Thursday, September 28, 2006

What to say?

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was a day full of running around town but not actually doing much worth talking about.

We did start to go through my mother-in-law's apartment and decide what we're going to have shipped to the States. There'll have to be some major rearranging at home to make room for everything.

JBP has overall handled all this well. Although the last couple of days, especially right after visiting his Oma's apartment, he's started getting willful, defiant, etc.

We've talked to him about it several times and I think he's starting to get the point. When you're having strong feelings talk about them, don't bury them and then start acting out.

Every night after story time and prayer, before going to sleep, we've started having question time. That's when JBP can ask anything he wants, about anything.

Obviously his questions have mostly been the tough kind, like, 'What's it like to die?' and 'Why didn't we take any pictures of the coffin?' and 'Why didn't we open the coffin to look at Oma?'

Sometimes we find ourselves struggling to answer him. But we promised honesty, even if that means telling him we don't know. It seems to be helping him deal with everything and I'll probably keep up the tradition once we get home.

Last night during question time he finally admitted he didn't like going to his Oma's apartment and didn't want to go back. We told him he didn't have to. There's a play area in the garden behind the building and he can go there when we have to go back.

He also has decided he wants to keep her scarf. I had crocheted it as a Christmas gift for her last year and we came across it yesterday while going through her apartment.

Well, Der Deutscher and JBP have several pages worth of math homelinks to do together today (JBP refuses to do them with me!), so it's my turn to go shopping by myself. Yippee!!!!

Nimitz' Lady

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

The Funeral

It was a very surreal experience and for the most part was not overly emotional, for me. Obviously Der Deutscher was crying, very manly tears, throughout the ceremony. It didn't get to me until the very end, but first -- the beginning.

We arrived with Der Deutscher's paternal aunt and uncle. Many members of his paternal family attended the ceremony even though his parents are, were, divorced. Overall however the ceremony was small -- only about 20 people or so. That's the way Der Deutscher wanted it because that's the way he believes his mother would've wanted. He said he could've packed a cathedral if he'd advertised the funeral, which I don't doubt. His mother lived in the same city most of her adult life and knew a LOT of people.

The thing that struck me first as so unusual was the flowers. Each basket of flowers had two ribbons, about a foot wide, with a greeting or wish on it. The flowers on her coffin, a simple blonde wood coffin, said "Our loved mother and grandmother" on one ribbon and Der Deutscher's, JBP's and my name on the other ribbon. All the others were like that too.

After a short service in the chapel at the cemetery, we followed the coffin out to the gravesite. There had been a small spray of four yellow roses on the seat for me, but I'd handed them over to JBP to keep him occupied during the service which was in German. Although JBP did ask a few questions he hadn't yet seemed to really realize what was going on.

But JBP was then the first to follow the coffin out to the gravesite, walking slowly and carefully, carrying the flowers before him like a bride.

At the gravesite, the six pallbearers lowered the coffin into the grave the old-fashioned way -- using ropes and muscle power. When they were down, they removed their white gloves (folding them over each other inside out like doctors do) and tossed them into the grave with the coffin.

Then, some more short words from the pastor. After which we all tossed a small, ceremonial shovelful of dirt onto the coffin -- Der Deutscher first, then me, then JBP.

That's when it call became real for JBP and he broke down. It was the first time he'd cried since we'd told him his Oma had died. Otherwise he'd pretty much tried to avoid the subject, except to say occasionally that he wanted to go home.

But that was it. A few minutes later we all gathered at Der Deutscher's paternal uncle's house for brötchen, wurst and käse -- and lots of talk. Pretty typical post-funeral stuff. Memories, family, even the coming birth of one cousin who's baby is due Oct. 3rd.

Nimitz' Lady

Monday, September 25, 2006

Walking Into Exhaustion

Once you've been to Europe you never truly forget just how much walking is involved to get anywhere. But you also never truly remember until you have to do it again.

The good news is, between a very careful eye on how much I'm eating and all the walking I've got to be losing weight. Although the local scales are no proof, seeing as how they all measure in kilos! And being as non-mathematically enclined as I am forget translating to pounds.

I'd also forgotten what it was like to be in a country that appreciates a real woman. You know, one with a curve or two to distinguish her from a 14 year old boy?

If I hadn't been walking around with JBP today *and* wearing a wedding ring on *both* hands I think I'd have had at least three or five propositions. As compared to a similar number per *year* in the States!

Nothing really special happened today. Just took JBP to the park then went shopping for something to wear to the funeral tomorrow. The real work has all fallen on Der Deutscher who must prove to all the German bureaucrats that he's his mother's only son and heir. Plus, he had to meet with the pastor who'll be conducting her funeral tomorrow.

My main job has been to keep JBP busy and out of Der Deutscher's hair.

