Challenge Week: Reading, Durmstrang, Partings and Taxes

DH the Ettin.

Challenge Week: Reading, Durmstrang, Partings and Taxes  ...and some Russian Grannies to take the edge off!

I guess we will call this a Quick Update and just hit the highlights.

Reading  - Monday I confessed to David that I could actually see some small print on my screen better without my glasses than with them.  I have been getting frequent headaches and know that my close vision is fuzzy at best.  So, David did what any thoughtful caring husband would do: He kidnapped me!  I got in the car to go with him to pick up DS from school, and, since DD wasn't due home for several hours, he simply drove me to town after the pick-up.  He figured the less time I had to think about it (and potentially chicken out) the better.  We wandered a bit until he could locate the optical shop that he remembered would accept walk-ins.  The optician (optometrist?  I wouldn't know the distinct certifications to look for here, but the guy seemed to know how to outfit eyes with glasses which is what I needed) spoke a little English, but not much.  So, it was slow-going.  It was the usual routine of testing my old glasses, dropping down little lenses into a rig and discovering what made things clearer or less clear.  As usual, the last couple choices were a coin toss and I was pretty sure I was picking wrong whichever one I chose. 

Once the gentleman did the exam he tried to explain our options, but the communication just wasn't there.  He left the room for several minutes, then came back with a chart.  That helped!  Basically, he explained that even though I am a little young, I definitely need reading glasses.  I could opt for multi-focals, but that would limit my field of vision and force me to tilt my head up and down a lot.  There was an option for a  straight close-lens that would only really show reading distance.  But, we opted for the middle option, which would cover everything out to about a meter.  This would be good for both my reading and my computer work.  And, since those two activities take up about 10 hours of an average work day, it seemed like the way to go.

It was fun picking out frames from among the various relatively severe German styles.  I could have gotten something rather like what I have now, but I thought it might be good to find something that was easy to distinguish so I could keep the near and far sets less confused.

Amusingly, the optician was so short that trying to get the focal points right proved to be a mild challenge.  I kept thinking I had to stoop down so he could see my eyeline, but he kept correcting me and having me stare at a wall.  Eventually the requisite black dots were marked on the sample lenses.  But, I am crossing my fingers that it works out OK when they arrive over the next couple days.

Unfortunately, he explained that since 2004 the glasses are not covered by our insurance.  So, its an out of pocket expense.  And the prices were higher than we would have liked.... like close to $1000 US for some lower-end frames and the two lenses.  Ouch!  But, if I can see, this will be a very good thing, and when balanced out with other medical expenses which have been very light, I am sure we still come out ahead. I opted for a bit of a Naughty Librarian look with some dark plastic frames, so at least they should be a bit fun.  For that price, I really felt like they ought to be Fun!

Durmstrang- This was really the defining and least-comfortable feature of our week.  DS's teachers and principal called us in to discuss his progress.  It was tense.  It was a bit awkward.  There were cultural things I don't think either side understood.  The long and the short of it is that they want him to have learned German already.  I brought along studies explaining that it takes 4-5 years for a well-equipped English Language Learner in an ESL program in the states to reach 50% proficiency in English under ideal circumstances.  I tried to share some of my experiences working with ELL kids in the states.  But, they didn't want to hear about it.  They need grades and test scores to validate his matriculation, and they have no clue how to get them.  It doesn't help that he went through a pretty major emotional upheaval a couple months ago and cried a couple times in class.  He has turned a corner since then and seems a lot happier, but clearly his un-German emo-ness put them off-kilter.

So basically, they are stumped and unwilling to bend any further for just one student.  And, he really is just one student.  He is only the second non-fluent German student they have ever had at the school!  Definitely not in California anymore.  Someone was telling me the other day that it is a bit of a dirty little secret that the vast majority of the Turkish immigrants they get here are simply shuttled off to the lower schools and not encouraged to attend the Gymnasiums (the college prep track).  But, everyone in the room did agree that the gymnasium is the place DS should be- it is just that his German isn't good enough to meet the standards, yet.  So, in the end they put him on a form of probation so he can stay with his class.  He will need to show a lot of improvement in German and pass a test next February to keep from being dropped back a grade.  We are looking for a new tutor and possibly some extra-curricular activities he can participate in.  I am not sure how we can fit it in during the school year, but maybe come summer he will be able to participate with the Pathfinders (German Scouts) or perhaps join a soccer club or something else fun where he can hang with more German kids in a lower stress situation. February is a long way off and who knows what will be happening then.  But, for now, at least, things are a bit more settled. 

Still, that definitely left a bit of a harsh aftertaste in my mouth.  After all the school issues we have had with DD over the years, this is a challenge we aren't really eager to face.

