The Swine Flu

Yes, Germany is under attack from the Swine Flu. But it's interesting to watch the reaction:

• Many people are upset because supposedly politicians and civil servants are getting the "better" vaccine - the one without "mercury and nanoparticles" as someone informed me today. Whatever they are getting, they're not handling the public relations very well.
• Possibly as a result of the above rumors, many people are deciding against the vaccine. One piece I saw in the paper cited a survey in which only 30% of Germans were hoping to get it.
• The Health Ministry has issued a directive requiring all those in close contact to a flu victim to stay home for 7 days (i.e. parents of a sick child).
  

Do you actually want to get the vaccine? It's not that easy.

• Lists of doctors administering the vaccine are in the paper. There is just one in our immediate area. When I called him regarding getting the kids done, the receptionist told me they don't do kids without an acknowledgement from the pediatrician that the child can receive it.
• Our pediatrician's receptionist has never heard of such a thing. The kids and I will head in there this afternoon to chat with him about that - possibly exposing us all to the flu as the waiting room is sure to be filled with fevered children.

Meanwhile, one school in the next city closed last week after most of a class fell ill during a field trip. Both the kindergarten and the school sent home letters yesterday saying that they'd had cases reported, but please, KEINE PANIK! The kindergarten had big signs around informing the parents that one of the kids had been sent home with it on Friday.

But panicking the Schwafheimers seem to be: when I took Anke to kindergarten this morning, she was the first child there. Usually she's 3rd or 4th. Only 1 further child came in while I was talking with a teacher for 10 minutes (helping inform me of the other, above beliefs). Meanwhile, I've been told, a lot of parents are excusing their children from the after-school program for the week, partly because the teachers there, who are still on their feet, have to combine all the kids into one or two groups.

Facemasks have yet to make an appearance.

And yes, we know at least one of the cases: a friend of Pete's, his little brother a close friend of Anke's, and yes, we've had close contact with the family in the past few days. But what can you do, other than risk exposure by going to the doctor's to get the shot? Oh, the irony.

Maybe I should start laying in supplies!

Back in the Saddle

It was pointed out to me that I've been somewhat remiss in keeping this blog going. To all 5 or so of my faithful readers, tut mir leid.

The biggest news lately has been celebrating S.'s birthday. He chose to celebrate his 40+ birthday at Ketteler Hof, the playground to end all playgrounds.

Now, let me explain something about Germans and playgrounds. Backyards here are fairly small by American standards (or perhaps it could be said that American backyards are big by the world's standards). So if you do have a backyard here, you can put a swing set or a trampoline in it, or you can leave the room open for the kids to run in very tight circles till they drop. But many haven't any - a much higher proportion of folks live in apartments. So playgrounds can be found in just about every neighborhood, often tricked out with zipwires, groundwater pumps, and various climbing equipment. Pretty fancy stuff.

But Ketteler Hof is something pretty special. Acre after acre of slides, pedal-powered go-carts, picknick sites, sandboxes, water slides, and climbing equipment to beat the band. Ok, you pay 10 Euros a head to get in, but compared to an amusement park, it's peanuts - and almost all the fun is kid powered.

I'm going to shut up now and let the pictures tell the story.

Masshole

I started a new semester of intermediate German at the community college (Volkshochschule). There are students from: Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kenya, Brazil, Turkey and Mongolia. We, of course, had a round of introductions. Names with far too many syllables or consonants were stumbled over. Almost everyone there, except me, can speak at least 2 other language in addition to German.

But the big tongue twister tonight? My home state of 'Massachusetts'.

I told them not to feel bad; I'd had decades to practice it.

We three kings (and a little princess)

I alluded, in the last post, to an event in which I'd be taking the kids around the neighborhood (not murdering them). This was the "Star Singing", in which local kids, under the aegis of the Catholic Church, ring each doorbell and offer a blessing for the new year. Peter, with friends Julian and Luis, covered our street this year - by my estimate, over 200 doorbells were pushed. They were accompanied on one day by honorary princess Anke. I'm especially proud that we visited almost all the apartment buildings - the little old ladies were so happy to see the kids, even though they often stumbled over lines (you can see Luis/Melchior below, posing with the cheat-sheet), and only once could be convinced to earn the title "Star Singers". When the blessing was complete, one of the kids would write on the house (in chalk; all the houses are stone here): 20 + C*M*B + 09. I used to think the initials were for Caspar, Melichior and Balthazhar, the 3 kings, but I have learned it means Christus Mansionem Benedictat, or Christ Bless this House. The numbers, the year. On the local houses you could see years' worth of childish scribblings next to the door.

People really got into it. Several people asked especially when we'd be stopping by so they could be there. Some people going on vacation left an envelope with the neighbors. The only (moderately) unfriendly people we encountered were some self-avowed Protestants who just wanted to through a little money in and have the kids go away. Many more said "We're Protestant but we always love this!".

We went out on two afternoons, Jan 3 and 4th, in bitter cold, and quit shortly before finishing up the entire street because it was threatening to snow (eventually paralyzing the lower Rhine with 5 inches of powder).

People were throwing in bills left and right. One little girl emptied her piggybank.

They collected almost 500 Euros. And about 10 pounds of treats, "to reward these sweet little boys". That was collected by the church and sent on to orphans in Romania (I'm not kidding about that!). The money when to African missions. The boys, despite the frozen noses and stingy-with-the-treats chaperone (me), all signed up for next year.

Bringing the kids around

Very funny faux pas today:

I called the neighbors regarding an upcoming event with the kids (more on it later), in which I will be accompanying the kids around the neighborhood. So I called the neighbor and wanted to say 'We'll talk later about when I will bring the kids around the neighborhood'.

Bring: bringen
around: um

Stefan knows where this is going.

So, the phrase 'Bring the children around the neighborhood' was translated by me as 'Die kinder um den Nachbarschaft umbringen'.

The only problem? 'umbringen' means 'to kill (a person)'. So I inadvertantly threatened the lives of the neighbors kids on their answering machine (i.e. to kill the kids in the vicinity of the neighborhood).

Luckily Guido, their dad, knows his sons and the exasperating effect they can have on adults well, and thought the whole thing was pretty funny.

*sigh*