Adventures with Kohlrabi: The First Weeks Back

Hello my dearest followers,

Sorry this last post has been so delayed! I hope all of you, especially those in the grip of the notorious "polar vortex", are enjoying your snow days and staying comfy and warm at home.

It's quite cold here in Chemnitz and we got our first snow (that stuck around and then turned into sheets of ice) this Monday.  But more on that later...

Coming back to Germany after spending nearly 3 weeks in America was a rougher transition than I had expected.

First of all, each time I take a transatlantic flight they seem to get longer and more terrible. The flight back to Berlin was pretty terrifying, we had a lot of turbulence going over Iceland and I was having Tower of Terror flashbacks while the dude next to me was peacefully snoring away, blissfully unaware of the possibility that this could have gone all "Lost" at any moment (or at least it seemed that way).

Luckily, for the long flight I had a trusty companion (other than Simba, of course): my friend Calie, who is currently working in Reutlingen.  Through a stroke of luck, we had seats near to each other and I could happily spend the flight kicking Calie's seat.  (I jest.)

Then of course, the jet lag.  The first day back was manageable, considering that I had to spend my time getting from Berlin to Chemnitz (although I did break up the trip to visit Claire in Leipzig).

The whole time on the train was a test of wills: Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep.

DON'T. FALL. ASLEEP.

When I finally got back to Chemnitz, I happily collapsed onto my bed and basically spent the whole first weekend back sleeping.

It was glorious.

Although during the flight back, I was filled with a tinge of reluctance about going back to Chemnitz and school, once I arrived on Monday, I was so happily greeted by my students and my coworkers, I felt immediately back home.

Within the first week, I was happily back in classroom and helping to lead lessons.

But sometimes, I do have suppress my laughter in class.

Last week, one of my eighth graders asked me for the opposite of word "expensive" and I told him.

And I watched as he wrote down "sheep".

(I did correct him, after feigning a coughing fit to cover up the urge to laugh.)

Please give me the Teacher of the Year award.

Oh look, you find them online and you can fill them
out yourself!

Printing one out and hanging it up right now.

Now, as for the title of this post.

One my fellow teachers has taken me under her wing, which is really sweet of her, and one day we were discussing cooking and winter meals.  She was giving me advice for making homemade soup bases and one of her directions included Kohlrabi.

Huh?

My confusion was evident.  We searched in vain in multiple dictionaries only to discover that "Kohlrabi" is also kohlrabi in English.

Behold! Kohlrabi!

Then the next day, to my amazement, my coworker brought me an enormous kohlrabi as well as another kohlrabi head (not sure if that's the technical term, but oh well, using the German method of making up new words) which she had chopped up and placed into a snack box for me. (Which is SO German, by the way.)  She kept smiling encouragingly at me as I timidly tried the raw pieces of kohlrabi, which has a melon-y texture but a bland vegetable taste.

Kohlrabi is a weird vegetable and I still have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it.

Eat it raw? Sauté it? Roast it?

WHO KNOWS.

But hopefully I will figure out what to do with it before it rots in my fridge.

No promises, though.


Finally, I want to end with a little tale of woe that will hopefully amuse you, dear reader.

So it finally snowed here in Chemnitz and okay, we barely got 3 inches, but Germans clearly have different ways of dealing with snow and ice.

And by that, I mean, that instead of shovels, they opt for just walking over the snow until it compacts into sheets of ice; and instead of salt, they opt for throwing down tiny chunks of rocks, or even more ineffectively, sand.

Have you ever walked on cobblestones covered in ice with tiny rocks frozen into it, dear reader?

No, of course not, because Americans salt the earth because we want the ice to, you know, go away.

Another fact for you:  I live at awkward distance to my school.

It takes about 25 minutes to walk there. But if I want to take the bus, I would have to wake up earlier to get to school at the same time.

Which is a big no.

So I usually walk to school, which
is actually quite refreshing.

