Tuesday, October 28, 2008
CORRECTION!
After an email and my own investigation, I have provided false information. The Jewish Cemetery in Worms does not date back to the 1600s as I previously stated, but way back to the 11th and 12th Centuries. I feel like 400-500 years of history is something worthy of a correction of this magnitude. My previous post is corrected to reflect this information.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
There were many activities this week so get ready for a long and pictureful blog!
On Monday, I again went to language class. Nothing really new to report on that, but it was the first class with the other teacher, Jens, who is a portly fellow. I believe I like his style better than the other lady. He's quite funny and likes to laugh.
On Tuesday, I went to soccer practice again and was informed that because I listed that I was a part of a college team that I would have to wait four weeks to play after my papers actually went through, and by then it wouldn't be worth it for the club to pay the registration fees for me to play in one or two matches. I will still continue to go to practice because that's one of my only forms of exercise and places to hang out with people in my age group.
On Wednesday I got a package in the mail from Mom and Dad. In it were some Obama-Biden buttons that I had requested so I could get into the election spirit on the side of the Atlantic. I ended up attaching them to the strap of my messenger bag.
Walking on the street, standing in a line, or even at the train ticket machine people come up and say in either German or broken English supportive things backing Obama. Apparently about 80% of the German population would support Obama. One of my favorite quotes that I've heard is that, "If Germans were allowed to vote in the election, Obama would win in a landslide." That just says to me how much people care in this election, how powerful a person the President of the US is and how many people, not just Americans, his decisions influence.
Continuing Wednesday...I usually play with the 'old men' in a form of a pick-up game, however on this night they had a match with a neighboring city's 'old man' team. Heiko and I went well before the match to rake leaves off the penalty area and lines. Here's our damage:
It was right at sunset which was beautiful:
Thursday was a day I had been looking forward to for a while. My good friend Jordan, a fellow pilot and student at Bethel, came to visit me for the weekend.
Jordan and I went to Speyer on Friday where there were many statues which we took pictures of.
Also in Speyer is a Technical Museum. What are two pilots to do when there is a museum with airplanes?! We went to it, of course. There were many things of interest here, but what caught our eye was a Lufthansa 747 that was mounted high above the ground in a take-off position. We took a slide down instead of the stairs:
Saturday was another fully planned day. Soon after a brunchish meal of omelets, we took a driving tour through the vineyard's on our way to the train station, where we headed to Worms. After departing the train, we found an old Jewish cemetery. Many of the headstones date from the 11th and 12th centuries.
We found the statue of Martin Luther. (You may also notice in this picture I got a new jacket.)
Later in the afternoon we headed back to Wintersheim for in the evening was a Wine and Cheese event put on by the vineyard. A room in the tower was set up for 35 people and Jordan and I were two of those. We literally did not know what to expect and what the process was. Seemingly planned, Heike told us to sit at a table with four other people who immediately asked me, in English, if my name was Jon. The group of four had come from Wiesbaden for the evening and they consisted of a lady born in the Netherlands, an Austrian and two Germans. The conversation was great and they were very willing to explain the different cheeses as I was happy to explain some of the wines to them.
Heiko had been busy preparing for this week. I would normally find him sitting at the kitchen table with three or four wine glasses, many wine bottles, and many different cheeses surrounding him. Still working on Friday night, he had to select which cheeses went with which wines. It looked like a long tedious process.
Here are some pictures from the evening:
Today I accompanied him back to the airport. I had read on the internet somewhere that at the Frankfurt Airport, they have an observation deck that you can go out onto and watch the action of the airport. Being the pilots we are, you can bet on it that we were out there for a solid hour, snapping pictures and plane spotting.
It was a very fun and action filled weekend.
Until next time,
Jon
---------------------------
Note to the reader: You can download the pictures I have posted here by clicking on the photo. On the page that pops up, look for the option "Download" above the picture.
To catch Jordan's version, click on this.
On Monday, I again went to language class. Nothing really new to report on that, but it was the first class with the other teacher, Jens, who is a portly fellow. I believe I like his style better than the other lady. He's quite funny and likes to laugh.