DD on the other hand, had a rather fun challenge this week- but more about that in a moment- first...

She wasn't quite sure how to respond when I admitted
that I Beep in my sleep ;-)  But, then, who would be?

Wednesday was Kerstin Fondue Day!!! One of the reasons they held the meeting Tuesday is because DS's dear and wonderful tutor, Kerstin, will be returning to the US this month and they wanted us to make plans to support his learning without her.  Her grant has expired and she has to go back sooner than she would like.  We were just getting to know her better and we are just as bummed as she is that she will need to leave before the end of the school year.  But, we decided to have one more dinner in her honor before she had to go.  She opted for fondue, so we had way too much bread and cheese and fruit and chocolate and rice crispy treats and brownies and marshmallows!  I admit, the stress of the week left us a wee bit more manic even than usual, but she seemed to weather it with good enough humor.  Hopefully, somewhere mixed in with the 'socially horrified' and 'confused', she also felt 'appreciated and well-fêted'!

What Foul Sorcery Is This?

Thursday was Rube Goldberg Day!  DD's physic's class at Hogwarts worked in small groups to design a long chain reaction machine.  DS was very helpful in giving DD ideas and suggestions and they had fun cloistering together and designing up a storm.  In the end, the amount of time to prepare was pretty short, so all the groups had to scale back a bit.  But, it was still a fun and really educational experiment! 

DD and her poster describing acid-base reactions

Setting up- domino launcher knocks over book, weight swings and knocks
over bottle filled with vinegar into balloon with baking soda,
inflating balloon tilts tube, sending a shuttle down the ramp and setting
off the next section.

 DD says that pretty much every section needed some tweaking as they did their actual run-through, but I figure on-the-spot engineering is a pretty useful skill to have!

Looking down the line

Finishing Touches

Aftermath- note the inflated balloon.

Friday- Recovery Day!  Just. Normal. Stuff.  Phew!

Saturday- I got a bug in my bonnet and decided it was time for me to actually do our US taxes.  (No, we aren't late- ex-pats get an automatic 2 month extension and grace period). Here is what I learned: It is a pain in the tush.  Really.  Normal taxes are a chore.  Taxes in a year when you moved to Germany?  Whooboy!  Also, most of the tax software isn't really set up for it.  I tried three different programs - and yes, that means I did the majority of our taxes three times before running up against flaws each time!  Finally, I gave in and purchased Turbo Tax.  I had had an issue with them some years ago and sworn not to use them again.  But, as it turns out, they were really the only program I could find that was able to easily deal with things like foreign addresses, employers without a Federal Identification Number, and the fact that we pay German taxes.  Also, even with all the stuff we wound up giving to charities etc., and the many other itemized deductions we had, the fact that we did not have much mortgage interest last year meant that none of it really mattered at all.  Standard Deductions are Back, Bay-bee.  Not sure that is a good, thing exactly, but it was about the only simplifying factor, so I guess I will take it.  So, as it turns out we owe a bit since I am self-employed, and there is one piece of paperwork we are still trying to track down.  But, otherwise, I think the 2011 Tax Year Ritual is pretty much DONE.  Woot! 

Er... well, at least our US Tax Ritual.... This week DH gets to fill out some German forms, so keep your fingers crossed that it is a simpler process!

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Saturday was also a European Traditional Day of Kitsch.  The Eurovision Song Contest can best be described as sort of an international combination of American Idol and The Gong Show.  Basically, each participating country goes through a selection process and sends an act to compete.  This year there were 26 participating countries.  Viewers and judges watch and may cast their votes for any country OTHER than their own.  Yes, their are politics at play.  Yes, there are some really goofy costumes, songs, acts, dancers, etc.  It is a spectacle on a grand scale. I was totally looking forward to it.

And. We. Missed. It!!!!

I had been hearing about it all week, so I wanted to watch.  I sat down with the TV on Friday, but I couldn't find the channel, and DD was watching something, so I figured I would just wait and find it Saturday.  But, Saturday when I went to find the right channel not only was I unsuccessful, but 1/2 through my scanning process we lost our satellite connection!  DOH!  Luckily, the Internet is our friend.  We looked up some of the more talked about acts, and scanned through the amusing costumes and some of the wonderful history.  It is an odd mix of professional performers (Englebert Humperdink represented England this year, and Jedward were there for Ireland) and quirky little specialty acts- like this year's number two group, the Buranovo Grannies who sing in Udmurt- with a little English punch.  (Their Party For Everybody! really needs to be seen to believed, I encourage you to turn up the speakers and dance along)  Loreen, the Swedish singer who won the competition with her song Euphoria had already had that song on the international charts for a couple months before she performed it in the finals!

