Christmas Update #1

Sorry, not much to write about. I am uploading some pics that have been taken since Mom and Dad got here last Friday and much family time is being had! Enjoy. There'll be more to come after the next downloading frenzy.

Christmas 2008

Until next time,
Jon

Still waiting...

It's now Thursday, late afternoon. Had things gone as scheduled, Mom and Dad would be here and I wouldn't be writing. But alas, they are probably sitting in the Wichita airport waiting to board their flight to Dallas. Yesterday, they got to the airport and their flight was cancelled because the plane was being maintainced, yet there was no substitute. It's funny, because when a teacher is sick, they get a substitute. When a player on the field gets injured or tired, they get a substitute. Why not an airplane?

Now, they'll arrive tomorrow morning, a day later than scheduled. Hopefully recovery from jet lag will be quick and it'll be a great holiday.

As for my knee, I went to the orthopedic doctor on Tuesday and he believes that it's just a case of tendonitis. I now have anti-inflammatory pills and a knee brace, hoping those will remedy the problem.

Until next time,
Jon

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

It seems like this might be the time of year to be waiting. Waiting on a lot of things. Waiting on trains, rides, meals, people, doctors, and many other things.

On Friday, I finally hung out with people (near) my age. Unbeknownst to me, across the street at the rivaling (not really) Dettweiler Weingut, is a girl who is 21. I don't know how the plans started, but Heike got it set up so that I would go with the girl, who is a member of the Mennonite church, and I'd join the youth group to decorate cookies. (I'll get to what the cookies were for in a bit.)



It was fun being able to practice some German I'd been learning while slapping marmalade onto cookies. It was probably a much better night than I could have had. Honestly, aside from soccer, I haven't gotten to hang out or be with anybody my age for awhile and it was starting to get kind of depressing.

On Saturday, we...and by we, I mean myself...went to Worms to try and finish Christmas shopping. I was successful in finishing for the kids, but I haven't found anything yet for Mom and Heidi. [Question of randomness: have you ever tried to make a sentence without using the word "the"?] Don't worry, Mom and Heidi, something awesome will be found. I also went to Worms to test out my knee and tried to walk more than I usually do. However, after awhile I became good friends with benches throughout the day. I will see the orthopedic doctor tomorrow and keep everyone posted with how that goes. Back to Worms. There wasn't a lunch here in Wintersheim, so I was left to fend for myself in Worms. I attempted to go to the Doner stand that I enjoyed, but it had newspaper in the window and the door was locked. So I went to the stand next door and was happily greeted by the Turkish guy with a smile AND a fist bump. He's probably happy from all the extra business he's getting. Anyway, this stand has quickly became my favorite...and not just because of the fist bump. For one, the kebap tasted much better than the one from the other stand. And two, they have a stamp card where your tenth kebap is FREE! Oh yes.

Sunday was a generally lazy day. But in the evening, the kids in the church had a Christmas program with the usual speaking parts and songs...and all the entertainment of the combination of kids, speaking parts, singing, microphones, and costumes. Daniel was still too young to participate, but Paulina and Lukas are at that ripe age. Lukas (12) a group of the older crop of kids in the program, had some narration parts. Paulina (8 or 9) also had some speaking parts, but she also played recorder in the 'band' that led the singing. Afterwards, everyone crowded in the kitchen where the cookies were spread on the table. To drink, Heike had made a Kirch Kinderpunsch...hot, spiced, non-alcoholic, cherry drink. It was tasty, as were some of the cookies.