And the final pertinent fact for this story: As many of you are aware, I have a higher than average klutz ratio, which is normally endearing RomCom heroine, but less endearing and funny in real life.

Anyway, this little story takes place earlier this week when I was tragically running late to school.  I had gotten nicely dressed up and was wearing a new pair of (frankly) adorable pants.

You can see where this is going.

I was about halfway to school when I slipped and fell on a patch of rocky ice.  After realizing that not only had I ripped my new pants at the knee, but that I was also gushing blood everywhere.

I then had to make the choice between heading onward to school or turning back home. Judging by the general unfriendliness of our school secretary (who really has no right to be that grumpy ALL THE TIME. Seriously, how can someone be so grumpy all the time?!), I made the fateful decision to go home and open up my stash of BandAids.  (Which are not Disney Princess themed, which might be the greatest tragedy of the whole affair.)

But that also required calling the school and telling them about the whole thing.

Pride comes before the fall, but sometimes it seems the other way around happens too.

After sucking it up, I set out again to get to school for the next class period on time.

When I slipped.

And fell.

Again.

After mumbling some choice words in both English and German and brushing myself off again, I arrived at school only to find out that the class I had tried to come to was taking an exam.

Which meant I really didn't need to come at school at all.

ONLY MY LIFE.

Such is life and luckily I have a good sense of humor!

Because, really, all I could do at that point was laugh.

Anyway, my dearest followers, the moral of the story is: stay safe out there in the winter weather!

Lots of Love,

Your Humble Blogger

(Whose bruises and scrapes are healing quite nicely.  Today they're sort of a shade of purple-green.)

PS. The long-awaited Tübingen post will be up soon, I hope!

What I've Been Doing With My Life (When I'm Obviously NOT Blogging)

Dearest followers,

I'm very sorry this post is even more delayed than usual.  I found out last weekend that my grandfather passed away and I haven't really been in a blogging mood.

But I hope you'll enjoy this entry while I work on some newer entries.

Because I'm massively behind on blogging, I'm doing a round-up (aka a list, aka a summary of my life) with the exception of one journey/adventure and it will be quite clear why.

Also, warning this post is both long and image heavy!!

1.  10 Fulbrighters, 2 Countries, and 1....Professional Polish Basketball Game?

Properly armed with a Sachsen Ticket, you can do amazing things.

Like get 10 American Fulbrighters together to visit Görlitz and Zgorzelec!

SO MANY AMERICANS.

From left to right: Monika, Joe, Tom, Melody, Kitty,
Dave, Alex, Cathy, Yours Truly, and Chelsea.
(Photo Credit to Philip, who being the tallest person, got to take the the photo.)

Now, if you said to yourself, Zgorzelec doesn't sound German name, give yourself a pat on the back, because you're right. It's Polish.

Görlitz and Zgorzelec were once one city, divided by a river, which kept constantly being pulled back and forth between Germanic and Polish wars like a dog's chew toy until 1945, when the Allies put their foot (or should I say feet? Confusing.) down, saying they weren't going to let any more Germans start any more wars over what should or shouldn't be theirs.

So the town was separated by its natural barrier, one side becoming German, the other Polish. Although Görlitz and Zgorzelec both fell under Soviet rule during the Cold War, Görlitz has done pretty well for itself in recent years, because has the best examples of nearly every type of historical architecture. (See below!)

Görlitz's charming architecture has made it a popular spot for films needing a German/European setting and Görlitz has been dubbed "Görlywood" by many of the Germans.

Case in point, this charming romantic comedy filled with intense detail on historical facts was filmed here...

Oh wait, I meant to say a blood and gore filled

WWII revenge fantasy movie.

AND IT'S NOT EVEN SET IN GERMANY.

Anyway, if Görlitz is cute enough to be in Tarantino movie, it must be worth seeing right?  Well, you can judge for yourself...

