Last week I presented my Botschafters Projekt (Ambassador's Project) to the local elementary school. I gave two presentations to two separate third grade classes about Thanksgiving. I brought chocolate chip cookies to share and Indian/colonist headbands so the students could act out a play I had written about the First Thanksgiving (z.B. Kolonist 1: Land in Sicht! Indianer 1: Was ist das?). We then decorated a paper cornucopia with things we were thankful for written on cut out hearts. I have to say, I miss working with kids! They were so sweet and had the cutest questions (No, I don't have Ebola. No, my family doesn't either. Yes, there are such things as poisonous spiders. No, I have not been attacked by one.) The following day I brought mini apple pies to celebrate Thanksgiving with my English class and then the following Sunday the family feast went down.
This week brought Weihnachtsmarkts and a lot of fun! I visited my first Weihnachtsmarkt on Tuesday with my friend Toja. We did a little bit of shopping in Bonn and then explored all the huts and lights strung throughout the streets. Toja loves Kinderpunch (a warm, child-friendly version of Gluhwein) and after trying it, I know why! The Christmas Markets smell wonderful, too; there are huts with crepes, roasted chestnuts, candied almonds (my favorite!) and Lebkuchen (sort of like gingerbread!). I returned to Bonn on Friday for a class trip and enjoyed dinner and more of the Weihnachtsmarkt with my English classmates (don't worry, we were speaking German!). That night I laid my boots outside my room in hopes of St. Nikolaus's visit. In Germany, children set their shoes outside in early December and if they have been good, St. Nikolaus comes and fills them with Candy. Saturday morning I awoke to candy, chocolate, socks, gloves, a candle, and an umbrella! Perfekt gemacht und vielen Dank, Nikolaus! Later on Saturday, I went to Cologne with my host sister, Caro, and her friend from our street. I finished up my Christmas shopping and visited one of the three Cologne markets--the one under the Koelner Dom! Although it was crazy packed with tourists (most of the shopkeepers were speaking English), it was still beautiful! I can't get enough of the Holidays over here!
To end my festive first week of advent and start the second, today I went to my friend Julia's for Platzchen baking! Christmas cookies are taken to an entirely new level here in DE. In just this first week, my host family has made a thousand different sorts of delicious cookies and it will only continue until Christmas day (celebrated here on the 24th!) when we can finally eat them all.
Tschuss! Lainie