Frohes Neu Jahr alles!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I know I have been a little MIA lately, but I think this time of year is hectic for everyone, so chances are you didn't even miss me. :)

First things first... I am officially enrolled in language school which begins on January 13^th. It will be Monday through Friday from 9am-1pm. I still don't know what to expect about the format or homework. Like any first day at a new school, I am a bit nervous. The school is on the outskirts of the main city area and I will be navigating my way there by bus(es). After the first week, I am sure I will feel more settled and comfortable with everything.

Christmas here was good. Unlike the US, the 24^th and the 26^th are treated like extensions of Christmas day in the fact that nothing is open and everyone spends it with various extensions of their families. For us, we went to the Winkler's in the afternoon on the 24^th for dinner and presents. Ralf made giant steaks topped with pesto and cheese for everyone but Manisha and I. We had tofu and sellerieschnitzel. Basically sellerie is celery and schnitzel is how it is prepared (breaded). I had never had it before as it's something I have never seen in the states. I can't find a picture of it online and Felix doesn't know how to describe it other than celery. Ha, ha. Ralf also make green beans wrapped in bacon, assorted grilled veggies, halved tomato with melted cheese on top, broccoli soup, salad, potatoes, bread, sautéed carrots, and ice cream with rumtopf (kinda like hooch where you cut up fruit and soak it in alcohol. This rumtopf was made back in June and has been soaking ever since with cherries, plums, and strawberries in rum).

Felix and I gave his mom a cute metal mouse painted blue and green that was created by a local artist and holds a candle. There are cutouts on his body to let the light shine though. It is adorable, but I didn't remember to take a picture of it. Everyone in the family chipped in to give Ralf and Iris new mattresses for their bed. Iris has back problems and they desperately needed a good bed. Niki got money and Nelson got a hat he wanted from Bench. Iris, Ralf, Manisha, and Felix (and I) put in money to give Nadine and Alex to go towards the dryer they want. Iris asked if I could do something cute, like fold the money into shirts. It turns out I can, so I took the idea and ran with it. :)

I made a cardboard “dryer” and used cooking skewers and used tea lights to create the posts for the washing line. We bought mini clothespins that I used to hang the “shirts” from the washing line. Unlike dollars, euros are different sizes which resulted in different sized shirts. I worked really hard to make it look special, but was really disappointed that when Alex handed it to Nadine, she barely looked at it before putting it in the bag she had brought their gifts in. She didn't treat it with care, just squashed it into her bag. Ultimately, it did what I had intended: it gave her the money. I just wish she had appreciated the effort a little more. Oh well.

Felix's grandmother asked for pens and I gave Felix a yantra mat. To me it basically looks like a torture device. Ha, ha.

Torture for everyone!

***Not my pictures. Borrowed them from google images.

The pictures aren't of Felix's mat, but they are the same. I haven't done the research on it like he has, but the idea is to stimulate blood flow and alleviate tension in your muscles. Kinda like acupuncture. You can lay on your back, your stomach, or even roll it up into a spiky pillow (ouch!). The overall idea is to lay on each area for about 10-20 minutes.

Felix's gifts to me were nail polish/nail products that I helped him pick out. Ha, ha. Poor guy told me, “you can either walk away and trust me to pick them out or you can help me.” I thought it best for his nerves and for me if we did it together, so we each took turns picking a polish or product. So funny! He also surprised me by giving me some beautiful sterling silver hoop earrings with czs. Felix always gives me wonderful but practical gifts (last year he gave me a jacket I had been drooling over from Jack Wolfskin). I had asked for a keychain to put my 3 apartment keys on and even showed him an adorable one I found where the keychain is a bird and it comes with a tiny birdhouse with a slot for you to set the bird in and hang your keys up. I was pretty sure that is what he had bought me, so I was stunned when the gift turned out to be sparkly jewelry. :) I think the funniest part was when he told me how he picked out which earrings to buy me online: “I was reading the reviews and one person said she was looking for earrings because she has several holes in her ears and I thought, 'Hey, Jewli has lots of holes in her ears! She'll like these!'” Pretty adorable. 

I was worried that Niki and Nelson's girlfriends would be joining us but that they would feel awkward without any presents to open. Niki and Chantale have been together for over a year, so I kinda know her. Nelson's girlfriend Meltem is new, so I've met her once. I suggested just picking up some candy for them. If they didn't show up, we had some more candy to eat! But no, why make it that simple? Later that evening, I was showing Felix a fabric flower I had attached to a bobby pin to send to a friend and he said, "I think you just found what you should give the girls." That turned in to me wanting to try a new fabric flower I had seen on pinterest.com which led to a frantic shopping trip for 2 types of fabric, elastic headbands, hot glue sticks, and 2 colors of beads. Neither girl showed up, but I gave the gifts to the boys to pass along. Here is how they turned out:

 

Nelson's gift to me was a gift set of a Dove Body Wash and aerosol deodorant. I asked him if he was trying to tell me that I stink, but he gave his sister the same thing. :) Felix and I also received a HUGE wok, which we love, some tongs, candy, and alcohol. I was also given a beautiful sekt glass from Ritzenhoff. At the Winklers' house, beer, sekt, and schnapps are frequent drinks. They have a collection of glasses from Ritzenhoff for each type of drink. It is kind of a right of passage to be given one of these glasses and to have a designated glass at their house. I already have a glass that I use when I am there, so this one I get to use at home. It's lovely. :)

From the Ritzenhoff website

My parents gave us a wonderful present by offering to take care of some of my student loans, for which we are very grateful. My sister's gifts arrived here yesterday and Felix is loving his Snuggie! The funny thing is that Snuggies are only known here because of the show The Big Bang Theory. Every time Felix tells someone about it or shows them the picture I took to send to Jeny, they go “Oh! Like in Big Bang!” It's in the episode where Penny gives Leonard a Snuggie for his trip to Antartica. Too funny! :)

 

In the grand scheme of things, although presents are nice, it was just nice to be with people you care about. :) I love the memories I have from this holiday season with Felix and his family. :)