On Tuesday, I went to soccer practice again and was informed that because I listed that I was a part of a college team that I would have to wait four weeks to play after my papers actually went through, and by then it wouldn't be worth it for the club to pay the registration fees for me to play in one or two matches. I will still continue to go to practice because that's one of my only forms of exercise and places to hang out with people in my age group.
On Wednesday I got a package in the mail from Mom and Dad. In it were some Obama-Biden buttons that I had requested so I could get into the election spirit on the side of the Atlantic. I ended up attaching them to the strap of my messenger bag.
Walking on the street, standing in a line, or even at the train ticket machine people come up and say in either German or broken English supportive things backing Obama. Apparently about 80% of the German population would support Obama. One of my favorite quotes that I've heard is that, "If Germans were allowed to vote in the election, Obama would win in a landslide." That just says to me how much people care in this election, how powerful a person the President of the US is and how many people, not just Americans, his decisions influence.
Continuing Wednesday...I usually play with the 'old men' in a form of a pick-up game, however on this night they had a match with a neighboring city's 'old man' team. Heiko and I went well before the match to rake leaves off the penalty area and lines. Here's our damage:
It was right at sunset which was beautiful:
Thursday was a day I had been looking forward to for a while. My good friend Jordan, a fellow pilot and student at Bethel, came to visit me for the weekend.
Jordan and I went to Speyer on Friday where there were many statues which we took pictures of.
Also in Speyer is a Technical Museum. What are two pilots to do when there is a museum with airplanes?! We went to it, of course. There were many things of interest here, but what caught our eye was a Lufthansa 747 that was mounted high above the ground in a take-off position. We took a slide down instead of the stairs:
Saturday was another fully planned day. Soon after a brunchish meal of omelets, we took a driving tour through the vineyard's on our way to the train station, where we headed to Worms. After departing the train, we found an old Jewish cemetery. Many of the headstones date from the 11th and 12th centuries.
We found the statue of Martin Luther. (You may also notice in this picture I got a new jacket.)
Later in the afternoon we headed back to Wintersheim for in the evening was a Wine and Cheese event put on by the vineyard. A room in the tower was set up for 35 people and Jordan and I were two of those. We literally did not know what to expect and what the process was. Seemingly planned, Heike told us to sit at a table with four other people who immediately asked me, in English, if my name was Jon. The group of four had come from Wiesbaden for the evening and they consisted of a lady born in the Netherlands, an Austrian and two Germans. The conversation was great and they were very willing to explain the different cheeses as I was happy to explain some of the wines to them.
Heiko had been busy preparing for this week. I would normally find him sitting at the kitchen table with three or four wine glasses, many wine bottles, and many different cheeses surrounding him. Still working on Friday night, he had to select which cheeses went with which wines. It looked like a long tedious process.
Here are some pictures from the evening:
Today I accompanied him back to the airport. I had read on the internet somewhere that at the Frankfurt Airport, they have an observation deck that you can go out onto and watch the action of the airport. Being the pilots we are, you can bet on it that we were out there for a solid hour, snapping pictures and plane spotting.
It was a very fun and action filled weekend.
Until next time,
Jon
---------------------------
Note to the reader: You can download the pictures I have posted here by clicking on the photo. On the page that pops up, look for the option "Download" above the picture.
To catch Jordan's version, click on this.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Cleaning the Fireplace, Language Classes, A Bike Ride, 30 cents and Free Coffee
On Monday, it was time to clean the fireplace. This meant that after the ashes were shoveled out and everything was vacuumed (in the fireplace), Paulina donned old clothes and a shower cap and Heiko promptly shoved her into the fireplace while I bit my tongue stopping the comparisons of this with Nazis.
This week I began language classes in Worms. I have them twice a week on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 9. They are a real experience. Because they are German classes, they are of course, in German. This is also because of the wide range of pupil nationality. From my count, there are between 4 and 6 Poles, a Montenegran, two Kosovoans, a couple Turks, and me. That means that German is the common language, not English, or Ibanisch or Turkish... There is a lot of motioning by the teacher and repeating of what her message is. There are actually two teachers, Barbara and Jens, who take turns teaching. It is about a ten minute walk from the train station to the school so I must be speedy to catch the 9:25 train. If I miss that, I must wait until 10:25 for the next train.