We got ourselves a guidebook and happily wandered through Görlitz, marveling at the mixture of historical architecture nestled next to each other.  We also went into a lot of the churches, which were very cool on the inside, but alas, they charged you to take photos inside.  (Which is crap.)  So no photos for anyone!

Fun fact: The orange building is a popular hotel
where Napoleon stayed.

A store that only sells mustard.
True story.

The entrance to the the town hall.

I spy...lots of Americans. 

Although you can't really see it, this trader's guild building
has the emblems of all the neighboring towns.

Of course, Görlitz's emblem is located at the very top
of the building.

"The Whispering Arch"

One person can whisper to someone on the
 other side of the doorway. None of us were sure why
this was very useful, but it provided a great entertainment value.

Sometimes, I led the tour!
Photo Credit to Kitty, who was resting from reading at this stop.

Our first view of the border!

POLAND!

There is a dotted line on the bridge that marks when
you cross.  Other than that, no one else is keeping track.

The eye-catching building with a face is
now a multi-story club.

Poland to the left, Germany to the right.

A look back at Germany.

After amusing ourselves by hopping over the border, the group split up for lunch and the afternoon's activities.  My group (Kitty, Melody, Cathy, Dave, Philip, and Chelsea) bummed around Görlitz a bit more...

Unsurprisingly, shenanigans ensued.
(Can you spot Yours Truly?!)

Photo credit to Kitty, who was above this
and also enabled the group-hug.

But our real quest was to find where Jesus was buried.

Yes, dear friends, it's true! 

Don't have the money, time, or desire to fly yourself all the way to Israel?

No worries, friend, you can see a tinier replica of the Holy Sepulchre in Görlitz!

If you're confused as to why a replica of a holy sight is in a small town in the middle of Europe, join the club.  

The story goes like this:  

Once upon a time, in the late 1400s, Georg Emmerich had a problem.  And by that, I mean, he knocked up his girlfriend/the-girl-next-door.  Instead of forcing him to get married and face his obligations, his family conveniently shipped him off to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  During his time there, he found God, joined the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, and successfully avoided paying child support for nearly 20 years.  He eventually returned to Görlitz, where he became mayor, got married twice (neither time to his baby-mama), and produced another 11 children.

I was going to make a joke about the patriarchy, but I rolled my eyes too hard and forgot was I was going to say.

Anyway, inspired by his second chance at life, he decided that he should build a smaller, to-scale version of the Holy Sepulchre for all those other pilgrims (who weren't hardcore enough to go to the Holy Land).

Pilgrims today can still follow a set of Stations of the Cross through the town, with the last three stations ending by the replica of the Holy Sepulchre.  There is a small chapel, divided into two floors.  The ground floor symbolizes Calvary in Jerusalem, the first floor is the Golgatha chapel.

The Golgatha Chapel is sparsely decorated
to promote prayerful reflection. 

Leaving the chapel, you walk to the replica of the Holy Sepulchre.

You encounter a Pietà on your way.

A look back to the twin chapel.

A view to the Holy Sepulchre.
Not my photo.

Old school graffiti.

Inside, an angel beckons you to
see the spot where Jesus' body was placed.

For size reference, here's Philip.

All in all, the experience was a little strange, but cool.  I'm glad Philip pushed us to find it.  We headed back to the border to meet up with the other Americans!  

As the sun set, we crossed the border to Poland and we changed our Euros for Polish złotys. We explored Zgorzelec and did our best to order some Polish food.  (There was some pointing and miming involved.)

Then, we finally reached our destination!  The stadium for the Turóws!  Which for those you, who don't keep track of professional Polish basketball teams, is Zgorzelec's team.  I'm still not sure how or why Kitty got us all tickets, but once we got there, it was a surreal experience.

It was all the same sounds and atmosphere as a typical American basketball game, except with 100% more team scarves and vuvuzelas (those things should not be allowed inside, fyi).  

Although some of the cheers were in Polish, many of the familiar chants were in English ("DE-FENSE") and we happily participated!  It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the game and we all had a lot of fun!

