Last Day of School

 Friday was the last day of school for these two incredible kids.
Every last day of school with them seems momentous but this year does in particular.  They moved half way around the world, started the year with not one acquaintance let alone a friend, barely grasping the German language and no idea what to expect.  They both started hesitantly yet boldly.  They are ending the year with more friends than they can count, having excelled in all of their academic subjects - including German, and have broadened their horizons in ways we can't even see yet.  Yes, we are SO SO proud of these two!!  On to 6th

and 3rd grades in August!

After school Josie REALLY wanted to go and buy her school supplies for NEXT YEAR?!?!  What kid does that?  She talked me into biking to the store while Marty did the radio show and Benjamin read one of his newly checked out library books.  She was in heaven.  Then when we got home the kids sat on the floor and organized their school supplies for next year!!! I guess that is a good sign about the school and them wanting to go back next year.  They are already ready!

We celebrated the end of the year with a trip to one of our favorite Italian restaurants for dinner.  It was a lovely evening, the restaurant is just a 10 minute bike ride away, we sat outside and laughed and reminisced over the past year.  I wanted to take a photo because we were having such a good time but Marty said to "just enjoy the moment" So I did.  Trust me, we all would have looked so happy in a photo ;-)

Wrapping Up

As the school year winds down and we prepare to return to Seattle for the month of July we are starting to wrap things up here.  It seems so strange to think that NONE of this even existed a year ago. 

Not any of our new friends, none of our new furniture, dishes, etc in our new apartment.  Just so strange to think about.  More on my reflections of the year in a post very soon.
One of the things we recently discovered, just in time to return to Seattle, is that we do in fact have a TV outlet here in the apartment.  We just needed to buy a cable.  And just like that we can watch the World Cup, with friends, at our place.  FUN!!

Unfortunately, Germany lost this particular game against South Korea and is now out of the World Cup completely. Sad day for Germans.

The kids had their friends over for an afternoon of chilling on the deck with popsicles and frisbee playing in the backyard.

And just days before we leave for a month Marty FINALLY got his German Driver's license.  We don't have a car and have no plans to have a car but because Washington is one

of a handful of American States that have some kind of agreement with Germany all we needed to do was pay 35 Euro and voila - we are legit here.  In those other states that do not have this agreement they have to day this very intense test to get one.  I have a friend who studied and studied and studied.  Months worth of worry and studying and time.  Took the test several times before passing and finally she got one.  We felt like it would be a waste if we didn't get one given that it is so easy for us Washingtonians.  Mine should be ready when we return from Seattle as I applied about a month after Marty did.

We also finally got some deck furniture.  We have two large terraces and up until about a week ago all that it was good for was my drying clothes rack and water balloon fights.  Someone nearby posted a couple plastic outdoor chairs for sale and small collapsible table.  Marty and I rode by on our way home from

school drop off.  Somehow they both fit on the back of my bike and Marty was able to get the small table on the back of his bike rack.  I'm impressed nearly daily at what me and my bike can carry!

Dino Day

We had been hearing about "Dino Day" from Benjamin for weeks.  He has a FABULOUS "Mother Tongue" teacher named Karen.  Mother Tongue refers to the language the child speaks the most and the best.  For both of our kids it is obviously English.  Then they have "Partner Tongue" for the language they don't speak as well which for both of our kids is obviously German.  In grades K-2 they call their teachers by their first names and there is something just so cute about him calling his teachers "Karen" - Mother Tongue Teacher and Reinhild - Homeroom and Partner Tongue.

Both teachers have really embraced Benjamin and taken him under their wings.  They have both expressed to us and to him directly how much they appreciate having him in class.  He really has had a stellar year. 
But back to Dino Day.  So, Karen, his English teacher has been doing a unit on Dinosaurs and it all culminated this week with Dino Day.  There were poems and readings and songs and skits.  I rarely have seen Benjamin this excited about ANYTHING, Ever!  He knew the entire line up. He knew his part and the rest of

the kid's parts.  He was so excited.  We made "dino snacks" which turned out to be chocolate muffins with volcano gummies on top.  We couldn't find any dinosaur gummies and he figured that there were a lot of volcanoes back in the dino days so we just went with it.  He helped with the muffins every step of the way and when finished he stepped back and said "Mom, I think they turned out PEFECT!"  Melt my heart!  He was so excited!
Marty and I show up a few minutes early and the kids are still working on a few things.  We eventually make our way in

and find a seat and are treated to the sweetest show.  He was SO into it.  I wish I could post some of the video but photos will have to do. 

