Flasher Alert

Last seen at San Souci park near the Orangery.  Ducks we're surprised but otherwise unharmed.

Old Friends

Introducing the Wallats, Leo and Wally (along with Cordula and Rene) who were our Berlin hosts.  Leo was our 07-08 exchange student whom we love much.  Wally is Olivia's age, and another math afficianado, and a talented young lady with a strong command of English. We had only brief time but  wonderful time together.  How quickly this time flying.  This morning, Rome awaits.

Meanwhile, In the Real World

We haven't been focused on news while here and the  Greek debt crisis hasn't been a topic of more than passing reference, despite Germany's central role in determining the future of the EU and the destiny of  its member states.  It will be interesting to see if this topic is more on the minds of those who work in business hubs like Berlin and Rome. Meanwhile, as Americans castigate profligate Greeks, I can't help but notice that Puerto Rico's likely bond default and pending bankruptcy seems to be getting page-2 billing.  American hubris?  Our beloved  exeptionalism may be a bit overstated.

Fond Farewell

We leave today to meet one more former student and family and fly to Rome tomorrow. We are going to miss Pascalis, Gaby, Frank, Philipp and Franzi and look forward to hosting them in the U.S. soon.  The girls are nearly in revolt at the thought of leaving but the Dead fish and Company..." aphorism  applies.  I have promised our newfound friend and geotechnical engineer Frank plenty of rocks and wine if he can make it.  I have promised to show Philipp and Franzi the "civilized" side of Oregon.  I hope they will take us up on our offer.  Not goodbye but aufiedersehn, dear friends.

Grocery Safari

We could spend hours in the grocery store aisles of another country not for sustenance but for entertainment. Above: the aforementioned strawberry chili concoction; American Sauce and Hamburger Sauce completely unknown to us but proudly identified as authentic by the American flag on the label (cabbage juice--an American staple for sure--is a main ingredient); Miracel Whip (no trademark infringement there); and the nothing-left-to-imagination Sweet and Fruity Exotic Sauce.  Just another day in paradise...

Der Day

Der Day

Our gracious hosts, the Maschkes, dispatched on a bus tour of Potsdam yesterday--the historical home of Germany's kings, emperors, kaisers, academics and bureaucrats.  The audio tour in English had it's challenges, but we learned a few things.  Here Cecily poses in front of Ceceliahof palace, built in the style of a Tudor hunting Lodge for its German Crown Princess namesake. It is most known for having hosted the Potsdam conference that ended World War II.  Other higjlights:  our guide's not-so-veiled pride that Potsdam has always been a an upscale 'hood that didn't host any of those pesky poor people; the clever use of the potato by Frederic II to alleviate famine (He planted a field of potatoes then posted guards around it to create the appearance of c something valuable; soon, everybody had to have a potato field as a status symbol, and hunger disappeared as this cheap, abundant and easily cultivated status symbol was introduced into the German diet--where it remains a fixture today. After the tour we also learned a bit about the Cold War and its legacy--a subject heretofore not too well understood by our girls.  As always, we enjoyed hearing from our hosts there personal recollections of life in the GDR (it had plusses and minuses and the German relationship with that time is complicated; how ones views this period seems to vary based on economic status.)  Afterwards, a delightful evening dining with Pascalis' family (our new friends) on, you guessed it, potatoes, white asparagus, cured meat and yummy German wine. Camembert cheese served with a sauce of chili and strawberry was a culinary treat, if totally outside outside our palates' experience.  As the sun set, the girls enjoyed "speed tennis" on the lawn and a rare stork unexpectedly landed on the rooftop, giving us a close up view and resulting in some good-natured ribbing of Phillipp and Franzi, Pascalis older brother and his wife, about the portents represented by storks and bunny symbols.

Just Another Bush

We see these everywhere here.  This is Oregon Grape, Oregon’s state flower but simply a ubiquitous shrub here unattached in significance  to our state. We are reminded again of our own insignificance in the world.