Dedicated fans show their support.
And their scarves.

We left Görlitz and Zgorzelec as victorious fans of the Turóws - Go Turóws! - and Kitty has already planned for us to return during championship season...

2. Pop Culture Weekend (Plus, a surprise trip to the American Store!)

Now, during this trip to Görlitz and Zgorzelec, Kitty and I bonded over our mutual love of well written, dystopian Young Adult literature.

If you haven't read the Hunger Games, stop what you're doing and go read them.  (That's what school breaks are for, right?)

Also, if you've already read the books and seen the new movie, I highly recommend this article, which is just wonderful, turning a review of pop culture into a discussion about gender norms, how Hollywood handles romantic plots, and Katniss being awesome.  Oh, and Peeta is the best and I love him.

Anyway, Kitty and I hatched a plan to somehow, someway see Catching Fire in English.  After much research and swearing, we discovered that a theater in Dresden was showing it undubbed.  So we got together a merry band of Kitty, Cathy, Alex, and I and we headed off to Dresden.

Not only was the film great, but we had a really good time.  (Also, you can drink in German movie theaters - we popped open the baby bottles of wine and copious amounts of chocolate for the showing.)

By the time the movie ended, it was too late for trains to take us back to our homes, so we pestered Philip and were able to stay at his house.  The usual offering of dark chocolates was made as our "hostel" payment.

The next day, we headed into Dresden (the Neustadt, which is so adorable!) to visit "Beyond the Pond", which has to be the best store in existence.  Mostly because the owner is a very friendly American woman who just knows what an American abroad would be craving.

My purchases included: Frank's Red Hot buffalo sauce, Toll House chocolate chips, Hidden Valley ranch dressing, and a packet of Reese's cups.

Say what you will about Gossip Girl, but Blair Waldorf
has the best clothes and quotes ever.

We returned back to Philip's house, where we all chipped in to make "Arnsdorf Curry", which will one day be an entry into the annals of Delicious Food You Learn How to Cook Post-Grad (Because Otherwise You'd Starve).

The team split up, but Cathy and I met up with David in Chemnitz to imbibe more pop culture:

50th Anniversary!

We had a good time, but I won't reveal more, because, you know, spoilers.

3. I Have A Favorite Soccer Team Now!

Here's the good thing about having friends from England - they are usually soccer/football fanatics. The British ETA, who name is Sam, is a huge football fan.  (Her team is Arsenal, for those inquiring minds.)

Anyway, she got her hands onto a couple of tickets to see Chemnitz's team - the Chemnitzer Himmelblauen (the Chemnitz Blue Skies, which is especially ironic because I haven't seen the sun or a blue sky since October).

Now, Chemnitz isn't that great of a team.  They're in the 3rd league of the Bundeslinga and they were (at the time of the game we went to) ranked 17th in the league.  They were set to play against a team ranked 10th, so our expectations weren't high, but I was still excited to see my first ever professional soccer game!

Although we got lost trying to find the stadium, we came to the game at just the right time - slightly before half-time and the score was still 0:0!

The superfan section.

"Tradition Never Dies: Karl Marx City
Soccer Club Since1966"

Right after we arrived, Chemnitz scored their first goal!  Although we didn't know the cheers and chants, we quickly caught onto the chant the Himmelblauen recite when they score a goal and it's real darn cute!

It goes a little something like this:

Announcer:  Goal was scored by.... [Player's first name]

Fans: [Player's last name]!

Announcer:  The score is...Chemnitz?

Fans:  [Chemnitz's score]!

Announcer: And the opponents?

Fans: [Opponent's score]!

Announcer: Danke!

Fans: Bitte!

Going in for a goal.

Despite the cold, we had a great time, even with the fact that I  got a awkward one-armed hug from a drunk fan.  We also scored another goal in the second half, sealing our victory!

WE WIN! 2 to 0!

Hopefully, we'll be able to go to more games after Christmas!

4. Then I Got Sick.

I was really sick and was miserable for about a week.

