It felt wonderful to have a larger clothes selection and braid my hair! At first the girls didn’t know what I was doing, but after it was done, they thought it was really pretty. Nancy can’t French braid, so maybe I'll teach her sometime.
Nancy and I had an enjoyable time over breakfast (toast with honey and peanut butter and orange) and tea/coffee. We talked about the shopping plans for the day, her employees, and the house. They let their cleaning lady go the week before I came because she was drinking their alcohol while she was working and getting drunk. They were worried about her falling down the stairs and driving home while intoxicated so they said they wouldn’t need her anymore. The new cleaning lady is a lady who rents their house in Trebbin and was unemployed. Mark and Nancy also employ four men from Poland. They are all brothers/brothers-in-law who have been working for the Weinholz’s for about 6-9 years. They work during the week and then go home to Poland and their families for the weekend. To them, it is normal because they have been doing it for so long. In Germany, you don’t just move if you lose a job. You’re family stays at the home and you travel to work. Germans are very strong about staying in family homes.
We also talked about schooling in Germany. Elementary school is from K-6th grade. After 6th grade, you go to the high school, but there are two kinds. One kind is on track for you to then proceed to college. In the other tract you proceed to professional training (like a MATC). Both Helena and Gloria are smart enough to skip a grade and enter the harder tract earlier, but Nancy doesn’t want to put that kind of pressure on them. We also talked about drivers licenses. It is very expensive to get a license here. Also, in Germany, it is against the law to have a gun in the car.
We went to the butchers’ shop (the really tall guy from hunting…his family owns the butcher shop). They do all the butchering and preparing right on the premises so you know you are getting good meat. They are very well known. We then headed to the mall (you park in parking ramps) where we ate lunch (Chinese). I thanked Nancy after lunch and she asked “for what?” To which I replied “for buying my meal.” She seemed kind of taken aback that I would thank her. It was nothing to her to pay.
We went to another butcher place for more meat and the bakery, then went to the electronic store to see how much the Wii was. The girls really want it, but it is still too expensive. We had to put our purchases in a little cubby and lock it before we could enter the store. We left our things there while we went grocery shopping. All the carts are locked together, so you have to insert a coin to unlock a cart. In order to get the coin back, you have to put the cart away. It is their way of making sure people put the carts where they are supposed to. I think it would be a good thing to have in the states! There aren’t any baggers, so you bag your own groceries, except there weren’t any bags that I could see, so I just put everything back in the cart. I think the guy thought I was crazy! J The escalators are not steps, they are like walking ramps in big airports, but instead of being horizontal, they go from one level of the mall to another. When you exit the bathroom, you give a tip for the worker. You need money (coins) for everything!
We listened to Christmas music on the way back to the house. I am so amazed at how much American music and movies German people listen to and watch! The girls favorite singers are Katy Perry, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Shakira. Their favorite actor is Johnny Depp, although when I asked Gloria, she said herself! J What a little character!
Back at the house, Helena had a friend over for a little bit (Janice). We played phase 10 until Gloria got home from school (she was later because she had theater after school). Then we headed off to Berlin to look at a school for Helena next year. It is an Evangelistic Christian school, but allows pretty much any denomination to enter. The building opened just a few months ago, so is in pristine condition. Their computer lab was amazing! Mac computers with Mac laptops as well that can be taken to different rooms. Nancy was really impressed with the and wants Helena to get in, but they only have so many spots available, so she was trying to say all the right things to make a good impression. We talked to one teacher extensively (the French teacher. Nancy thinks French is a dying language. She doesn’t like it). Right before we left, we were talking to him and Nancy said I was from America. He then started speaking in English, saying he had lived in Colorado for three years, etc. I am constantly amazed at how many people speak such good English!
We then went to a friends house for dinner. Nancy told them I hadn’t had any alcohol until I came. They gave me some wine, which I sipped very very slowly and pretended to understand their conversation. They spoke good English, so every once in a while they would speak English for my benefit. We had a spinach salad and a flaky pastry with apples on top for appetizers, then had pasta with garlic, broccoli, and mini shrimp in it. It was really good! For dinner, they brought out red wine. The dad was telling me about how you can tell a good wine from bad and asked if I had had it before. I said I would try it, but only to give me a little bit. It tasted HORRIBLE! Even worse than the champagne! I drank water after that.
They are big music people, only not really my kind of style. It’s more American oldies or rock music. The dad reminded me a lot of dad in that, he hugged and kissed his girls and wife, danced and played with them, and you could tell was really involved in their lives, especially when it came to boys. The kids left the table and the adults droned on and on, including me often. I was able to share about my missions trips. After a couple of hours though, I started getting tired. Finally, I went and joined the young girls upstairs to play twister, jump rope, and have a pillow fight. Then Mark came over and I thought we would never leave!
On the way back to the house, I talked to Nancy about mom, dad, and Stacey's desire to visit and she said that was fine! So woohoo!!! I was nervous to ask her. I also asked her about going to church at the missionaries house. She said that was fine too. I’m feeling more comfortable, so PRAISE THE LORD! I won’t go to church this Sunday because I don’t want to go to the Greek Orthodox church and there were plans to go shopping, so I’ll go next week. Also, my car isn’t ready yet. It still needs winter tires put on.
I am thankful we have been staying busy this week so I don’t think too much about home and what I’m missing. It also helps me integrate into the family faster because I’m meeting people that are in their lives (friends and family).
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