Today was Saturday, which meant I get to sleep in. Except Daniel had a friend stay the night (they're three...) and they woke up around 8 and promptly decided to run laps on the floor outside my room. I even got to shout 'AUS!' when one of them opened my door and screamed. Luckily the eye of the storm passed and I was able to sleep through the rest of the morning. I woke up in time for an amazing lunch of Spargel (white asparagus) Soup. Nothing was planned for the afternoon, so I decided to go for a bike ride through the hills around Wintersheim. Leaves are changing colors and the air is getting crisp. Oh, I brought my camera along, enjoy.
There are four windmills to the north of Wintersheim.
Later in the afternoon, I went to Worms, this time with my ukulele in hand. My mission was to panhandle. I had no goal but to play. Many people passed, but one person, who had earbuds in his ears, put 30 cents in my case as he walked by. Nice guy.
Then, I went to the doner kebap shop and had myself a doner. The doner maker, or doner king if you will, struck up a conversation with me and he's a pretty nice Turkish man who knows English. When I was finished with my doner, he asked, "Do you want some tea? My pleasure!" I'm not much of a tea person, but I didn't want to come across as a bad guy, so I asked if I could have some coffee instead. While the coffee cup did have lipstick stains on it, I put it past me as it was a free cup of coffee. I'll be frequenting this doner kebap shop again.
Tomorrow, I'll join the family for church. This will be the first time the Dettweiler's have gone to church since I got here. The service will celebrate the fruits of the harvest.
Until next time,
Jon
This week I began language classes in Worms. I have them twice a week on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 9. They are a real experience. Because they are German classes, they are of course, in German. This is also because of the wide range of pupil nationality. From my count, there are between 4 and 6 Poles, a Montenegran, two Kosovoans, a couple Turks, and me. That means that German is the common language, not English, or Ibanisch or Turkish... There is a lot of motioning by the teacher and repeating of what her message is. There are actually two teachers, Barbara and Jens, who take turns teaching. It is about a ten minute walk from the train station to the school so I must be speedy to catch the 9:25 train. If I miss that, I must wait until 10:25 for the next train.
Today was Saturday, which meant I get to sleep in. Except Daniel had a friend stay the night (they're three...) and they woke up around 8 and promptly decided to run laps on the floor outside my room. I even got to shout 'AUS!' when one of them opened my door and screamed. Luckily the eye of the storm passed and I was able to sleep through the rest of the morning. I woke up in time for an amazing lunch of Spargel (white asparagus) Soup. Nothing was planned for the afternoon, so I decided to go for a bike ride through the hills around Wintersheim. Leaves are changing colors and the air is getting crisp. Oh, I brought my camera along, enjoy.
There are four windmills to the north of Wintersheim.
Later in the afternoon, I went to Worms, this time with my ukulele in hand. My mission was to panhandle. I had no goal but to play. Many people passed, but one person, who had earbuds in his ears, put 30 cents in my case as he walked by. Nice guy.
Then, I went to the doner kebap shop and had myself a doner. The doner maker, or doner king if you will, struck up a conversation with me and he's a pretty nice Turkish man who knows English. When I was finished with my doner, he asked, "Do you want some tea? My pleasure!" I'm not much of a tea person, but I didn't want to come across as a bad guy, so I asked if I could have some coffee instead. While the coffee cup did have lipstick stains on it, I put it past me as it was a free cup of coffee. I'll be frequenting this doner kebap shop again.
Tomorrow, I'll join the family for church. This will be the first time the Dettweiler's have gone to church since I got here. The service will celebrate the fruits of the harvest.
Until next time,
Jon
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Foggy Communication
This was week was back to the daily grind. Some of the things I did this week were the usual vacuuming, dishwasher duties, sweeping, and watering flowers. On Wednesday and Thursday, my task was to trim vines that had gotten out of control. That meant that I had to stand in a box on the forklift and be driven around by Heike, sometimes standing outside of the box reaching for whatever I could reach. It was fun.
