Some of the random things I've always thought I should write about all mashed up together

Economy of Space- A phrase that I began applying to the way the Swiss live. Space is a valuable commodity here, and the Swiss are perfecting the art of utilizing it the best they can in a way that is still aesthetically pleasing. From the use of underground- shopping, parking, the garbage dump- to building houses/apartment buildings up and using roof space.

Packaging for products has this in mind also. Liquid detergent is most often sold in a pouch, not a jug, for instance. A lot of packaging is recycling or disposal friendly. The milk carton I buy is a coated cardboard and there are instruction on the side for how to flatten it. I think it is very much a way of life. I have seen people throw away at the grocery store the plastic container their meat came in. I assume because it took up too much space in their grocery bag. I also assume they wrap their meat in a plastic sack. Johanna, Eli and I often sit next to the recycling wall in the grocery store and I have watched many people pushing their recyclables into the appropriate slots, and when they are finished they walk over to the public trash can and throw away their plastic clam shells. Those things take up valuable space in the 2 CHF trash bag, why keep them in your trash when they can go in someone else's?

Things I see.

There are several trends I have spotted and I wonder if they are particular to St. Gallen, Switzerland, Europe, or if it's a bigger city thing. Or none of the above and I'm just that behind the times.

-Tattoos. Obviously these are plenty ubiquitous wherever you are, but they appear on every mild mannered desk jobber around.

-Also piercings beyond ears. There just seems to be a crazy high number of them. And if you happen to be one of those people with a bull ring in your nose- yes, it does look like you have boogies hanging out.

-Dreadlocks on white people. This is about to get un-p.c.- is the term “Euro-trash” applicable?

Since Jackson starting kindy, I have had the privilege of observing the school kids (ages 4-12/13). The big trend with the boys is to gel their hair up and over in the front (what is this called? Think rainbow). And then to wear a knit ski cap over the rest of the hair- leaving the bangs out. And skinny jeans, colored skinny jeans. (EVERYONE wears skinny jeans. They should not.)

A story (kinda): Jackson takes a snack to kindy everyday. The first week, when it was exciting to go to school, I sent bread and cheese (very Swiss of me). The second week when things came crashing down, I asked what he would like and gave him options that included a granola bar- that is what he went for. I knew (intuitively) most of the kids brought healthier things, but if it gave him a moment of happiness to eat a granola bar at school- that is fine. He continued on the granola bar track for a couple weeks. One day he told me he had to brush his teeth after snack. Okay...did he need a toothbrush? No, the teacher provided one. The next day he tells me he doesn't want a granola bar because they have sugar and if he has sugar then he has to brush his teeth. He then asked if he could bring chocolate for a snack.

Cost of living. I have mentioned before that Switzerland is expensive, but I had someone ask me about the price of bread here and it occurred to me that a basic way to understand the difference in COL (without going into the political factors) is the price of some basic staples. I am going to do a rough estimation of the price in US Dollars

Gas: Sold by the liter (about 4 liters in a gallon) at about $1.90 a liter. ($7.60 a gallon!?)

Milk: Also sold by the liter. There is a very wide range on the types of milk you can buy. From UHT shelf stable, to Alpine organic. Probably ranges from $1-2/liter. Do the math: $4-8/gallon

Bread: To my Swiss-washed brain, bread is very reasonably priced. For a common loaf (a good sized 500 grams) around $2

WHY does it cost so much more to live here? The one basic factor I'm aware of is that everybody makes more. There is a higher minimum wage and this leads to everything costing more.

I also want to say that it is impressive how many goods are produced in Switzerland. Trash cans, binders, paper, watches, knives- so much stuff is made here. And if it is made here then you will surely see a symbol telling you it is Swiss made. If I noticed this many products in the U.S. that indicated they were made in the USA, I would be shocked.