Der Picture

These tiles greet visitors at the school entrance.  Ummmm, yes: those rabbits are indeed doing what rabbits do...  Pascalis says this reflects the "naturalistic"  philosophy of the school-- whatever that means.  In the U.S. it would mean the end of a school board member's career!

Der Schule

Hands down. One the most interesting things I have ever done abroad.  Laura and I accompanied Pascalis to school, Humboldt Gymnasium in Potsdam, yesterday to help him with his senior project in English class.  His task was to present an overview of the American education system, particularly career technical education.  He was in charge of the classroom of about 14 students for 90 minutes.  The girls got into the act as well, explaining their experience.  As part of his project, Pascalis had his classmates write English cover letters to apply for an Assistant Teacher job in HeadStart at NeighborImpact (He had a job posting off the web.)  He then randomly selected students to  conduct mock interviews with us American employers in English.  Afterwards, Laura and I provided feedback on interviewing technique. Nicholas and Helene were brave and  impressed us with their efforts.  Needless to say, they were terrified, but suppressed that to perform.  Olivia definitely was impressed by the rigor of the system, something she hadn't quite grasped before.  Laura and I were impressed by the attentiveness of the students and in particular by the very talented instructor, Herr Malecki, who speaks nearly unsccented English even though he has never studied in the U.S.  At the same time, however,  we walked away with an improved attitude toward American schools.  Yes, things are different. American schools have more diversity, the range of ability in any one classroom is wider, the facilities are better and our students underappreciate the value of self-direction in their educational opportunities.  In many ways it wouldn't be hard to swap the kids we met for American kids and notice much difference--positive or negative.  The 90 minutes flew by.  Pascalis did a great job of keeping class moving. Laura did a good job of covering her part of the curriculum, especially around higher ed and students seemed engaged in learning the keys to better interviewing. (Example:  how to answer the "What is your greatest weakness?" question).  Amazing experience overall.  An item on my bucket list that I hadn't previously known was there.  Check! (Now how do I get that amazing teacher to Crook County?)

German Living

I am impressed by the German ability to integrate outdoor and indoor living space.  At homes and hotels alike, fruitier and social life just flows onto patios and porches in a way that is more rare in the U.S. We could learn something from this.  Also, it baffles me why more German architectural innovation isn't incorporated into American homes and businesses.  Shutters that open and close automatically, windows that tip out or open casement-style, doors that blend effortlessly into walls, kitchens and baths that are elegant in function and design amaze me but never show up at Lowes or Home Depot.  NOT a fan, however, of German lights switches we are always positioned outside the bathroom--where they can easily be switched off by passing children.  I suppose this ensures the bathroom is lit when one enters but really?  Who do you think is hiding in there?

A Comment

Thank you for your comments on the many typos in my posts, dear friends.  Contrary to suggestion, these are not the result of an overtired or over imbibed mind.  They are the result of failure to include my power cord when packing my laptop.  As a result, every post is a hunt and peck on my smartphone, making this blog a near-miracle!

Love Knows No Bounds

That's Meredith who conned Andreas unto putting his arm around her protectively as we toured the F60 big rig.  The photo just proves that a Dad is always a Dad and language needn't be a barrier to affection.

A Big Pig

The Maschke family feted our arrival at a local restaurant.  The promoted item was this giant piece of pork called an "ice-skate" in German because the bone inside was strapped to the bottom of shoes in old times to skate the frozen Lakes and rivers.  It was quite delicious (Most things are with German beer and wine.) and less substantial than it looks.  The dinner led to a funny conversation:  What American foods does Pascalis miss?  Laura's zucchini bread,  mozzarella cheese sticks, Kraft mac n cheese,  American-style tacos and maple syrup along with American-style breakfast. Interestingly, Vince, confronted with the same question, also mentoned z-bread and  mozzarella cheese sticks, although he prefers the deep- fried kind rather than cheese sticks.