Today, Monday, was a normal day of work. Heiko got back yesterday from delivering wine and today he was walking hunched over, although nothing ever seems to slow him down. He said that he lifted over 4 tons (not at the same time...) this weekend with all the wine. Tonight was my last German class before the christmas break, although they're meeting on Thursday (when Mom and Dad come!) but I won't be there. We had a Christmas party, which we were told to bring music and food relative to our country. I brought the leftover Kirch Kinderpunsch...not American at all but enjoyed by all who drank it. There was baklava from Turkey, some disgusting looking cabbage rolls that were spicy and tasted soooo good (also from Turkey), some magical potato portions, sekt (champagne), and some other random things. Since I don't have any blank discs here, I couldn't bring any American music...unless I brought my ukulele. Which I did. First, I played chords to all the different versions of Silent Night (German, Albanish, Turkish, Polish). Then I played Old Crow's Wagon Wheel, introducing it, "Das ist 'bluegrass'...das ist NICHT 'country'!" Then a Turkish lady sang some songs and it came back to me, so I countered with Four Strong Winds. Then a Kosovoan lady sang something and it again came back to me, so I finished with Little Boxes, or as I introduced, "Kleine Pakete".

Instead of learning the German language tonight, we learned about each other's culture (Syrian, Thai, Polish, Turkish, Kosovoan and German) and got to share about our own (American). I enjoyed it immensely. Here are some pictures.

These are the two teacher, Barbara and Jens. Jens and I sometimes chatted during breaks, usually me asking something about Worms. Tonight I learned that we shared the same musical tastes...including ein bisschen (a little bit) of bluegrass! They take turns teaching.


The two ladies are the two Turks in class which usually made for interesting conversation. The man is Czarek, who is Polish. He and his wife are who I meet up with to get a ride to class.


The three people in back are Emilia (Czarek's wife), Monika, and Christoph...the other three Poles in the class. In the front is Beo (pronounced like actor Scott Baio's last name)(Thailand), me (America), and Fadi (Syria).


Together, we are Deutsche Sprechekurs A1.

Now, all I have to do is wait until Thursday morning at 9:37, when I'll catch a train to the Frankfurt Airport. There, I'll pick up Mom and Dad who come in at 11:05.

Until next time,
Jon

Another Knee Update

I'll be seeing an orthopedic doctor on Tuesday afternoon next week, so I won't really know anything until then, or soon after that appointment. Like I've said before, hopefully the doctor has seen it before and knows exactly what's going on and it can be a quick and/or easy fix.

I also thought I'd update you all on my beard growth. That's right, my beard growth. If you remember at the beginning of Intermenno, I took a picture next to Johannes, a Dutch Committee Member and Menno Simons look-a-like. Compare the no smiling of Johannes in this picture to mine:



I have not shaven or trimmed my beard since August 5. So, behold 4+ months of growth:



Until next time,
Jon

Knee Update

I thought I'd update you all on my knee. Last week Heike and I went to the doctor to get my knee checked out, and the diagnosis then was that the cartilage surrounding my knee just wasn't used to the standing and working (in cold). So, homeopathic pills and some cream were prescribed and were told to come back in 8-10 days if it wasn't better.

Today is Day 9, and though some of the pain has subsided, it is not healed. So before lunch, Heike and I went back to the doctor and he took a second look at it. I believe the pain before was 'masking' another place on my left knee where there was now pain when pressure was put on a specific spot. He referred us to an orthopedic doctor in Oppenheim that I believe we'll go to tomorrow. He is a general health doctor, so he wanted us to go to someone who knows more about that area.

More updates to come.

Until next time,
Jon

Victory and a Weekend with the Family

Perhaps my complaining hit home or they're just concerned for my well-being, but I consider this a small victory. The Bottle Room, the place where I spend much of my workday, is not heated. When high's don't get out of the low single digits (celsius), it gets pretty cold in there. I am unable to wear gloves because then I would lose grip and the ability to label. My tennis shoes don't do well on the cement floor. My fingers and toes end up freezing after just a few minutes. So, to remedy this problem, last Thursday as I was making my way to the bottle room, Heiko was bringing in a portable heater much to my delight. There's a small room off the side of the Bottle Room that is better insulated. In there, we moved a table and enclosed the space underneath and that's where the heater went. I now have a warm place where my body is not shivering at the end of the day:



Things on the vineyard are well. The weather is cold, sometimes rainy/snowy/windy, and normally cloudy. Heiko regularly packs up the van and performs wine tastings. He's gone to Leer, where I went to the Winefest in August, for a few days for another wine tasting.

