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German birthday parties
Dec. 30th, 2006 09:27 pmSo yesterday my daughter (and sons) went to daughter's friend's birthday party. The friend is half German, half Australian (and the family moved here from the States). My daughter was the only other girl there. The others were either brothers, friends of brothers, or boys from an English-speaking support group. Everyone had a ton of fun. Mostly they just played and ran around, but they did do Blinde Kuh (blind cow, which I didn't see, but which is something like Blind Man's Bluff, I think) and Topfschlagen (beat the pot), where you put on a blindfold and someone hides a pot. You take your wooden spoon and beat around, trying to find the pot,while the others tell you if you're warm or cold. This is apparently THE classic party game for kids. The nativity scene almost bit it, but they all had fun.
The parents were really interesting, too. There was the Australian mom, a South African, a Scottish grandmother, and a mother from Ireland. (The Irish child showed up in a devil costume. I asked if it was left over from Halloween? Early for Fasching? No, it's just what he wants to wear every day. I'm oddly glad to see that. My children want to wear Halloween costumes 24/7, and it always makes me glad to see mine aren't the only ones.)
I'm quite used to talking with women from other countries, seeing as I do it every day and have since I was in college, but I'm NOT used to those other-country people being native English speakers. No, I didn't ask the Scottish woman if she lived near JK Rowling, but I did ask the Irish woman if she'd visited the Book of Kells (she had). Usually the people we know think we're an oddity with the moving from country to country and not really being permanent. But these people were just like us! Two were married to academics and the other two were with Siemens. (And let me tell you, if you want travel opportunities, work for Siemens! They are everywhere.) This move-to-a-country, learn-the-language, move-somewhere-else thing is part of life for them. But the foreigner speaking my language natively--that was something that was really an odd feeling. Like discovering an alternate universe, with people just like me, only with tiny but important differences. I can't explain it, but I think I definitely need to visit Britain while we're here!
The parents were really interesting, too. There was the Australian mom, a South African, a Scottish grandmother, and a mother from Ireland. (The Irish child showed up in a devil costume. I asked if it was left over from Halloween? Early for Fasching? No, it's just what he wants to wear every day. I'm oddly glad to see that. My children want to wear Halloween costumes 24/7, and it always makes me glad to see mine aren't the only ones.)
I'm quite used to talking with women from other countries, seeing as I do it every day and have since I was in college, but I'm NOT used to those other-country people being native English speakers. No, I didn't ask the Scottish woman if she lived near JK Rowling, but I did ask the Irish woman if she'd visited the Book of Kells (she had). Usually the people we know think we're an oddity with the moving from country to country and not really being permanent. But these people were just like us! Two were married to academics and the other two were with Siemens. (And let me tell you, if you want travel opportunities, work for Siemens! They are everywhere.) This move-to-a-country, learn-the-language, move-somewhere-else thing is part of life for them. But the foreigner speaking my language natively--that was something that was really an odd feeling. Like discovering an alternate universe, with people just like me, only with tiny but important differences. I can't explain it, but I think I definitely need to visit Britain while we're here!