Reconnections: Pascalis

After leaving Dresden we are on to Steina to meet b up with former exchange student Pascalis Maschke and his family.  We were warmly welcomed by "Agent P", Gaby, Frank and older brother Philip (sis in law Franzi) being in school tonight.  We enjoyed reconnecting with Pascalis and I was reminded again how incredibly social, warm and bright this young man is.  We have truly missed you in the last year, Pascalis. 

The Witching Hour

Insanely, I find myself up and posting again at this ridiculous hour--same as yesterday... That's only 5.5 hours after going to sleep, although I feel fine.   I wish I could do this at home.  Greeted by the coffee maker in the Maschke guesthouse. Why can't American kitchen appliances be pieces of art similar to what Europeans produce?  In effect, this is a drip coffee maker but Mr. Coffee it is not.  Somehow, that makes the coffee taste better! 

Goodbye Dear Friends

After the F60 and a farewell dinner at a nearby gasthaus we said goodbye to our friends the Meyers.  We will look forward to hosting Kirsten, Andreas and Hannah (who is Ilivia's age) in America soon.  (Vince, of course, knows that as a family member, he is always welcome home.)  We are truly sorry to leave and have learned much about the politics, history and culture of this region.  Mostly, we have amazing friends and amazing memories that couldn't be gained through the ordinary tourist experience.  Thank you and love to you all.

The F60

The Meyers continued to be amazing hosts yesterday.  We had breakfast at our hotel in the pristine,  medieval and cobblestone- paved city of Komenz at our hotel on the town square facing the Rathaus (city hall).  The girls were not impressed by liver pate as a breakfast offering!  We then drove back to Steina, to discover that we didn't have the address for the Meyer home.  Stress and panic followed. So intense were the parents that when Cecily shouted, "There it is!" for the fourth time our response was, "Shut up, Cecily."  We should have listened.  There it was. Cecily enjoyed her moment of vindication, but along with Meredith  enjoyed  more playing with kittens in the Meyer barn loft.  Once sorted, we headed for the F60 out in the country .  Built 1989-91 and used only 15 months, this engineering marvel turned tourist attraction was used only 15 months v to remove overburden as part of the process of extracting brown coal.  At 1/3 of a mile it is the longest mobile piece of equipment in the world.  It is basically a large conveyer belt and excavator combined but boggles the mind for size and complexity.  One of the most interesting features was an explanation and demonstration of the contraction and expansion of the metal in response to temperature.  This monster will stretch or shrink up to 25 centimeters as the  temperature changes and is only stable at the freezing point.  Cecily was relieved to be running around and not confined to a "zeum" or church. Little does she know that the world's biggest outdoor play structure is nothing more than a cleverly packaged museum in plain site!

The Beautiful Mind

This Vince Meyer and his Dad, Andreas. Vince c was our exchang ed student in 2011-12 and what as good day when get wandered into our lives. A day v with him was c a reminder of what a smart, funny, confident young manhevis.  We loved reconnecting and meeting his dad, Mom Kerstin, and Sister Hannah, who is Olivia's age. We also enjoyed meeting his grandma, Kerstin's Mom. All love in as beautiful compound which is an impeccably maintained former farmhouse. The Meyers we're amazing hosts and we were fortunate to be entertained by them-'almost as fortunate as having their son bra d our family for an unforgettable year.

The Math Museum

Yesterday we visited the mathematics museum in Dresden.  We spent two hours in the activities section.  We could have spent  more in the c r ed st of the museum.  Even Cecily admitted to liking it!  I was humbled to watch Olivia cruise the exhibits. Her mind is incredible. She intuitively grasps spacial concepts and logic in state way that diesn th begin to mirror my own way of understanding the world. I awe, and not a little bit jealous.

Things that Make You Go Hmmmm.

See that shiny chrome circle in the middle?  That is a cupholder. In the bathroom of our hotel, the Golden Hind in Kamenz.  Next to the toilet.  No one should be that desperate for a beverage.  By the way, the Germans love to laugh at Americans for our obsession with cup holders in vehicles.