This past weekend I went to Bammental for a weekend with Heidi and Gustav. Tim was there, but he was kind of quiet with laryngitis and not feeling well, so he kind of blended into the couch upon which he was laying. Friday night, Tim and I went to Jakob's house to watch the Bayern-Hoffenheim match. They are now tied in the table after Hoffenheim's 2-1 loss, but Hoffe is still in the lead with a superior goal differential. It was a very good match, with Hoffenheim striking first just after half-time but Bayern equalized some 20 minutes later. They then took the lead in extra time, thirty seconds from when the whistle would've blown for a tie. The boys from the village looked great, going foot for foot and at many times outplaying the perennial Bundesliga power. Amazingly, Tim refrained from yelling the entire match.

On Saturday, Heidi, Gustav and I went to Heidelberg to do some Christmas shopping and gluhwein tasting. I still have a few more gifts to get, but I think people will be happy. I had fun finding things and that's part of the fun of Christmas! Plus, Gustav was with us. Pictures? Of course!







Heidi and I had fondue when we got back, which is always a good meal. Then I got a haircut...no pics of that. Gustav has been walking for some time now, so it's fun to see him waddle across the room balancing with his arms out wide and his diaper butt sticking out.



















Until next time,
Jon

A Very German Bethel Thanksgiving

By Monday, I had yet to decide whether or not I would make my way up to Wuppertal for what I had dubbed "A Very Bethel Thanksgiving." Bethel College and Wuppertal University have a long history together of sharing students. Therefore it made sense to have such a gathering. It made it so much sweeter when I finally decided I would attend, that I found train tickets for half of what I thought I was going to pay. From Thursday to Sunday (today), we gathered in the apartment of Tobias, a Wuppertal student who exchanged with Bethel a year or two ago. Having just jumped into the melting pot of BC less than a year ago, there were people there who I didn't know. But that's why I like Thanksgiving: people who don't nessecarily know someone, but knows someone who knows someone who's having a Thanksgiving meal, feels welcome because of the general idea that everyone there has shared the same experience, in this case being a student at Bethel. Though reports differ, I counted 24 people around the tables.

Let the pictures ensue.

The young man on the left, Brad, won the award for coming from farthest away: Derry, Ireland. Kate came from northern Germany where she is an au pair near the city of Kiel.



This was the pie spread. Pumpkin, cherry, pecan, and carrot cake. Some were baked in cast iron skillets in the oven.



One of two turkeys finally arriving. Yes, two turkeys. Boy did we have leftovers...from sandwiches, to turkey/rice mixtures...



Gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes.



One good lookin' bird.



24 people. I lugged a box of 12 bottles of wine as my contribution to the event.



The making of Turkey Soup on Saturday evening. It had about 20 different ingredients, some not so traditional for soup. It was good. That's Charles (L) and Bryce, both from Freeman, SD, and participating in Intermenno.



Finally, by Saturday night we had dismantled both birds.



Turkey soup and gluhwein. Yes, there are apple slices in both pots. Guess which one it went better in.




The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out, walking around Wuppertal, visiting Christmas Markets (I now have my gluhwein mug for the season), chatting, catching up, and finally, saying goodbye.

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My Knee

I believe I'll be diving into another new experience this week. Toward the end of playing soccer last Tuesday, my left knee began acting up and restricting my running. A sharp pain shoots through, just underneath my knee cap. I do not recall a specific event where I could have injured it. However, it got worse through the evening after I got home and into the next day. Normally if my knee hurts, I take some Motrin to ease the pain. This time Motrin did not work. The pain is worst when I must go down stairs and my left leg is at the point of supporting my full body weight. Walking around Wuppertal had started to become a cumbersome act. Before I left last week, I did talk to Heike about it and we decided that if it got worse or didn't get better by today, we'd get it checked out.