End of the Year (non) Madness

Any teacher, parent or student knows that the end of the school year means complete craziness and overbooked days, afternoons and evenings.  It is kind of like that at the beginning of the school year as well but then everyone is refreshed from the summer break.  At the end of the year it is like you are dragging yourself over the finish line of a marathon. 

Or at least that is how I always felt as a teacher and as a parent in Seattle. 
We keep saying that living here and the kids' school in particular, is like living in 1975 in all of the best ways.   End of the year did see an uptick in activities but mostly just for the kids.  They had end of the year parties and treats.  The treat/sugar thing here is NUTS. Every kid brings in cupcakes or some other sweet treat for their birthday so at least 25 days of the year they get those, teachers hand out candy weekly if not daily, they can buy treats at the snack bar.  It's all I can do to

look the other way and try to limit treats on our end.  Each grade does a class picnic.  They take the entire grade - so 125+ students- They all walk to a nearby (1 mile or so) park and have 4-5 HOURS of completely unstructured time.  They play soccer, frisbee, hang out and talk, play on the playground.  Whatever they want.  Then at the end they walk back to school or if you talked to the teacher, your child can stray off at their bus or train stop if they happen to pass it on the way back to school.  At Benjamin's picnic there were several parents.  At Josie's we were honestly the only ones.  We just dropped off our frisbee because Josie forgot to bring it.  We thought we might stay for a bit as we did at Benjamin's but it was clear from the very unenthusiastic way that she greeted us that we weren't really invited - by her 😉
End of the school year gift in Seattle was always a huge undertaking.  I was classroom parent for both kids in all their years at school there.  I would start weeks in advance collecting money from parents, organizing a gift and then buying and presenting it.  Here the classroom reps (I'm just an alternate here... maybe next year I'll be up for the challenge) gathered money at the beginning of the year. It wasn't really a donation, it was more of a mandatory thing so every parent contributed.  This money went toward both the Christmas gift and the end of the year gift for the teacher as well as field trips and other classroom expenses.  It wasn't that much, I can't remember exactly but maybe 30 Euro.  But when everyone contributes it adds up!  The end of the year gift was a 15 Euro book.  And the teacher was unbelievably grateful!  So much less pressure here.  I think the end of the year gifts last year for the kid's Seattle teachers were in the several hundreds of dollars in gift cards and other fun things.  What a difference.  And what a difference it makes in how not burned out I feel.  Must have been what 1975 felt like.  I'll have to ask my mom. 😉

End of Year Performance

Josie had taken a Drama elective this past semester.  Unfortunately the video is too long to post but she did a fantastic job along with her fellow 5th and 6th graders at creating the script (although there was no actual script it was performed improv style. 
She was the judge and a character in one of the sketches.  She enjoyed the class so much she thinks she wants to take an acting classes as an after school elective next year.

Lasts

We have started having our "lasts"  for the school year.
On Saturday, Benjamin had his last soccer practice.  What a fun group of kids and parents.  We are thankful to have been on the 3rd grade team with this great group.
Both kids had their last trip to the school library where they were each allowed to check out 10 books.  How cool is that?  10 books for the 7 week summer vacation.  The kids were thrilled.  Here are half of the books this kids wants to read over break.  Josie wouldn't allow photos.  #preteen!!

Also, because the school the kids' attend is K-12 we also get to experience graduation in a way through the excitement of the graduating seniors.  We went to school this week and it was complete chaos.  There was loud music playing, graffiti (removable) all over the school, it had been T.P'd and high school kids decked out in exterminator costumes with water guns and water balloons and they were celebrating but also performing kind of a reverse initiation to the underclassmen.  Any high school students that entered the gates were getting sprayed and water balloons targeted at their head.  Because we normally park our bikes up front and had no idea that this would be going on we were caught very unaware.  I was thinking "where the heck are the teachers? Where are the principals?  This is NUTS"  Once we got to the top of the ramp we saw the principals who were ushering in the smaller students and telling them they would be fine, they just needed to stay outside the roped area.  What??  At first I was a bit shaken.. I

had been sprayed in the face and tagged with a water balloon (Marty said they probably thought I was a high school student) so I was a bit pissed at first but then thought of how cool it was that it was fully endorsed by the school, the kids were able to let loose and have a somewhat organized bit of school chaos before leaving it.  It is pretty easy to just so NO to anything like this but pretty hard to walk the line between just enough and not too much.  Happy Graduation, (ABI) Seniors.