Yesterday we went to Oma's apartment and started going through things. Der Deutscher plans to ship several items of furniture to the States, family heirlooms and all. The good news is style-wise they should all fit into our home. The bad news? I don't know where we'll find room for it all.

Please pray for us, especially Der Deutscher, tomorrow as that's the funeral. It will most likely be the most difficult day of this trip.

Nimitz' Lady

Saturday, September 23, 2006

All mixed up

Halo alles aus Deutschland!

Well, we safely arrived, on time despite 30 and 45 minute delays at home and in Chicago. We literally had to run from our arrival gate to our departure gate in London and still just barely made the connection -- as in we raced to the gate and right onto the plane! Needless to say, we may have made it but our luggage did not. We got into Duesseldorf around 10am local time. Our luggage finally arrived at 9pm!

We spent most of yesterday with Der Duetscher's aunt and uncle. At one point his cousin-in-law stopped by with her 10 month old son who shares Der Deutscher's full name. The cousin spoke Spanish pretty well, better than her English or my German. So we spent several hours switching back and forth between the three languages.

Add to that the fact I've been speaking Spanish daily for the last month and am still trying to keep a blog for my students in Spanish and I am truly linquistically all mixed up. I never know which language is going to pop out of my mouth next.

Then, of courese, there's the whole keyboard difference -- which is reallz messing up my typing. What should've taken me about three minutes to write and post has already taken me ten!

I really feel for Der Deutscher right now. He's handling all the funeral arrangements himself and I can't be with him because he just wants me to keep JBP occupied. JBP is currently out buying flowers with his Onkel Mika, his step-grandmother's brother. And Der Deutscher thinks my family is confusing!

Ok, time to give my poor confused brain a break.
Nimitz' Lady

Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Wind and the Fury

We're all packed and ready to go. Some friends from church will be picking us up here in about an hour to take us to the airport.

Unfortunately, it's a dark and stormy day with lots of thunderstorms and high winds. We face travel delays both here and out of Chicago.

Once (if) we can get out of Chicago we should be okay, though. So, please pray for smooth traveling. I'm not sure how much aggravation Der Deutscher can take right now.

Nimitz' Lady

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Nimitz Household in Mourning

We received a long dreaded phonecall this morning. My mother-in-law, aka Oma, passed away overnight. She'd been suffering from some sort of cancer for years, but was unwilling to share the details with most of us.

Due to this expected yet unforeseen development, we're making an emergency trip to Germany. There, Der Deutscher will begin handling her estate, while I will help JBP say goodbye to his Oma.

At the same time, JBP and I will be staying in contact with our classes through a couple of new blogs I've just set-up.

I'll be using Pensamientos en Español to give my students a view of what it's like to travel overseas. JBP will do the same with his new Blog, World Traveler.

This may well be my last post until we're in Der Vaterland, as we leave Thursday and have very little time in which to get all paperwork gathered, everything packed and enough lesson plans set out for my sub!

While this is sad for me, it is a much more devestating development for JBP and Der Deutscher. Please keep them in your prayers.

Nimitz' Lady

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Style Tips for the Young and Masculine (wanna-bes)

In class today I had the kids working on the dry-erase board (whatever happened to go ol' chalkboards?). They started complaining about their hands getting all black from the pen ink. I told them that's one of the many reason I prefer to wear black, or at least dark colored clothes.

One of the young men pipes up, "What are the others?"

I just looked at him and said, "'Cause I'm a woman. 'Nuff said."

Nimitz' Lady

p.s. Tomorrow I take part in a pep rally contest that pits the teachers against teams from each class (year). I'm to represent the teachers in the cartwheel competition. That'll be a sight!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Actual Funny Remembered

After school today, I was lying on my stomach grading papers while JBP watched TV. Popular Mechanics for Kids (PMK): Slither and Slime to be precise.

When he noticed my supine position, JBP quickly slithered onto my back, one of his favorite TV viewing positions.

Unfortunately, that hurt my lower back, and at my request JBP scootched (is that actually a word?) down a bit. He ended up with his head resting on my gluteus maximus as a pillow.

A moment later he raised his head and indignantly announced, "You farted in my ear, Mommy!"

After taking a moment to digest this comment I cooly responded, "That's what you get for laying your head on my butt."

He thought about this, then carefully slithered back up my back just far enough to get his head off my rear and returned to watching Alicia and Jay discuss frogs, worms, leeches and other slithery and slimy things.

Ah, motherhood.

Nimitz' Lady

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Greetings from South Korea!

No, unfortunately, not from me.

My (formerly) Colorado Cousins have moved to South Korea. They've taken a two year position teaching at a Christian International School in the city of Taejon (or Daejon) with their three boys (all within about a year in age of JBP!).