Friday was a relatively bad day. Soon after breakfast, I was told by Heike that we would be harvesting grapes by hand Saturday afternoon and that I should take the afternoon off. Saturday I had been planning to go to Worms and walk around the city to find where my German classes will be. So, no big deal, I'll just go to Worms Friday afternoon. I had it all planned out, I would take a nap after lunch to recharge my batteries, then head to Worms and be back in time for soccer practice at 7. Or so I thought.
Apparently, Heike forgot that I would be taking the afternoon off so when Oma asked her if I could 'help' with the Dettweiler area of the cemetery, she said I could. I found this out just before lunch. After lunch, I get taken by Oma to the cemetery and my job was to pick up all the leaves in the plant beds. (The leaves are starting to change colors, so it was pointless to pick up leaves.) She then told me that she would be right back with the water hose so I could water the plants. Oma didn't come right back. I had finished picking up the leaves, taking them to the compost, and swept the walkway before she even came back. I thought that I would be 'helping' Oma, not her leaving me there to do everything when I had planned to be happily napping. Then I was left again by myself to water the plants and walk home.
Anywho, I made it to Worms on the train, even though I rode ticketless because the machine at the bahnhof wouldn't let me put my money in. It's funny that something designed to take money and give tickets was inoperative. Not a very good moneymaker for Deutsche Bahn. Worms was the city where Martin Luther was put in front of the Diet of Worms. It was easy to find the big statue.
I then went looking for the place where I begin German classes tomorrow night. After some searching, I did find it. Then I took the rest of the time to get acquainted with the area between the Worms Hauptbahnhof and the school, finding different routes to get between the two places. Soon I'll find the quickest. I was even able to have a delicious Doner Kebap! I then rode back on the train, ticketless again, and made it back for soccer practice.
Saturday I awoke to a cloudy morning, the vineyards around Wintersheim shrouded in fog.
Luckily, we set out to harvest and there was no rain to be seen through the entire day, though the fog hung around.
These vineyards were about 20 km to the north, above the town of Nierstein in the hills.
Today, the only thing on my schedule to was to go to the soccer match in Dorn Durkheim. I have been awaiting my papers to be cleared and then I will finally be ready and legal to play in the matches. I was told it will likely be another week. Hopefully. Anyway, I warmed up the goalkeeper and watched the match from the bench. It was an entertaining match with not as much violence as the last one I was at with both teams earning a point in the tables with a 0-0 draw.
Like I said, German classes will begin this week and go until January, meeting on Monday and Thursday each week. It will be interesting and I'm looking forward to it very much. It will be hard work, but I like challenges and this will be a monumental task.
I do not have anything yet planned for next weekend. I may go to Speyer, Trier, or Mainz. I'll find something to do. The weekend after that, Jordan is coming to visit. He's a good friend from Bethel who is also a pilot. He's studying for a semester in Barcelona and he found some cheap tickets to fly here. I look forward to showing him around Wintersheim, Worms and the area.
Friday was a relatively bad day. Soon after breakfast, I was told by Heike that we would be harvesting grapes by hand Saturday afternoon and that I should take the afternoon off. Saturday I had been planning to go to Worms and walk around the city to find where my German classes will be. So, no big deal, I'll just go to Worms Friday afternoon. I had it all planned out, I would take a nap after lunch to recharge my batteries, then head to Worms and be back in time for soccer practice at 7. Or so I thought.
Apparently, Heike forgot that I would be taking the afternoon off so when Oma asked her if I could 'help' with the Dettweiler area of the cemetery, she said I could. I found this out just before lunch. After lunch, I get taken by Oma to the cemetery and my job was to pick up all the leaves in the plant beds. (The leaves are starting to change colors, so it was pointless to pick up leaves.) She then told me that she would be right back with the water hose so I could water the plants. Oma didn't come right back. I had finished picking up the leaves, taking them to the compost, and swept the walkway before she even came back. I thought that I would be 'helping' Oma, not her leaving me there to do everything when I had planned to be happily napping. Then I was left again by myself to water the plants and walk home.