Familias Unidas

What has been going on at our Southern Border has broken my heart.  I have been weepy for a couple of weeks now just picturing all the many many people I worked with back in the 90's who found themselves living in Tijuana after the mostly being displaced from more dangerous cities and countries to the South.  I can't shake it and I know I shouldn't shake it because it is serious and awful and I'm human and I should feel things but it is making me physically ill and I find my emotions bordering on low to

depressed.  I feel like at some point my next career, job or volunteer opportunity will most definitely involve working with refugees. 
I wrote this on my Facebook page. 
For the better part of the 90's I spent my life living, working and learning from those living along the California/Mexico border in Tijuana. At the time, and I assume it is not much different today, most of those living there were not actually from there but from poorer and more dangerous cites and countries to the South. They came by the 100's, leaving their families and everything they knew in search of a better and safer life. Many, probably most, didn't ever make it across the border and thus called Tijuana home. They lived in houses made out of old election signs and scrap material, whatever they could find to make a shelter for themselves and their families. Some even living and "working" in the enormous city dump. And even in what looked to me to be miserable conditions, to a one they were unbelievably thankful for a better life than what they had previously been living. In working with these, mostly, refugees I learned invaluable lessons about beauty and love and resilience and hope and it changed the trajectory of my life. I felt privileged
that they trusted me enough to share the stories of what they were fleeing from. I was heartbroken for them and with them.
Sadly, 'heartbroken' doesn't even come close to describing the unbelievable and overwhelming sadness I'm feeling about the current way these refugees and asylum seekers are being treated by our government at that same border and others like it across our southern border. And to hear it is being justified by quoting Bible verses as if Jesus would not only condone but endorse this horrific treatment of any human is sickening. I know of no one more liberal, compassionate and inclusive than Jesus Christ.
Please, please call your representatives! Support those groups who are trying to right this incredibly misguided ship. We must demand better. This is pure evil. #Familiesbelongtogether

Sign the petition:
https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org/

At the end of this article it provides ways to help.
https://www.refinery29.com/…/how-to-help-parents-children-k…

And also posted this poem which so eloquently describes the all too often refugee experience. 

Home, by Warsan Shire (British-Somali poet)

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark.

you only run for the border
when you see the whole city
running as well.

your neighbours running faster
than you, the boy you went to school with
who kissed you dizzy behind
the old tin factory is
holding a gun bigger than his body,
you only leave home
when home won't let you stay.

no one would leave home unless home
chased you, fire under feet,
hot blood in your belly.

it's not something you ever thought about
doing, and so when you did -
you carried the anthem under your breath,
waiting until the airport toilet
to tear up the passport and swallow,
each mouthful of paper making it clear that
you would not be going back.

you have to understand,
no one puts their children in a boat
unless the water is safer than the land.

who would choose to spend days
and nights in the stomach of a truck
unless the miles travelled
meant something more than journey.

no one would choose to crawl under fences,
be beaten until your shadow leaves you,
raped, then drowned, forced to the bottom of
the boat because you are darker, be sold,
starved, shot at the border like a sick animal,
be pitied, lose your name, lose your family,
make a refugee camp a home for a year or two or ten,
stripped and searched, find prison everywhere
and if you survive and you are greeted on the other side
with go home blacks, refugees
dirty immigrants, asylum seekers
sucking our country dry of milk,
dark, with their hands out
smell strange, savage -
look what they've done to their own countries,
what will they do to ours?

the dirty looks in the street
softer than a limb torn off,
the indignity of everyday life
more tender than fourteen men who
look like your father, between
your legs, insults easier to swallow
than rubble, than your child's body
in pieces - for now, forget about prideyour survival is more important.

i want to go home, but home is the mouth of a shark
home is the barrel of the gun
and no one would leave home
unless home chased you to the shore
unless home tells you to
leave what you could not behind,
even if it was human.

no one leaves home until home
is a damp voice in your ear saying
leave, run now, i don't know what
i've become.

but i know that anywhere
is safer than here.

On Friday, Josie and I hopped a train and ended up right in front of the US embassy for a political rally demanding that FAMILIES must stay together.  Josie stayed up late the night before making us a sign to take with us. 

