Święta

 Christmas began on the morning of the 24th. After our usual breakfast, Doro and I were put in charge of decorating the tree which her Dad had brought into the house. I started hanging ornaments without much thought and about halfway through, Doro commented that they hadn't used most of the ornaments I selected in years. I immediately froze. I didn't know there were 'rules.' But they all liked the way I arranged the ornaments, so it turns out I accidentally re-vamped their Xmas tree decor. And it was only the beginning...

The Xmas Tree

Around 3pm we had lunch followed by tea and cake. Apple cake. My favorite. 

The apple cake cooling

I helped them take a family photo which would be framed and given as the Xmas gift for the grandparents that evening.

Dorothea, Birgit, Christian & Anna

We spruced up the house, made a fire, put on some Xmas tunes, got all dressed-up and as soon as the Grandparents arrived we popped open a bottle of bubbly.

Paper stars on the window - very Waldorfian

After some champagne, we settled around the table for our Xmas meal. We started off with soup. It was a clear broth with dumplings, ravioli and little meatballs. The main course followed, which consisted of breaded white fish and hollandaise sauce, Grandma's famous potato salad, sauerkraut, a carrot salad and white wine. 

Their cozy living room

After dinner, I fluted 'Danny Boy' and some Xmas tunes for everyone. One of the Grandma's got right up and came to the piano and had me play Silent Night with her. It was a little rough, so she told me I should come to her house so we could practice. We are scheduled for afternoon tea on Thursday. 

After dinner we had homemade walnut ice cream with poached peaches. It was delicious. Then we exchanged gifts and did a 'wigilia' like wish exchange. As everyone gave their gifts they said nice things to each other. Everyone told me how glad they were to have me there with them to celebrate and that they hoped I would send my regards to my family. I was a little overwhelmed by all their kindness; I almost started to cry.

 After gifts, Christian took the grandparents home and the girls sat by the fire with wine and chatted. Christian joined us after dropping off the rents and after midnight we all hit the hay.

Doro riding her horse, Cirrus

On Xmas we all went to church after breakfast and then Doro and I took her Grandma to go see her Grandpa in the hospital. He was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and they recently removed the tumors. He had three operations in a week. But when we went to see him he jumped right out of bed, and started gabbing away. I chatted with him for awhile, but it was challenging because he would start in Polish and then frequently would switch to German without realizing it. He would always get back to Polish, though so I was often confused. 

In the evening, I got to Skype with my family and hear all about their Xmas. I love that I can still see everyone even though I am so far away. Especially on Xmas. It is a hard time for me to be away.

Me and Cirrus

On the 26th, Doro's family went to Church again, but Doro and I went to the stables so she could ride her horse. It was a busy day at the stables. I stood in the middle of the action and took some pics of Doro riding and watched the other riders train. None of her friends or family are ever interested in going to the stables with her, so it was fun for her to show me how she rides. 

A rainbow over the fields of Schopfloch

In the afternoon, the grandparents came over for tea and then Doro and I had dinner with her parents. They were all laughing at me because her Grandpa always talks to me as if I understand German. I can only ever understand about a third of what he says, but that doesn't deter him. He does always ask about my family and tells me to tell my parents he says hello. 

Schopfloch

Schopfloch

My day - I wake up and go downstairs. The table is always set with breakfast and there is usually a vitamin of some sort on my plate. I make some coffee with the espresso machine (they can't believe I drink it black) and then I try some of the assortment of fresh breads that are in the basket. On the weekends I sit and chat with the family. During the week, Doro and I sit and then clean up together. After breakfast we usually go out and about. Around 12 or 1 we have lunch followed by coffee. At 4pm every day we have tea and cake. Doro's parents come home from work at that time. Her Dad talks to us in Polish and her parents often discuss patients. Most of the time they speak German. They take turns translating for me. Her Mom will explain things in English and her Dad explains them in Polish. Sometimes our conversations are so mismatched, I forget what language we're speaking. Then Mom and Dad go back to work and we hang out and prepare dinner which we eat around 8:30pm when the rents get home. After dinner we usually sit by the fire and have wine and fruit or chocolate. Her Dad quizzes us in Polish and then when we can't process any more new info we hit the hay. 

View on my walk

We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for lunch the other day. Grandpa is 90 and Grandma is 89. She cooked a traditional German mittagessen of potatoes, sauerkraut and wurst. It was delicious. They both know I don't speak German, but that did not stop them from talking to me. Half the time I didn't have a clue what they were saying, but it didn't phase them. They kept right along acting like I was on the same page. I will get to see them again on Xmas. Grandma is going to make her famous potato salad so that I can try it. 

Dramatic skies over Schopfloch

I also went to the stable with Dorothea and saw her ride her horse this weekend. She wears a riding outfit and everything! Her horse is beautiful and a bit of a clown. He kept nudging my arm, just like Cosmo does when he wants attention.

Outside the train station

Doro's sister, Anna, has come back home for the holidays. We all got dressed up and went out to dinner with some of their friends last night. They all spoke German all night, but somehow managed to include me. I cannot explain how it worked, but it did. We had lots of laughs. 

Foods -

Our daily tea set-up

I have tried several new things since I have been in Germany. I had a type of fruitcake the other day, which is popular around the holidays. It is filled with dried fruit and nuts. Yum! I also tried salad which is made from cress and field greens. It looks like grass, but it is very tasty. They eat soy sauce (tamari) on their salad here. I do not partake in this practice, but they love it. Every day they introduce me to a new bread. I have no idea what they are all called, but I have yet to try one I do not like. 