A game I play with myself: What I Will Miss About Switzerland

(Other than the things that remind me of home, like my Women's English Bible Study)

-Elderly people using ski poles/nordic walking poles as canes

-the bread

-the cheese

-the chocolate

-public transportation (don't get me wrong, a car is great, but it is nice to have the option) and even though I don't always like it, it's good that we have to do some walking every day. It's actually really nice after a big meal- assuages the guilt and aids the digestion

-the emphasis on outdoorsiness (thus making outdoor activities more accessible to the regular joe shmoe)

I suppose I play this game when I'm feeling homesick or I see something particularly amusing.

  

Torch Walk

      What is the most important ingredient for good fondue? The same ingredient for good anything- an appetite. It doesn't hurt to develop this appetite with a 5 km hike over snowy terrain. This is what was quaintly referred to as a “torch walk.” It was really a nice little adventure, improved only by less whining (but what isn't?). But as with most things outdoorsy here, I underestimated the event.

     The event was put on by the Swiss Milling School Student Association so most of Kenny's classmates participated. We were driven by van up and out to-- I really have no idea where. But the owner of the restaurant we ended up at was there with mulled wine and warm (kid friendly) punch. The worst part, as far as being cold, was probably waiting around at the trail head for twenty minutes or so for the teachers/guides. Although it was very entertaining to watch all the students dancing and horsing around in the snow. (Gangnam Style is the class anthem) Once we were walking it was not so cold. 

       The kids and I were given the option of going straight to the restaurant and waiting for the others, but like I said I was underestimating this “walk” and I didn't want to miss out on a quintessential Swiss experience. I regretted that decision off and on throughout our hike, but Kenny's classmates were very kind in helping us get the children to the restaurant in a timely manner. Kenny carried Eli, the reasoning being that Jo is so clingy to me that if I carried Eli, I would end up with both him and her. But the cold and the dark increased her clinginess (she would really do herself a favor by WEARING HER GLOVES!!) and she refused to walk so Kenny ended up with the two youngest. Jackson was a trooper, but he has great difficulties walking next to snow and not kicking at it or playing in it, so we were a little slow. 

          This really was a torch walk. Real torches- open flame and everything. The kind of thing that made me feel like I was in the Lord of the Rings. I had a hobbit, I only needed a green cape. And these were definitely necessary- our path was dark! It was apparently a road, though. We came across a house or farm every now and then.

We were hiking in the snow, but our path had been flattened. It was a little slick. Kenny tells me that after awhile, Johanna fell asleep so she was passed around to several classmates, and one of these guys even came back to me and Jackson and gave Jackson a shoulder ride to the restaurant. It's sweet to see all these men with our children. Some have children back home, but I think most miss being around families. Or maybe our kids are just that cute. 

Dinner was great. Fondue is delicious, but when you've been out in the cold, working up an appetite, it is just really really good. The kids shared a chicken and vegetable plate. I have never seen so many vegetables on one plate in a restaurant before. They like the idea of fondue (they like the idea of dipping any food in some kind of sauce) but hot cheese with the flavors of wine does not do it for them. (ketchup does)

How Jo ended the night

   The guy holding the staff for Samichlaus is from Israel- Jewish. The man sitting next to me laughed and said, "it's like the light and the dark sides together." Yes, Stars Wars metaphors are ubiquitious.

    Samichlaus and Shmutzli came to visit so I was able to build on my working knowledge of Christmas traditions here. He gave a bit of history on Saint Nicholas and was very specific that Samichlaus has nothing to do with Santa Claus (I beg to differ, the idea of Santa Claus had to come from somewhere). He seemed to be trying to throw in a little superiority about this separation. 

    There are a lot of men who dress up as Samichlaus and go to schools, houses, public events. I had assumed that the Swiss did Samichlaus, like the U.S. Santa, or even like I did St. Nick, back home. You leave out a sock or shoe at night and in the morning there are goodies. Now I kinda think that it is more common to have a direct visit. I learned from another woman here that it is the Christkind- Christ Child- that brings the gifts on Christmas Eve. And I have picked up from TV that our “Santa Claus” is known as “Weihnnachtsmann” (spelling is probably wrong) The Christmas Man? Curiouser and curiouser.