Anywho, I made it to Worms on the train, even though I rode ticketless because the machine at the bahnhof wouldn't let me put my money in. It's funny that something designed to take money and give tickets was inoperative. Not a very good moneymaker for Deutsche Bahn. Worms was the city where Martin Luther was put in front of the Diet of Worms. It was easy to find the big statue.
I then went looking for the place where I begin German classes tomorrow night. After some searching, I did find it. Then I took the rest of the time to get acquainted with the area between the Worms Hauptbahnhof and the school, finding different routes to get between the two places. Soon I'll find the quickest. I was even able to have a delicious Doner Kebap! I then rode back on the train, ticketless again, and made it back for soccer practice.
Saturday I awoke to a cloudy morning, the vineyards around Wintersheim shrouded in fog.
Luckily, we set out to harvest and there was no rain to be seen through the entire day, though the fog hung around.
These vineyards were about 20 km to the north, above the town of Nierstein in the hills.
Today, the only thing on my schedule to was to go to the soccer match in Dorn Durkheim. I have been awaiting my papers to be cleared and then I will finally be ready and legal to play in the matches. I was told it will likely be another week. Hopefully. Anyway, I warmed up the goalkeeper and watched the match from the bench. It was an entertaining match with not as much violence as the last one I was at with both teams earning a point in the tables with a 0-0 draw.
Like I said, German classes will begin this week and go until January, meeting on Monday and Thursday each week. It will be interesting and I'm looking forward to it very much. It will be hard work, but I like challenges and this will be a monumental task.
I do not have anything yet planned for next weekend. I may go to Speyer, Trier, or Mainz. I'll find something to do. The weekend after that, Jordan is coming to visit. He's a good friend from Bethel who is also a pilot. He's studying for a semester in Barcelona and he found some cheap tickets to fly here. I look forward to showing him around Wintersheim, Worms and the area.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Tag der Deutschen Einheit!
The title of this blog is the name of the German holiday for reunification after the Berlin Wall fell. The past weekend was a three-day weekend, so Tim and Heidi finally were able to come and visit me here in Wintersheim. They did so on Thursday night. We had zwiebel kuchen (onion cake) and neuewein (new wine). It's a traditional combination. We spent the evening sampling wines and conversing.
On Friday, we followed Heiko out to one of the vineyard's. Tim and Heidi were invited to climb on top of the harvester and take a ride to see how it works. I think they were pleasantly surprised with the opportunity.
I got to hold Gustav while they rode.
After a very quick lunch, all four of us were taken to Alsheim. The three of them were going home and I was headed to the Intermenno Fall Retreat south of Kaiserslautern. Our journey's were the same until Worms and then we were on our separate ways.
I traveled to Enkenbach, where there is another trainee and a committee person, whom I then traveled with by car to the retreat. It was a really refreshing weekend to see people again who we briefly got acquainted with at the opening conference in The Netherlands. It's amazing how for most of the trainees, the only thing other than being a Mennonite that we have in common is that we are doing Intermenno. Some of the people I knew beforehand, but even the people who I have met for a total of 5-6 days, I would feel comfortable visiting them back home. Common bonds are powerful.
The weekend was full of reflections, singing and eating. Friday night, everyone shared about their placements. Saturday morning we heard about how the committee is financed and how much money is actually involved in our experience's here in Europe. In the afternoon, we traveled to the Wissembourg, France, area and toured a Mennonite church as well as the city. We then spent the evening in a restaurant eating flammkuchen, which, though light and thin, was tasty.
Sunday morning, we had our own church service. I helped accompany some of the songs with ukulele. Then we elected a trainee who will attend the committee meetings and be a sort of liaison between the trainees and committee. The other trainees voted me to be that person and I'm glad that I'm able to have this responsibility. I will be traveling to Switzerland next month for my first meeting where second term placements will be assigned. I look forward to this opportunity!