I was so proud to be able to do something that is so incredibly close to my heart with my beautiful, aware, loving and caring daughter who is also so incredibly close to my heart.   We also met up with a woman we had met several years ago when we were

vacationing in Cancun. She had recently graduated from a University in Monterrey Mexico and was working at the Kids club at the resort we were staying.  I could tell she had spunk and was so lively and fun.  We became Facebook friends and liked each other's pictures here and there over the past 4 years.  She recently moved from Mexico to Berlin to study German and will continue on and move to Bonn in the Fall to attend University there to get her Master's Degree.  Over the past few months we keep trying to get together.  Although I wish it had been over happier circumstances, we met Rosalba at the rally.  She is just as lively and spunky and cheerful as we remembered.  

J.O.B

Benjamin had his first paying J.O.B. on Thursday.  A few weeks back there was some Facebook post about a video game company needing English speaking volunteers to test play one of their new video games. 
I replied to the ad and immediately got a reply that they typically don't have kids test the games but LOVED the idea that an 8 year old had the time and desire to come in.   They "payment" for his hour of volunteering his opinions on their game was to be a pizza, beverages and a 15 Euro Amazon gift card.  Benjamin would have trekked across the big city of Berlin to play an hour of video games for nothing but was thrilled to know he would be getting "paid"
It was the day of his class picnic so after a day of playing frisbee and on the playground at the park we rode our bikes to the Sbahn to commute into town for his first JOB.  He was really in good spirits.  He had told all of his friends at school about his cool after school opportunity. He was really proud.
After the Sbahn we hopped a bus to get us near the company headquarters.  We got a bit lost but eventually found it.  We walked in and there were about 25 hipsters working at their computers in an open concept type office that looks like it had been renovated from an old warehouse.

Wide open spaces and funky. We meet our contact and they usher us into a conference room.  They have two cups set out.  One regular glass for me and one plastic one with a cartoon character on it for Benjamin.  SO cute.  They were really trying to make him feel welcomed.  They had water set out and said his pizza would come shortly.  I had to sign some legal paper work and then they handed Benjamin a smartphone and asked him to play the game.
He took the phone and went to town.  There were no instructions given, he didn't even know the name of the game but he sat there for 45 minutes pushing buttons and tried to pop things with a "bubble shooter" he seemed to enjoy himself.  He smiled often and giggled a few times but mostly he was just intently trying to "win" or whatever it was that was the object.  Video games are really very truly lost on me.  This entire time the two designers or whoever they were were watching what he did with his fingers, which buttons he pushed and how he was able to navigate through the game.  They took over 2 pages of notes.
After about 45 minutes they asked his opinions on various parts of the game.  "There were animals in the game.  Did you like the animals?"  "Did they add to the gaming experience or would the game but just as good without them?"  "Did the bubble shooter work OK for you?"  "What could make the bubble shooter better?"  He answered all of their questions honestly. 

Then as we were about to leave they tell us that there was some mess up with the pizza and unfortunately it was not going to show up.  No bother at all.  They offered him a couple of pieces of chocolate and he was happy as a clam.  We left, hand in hand, to walk back to the bus.  I imagine his next paying J.O.B's will not end with him walking hand in hand with his mother.  So I treasured the time with my little guy who one day will have an actual job and not so much time for his mother!
He wasted no time in using his Amazon Gift Card.  He bought this gladiator costume with it (?!?!)  Seemed silly to us but it made him unbelievably happy.

World Cup

Nearly as exciting as "Spargelzeit" where the entire country goes nuts for asparagus, is World Cup.  OK, totally kidding. World Cup is an even bigger deal here.  And coming from a country that isn't as into soccer as the rest of the world I have to say it is quite fun to be swept up in the frenzy.

Every single restaurant brings in a big screen TV during World Cup so that you can watch games while you eat.  Some are set up

indoors but most outdoors.  You can tell the TV is only there temporarily because it is always on some kind of makeshift table with typically some kind of German flag or other German paraphernalia. 

We have a screen in our apartment but it isn't connected to any TV stations we have only used it to watch movies off of Netflix.  We had been trying to watch the soccer games on our tiny iPads and the only way we could watch was live stream which was either the "birds eye view" which meant not only was the iPad screen teeny but the people playing soccer were teeny tiny dots.  Or the live stream was delayed so it was so pixelated that you could barely see anything.  Benjamin has been THRILLED when we have timed our going out to eat dinner while a World Cup game was being played.  Typically we don't get seated right in front of the TV as they probably leave those seats open so people can see the TV.  But no bother, Benjamin quickly eats his meal and moves himself nearer the screen. 