    Anyway, this Samichlaus had a little ribbing planned for all the students and bags of treats- nuts, chocolate, candy. He is one of Kenny's teachers. Ouch- What a thick accent. That would definitely be difficult to follow for 8 hours a day.  "Thank you, wery much!"

 Some shots of the students

"

  When all was said and done, it was late. We still had to get back to St. Gallen. And up the hill to our house. I was ecstatic to learn we were getting a ride back in the van all the way to our door!  I was sleepy so this excitement didn't really show until it  was our turn to be dropped off. And just as I tell the driver thank you and he turns onto our street- and the van stops. And won't go any further.  He can back up and get out, but he cannot make it up our now snow covered street.  :(  We had to wake Jackson and make him walk. He was so out of it that he just bawled the whole way. I almost did, but I managed to keep it together.

Food: part bread

Oh bread, bread, how I love thee, let me count the ways.  The bread here is something I am definitely going to miss when I get back to the states, Kenny too.  He doesn't eat quite as much now, but when we first arrived it seemed two out of three of his meals were bread and jam. 
   Kenny wants me to point out that there are over 200 varieties of bread in Switzerland. He learned that in one of his classes.  The teacher that told him this brought in a BUNCH of different kinds for the students to sample. I think that was a good day for him.
   The vast majority of bread sold here is not sliced bread- it is whole loaves or small buns/rolls. They do have sliced bread, labeled as toast. I've also seen "American style" hamburger buns, but I've never bought them so I don't know how they are. 
   Similar to the cheeses here, every locale seems to have its own bread. So I can get Alperbrot, or St. Gallerbrot (that would be the local variety) or tessinorbrot from the Italian area of Switzerland.

One of my favorites is the little silzerbrotli. Kind of a pretzel bread.

 I also really like sonnenbrot, which I believe has some component of sunflower seeds- meal? flour?  There weren't any big seeds. Not sure.

 

 The traditional breakfast bread is a gipfel- you would call it a croissant (Kenny says there is a difference).

Butterzopf, Kenny tells me is the weekend bread, and I have noticed that it is on sale every Friday. This one has almond flavoring.  Sorry about the pictures. I kept eating stuff before remembering I wanted to take a picture

There are some holiday breads. This is a Tiegmannli. It's a little bit sweet. Kenny and I wanted to take a second picture of this guy- sort of an after the battle shot, limbs missing, chocolate sauce oozing out. Didn't get it done.

What else can I say about the bread...it goes stale pretty quick- less/no preservatives. (Fruit and veggies go bad faster here, too. And there is evidence of actually having grown- dirt in the lettuce!  a caterpillar on the broccoli! I do not mind)
  Have you ever noticed a funny taste to the "fresh baked" loaves from the local grocery stores (in Effingham)? I don't taste that here. Yes, I will miss my European bread.* tear*

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

    Switzerland does not have Black Friday. So, how, you may ask, do the Swiss start gearing up for Christmas?  Well, here in St. Gallen, the big intro to the Christmas season appears to be the lighting of the stars in the old town market area. 
  I had seen advertisements for the event on the bus- it was all in German so I was only guessing at what the event was, but I was pretty much right. 
   The kids and I met Kenny downtown at the bus stop for the major shopping area. We then ate out at an Italian restaurant we found when the Grandmas were here. This was no easy feat and I was reminded why we don't do that more often. I think the staff took pity on us (or on themselves) and served us very quickly.
   We then made our way to Vadianplatz. There was a brass quartet playing and Samichlaus (Santa Claus - Saint Nicholas) and his "friend," Schmutzli, talking with children that came up to them.  At first it seemed that these guys were avoiding us. Maybe hearing our English and not wanting to mess with the language barrier, or maybe because we were obvious Auslanders (foreigners). By the time I had mentally given up on getting their attention, they turned to us and spoke with our children- they both had a little English - and gave the kids some peanuts.

 The peanuts are in the bag. And Santa is handing out coupons for free drinks

Just a closer look at the twig-broom the guy in black is carrying.

The peanut offering.

