Pictorial Two Week Journey

It's been that long since last posting a blog...just a tad busy.

The Thursday after the last post, October 25, has no pictures, sorry.  Dinner for six sent me rushing home after German class to finish preparing what was begun the day before.  The "celebration" was in honor of two sets of dorm parents, two couples who parent girls dorms 14/7 every week...drama, emotions, and all.  Thursday is their only day off, and the desire was to have someone doing something for them for a change.  They had a break and Pat and I realized anew how fortunate we are to teach!

Friday had been anticipated for quite awhile...student music recital night!  One of my girls sings opera, and several are accomplished musicians.  What a wonderful way to spend an evening, especially when you find out how talented some of your students are in areas outside the classroom.  The violinist and cellist are graduating and should continue when they graduate, outstanding.

Then after spending the “SNOW” day inside writing, that evening I walked to school for a student led chapel.  Imagine about half of the students deciding to come on a Saturday evening to worship together. Though open to all, as one of a few adults I felt like an interloper...watching.  Worshipful praise songs opened, but the most touching part of the evening was prayer time.  While sharing personal needs and concerns for fiends, one boy asked prayer for friends who “have the same problems we do, but they are turning to the wrong things for help.”  Afterward the students sat on the floor in small groups--some in twos, others in threes or fours, maybe five--holding hands praying for each other and friends.  The following song time was even more vibrant.  During this extended time they individually wound their way to the side of the room where communion was available.  I so appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this...especially seeing how they reach out to one another.  This next picture typifies that.

Well, after church on Sunday the day was spent with more planning for the week ahead...not unusual, but certainly not picture worthy.  Oh, wait, remember earlier in the year how I told you about the leather covered park bench of a couch that needed replacing as there was no decent place in which to sit and study in the apartment?  Later I told you about getting used recliners to replace it, so maybe this would be a good place for that picture.  This has made a world of difference...as has the lamp next to the left chair.

Monday and Tuesday were just school, but that is a daily block of time, until the time change, lasted until 5:30 or 6:00 each night.  Oh, yes, every Tuesday and Thursday is German class after school.  Talk about being spent, sometimes my brain is so foggy it's difficult to think.  I even chose to not go to that Tuesday night's new staff gathering for that reason, and in addition I knew the next day was to be a super long one.  

Wednesday day, October 31, was a special occasion, Herbstmesse down in Basel.  The school had 6 busses to transport students, faculty, and staff that wanted to go. Halloween is nothing over here, but this is an annual carnival with rides...what school kid doesn't want to go to that!  The busses are quite the way to go, comfortable and great for sightseeing, but the trip was short.  Walking in Basel, however, wasn't. After watching some of the rides and walking half way to the final designation, Pat and I stopped for dinner at a lovely restaurant, complete with cloth table cloths and all (the norm here).

We never did find the "home show" type of area, so we made our way to the final destination--bumper cars!  Of course it is all the way at the other end of the entire area which is several blocks long and over a bridge and up hill a few more blocks.  The high schoolers go there at 7:30 and have a blast.  It is just fun to watch them have fun.  One of the rides at the beginning really go my attention.  Rather like a propeller, it turns, but so does the entire arm upon which it is attached.  As if that were not enough motion, the arm undulated up and down while spinning around, AND the individual propeller branches with seats turn as well, so throughout the "upside down" roll over is not uncommon...even watching gets me.

 Thursday was a German holiday, All Saints Day...NO SCHOOL!  Actually this was anticipated as the first quarter ended Wednesday and final grades were due by the weekend.  Since the research papers were due on Monday, this day was set aside for grading purposes.  Fun...yes, we teachers know how to have it!  We were told the day would be very quiet, nothing open, and we would see people dressed in their Sunday best going to graves to place flowers.  Well, I didn’t plan on being out to see that.  While holed up at the table grading, I heard and felt rumbling.  I couldn’t imagine what it would be.  Even someone in the neighborhood would not likely disturb the quiet.  Germans love quiet, especially on holidays and Sunday afternoons, so when it continued, I had to check it out...even if it meant getting dressed to do so.  Opening the huge wooden gates at the front of the apartment drive exit I was most surprised to find the road crew paving the road in front that they have been working on forEVER.  Apparently so were the Kanderners as they were standing around watching, supervising, and one person even taking pictures!

             

Well, that day went well into the night to finish,  but I was ready for the next day, Friday.  I had to be.  Pat and I were going with Sharyn and Dan Galvin--ironically from Texas, other new staff here, to Zurich that afternoon right after school.  This had been in the works for quite awhile. 