Father's Day

Happiest of Father's day to my own Father - Dean Groves- who has always been very loving, mostly patient (imagine having to teach 4 kids how to drive, swim and ride a bike!! "mostly" is a big compliment) always there when you needed advice and my biggest cheerleader.  Thank you, Dad.  I love you. 

And to Marty who couldn't be a better dad to our kids.  They have no idea how lucky they are to have such a loving dad.  We often fight about the fact that he is way to easy on them.  I'm definitely the authoritarian in the family. He gets angry sometimes but will ALWAYS apologize if he has been too harsh.  He is there for each of the kids in ways I wouldn't even expect - and even more so since we have moved to Germany.  He LOVES those kids with every ounce of his being.  I often worry a bit about how he will be once they are grown and gone.  They are his entire life and his entire

heart. 

On this Father's day we decided to go for a little bike ride along the Mauer Weg with the kids.  Marty and I have done it several times and we thought the kids would have a blast doing some of the smoother parts with roller blades and scooters.  So we first stopped by a nearby park and played a bit of Ultimate frisbee and then onto the bike path.  The kids loved it.  Josie often would hang on to Marty's bike rack and he would pull her and have his hand on Benjamin's back.  I managed to snap a picture but this really sums up his parenting.  Very supportive, hand on the back, pulling them both along.  

At one point Josie was riding along while hanging on to the back of Marty's bike, they rounded a corner and all of a sudden there was gravel.  Well, if you've been on roller blades at all you know that gravel is NOT your friend.  Josie went down hard but somehow forgot to let go of Marty's bike.  Marty, unaware, kept going. She was drug through the gravel a bit, me yelling at her to "Let GO!" and Marty eventually stopping.  She was a bit scraped up but handled it like a champ!!  It was like watching someone who is water skiing go down and not let go of the rope!! 

Just beyond the gravel was a nice park so the kids played there for a bit as Marty and I debated the plans for the rest of the day.   It is the World Cup here and we don't have TV so we keep saying that we should plan to go to a restaurant to view it.  Our friends, Hollis and Lowell live above a cool Greek restaurant that we have been wanting to return to and Hollis and I even made tentative plans to eat dinner and watch the game together.  But... it was HOT and we were all sweaty from the bike ride and Josie was all dirty from being drug through the gravel.  And VERY unlike us we decided to go for it.  To ride the train/tram about 45 minutes away to watch the Germany vs. Mexico game (yes, a family divided!) 

As it was last time we ate there, food was delicious.  Hollis and Lowell and their three boys were fabulous company and we all enjoyed the end to Father's Day.  

I was definitely the least popular person at the restaurant as Mexico defeated Germany 1-0. 

We rode home all full and satisfied and happy.  Me a bit more than the rest.  VIVA MEXICO!! 

Ceramic Class

Josie and her friend, Suzy, have been taking an adult ceramics class in Neukolln - a lively part of Berlin about a 50 minute train ride away.   Josie has always enjoyed art of every kind but throwing pottery and using a pottery wheel was completely new to

her.  It was an adult class but the instructor let the girls sign up and they have been completely holding their own. 

Two dudes on the town

For the first class, Suzy's mom took the girls to and from the class.  Monday was her second of four classes and it was my turn to accompany them. 
The education and skill our kids are learning here are deep and wide. And so much of it has to do with just figuring out how to navigate an enormous city.  I really feel like many of our outings are big life lessons in how to get around a city that will stick with them for life.
The two girls, Benjamin and Suzy's younger brother, Leopold and I all hopped the train.  We made it to their class (Josie and Suzy leading the way) with time to spare. 

Donner on the left, falafel on the right.
7 Euro for all of this goodness. 

After we dropped the girls off the boys and I headed out to find a good falafel/donner place.  This area of Berlin is known for the Turkish influence so we figured we would find good kebabs.   The boys ordered and devoured.  It was delish!

Empty plates in minutes

Then we headed to a nearby park.  We walked and walked and found one.  After some park time we headed back to pick up the girls and decided to try to find ice cream on the way back.  Strangely we couldn't find an eis shop
Josie was still cleaning up - go figure.  That girl really gets into her art.  She

always has.  Whenever she does an art project, or any project for that matter she leaves behind in her path of destruction quite a mess.  But she loves it.  Benjamin tried to help her clean off her wheel. 
anywhere.  We ended up at a local grocery store for second class ice cream from the case and then back to pick up the girls. 
And then back to the Ubahn - the girls leading the way again.
They played "ninja" on the train ride home and then we all biked home.