   So you can see that the dress is not the same as the American version of Santa. Similar, but still pretty different.  And we definitely had no idea who the character in black was when we first saw them.  When I told the men we were unfamiliar with this guy, they explained that he was Samichlaus' friend. And the definitely wanted to use the word "friend." Well, if you look up this character on wikipedia, he's not so friendly.  I'll have to ask about the local tradition surrounding this guy, but wikipedia talks about him taking away gifts if children misbehave. I'll let you know what I learn.

    Back to the Lights. So, at 7pm, a government guy got up on a little stage and pushed a button and the lights began flashing to a Christmas soundtrack. The flashing was just for one song and then they all lit up.
     Another Christmas event here is outdoor shopping stalls. Weihnachtmarkt, if I remember the spelling correctly. Seems to be similar to the booths that get set up in the Village Square Mall around Christmas time- I haven't seen any crafty type stuff yet, but it really doesn't work for me to peruse for very long. Just a handful of sidelong glances as we march past, lest a child become bored or lost. (Which can be the same thing.)  The stalls are indoor also, but far be it for the Swiss to shy away from doing something outdoors, even in freezing temps and a foot of snow.  (That's about where we are as of Monday evening, Dec. 3)
    Friday morning I had the opportunity to speak with the mom of one of Jackson's classmates. She told me that Samichlaus only visits the evening of December 5 (The Feast of St. Nicholas is Dec. 6) and Dec. 24/25 is only the celebration of the birth of Christ. Santa doesn't come on a sleigh with reindeer, either. I like the way they do this. Keep a little bit of the magic of Santa, but this allows a greater focus on Christ at Christmas.
    Advent is really big here, too. You can find all kinds of Advent calendars. It's definitely a cultural thing, not just religious. I've seen several toy company sponsered ones- like Legos. I watched a weather report on a local channel and instead of printing the date for Sunday's forcast, they had 1. Advent. found the cutest mini Advent wreath. We can only leave the candles lit while we pray or they will be completely gone in a day, but I'm glad to have it.

In my last post I told you about our hike up to Solitude in 50 degree weather.  This Sunday we hiked up Solitude in below freezing temps and a crazy amount of snow on the ground. That's the difference a week can make.

 Jo, getting a lift home. She's in a no daddy phase, so Kenny was astounded at her willingness to be so close. I think she even willingly gave hugs and smooches.

 Our neighborhood

 Jo warming up; Jackson hamming it up

When we started hiking, there was more sun, but it's not too bad looking.

A Few Odds and Ends

Last Sunday was the first English Church where both of my children wanted to go to their perspective children's program. Johanna kept saying she wanted to stay with me and made it through about 10 minutes of worship music and prayers and then she asked to go downstairs to play with the kids. Happy Day.

Other cool things that happened last week:

We finally got together with the Aussie-Swiss family I met through Bible Study. The kids played with an English speaking kid for the first time since we've been here. And can I just say how really cool I think it is that I am friends with an Australian? I've always had a little bit of a fascination with the country/people, so this is just neat-o. I promise I enjoy her company for more than just the cadence of her voice, she's a really great person to be a around.

We (Johanna, Eli, and I) now meet up with Jackson about half way between kindy and our house after school. He has even hinted at maybe me not walking him into the classroom when we drop him off. Oh, what independence! I was pretty sure we would get to this point, and I'm glad it is here. *BTW- Night terrors are still happening occasionally, but they have definitely come down in intensity and decibels.

Jackson and I made “white mud.” (toilet paper, ivory soap, and water mixed up) I wish I had pictures but the camera was acting funny and wouldn't take. We made a snowman and “splat” balls- that's the sound they make- and Jackson did a lot of squishing. A great activity for a 4 year old.. Thanks Aunt Mickey for the recipes, they are handy.