 It turns out the drive isn't terribly long, but driving in the dark in unfamiliar places, especially as busy as Zurich, can fray one's nerves (even with TomTom).  A guardian angel kept us from having an accident in an intersection that ole Tom didn't make clear to us.  Dan was amazing to do this. Then when we arrived, according to Tom, the street did not seem accessible...it was a walking road. Getting to the hotel itself proved to be an adventure and took several tries, and as it turn out, those posts marking this as a walking road have not been there that past five years---until this very day!  Go figure.  After getting in our rooms, getting dinner was about as difficult as getting to the hotel.  I'm used to Kandern...never a wait, never a crowd, never a rush; here it was the total opposite.  We had to try several places and even then we had to wait before the four of us could sit together!  Dinner, however, was delicious and the company enjoyable.

After breakfast in the hotel the next morning, we set out to do two things:  take a boat excursion on the lake and then take a bus tour of Zurich that afternoon.  I thoroughly enjoy using a tram for the first time, and it made getting around town so much easier.  The crisp, cool air and brilliantly blue sky made the day's events totally delightful.  The boar quietly cruised the perimeter of the lake, allowing us to view beautiful sights, including distant alps covered with snow at one end of the lake.  

Whether by boat or bus, the homes and architecture in town totally captured my attention--these are buildings like I've seen in movies, but never in real life.  The City Bus Tour office provides entertainment in itself.  One place we saw from the boat that looked like a palace up on a hillside turned out to be a stop on the bus tour. The bus parked at the base of the hill and we took a tram to the top.  Up there we viewed Zurich from above, and then saw the hotel.  We learned these rooms run in the thousands per night, in the area of 14 not two or three!  That made our expensive rooms seem so much more reasonable.  Zurich is quite a thriving, busy, wealthy area.  I've never been anywhere to take such a tour, and found it a most enjoyable experience.

You, too, can stay here if you can afford it.  They do have a 9 hole golf course, but not sure it comes with the room.

When I get an album made, I'll post pictures of the Zurich buildings on Facebook.  For many it is not fun to see a bunch of pictures without meaning, so that posting will allow those who wish to get a visual taste of the city a chance to do so.  

At the close of our whirlwind Zurich overview we had dinner once again and then journeyed back without incident.  This is Pat, Sharyn, and Dan, and proof I was there, too:

Dan, Sharyn, and Pat

Well, that would seem to be enough for the two weeks, but there was more.  I've been anticipating a visit from David for quite awhile.  He and Lynda have been friends for over 30 years, and he was coming to Europe to visit his brother and made a special trip to come by Kandern.  That was exciting.  So after serving coffee after church, another friend, Grace, and I went to check out a restaurant that had been suggested to us because of it's German cuisine and seasonal menus.  A HIT!  That afternoon and evening were again spent with lesson plans and preparation, but with excitement for the next day.

Monday came along with rain.  With little sleep on the transatlantic flight and the train and bus ride here, David had to walk around Kandern dodging drops.  He came to the school and was able to see parts of it and meet a few people.  Then we toured the town by foot and visited.  What a joy.  I am content and comfortable here.  God has blessed me with people with whom life can be shared on a meaningful level, but when we talked and called Lynda and he gave me her gifts...so Lynda, floods of home came.  What a special occasion.  After dinner we returned to the apartment and we went to introduce him to Pat, the other part of the "we" I so often write about.  After a visit, he headed to his room for sleep and departed the next morning.

Tuesday was back to normal, the long day with German class at the end.  Oh, yes, that is a good thing in many ways.  We had a quiz last week, and they are reminders of what the kids are always facing.  For the first time I can remember as an adult studying, I just don't even expect to get everything right.  With all that is going on and every evening filled after school with studying German, writing, or planning for class, I'm past expecting that.  I'm waiting for a comfort level in science class where I can do something in the evening and not feel guilty if it isn't work related.

That brings me to tonight. Leaving t a little earlier than usual, about 3:30 p.m.--that's 16:00 here and I'm still not used to that time stated that way, I stopped by the apartment to pick up some crocheting to take to the biweekly knitting/crocheting group that meets every other week.  Wanting to check something before leaving, I ended up a little after 4:00, and it dawned on me that they start at 3:30 and leave at 5:00.  Well, I didn't make it.  That's the second time the plans never came to fruition.  Maybe it isn't time yet.

I ended up staying at home, fixing dinner, studying German, and then finally getting to the blog.  Well, over four hours later, I'm just finishing. Maybe one day I'll get faster.  Anyway, it feels good to let you see some of what has been happening.  Thank you for caring enough to encourage me and be a part of all of this.  

(This is dangerous.  I'm posting without much rereading and revising...forgive mistakes you see.)