The first weekend of Oktober is now nearing completion. In a previous entry, I had mentioned that time seemed to be flying by. I have determined that this is indeed a good thing. The more work and activities there are to do, the less bored I get and the more active I stay. At the retreat, culture shock and homesickness were discussed in some of the sessions. I don't believe that I have gone through any culture shock, but I did have an experience that could be semi-related to culture shock. I was standing in the kitchen and I just had a feeling that (for now, at least) this really feels like home and is comfortable. That happened sometime in the past two weeks. As for missing home, I think once a person realizes that they won't be in a place "they're used to" for a year, they will go through some sort of homesickness. I do indeed miss people and things at home, but I know that I'll be going back next summer, so I can put it partly out of my mind. Though, when I listen to Dad's band or look at pictures that I brought, I can't help but sigh and wish I was with those people.
Just some of the things I have to look forward to:
Jordan is coming to visit the last weekend of Oktober.
A possible gathering of most of the Bethelonians on Election Night in Wuppertal.
The committee meeting in Switzerland the third weekend of November.
Also, I hope I don't jinx myself, but I amazingly have yet to break a bottle of wine. I have witnessed Heiko break two or three bottles and it's not a big deal if one is broken, but I just want to keep that streak alive, mainly for bragging rights. One will probably break this week now that I said something.
Until next time,
Jon
On Friday, we followed Heiko out to one of the vineyard's. Tim and Heidi were invited to climb on top of the harvester and take a ride to see how it works. I think they were pleasantly surprised with the opportunity.
I got to hold Gustav while they rode.
After a very quick lunch, all four of us were taken to Alsheim. The three of them were going home and I was headed to the Intermenno Fall Retreat south of Kaiserslautern. Our journey's were the same until Worms and then we were on our separate ways.
I traveled to Enkenbach, where there is another trainee and a committee person, whom I then traveled with by car to the retreat. It was a really refreshing weekend to see people again who we briefly got acquainted with at the opening conference in The Netherlands. It's amazing how for most of the trainees, the only thing other than being a Mennonite that we have in common is that we are doing Intermenno. Some of the people I knew beforehand, but even the people who I have met for a total of 5-6 days, I would feel comfortable visiting them back home. Common bonds are powerful.
The weekend was full of reflections, singing and eating. Friday night, everyone shared about their placements. Saturday morning we heard about how the committee is financed and how much money is actually involved in our experience's here in Europe. In the afternoon, we traveled to the Wissembourg, France, area and toured a Mennonite church as well as the city. We then spent the evening in a restaurant eating flammkuchen, which, though light and thin, was tasty.
Sunday morning, we had our own church service. I helped accompany some of the songs with ukulele. Then we elected a trainee who will attend the committee meetings and be a sort of liaison between the trainees and committee. The other trainees voted me to be that person and I'm glad that I'm able to have this responsibility. I will be traveling to Switzerland next month for my first meeting where second term placements will be assigned. I look forward to this opportunity!
The first weekend of Oktober is now nearing completion. In a previous entry, I had mentioned that time seemed to be flying by. I have determined that this is indeed a good thing. The more work and activities there are to do, the less bored I get and the more active I stay. At the retreat, culture shock and homesickness were discussed in some of the sessions. I don't believe that I have gone through any culture shock, but I did have an experience that could be semi-related to culture shock. I was standing in the kitchen and I just had a feeling that (for now, at least) this really feels like home and is comfortable. That happened sometime in the past two weeks. As for missing home, I think once a person realizes that they won't be in a place "they're used to" for a year, they will go through some sort of homesickness. I do indeed miss people and things at home, but I know that I'll be going back next summer, so I can put it partly out of my mind. Though, when I listen to Dad's band or look at pictures that I brought, I can't help but sigh and wish I was with those people.
Just some of the things I have to look forward to:
Jordan is coming to visit the last weekend of Oktober.
A possible gathering of most of the Bethelonians on Election Night in Wuppertal.
The committee meeting in Switzerland the third weekend of November.
Also, I hope I don't jinx myself, but I amazingly have yet to break a bottle of wine. I have witnessed Heiko break two or three bottles and it's not a big deal if one is broken, but I just want to keep that streak alive, mainly for bragging rights. One will probably break this week now that I said something.
Until next time,
Jon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