This most recent Sunday was a a non-church Sunday. (The Amish are on to something with that). It was a beautiful, mild day, so we went for a hike. There is a narrow road just above our house (If you saw how steep the yard is, this sentence would make more sense) that we have never walked on and I wanted to give it a try. What a great idea! (pat myself on the back) We had such an AMAZING view- out across Lake Constance to the North and East and of the Alps to the South. We could even see the Saentis! I was led to believe it was not visible from St. Gallen. The kids were really great on this hike, its usually a lot of whining and complaining from them, but they had a good time- until Jo face planted, but she got over that. Eli, of course, slept.

   Kenny took some much better pictures with his tablet through instagram. He has uploaded a couple to facebook, I can't figure out how to get them from there to here. I will try to work on that.

Things the kids are doing:

Eli is rolling over and scooting around. I put him down in one spot and am amazed to see where he ends up. He is so smiley! Still no tooth.

Johanna has taken to hiding out in one of the kitchen cabinets. Sometimes she hides things in there. Mischievous little house elf.

Today she counted to 10 in German, with no prompting. I wish I could capture some of the things she says. Rain is bibble bop and stars are twinkles. She talks to kids: “Hey kids, watcha doin'?” “Stop that, kids!” Eli is her sister or brudder, depending. She has yet to claim Jackson has her brudder, he is Jackson Richawd Stice. She plays check mark (I see a tree, check mark. And then she repeats it) And she loves singing songs, particularly bingo. She usually gets through one verse and then she declares that bingo is on grandma's 'puter.

  Jackson is getting crazy tall. Pants that he was stepping on just a couple months ago, now fit.
He's about to bust out of his snow suit.

Both Johanna and Jackson have become obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I asked my mom to bring her portable dvd player in October so I could get the laptop back from the kids, but they have taken it over again wanting to watch MMC on youtube!

I began writing this post on Monday, it is now Thursday and it is snowing again. Snow here seems to be all or nothing so far.  Well over 6 inches and still falling!

Food: part dairy

So a long while back I wrote a post that I never published about one of my favorite topics, food.  I never published it because I thought it needed pictures and I didn't have many. I'm going to try again but take it in parts. Today I am focusing on dairy.
   Dairy is a big deal here, you can imagine as (at least) 2 of the national dishes revolve around it- fondue and raclette. More on those later.
So a few interesting facts. Milk is sold in 1 liter containers.

 I have seen 1.5 liter containers, but it is rare. It is not fortified with calcium or vitamin D unless it specifically says so on the container. I have yet to find skim milk. It is mostly whole or 2.5%. I have seen 1-1.5%, but it is rare.  There are a LOT of brands of milk. And the other dairy products, come to think of it.  Even the butter has several options. And there's only a few brands of margarine. I think milk here tastes a bit sweeter than milk at home.  There is also the option of UHT milk, which is shelf stable for a relatively long time.

There are a crazy amount of different types of cheese here. Every little area has it's own type of cheese. Most of the cheeses made in the Eastern region of Switzerland- which is where St. Gallen is, I describe as "farty."  (I know, how old am I? 12?) I just don't know how else to describe the flavor/aroma, it reminds me of being in a barn.  These are not my favorites. I've actually discovered I really like Manchego, which is a Spanish sheep's milk cheese.I only just this week found a "mature" cheddar cheese at the store.  Cheese is mostly sold in blocks, very little is pre-shredded.
   Again, not a whole lot of low fat cheeses (or any dairy, really).
Not much to say about yogurt, except that it is REALLY good- full fat will do that :) We eat a lot of it. We always have a tub of plain and berry in the fridge

Cream cheese is not used as much here (I think).  You can find a product called quark, which, if my cheese making knowledge, is accurate is sort of a yogurt cheese. It is eaten like cottage cheese- with fruit or vegetables.

Trip to the Saentis

After a week of fake outs, the sun came out for real on Saturday. And, at Kenny's suggestion, we decided to hit the road and venture up to the highest point around- the Saentis. The highest point in what specific region, I don't know, but it's kind of a big deal. So I'm told...