I think I may have spoken of this before, if not I am now. =)

Anyway, I am about as jealous and in awe as it gets. Not that I could imagine making a move that grand at this time. But I can imagine doing it sometime. Now I just have to convince Der Deutscher!

They have started a blog to keep friends and family updated on their antics in the Republic of Korea. I won't share the address right now, as I'm not sure if they would like that, security concerns and all. But, if they don't mind, I may link to it later.

Meanwhile, good news on the JBP in school front. Although, by no means, is his behavior now model, it has improved greatly. And, he no longer goes around saying he hates school and there's nothing fun about it. Instead, he'll ask to do his homework! And if there isn't any, he'll ask to practice writing his letters with us. So, all in all things are going well.

Now, if only I could get enough of a handle on the teaching (and kick whatever bug has been infecting me for the last couple weeks) not to be totally and completely mentally and physically exhausted everyday when we get home.

Come Sabbath, it's all I can do to get through Church and lunch. I pretty much simply collapse then for the rest of the day. And that doesn't make for a very enjoyable Sabbath for JBP, who would be on the go every minute of every day if we let him.

Plus, between the change in jobs and trying to get used to it, I haven't been to the gym in a couple months now and am really feeling it. Backaches the likes of which I haven't had in years! Because my ab strength is back down to nothing.

On the other hand, I may actually have still managed to lose a few pounds. With the new schedule, I have little time to eat during work and my daily calorie consumption has fallen drastically. At least on workdays. Of course, to make up for that, I tend to eat more than I should on the weekends.

I'm hoping to start working out at home to my Taebo tapes after work this week. I need the physical exercise.

If you're the praying sort, please pray for my physical well being (exercise and illness) and that I'll be able to get this lesson planning thing licked.

Overall, I've been doing ok. But, I'm still having trouble gauging where my students are academically, either working well below or well above their current language levels. Plus, with an 84 minute block to fill I'm having trouble gauging exactly how much to plan on each day. And, to top it all off, I'm doing my best to do most of my lesson-planning during my planning period at school. I don't want to get in the habit of working all sorts of extra hours. I want to start the way I mean to go on (at least for the next 12 years -- when JBP graduates high school).

Nimitz' Lady

Thursday, September 07, 2006

JBP Funnies

The thing is, JBP has done/said a couple really funny things this last day or so. However, I am so exhausted at this point that I can barely remember my own name, let alone anything anyone else has said to me.

Outside of the funny, my boy got his first bee sting today. A lot earlier than I did. He was on a walking field trip to a park with his class to take some pictures. Within 10 minutes, both he and another boy had been stung by bees. JBP got stung in the back of his oversized little head.

When he got to my room after school he was still holding the remains of an ice bag to his head. Then proceeded to talk about how much he hated bees.

When he got home, he repeated the entire diatribe for Der Deutscher. Who then reminded him bees aren't very smart.

JBP has since spent the rest of the evening, at odd and unrelated moments, reminding us all that bees aren't very smart. In fact they're pretty dumb.

Nimitz' Lady

Monday, September 04, 2006

Hee Hee Hee

(sound of maniacal giggling)

It's a Holiday and I am NOT working!!!!!! Nor did I use up a vacation day to get the time off.

That's a first in 13 years.

And I get Thanksgiving off. And the day after. And Christmas Eve. And Christmas Day. And New Year's Eve. And New Year's Day. And the time between Christmas and New Year's. !!!!!!

Tee Hee Hee!!!!

Nimitz' Lady

Update

Just to keep all interested updated on what's going on, since I've pretty much NOT been in evidence the last couple of weeks.

1. JBP's first week at school was horrid. His second was much better, though far from perfect. His Grammy visited over the holiday weekend, so I fear a regression in behavior. But I'm prayin things will continue on our overall upward course.

2. The teaching's going pretty well. I love my 4th year class and my homeroom class. My 2nd year students are ok. My 3rd year class is the largest and the least responsive. Much of it is, I think, due to just a couple of students in the class. But it puts a real damper on my day. Everyday.

3. Since I'm not a certified teacher, I have to get an emergency substitute's certificate. Which means fingerprints and a background check. Not a problem, just another hassle I don't have time for.

4. ISU remains as reliable as ever. I faxed over a request for more transcripts (for my high school, the local university's alternative certification program and the state for the sub cert). They said it should take about a week. They arrived in less than four days. Yeah ISU!

5. We finally have books for the 1st and 2nd year Spanish students. But I'm still waiting for books for 3rd and 4th year.

That's the last week or so, in a very, very tiny nutshell. Once I figure out how to spend less time grading papers on a nightly basis I'll try to start posting more regularly -- including all of JBP's latest hijinks.

Nimitz' Lady