Me in Tübingen

Last week I got to visit Tübingen, which is a small town about 30 minutes from Schopfloch. It has lots of sweet little shops. We had lunch in the main square and did some shopping. 

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

Wigilia and Such

 Two weeks ago I came home to a birthday celebration. Marta turned 17. Her parents came to visit and brought her three Costco sized cakes, several bottles of champagne, a bouquet of roses and a pile of gifts. Sunday evening, after her parents left she invited a bunch of people to our room (without telling me), ordered several huge pizzas and the resulting festivities went until about 2am. Things were pretty relaxed until the Ukrainian boys brought a few bottles of Vodka over. They have the funniest way of drinking vodka. They have two glasses and they fill one with vodka and the other with coke. They take a swig of vodka and then chase it with a sip of coke, but they never mix the two.....Monday morning was rough....

Left to Rt: Jana, Mario, Nastia, Julius, Marta

Cake, Chocolate and Moscato

All of last week was focused on preparing for the xmas holidays. We were taught Polish xmas carols and there were singing practices held daily at the beginning of afternoon classes. The melodies are all different from American xmas carols, as well as the words, obviously, so it took me a few days to catch-on. Silent night was approached a little differently. The first verse was sung in Polish and then the following verses were each sung in a different language based on the country you were from. It was a very long song as there were over 12 languages to cover.

Part of the Wigilia feast

In class we spent the week learning about Wigilia, which is how the Poles celebrate Xmas. On Xmas Eve, once the first star is visible in the night sky, the festivities begin. A big meal is shared made up of twelve meatless dishes. It often includes beet soup with dumplings, carp, pierogi with mushrooms and the like. There is always an extra place-setting at the table for an unknown guest that might need a place to celebrate the holiday. No one is supposed to be alone on Xmas. 

Before the feast begins family members individually break opłatek, which are large wafers. They give each other pieces of their opłatek along with a wish for the coming year. Standard wishes include: luck, health and happines, but for those you are close to you often add a personal wish. This can be polished off with 'merry xmas' (wesołych świąt) and 'happy new year' (szczęśliwego nowego roku). Unlike the American Xmas, gifts are not an important part of Wigilia. Saint Nicholas comes on December 6th and brings small gifts for the children. It was a very festive day in Kraków. There was a big parade in the street and you could see Santa walking around the square. But Santa is not associated with Xmas. 

Doro, Anastasia, Me, Ania

Thursday evening, the school held a traditional Wigilia for the students and teachers so that we could all experience a Polish Xmas. It was held in a cafe underneath the oldest university building in Kraków. A nativity play was performed by the more advanced students, in Polish, which was followed by speeches from the current and previous directors. We all sang the Xmas carols we learned and then there were musical performances by a few other students. We then broke opłatek and the feast began! The breaking of the opłatek was my favorite part. You got to share with your friends, peers, teachers, and even people you did not know. It was amazing to be surrounded by people excitedly giving each other positive wishes for the coming year.

Saki, Me, Ania, Shelley

Advent

Advent officially started on Sunday, and Kraków has been turned into a Winter Wonderland. Cafes are filled with people sipping holiday drinks such as mead, mulled beer, mulled wine, spiced tea or hot chocolate. Everyone goes to church and they often come up with resolutions in light of the advent season. The market in the square opened and there was a big concert on a stage they set up at the entrance to the market (Kiermasz). Garlands hang above the vendors and at night it glows with lights. There are huge barrels of hot, mulled wine all over the Rynek and 'home cooked' Polish food available as well as grilled mountain cheese with cranberry relish. You can also get freshly bread with smalec (spread made out of lard), roasted, candied nuts and fried potato swirls. They often play Xmas music and there are of course rows of kraft vendors where you can do some holiday shopping. 

The Kiermasz Adwentowy at Night

The weather seemed to get the memo as well. The temperature dropped and the snow has been falling almost daily. You would never know it was winter though. Poles still do everything outside as if it were the height of summer. All the markets are outside and people sit at picnic tables and eat their food. If you're cold you grab a cup of mulled wine to warm up. The cold is different here, though. It is not as bitter as in Chicago. At least it hasn't been, yet. It is not nearly as windy and it is a bit dryer than the midwest. 

FOOD:

I tried Kasza for the first time last week. Marta made me some Ukranian kasza her Dad brought from home. It is made out of corn and is a lot like masa, or what tamales are made out of. They eat it hot with melted cheese and then add fresh white cheese as a garnish, which is similar to a fresh mozzarella, although not quite as wet.

I also had Polish kasza which is quite different. It is simply buckwheat and Poles eat it in a variety of ways. Plain, with cheese, with vegetables, with sauce, with meat, etc. It has a very strong and distinct taste. You either like it, or you don't. 

I went to an Italian Pizzeria in Kazimierz this week with a group of people from school. It was delicious, and it came with a free beer (a common promotion here in Poland). They are all in much higher levels than I am, which was great because everyone only spoke Polish the entire evening. We had a great time and I got to practice lots of speaking, even if it was sometimes a struggle.  

I tried a plum cake which was delightful. Semi-sweet and piled with fresh plums. And, I had some little shortbread cookies that looked like little sandwiches. They were filled with rose-petal filling which is a very common flavor here in Poland. If you order a regular pączek (doughnut), it always comes with rose petal filling. It was funny because I asked the woman in the bakery what kind of pączki there were and she looked at me like I was nuts!