   The trip there was pretty uneventful, except that we had to do an exceptional amount of waiting.  We spoke with a lady at the ticket counter because we weren't quite sure the best route to get there (we usually just buy tickets from an automated kiosk). I don't know what the lady was thinking when she handed us the itinerary because we had clearly missed the first train on it.  Many of the local trains run every hour or so many minutes, which was the case with this one, however, everything else on the itinerary was thrown off and added close to 3 hours of waiting at various places.  It did allow us to indulge in Starbucks. I truly believe that the pumpkin spice latte should stay through Christmas. We eat pumpkin pie at Christmas, why not drink it too?  Oh well, Toffee Nut it is.  A little too sweet, but tasty.
   We traveled well, we waited well. Go kids! Go parents!  Kenny and I even read a little- each on our own device.  (side note: I was finally able to download a couple of books onto my kindle!!  I went with the Niemerg Book Club December pick- Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris and the new Ken Follett book.)
  The mountain was beautiful and the view from up top was just breathtaking. It was so quiet too. Even with the visitors around talking, it was so peacefully quiet. Nerve wracking as all get out, with the ice and snow and jagged rocky cliffs, but peacefully quiet.

 Another family photo!  Eli is sleeping in this one, too

 See what I mean about nerve wracking?

 Yay for food!  It is amazing what a little spike in the blood sugar can do for Jo. She went from tantrum throwing to playing duck duck goose by herself (on the gondola) in a matter of a few minutes.

Eli woke up so we had to get a picture with him awake

Just good lookin'!

The Lanternli Weg

I am kicking myself. Jackson's kindergarten had a traditional Swiss event and I forgot my camera. I thought for days how I HAVE to bring it, but I forgot.
   I am loosely translating the event title to be: The Little Lantern Way.  All the kindergarteners in the 3 local kindergartens made paper lanterns in school this week. Last night all the kids and their families gathered at their perspective classrooms and processed through the neighborhood. All the kindergarteners led the way with their lit paper lanterns leading an amoebic horde of parents.  Eventually, the route of each class converged with the others and we all ended up in a courtyard in front of one of the school buildings.  It looked like a magical gathering of gnomes.
  The children sang a few songs, none of which we recognized or understood.  Jackson had told me all week how they sang songs in class, but he did not join in with the singing. He took that opportunity to blow his breath out in long streams, so he could watch it.  He did this with and in the face of one of the boys in his class.  I think both boys were having fun with this, it was definitely hilarious to watch.
    And then we had snacks.   It was very dark so I couldn't see what we were eating very well. One little treat tasted like a lemon flavored cake donut (the kind you buy in packs at gas stations). There was a gingerbread like cookie, a coffee flavored cake, and the kids' favorite (ok, mine too) a roll filled with nutella.  Kenny really enjoyed the rum flavored punch (nonalcoholic).
   When we got home, we made Jackson pose for a picture, so you can get the gist.

A couple of things that struck me about this event:  Four and Five year olds with swinging candles encased in paper- somewhat unsupervised. All went well, but I don't think this would have gone over in the states. At least not with the walking part.  Few cameras. PreK events that I have attended previously back home almost require sunglasses to protect from the camera flashes.
   It was a nice little outing. We saw stars!  I rarely go out at night, and we are in extra cloudy/foggy season so stars were a real treat.

Down on the (formerly East German Military Base) Farm

  Firstly, I think this is my favorite blog post title yet.  Secondly, if Lindsey and Tobi read this they will probably roll their eyes at how frequently I mention the fact that their current home was formerly an East German Military Base. But it was so cool!  And mind boggling. I don't think I have ever been on American Military Base (excluding old historical forts) so for that first experience to be communist related is just wild to me.

   In my last post I did more complaining (I'm good at that). This post will be much more upbeat, promise.  I am so glad we decided to use our 4 day weekend to visit the Dorn's. Traveling with 3 young'uns is nuts but being able to stay in someone's home where there is more space than a hotel room (way more space) AND where there are kids our kids' age makes the experience SO MUCH BETTER.  I would love to do more sightseeing and historical exploring, but it just doesn't fly for long with little ones.

  Just sticking this shot in. Look at those cheeks!