That brings me to the next few days. Tomorrow we will go see the doctor and see what he says. I am getting anxious to know what will happen, because I don't know 'how bad it will be'. On one end of the treatment scale is taking pills and on the other end would be surgery. I hope that it does not come down to the right side of that scale. I am delving into a territory that I am not familiar with, and like I said earlier, am anxious and actually a little scared as to what may happen.
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Let's Play A Numbers Game

Tomorrow is December 1. From the first of December:

-I will have not seen Jessica since August 5. (117 days)
-I will have been in Europe since August 6. (116 days)
-My parents come in 18 days for a Huber Christmas.
-I will be going to Switzerland for my next placement on February 9. (71 days)
-I will turn 22 on February 28. (90 days)
-I will have many more experiences, both planned and done on a whim, good and bad, fun and boring, cold and hot, and wet and dry. I will meet up with many more friends and make even more.
-I return to the States (possibly) on August 4. (247 days)

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Also, if you have any idea what my PIN number is, let me know.

Until next time,
Jon

Swiss Bound

Today I received my placement information letter in the mail, so now I'm able to pass the information on to you.

First, some Swiss pictures.

Dombresson:



Dombresson and me:



The committee (Daniel, Ruth, Dora, Johannes, Debbie):



During our break, we went up to this sweet tobaggen run. In the background are the Alps:



Somewhere in there is where I'll be going on a 'Ski Weekend' in January with other trainees:



Going up the tobaggen run:



The committee (Me, Johannes, Ruth, Dora, Debbie, Daniel):



Down to Neuchatel, my attempt at artistic wonder:



Fondue:





My placement
In February, I will be going to Hemberg, Switzerland.


View Larger Map

My sponsors are Dirk and Maya Fellmann. They have three children, Tim (12), Jara (10), Salome (3).

Here is the letter's description of my work: "The Trainee will be working on the farm, maybe is asked to help with some construction work, some cleaning in and around the house (picking weeds), look after the children when Maya is working and if interested do some cooking, teaching English and playing with the kids."

I will be a ten minute walk from the bus stop. It also says that the area is beautiful for hiking and biking.

Until next time,
Jon

A lot of things

Before I get to big news, I'll do a run-down of things that I've done since the last time I posted.

For election night, four trainees gathered in Giessen for what would turn out to be the morning's festivities. Also, a fellow Bethel student who is studying in Wuppertal (northwest Germany) came down. Since the results wouldn't be known until early Wednesday morning, we had a lot of time to kill. Bryce, the trainee there, had a big pot of chilli waiting for us when we got back from the trainstation, it was by far the spiciest thing I've eaten in Germany.



This is Charles.


We watched the results stream in starting at about 1:30 am, on a streaming MSNBC feed on Bryce's laptop.



We finally went to bed at 5:30, after both McCain's Concession Speech and Obama's Acceptance Speech. It was very good to be around other Americans for something like this.

Back here at the Dätwyl vineyard, we have been busy with the Christmas season. Heiko said that they sell 50% of their wine between the beginning of November and Christmas.

I thought I'd show a picture of the room where I spend most of my time during the day. The Flaschen Raum (bottle room) is where all of the bottled wine is stored until it goes out to the masses. While it waits to be labelled, it collects dust here in one of these bins. Each bin holds between 400 and 500 bottles.



Because the dust, they need to be cleaned so they both look nice and so that labels will stick.



After they receive their labels, they are boxed and moved to a different part of the room.




