day festivities (and simultaneously celebrating the 20th birthday of one of my good friends from school). There were tents with activities (such as origami, calligraphy, and Japanese bouquet-arranging workshops), stands selling all things Japanese (food, art, fans, embroidered bags, and kimonos), and performances (including traditional dancing, singing, and percussion shows). It was jam-packed, and many of the people were dressed up in elaborate costumes based on Anime and Manga characters, sporting wild-coloured wigs, horns, wings, fangs, and unsettling red, white, yellow, or black contact lenses. A very interesting part of the festivities was the abundance of hugs. There were many people wearing signs saying “free hugs”, and lines that stretched along the walkway of people offering embraces to passers-by. The idea didn’t originally fill me with warm fuzzies (and seemed neither particularly Japanese nor German), but the atmosphere was so positive and welcoming that after half an hour I joined in the hug-happy crowd and worked my way along the lines, hugging and greeting perfect strangers like old friends. It was awesome, but surprisingly exhausting and dizzying. What a unique experience! The festival culminated at midnight with an impressive firework show over the Rhine, after which we joined the flood of people charging back to the central train station to head home. Two days of school remain before I travel to Berlin with the Lutheran youth group to take part in another festival - national Kirchentag (Church day). As it is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, it is going to be huge. The program is full of amazing-sounding workshops, concerts, lectures, and presentations, and I can’t wait to go! (I promise to say hello to Obama for you all.) Liebe Grüße, Sylvia
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Hello again,
It’s now the second week back at school, and the Easter break already seems long ago. So, enough procrastinating; time to write now before I forget any more details! The last few days in Denmark were just as interesting and relaxing as the first. We went on more walks, checked out the neighbouring town, and went on a day trip to the other side of the island to see the Møn cliffs. I had hoped to go since I saw a painting of them in the art gallery a few days previously, so it was really cool to be able to make that a reality. The stark white chalk that makes up the cliffs lends the water a tropical turquoise color, making for a stunning effect when the sun shines. Coupled with the fairy-forest of twisting beach trees and a carpet of green festooned with white flowers, this was a pretty magical place. The hiking trails and wooden steps down to the shore were well-kept and accessible, making it possible for the whole crowd, kiddos and all, to enjoy the day. Driving back to the ferry on our eighth day was a little sad, but also exciting, as I was curious to see what a German Easter would be like. As it turned out, the Easter weekend at Oma’s place was quite low-key but of course very pleasant. The evening before Easter, Manfred, Signe, and I braved the cold, dark walk to a nearby farm where a traditional “Easter fire” burned, and neighbours gathered for beer and a chance to catch up. The firefighting crew was there to keep an eye on the fire, but also to take part in the festivities and hand out the drinks… It was a very neat and typical “village” feel. The next morning, Manfred and I went to the church service in Beverstedt (“Beaver town” in the local dialect - in Hoch Deutsch (what I am learning) it would be called Bieberstadt - and yes, I felt very at home there!), then returned for the Easter egg hunt (on a smaller scale then at home, but all were very satisfied with the amount of chocolate and received gifts as well), and a festive roast duck lunch. We spent most of the rest of the day outside, taking advantage of the sunshine; meanwhile, it was snowing in Heiligenhaus! I also spent time with Oma making straw star ornaments, as I had been impressed by those hanging on her tree when we visited at Christmas - a random but fun activity to do on Easter day. On our last day there, we took a trip to Bremerhaven to do some shopping and visited a fish smoke-house in the old fishing port, where we bought the most amazing, dare I say heavenly, smoked fish I have ever tasted in my life. Finally, it was time to say our good-byes and drive home, and to grudgingly admit that the long-awaited vacation had come to an end. Luckily, we had a few more days to relax before school started again - which I put to good use by spending time with friends, making a trip to Düsseldorf with Marta to check out the “Japanese quarter”, and going to a very fancy Rotaract gala celebrating the Velbert Rotary Club’s first anniversary. However, going back to school on Monday certainly did not signal the end of my adventures; this past Friday, Marta and I left school early and headed to a town near Hamburg to visit “our” aunt (my “host aunt”?), Annette, for three days. Being a History teacher and one of those “cool relatives”, she was the ideal tour guide and hostess. We sampled about ten million types of tea for breakfast, spent a day sight-seeing in Hamburg (affording me a totally different view of the city then I had gained during my short visit there in the fall - highlights including a visit to the gruesome “Dungeon”, stopping by a spice shop with exotic flavours from around the world that celebrated Hamburg’s spice trading history, a tour of the impressive city hall, and a breakdance show by street performers), took a boat trip down the Elbe, saw the beautiful old port town of Stade (noteworthy were the intricately carved and brightly painted wooden doors, a sign of status and wealth, on many of the old houses), and enjoyed a purely “girls weekend”. And although the four-hour train ride each way wasn’t terribly exciting, it gave me a chance to read a very good book (the third book in German that I have read to date) and catch up on some sleep. All in all, it was yet another wonderful weekend. Well, that’s it for now - ‘till next time! Liebe Grüße, Sylvia |