 A little back story, Kenny and I have known Lindsey since high school, we met through New Hope Church/180. (Kenny and Lindsey knew each other before I met either of them).  Lindsey happened to be attending a Bible School in Dallas the same time Kenny and I were living in Waco, so we have a (short) history of going to visit her.  As a part of her schooling, Lindsey went to Germany to a sister school where she met her husband Tobi. Tobi and Lindsey work for/with a ministry based in East Berlin called Zukunft fur Dich!  (Future for you!).  The ministry purchased the farm, which is located about an hour East of Berlin, to create a place for rehabilitation- a place to get away from negative influences and connect with God. The Dorn's headed to the states a couple days after we left so they are now in the Effingham area. They will be speaking at a missions event at New Hope Church next Sunday, the 18th, in the evening.
   So what did we do?
   Kenny got to help (Kenny says he hopes was helpful) Tobi with some manual labor type stuff, which was a nice change of pace for him.  Jackson and Johanna got to play with Zechi and Noah. Lindsey speaks English with her boys so they understand English, but they will only speak German. The kids all got along really well.

Johanna and Noah were hilarious to watch. They were beating on each other and giggling the whole time.

We got to explore the farm and check out several bunkers.

We were blessed to share their table, which is something they do a LOT.

  Their lives are lived somewhat communally (and I mean that in the best sense of the word). The Dorn's eat almost all their meals with the other ministry workers who also live on the farm, plus whoever else is currently staying at the farm.  Lindsey told us there is almost always someone staying "with" them. Lindsey and Tobi have an apartment on one end of big building on the property, there are several other rooms in the building that are fixed up for visitors. Everyone on the farm also gathers each morning for corporate worship and prayer. It was really beautiful and inspiring.
   One custom they have on the farm (and Lindsey assures me it is common in Germany) is cake and coffee in the afternoon. We definitely liked this practice. Cake everyday? Yes, please. As a flour milling family, we heartily approve.
  I also learned that the German word for the evening meal is abendbrot (evening bread).  I really like that- so quaint.  Being around German speaking/English understanding kids was very helpful for me and my German learning attempts. I picked up on several words.  And if we had been there for a few weeks I think Jo would have been almost fluent. She picks up on the language so fast!
   On Saturday, we drove into Berlin with Lindsey and Zechi for Kid's Club- the ministry's outreach to children. (pics are of mini kids club, bigger kids were doing cool things too, no doubt, but they didn't get to play with a parachute, talk to a puppet, or jump in a ball pit)

After only a few repetitions, Johanna knew the memory verse in German! Since coming back from this trip, the only word she uses for "no" is "nein"- the German word.
  On Sunday, all of the Dorn's took us into Berlin for some brief sightseeing. (Being a part of ministry that owns a van that seats 9 has its advantages.)  We did a little driving tour of a handful of major sights-Brandenburg Gate, Merkel's office, other Government Buildings- and then ate lunch in an Australian restaurant. Kenny had a kangaroo steak- it's a little gamey.  After lunch we walked around a Christmas Market set up in Potsdamer Platz. This area was exactly where the Berlin wall used to run so it used to be a kind of "no man's land" with barbed wire and land mines. When the wall came down, this area developed FAST. There were a few pieces of the wall on display. There was a booth on the other side where you could get your passport stamped with the "official" GDR stamp.

  There were a lot of food booths in the Christmas Market and Tobi was kind enough to share some of what he considered to be excellent local treats including candied almonds, fried quark(kind of like cream cheese) dough balls (think funnel cake/donut), a sort of gingerbread, and Dunkin' Donuts. They were all excellent, my favorite were the quarkli.
  On this trip we went through the Zurich airport and Berlin (Tegel) and it struck me that the Zurich airport seemed designed to make money (shops EVERYWHERE) and Tegel seemed designed for efficiency. So telling of their perspective countries. Our trip home was a little rough and it marked the first time we ALL ate McDonald's- I don't miss it.
I posted a bunch of pictures from this trip on facebook so if you want to see more, check there!