Niemcy

Friday evening Dorothea's Uncle picked us up from Kraków and drove us to Katowice. He treated us to a traditional śląski dinner and then sent us on our way to Germany. Dinner was hilarious because her Uncle only speaks Polish so conversation was sometimes a struggle. His son and his girlfriend joined us for dinner and they both speak German so they would come to the rescue whenever things were unclear. Doro's uncle and cousin speak a dialect of Polish and they speak very fast so it is often hard to understand what they are saying. We asked them to slow down several times, but it was no use.

the table with an array of meats and cheeses

Doro's cousin, Michał, drove us to Germany. The drive is normally 7 hours. We left around 7pm, but we had to drop off one of our classmates in Stuttgart and then when we got to Germany, the weather was horrific. Sleet, and high winds. We did not arrive in Germany until 5am. We were all exhausted.

the wooden paddle to the left is used to scrape

 melted cheese from the hot little pan next to it

The next morning we all had breakfast together and I got to meet Doro's sister, Anna. Her parents were in Freiburg for work and did not arrive until tea time (4pm). It was her Dad's birthday so we celebrated over tea with gifts and then chatted the afternoon away. In the evening we had raclette for dinner which I consider a easy version of fondue. There is a griddle and you put your cheese in your little personal skillet and place it on the shelf to be heated. Once it starts to bubble, you pour it onto your plate over a boiled potato. It is delicious! The top part of the griddle is used for meat. After dinner we sipped wine and threw around languages in a mismatched conversation. I don't speak German, Doro's Mom and sister don't speak Polish and her cousin doesn't speak English. So between the six of us, someone was always explaining what the others were saying. I cannot explain how this worked, but it went surprisingly smoothly and everyone was always on the same page. Although Doro's Dad had to reprimand her cousin several times for speaking Polish way too quickly.

cheese heating

Sunday we spent the morning in the neighboring town where I got to see the German Xmas market. In the afternoon her Mom, Birgit, made a big lunch and then around 4pm her Dad came home briefly and we had tea. After tea, her Michał headed back to Poland and Anna went back to school. She has one more week before her holiday break. Doro's Dad, Christian, had to work all day, but in the evening after he got home we had some wine in celebration of her parents' 22nd anniversary. 

Doro, her Dad, her cousin, me

I have now been here for several days and it has been absolutely lovely. Her parents are so welcoming and their home is very cozy. Her parents work all day, but they come home every day at 4pm for about an hour and we have tea and cake together. Doro's Dad is helping us tremendously with our Polish. He and I have never conversed in anything but Polish, which is pretty amazing since we do a lot of talking at tea time and in the evenings. They refer to me as their additional daughter and I get to do chores just like everyone else :-)

Tree stump santas outside their front door

Being here has been a huge adjustment from my life in Kraków. It's like I was camping and now I'm living the life of luxury. My two favorite rooms in the house are the kitchen and the bathroom - they both are cozy warm and have heated floors! The bathroom is equipped with a huge shower, a badet, a tub, a sauna and two sinks so that Doro and I can get ready simultaneously. It makes my minuscule shower in my dorm look like a hole in the wall. I sleep in the loft in Doro's room and I always sleep like the dead. It is very cozy. 

a street in town

The kitchen is where we spend most of our time. My favorite time of day is afternoon tea which we always drink out of china cups and is accompanied by cake. They always make sure their is a non-chocolate option for me, although her mother informed me that I should eat dark chocolate sometimes as it is good for my health. I told her that on occasion I do (both Birgit and Christian are doctors so I cannot argue with their health advice). Breakfast is great too because they have an espresso machine so I can always get a fresh latte to wake up. We get fresh bread from the bakery every two days and the butter and cheese tastes nothing like it does in the U.S.. I feel incredibly blessed to be here with such a warm family and to be included in their holiday celebrations. 

the Advent wreath and afternoon tea set-up