Thank goodness I brought a collection of NyQuil and DayQuil or else I wouldn't have survived.

5. Weihnachtsmarkts! (Or if You're Properly Pluralizing, Weihnachtsmärkte)

Germany does Christmas well and Christmas markets are some of the best things about Germany.

Saxony is known as "Christmasland" in Germany, because so many of the traditions we associate with German Christmas come from this region and its mining culture.

Needless to say, the month of December was spent going to Christmas markets.  I visited the Chemnitz Christmas market almost everyday after school, since my school is so near the center of town.

Nighttime at the Chemnitz Christmas market!

Instagram? More like Insta-awesome.

My favorite part of the Christmas market was the medieval market, which took up a street of the market. Unlike the unimpressive medieval market that I saw two years ago, the Chemnitz one was actual very well done and filled with tasty treats.

Also merry minstrels.

I also visited the Leipzig Weihnachtsmarkt with Claire (alas no photographic proof exists to show that I was there).

I went to the Dresden Weihnachtsmarkt with Melody, her college friend Courtney, and her German friend Christine.  It was quite cold the evening we went! 

All of the photos below were taken by Melody!

Stollen?
It's Germany's version of Christmas fruitcake
and just as universally hated.
Or at least, all my students hate it.

Christina, Courtney, and I...looking cold and shivery.

Herrnhuter Sterne, which are typical for the Christmas
season and hung above doors.

Brrr! It's cold!

Glühwein anyone?

No Christmas market is complete without
a Christmas pyramid.

One of my coworkers also took me for a day of Christmas market bliss.  We had expected to go up into the Ore Mountains, but the icy rain prevented us from heading up there.  Instead, we took a detour to the Freiberg Christmas market.  Freiberg is the foothills of the Ore Mountains, famous for both its mining and its university, which is quite famous.  Its Christmas market is rated as one of the loveliest in the region.

But first, we took a visit to the Terra Mineralia, Freiberg's famous mineral museum located in the old city castle (where else?).  Although I'm hardly the connoisseur of rocks and minerals, I do love all things sparkly and shiny.   The museum was beautifully laid out and overall, it was a nice break from the rain!

  

Ooooo shiny.

A beautiful opal.

Some quartz with amazing colors.

After our tour of the museum, it was time to hit up the Christmas market.  Which was just as adorable as people said it would be.  It also wasn't very crowded, so we had ample time to explore.

My coworker also did the typically German thing:
"Oh, you're hungry? Well, I'll feed you!
Here's a 1/2 meter bratwurst! Enjoy!"

Let me tell you, eating the thing was a struggle.

Above the courthouse, the image of the head
of a villainous highwayman who attempted to
kidnap the duke's children and was later
promptly beheaded, remains there as a warning
for all future evildoers.

The "Russian" stand at the Christmas market.
Elaborately carved elk horns and fluffy Russian hats abounded.

A miner's house, adorned with a mining cart and two Bergmänner.

We drove up a little higher into the mountains so we could take some photographs of the sunset over the valley.

6. My Students Are Real Darn Cute, Guys.

On my last week at school, my 6th graders gave me a Christmas gift and my 5th graders sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", which they had practiced diligently in secret so it would be a surprise for me!  It was totally precious.  Mostly because it sounded like "Ve vish you a merry chreeessmas."

My school also put on a Christmas show (which was really more like a Christmas-themed talent show), which was really cute.  Also, my students are incredibly talented.

Not to brag.

But they're pretty awesome.

7.  In other news, I forgot the words "power strip" and "crosswalk" during conversations. I am losing my mind. 

My English is going.  And possibly my mind.

Apparently, I'm supposed to be the expert on English?!

Uh-oh.

8. Most importantly... I visited Tübingen!!!

Get excited.

Since my reunion with Tübingen (and Reutlingen) was a pretty emotional and fun time, that post will be coming soon!


Lots of Love,
Your Humble Blogger