St. Martin’s Tag (aka—Lantern Fest)

November 11, 2011 was my first St. Martins Day in Berlin, Germany (and of course Alani’s).   Traditionally there is a horse rider dressed up as a Roman Soldier that children holding lanterns follow around singing songs.  At the end of the walk everyone enjoys pretzels.   Afterwards families and friends also have a wonderful meal of roast goose. 

So why all the celebration??  According to the story St. Martin, who was a Roman Soldier, cut is cloak in half and gave one half to a beggar in a snow storm.  A while after this event he had a dream where Jesus spoke to him and thanked him for keeping him warm when He was cold.   St. Martin was so moved by this that he was baptized and became Christian.  A later story from his life (and the reason for eating goose perhaps?) was that he hid in a barn of geese when the local villagers were trying to find him and make him a bishop.  Apparently the geese gave away his location and he was found and made bishop after all. 

Since I work in a Kita (preschool) we had to help the children make their lanterns for St. Martins Day.  This is a really fun process that the kids are excited about for a couple weeks before the big day.  The lanterns are traditionally made out of paper and lit with a candle; and since my co-teacher is a traditional German kind of girl we made our lanterns the old fashioned way.   I have to admit I was a bit nervous about the idea, especially since we have 11 super-active boys in our class.   They did a great job though and were very carful with their lanterns. 

Alani’s class also made lanterns, although battery powered lights.  Alani was very proud of her lantern that she colored, but refused to carry it.  Consequently Valentin ended up carrying her and the lantern for most of the walk.  Lantern I did take a picture of the lantern.  I also tried to get Alani to hold it for a picture, but the best I could get was her kicking it.  However, it has been sitting on the table and every time she sees it she points and says “Alani’s Lantern” very proudly.  

Happy Halloween 2011

It has been just over a year since we moved to Berlin from Brooklyn, NY.  So much has changed in our lives!  This year Alani is not only walking, but running everywhere.  She is talking and singing constantly.  It is official, she is no longer a baby but a crazy little toddler.  She brings us so much joy and laughter.

This year Alani mostly observed me carving her pumpkin.  She stuck her hand in once and said "dirty" and refused to do anymore.  However, she was interested in the process and when it was on the table she kept pointing to it and saying "Alani pumpkin".  We had a party for her friends on Sunday the 30th, she however refused to wear her costume so we have no pictures of her dressed up.  It was a cute puppy dog costume that Valentin got when he was NYC, instead she ran around in black leggings and a black t-shirt like a cat burglar.

She has also started Kita (like preschool).  She loves her school and especially her teachers and friends in her class.  She knows all of their names and if you come into her class she will point at everyone and tell you their name so you will know too.  The first couple weeks taking her and leaving her for the day were rough, but now she is in the routine full swing.  At the end of the day when she sees me on the playground she usually runs up, gives me a hug and then says "Alani play" and runs for the slide.  

Another big change is that I am no longer a stay-at-home mom.  Instead I am working at Alani’s Kita with the 4 year olds as their English speaking teacher.  The concept for the school is built around raising children in a multi-lingual environment so each classroom has a dedicated English and German teacher.  Both teachers are native speakers so the kids really absorb a lot throughout the day.  I’m amazed at how much Alani says in both German and English.  She also has no problem understanding if someone speaks to her in German or English. 

Speaking of learning languages…this is one I am still working on.  It is nice to be a small child learning a language as you grow up, but I am not a small child.  I am getting much better now, especially working with so many kids that come from German speaking homes.  However, I still have a long way to go.  Since my schedule is so busy now a couple friends and I have joined together and hired a private teacher to help us once a week.  I’m hoping this will get me motivated to speak more. 

Valentin is also working hard here and taking care of so many things that we are still trying to figure out after a year of living here.  There is so much he has to deal with primarily, such as insurance, taxes, paying bills, etc., since my German is not the best.  Luckily he seems to keep it all balanced out along with his huge work load so I really appreciate not needing to worry about that stuff. 

I will continue blogging now that I have settled into a much calmer routine with work, taking care of Alani, and still paying attention to Valentin.  Upcoming highlights include…St. Martins Day, Thanksgiving, and me attempting to get my drivers license!