Advent in Germany and My First Week Back

Although I began writing this post on my flight home for Christmas, I obviously did not manage to finish it. I hope you can still enjoy some of my memories of Advent in Germany. I honestly can’t remember being so happy and excited during the Christmas season since I was a small child.

Pyramide in Dresden

In Saxony there is an area around the Ore Mountains known as the Erzgebirge, where Christmas is a truly special time. Christmas markets account for part of the magic of the season, and I was able to visit a few. At each market people carry around Glühwein (mulled wine), which helps warm the hands in addition to tasting delicious.  Of course, there is always plenty of food to eat: sausages, crepes, soups, Handbrot (bread fresh out of the oven with melted cheese and ham or mushrooms with a sauce on top), a variety of roasted nuts, fruits covered in chocolate, and other snakes. Somewhere over the roofs of the huts selling all different kinds of things you are likely to see a Pyramid poking out, and everywhere you walk Christmas music is playing in the background.

After seeing the Christmas market in Zwickau I headed to Schneeberg, which lies is in the Erzgebirge and has a reputation for fine craftsmanship and an abundance of holiday spirit. Schwibbogen (lighted arches) brightened the windows of almost every home and the market itself was expansive and beautiful. I went with two fellow choir members, Tine and Anna. We happened upon a special event. Citizens of various surrounding towns, including Zwickau, paraded down the street in traditional mining costumes. For each town a banner appeared first, followed by the ‘miners,’ and a marching band. The ‘miners’ had lanterns around their necks and tools that looked more like axes than picks hung over their shoulders.

 

There was a large crowd lining both sides of the path.

The next weekend my good friend Courtney came to visit. We studied Education together at OCU, and she is currently living in Cambridge with her husband while he completes his masters. I was so happy to see her lovely face! After helping me with a few lessons at school on Friday, we hoped on a train in Werdau heading for Dresden. Tine climbed aboard in Zwickau and Hannah in Chemnitz. The train to Dresden is terribly rocky. Even through I usually have no trouble with motion sickness, I often feel less than well by the time I step off the train. Courtney was miserable. Fortunately, she began feeling better as soon as we were on solid ground.

There are three Christmas markets in Dresden, however we only saw the one closest to the main train station.  It was massive and a wonderful time. We snacked on this and that as we looked at all the good for sale and each bought something in turn. I purchased a small Schwibbogen in the traditional design. Two miners stand in the middle and on the side sit a weaver and a carver. On the way home, we also stopped at the much smaller Christmas market in Freiberg, where we all got something for dinner. The prices were more reasonable than in Dresden.

Tine, Courtney, and Hannah in Dresden

On Tuesday night the 10^th of December I visited an English class for adults taught by Ms. Piehler, a teacher at my school. I learned a lot more about the traditions in Saxony while talking with her students. Three resources were pulled out of the mines in Saxony: silver, ore, and coal. In the wintertime the miners would never see the light of day so their wives would do their best to light up the homes with candles when they came home. In the evening the miners often carved to pass the time. And since people have a tendency to make their homes beautiful the Schwibbogen developed. The carvers also made the Räuchermenschen (smoking people) and nutcrackers. All of which are very traditional Advent decorations in Saxony. Buying one of these items in the Erzgebirge is like buying Champaign from Champagne in France. You can only buy an imitation elsewhere.

A few days before returning home for the holidays, I attended a small Christmas celebration at my mentor teacher’s home. We had a simple, but delicious meal, and I shared my mother’s favorite Christmas cookies for dessert. In the background the Christmas tree was lite and a few presents lay under the tree (in addition to the cat).

I got a Saxon recipe book...in German!

That Friday I rode with Tine to her home in Hessen (the state in which Frankfurt in located). I got to meet both of her parents. Her father played the guitar, and we sang and danced along. After a day in the car we were both ready to move around so we went to a nearby swimming pool before dinner. Her parents raise cattle so steaks were naturally on the menu. After dinner we played a few rounds of Rummi and didn’t stop until someone finally beat me (It was beginners luck. I’d never played Rummi with cards before.), and sang a few more songs before falling in bed. After a few hours of sleep I started my two-hour train journey to the Frankfurt Airport. Tine was kind enough to take me to the nearest train station, which was about 20 minutes away, before five in the morning.

In the airport I caught up with another alum of the OCU Education Department, Jennifer. We just happened to be on the same flight back to the States. She’d spend the last year in Frankfurt. If only I’d have known! (We did find out were on the same flight a few days before our departure.)

 

Ryan and I

I had a wonderful time visiting Ryan, both of our families, friends, and even a couple of my old professors over the holidays. However, I was excited to return to Germany… right up until the day of my flight. Homesick doesn’t quite describe what I’m feeling now. I don’t want to go back to Oklahoma just yet; I simply want to bring everyone I love with me on my German adventure.

Tom, Kitty, Chloe, and I at the
Monument to the Battle of the Nations.

Fortunately, David, a fellow-ETA, saved me from spending my first evening back in Zwickau crying in a pillow. He came over from Chemnitz, we ate dinner, and I finally got to play Die Siedler von Catan (The Settles of Catan). The Settlers of Catan is one of my favorite boardgames. I bought a German version (It is originally German.) about a month before I was ever able to play it. David hadn’t played before so I had to teach him. He beat him both times we played. Perhaps I’m a decent teacher after all.

On Saturday I took my first trip to Leipzig with Kitty, Chloe (from Northern Ireland), and Tom who actually lives in the city. We had a nice time seeing the Stasis’s trade secrets and climbing the winding and ever narrowing staircase to the top of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. We also peaked inside St. Nicholas Church. I hope to go back again. There is so much more to see!