Switzerland
Last weekend, I journeyed to Dombresson, Switzerland. As the trainee representative to the Intermenno Committee, I was able to take part in the meeting. I was able to offer my ideas and add another viewpoint to the many topics discussed. The main reason we gathered though was to decide the second-half placements for each trainee, including myself. Unfortunately for you, I am not able to divulge both where other trainees or I will be starting in February after the mid-term conference. I will post my placement information when I receive the letter, which should be before the end of November. Although if you really want to know where I will be, I may make an exception. But you'll have to email me and then I'll decide whether or not I can tell you. handsareme@gmail.com

We travelled down to Dombresson on Friday and met for the better part of Saturday.


Größere Kartenansicht

For part of the afternoon on Saturday, we did take a break from meetings and Daniel, the other Swiss Committee Member, showed us around. After all, we were meeting at his house. He took us up into the hills above his house and we were able to spot the Alps from our higher vantage point. They were beautiful! Dombresson is in the French area of Switzerland, so we came down from our high roost to the town of Neuchatel. We wandered the oldest part of the city and walked along the lake.


Größere Kartenansicht

We came back and met for a few more hours until 8:30, which is when we paused and had fondue. As always, it was wonderful!

After the fondue, we resumed our meeting and determined the placements.

You may be wondering to yourself why I went to Switzerland and am not showing off the pictures I snapped. Don't worry too much, I have them. However, my computer's hard-drive is experiencing problems so I've been left to use the family computer which does not have my pictures on it. I am awaiting discs in the mail from home so I can do two final tests, then we'll see what the fate of the computer will be. My computer does still turn on, but I do not know for how long that will last.

Earlier this afternoon at about 4, it snowed for about five minutes. It was above freezing and it didn't stick, but it was still fun to see the first snow falling.

Tomorrow I will be going to Worms to do some Christmas shopping. Hopefully it won't be as windy as it was today...it reminded me of a chilly, windy Kansas day!

Until next time,
Jon

The Poles, My First Bundesliga Match, Gustav

Before I get to why all of you came to this blog (Gustav pictures), I will first bore you with the happenings of last week.

German class is going well. Probably the biggest story to come out of there is that a Polish couple offered to give me rides to and from class. See, what I usually do is not pay 2.60 for a one-way train ride, twice a night to get to class. Multiply that by two and you get 5.20. Because I go to class twice a week, multiply that by two and you get 10.40. That's how much I save per week by not paying for the train. I have a low chance of being caught (which would result in a 40 euro fine) because there are only two stops between my stop and Worms. But now I don't even have to worry about a 40 euro fine because all I have to do is get to a town that is about 8 minutes away, toward Worms. There, I meet up with a Polish couple, who also happen to work at a winery. Riding with them also negates the 12 minute walk to and from the train station, which could be rain or shine. So it's a pretty sweet deal. That and they listen to Polish techno music which, along with the bumps in the road, somehow puts me to sleep.

Friday after work, I headed down south to the land of Baden-Wurtenberg, where Tim and Heidi live.

I went to visit them this past weekend because Tim managed to get four tickets for Saturday's Bundesliga match pitting 1899 Hoffenheim against Karlsruhe in what was billed as a "Baden Derby".

Here is the entire stadium, all 23,600 of us, including Tim, singing "The Baden Song":



Hoffenheim earned another three points to remain atop the standings with a resounding 4:1 win. This was my first real professional European soccer match. I had a lot of fun. The only bad thing I can think of from the experience was the headache I got from standing down the way from two 16 year-old chain smoking girls. Otherwise, the atmosphere was spectacular with singing, chanting and yelling. Here are, of course, pictures.

Here is Tim telling MJ about the new Transformer news on the train:


Carl Benz Stadion:







A Karlsruhe player deservedly receives a yellow card:



Toward the end of the match, riot police were brought in as a precautionary measure in front of the Karlsruhe fans:



What's a weekend visiting Tim and Heidi without pictures of Gustav? A failure. Lucky for you, my faithful blog readers, I am not a failure.

























Until next time,
Jon

Small update: If you'd like to see Jordan's pictures of his time here in Germany, click on this link.