Learning
So, what this week has taught me is that we are learning, but we aren't Home yet.  We have been here long enough that we know how to live, but living well in our new country is still an unattained goal. We can get through day to day.  We can get glasses (knock wood), and engage in difficult conversations with schools.  We can get food, clean our house, buy clothes and go on an occasional fun outing.  But, it is still a lot harder than it was in our Native Land.  And, there are still many little things that we just haven't a clue how to handle.... like finding the right channel to watch Loreen in a cage match with Russian Grannies!  Ah well, maybe next year.

The Maginot Line

Rainbow over Hatten Tank

Seeking Out History

Recently, we have been talking a bit about what we want to do with this wonderful opportunity of living in the heart of Europe.  We want to visit more countries.  We want to eat nifty foods.  We want to see things that we would be unable to see and experience things we wouldn't be able to experience in America.  We want to learn more German and French, of course.  And we definitely want to check out some of the more interesting historic and cultural sites that surround us!  To this end, David did a little research.  He asked around a bit (thanks Vladimir!!).  And, he managed to discover a nugget of history that neither David nor I recalled having been taught in school.

So, today we took off for France and experienced a little piece of the Maginot Line.

Basically, the story goes like this:  Between WWI and WWII the French got mighty concerned with beefing up their borders to ensure there would never be a repeat of their terrible losses.  So, they decided to invest in some defense.  They created an impressive series of fortifications- bunkers, tanks, turrets, pill-boxes, ammunition stashes, observation posts, etc. etc.  They were state of the art, extensive and expensive.  The main concept was that they would serve to give the rest of the French military time to get mobilized and into the action should any, ehem, unanticipated hostile actions head their way from Germany.  Unfortunately, as one of the articles I read pointed out, Generals tend to always plan for the war they just fought.  When the Nazi's did make their move, they didn't bother coming straight in across the fortified border.  They went up through Belgium instead, then just sort of walked on down after that!  Ok, I over-simplify.  But, not by a lot.  The Maginot Line has gone down as a boondoggle of enormous proportions- especially since reasonable assertions were made that the cost prevented other preparations from being implemented.

The nice thing for history buffs is that since most of the fortifications were not engaged by "the foe" (as all the documents inside refer to them), they are largely left intact!

We decided to go see two sites in particular- a smaller one located just outside the town of Hatten and a larger one in Schoenenbourg.

The Road There
[Reminder: all photos can be viewed in more detailed forms by clicking on them]

It is over an hour drive to the closest of the fortifications, so we set out to enjoy the trip, stopping for Ice cream and a couple other little stretches of the leg just for the heck of it.  We were surprised to discover that when we crossed the Rhine- further to the North than we usually do- the water to our left was a good 20 feet higher than the water to our right!  There are locks on that thar Rhine!

Gorgeous Day on the Rhine!

We discovered that this section has several locks.
When we drove back, we chose a different crossing point and
it, too, had the lock and the 20ish foot drop to the North.

Not a shabby road to drive down in Spring-
almost like the Open MRI of Tree Tunnels...

The French always have the best dog signs.

I took this to show the lovely Alsace countryside, but-
is that a funnel cloud in the distance?

Hatten

The fortifications at Hatten are largely one hill with a small concrete bunker inside.  There are anti-tank beams heading up to it, and lovely flowers surrounding the whole shebang.

These rods made it tough to approach the little fort

An example of the anti-personnel measures they had in place

I am pretty sure this mini-turret is not painted
with the right cammo design....

Inside they have a small museum. 

I think that soldier to the right is way too happy
about his gun.

I didn't notice it when I took the photo, but there is a
bird Box hung just over the kids' head!

Clearly this location did see some action.

I wondered what had made this large hole in one
of the pill-boxes...

It is forbidden to climb on the tank.

Main entrance to the historic site

Wildflowers surround the whole deal

DD and Me with the flowers

DS with the tank, which David points out is neither French nor German.

David with the tank

 Grave Yard
On our way out of Hatten, we came across their graveyard.  We thought it would likely have some really old stones.  But, then we recalled that graves in Europe are rented, not owned.  This set of stones seemed to have been removed to make way for new occupants.

It is not that unusual to be driving in a small town and see things like
tractors, but a horse cart still caught us by surprise!

Schoenenbourg

The actual Schoenenbourg site was far more impressive than I had expected.  Firstly, it is HUGE.  I mean staggeringly large.  One corridor alone is over 1 km long.  The majority of the structure is 30 meters below ground.  So, when you first enter, you must descend a long square-spiral staircase before emerging into the main section of the fortress.  It is 13 degrees C down there, so they advise you to dress warmly.  And, really, you are walking through a cave system with train tracks all the way down it, so the ground isn't entirely smooth (but it IS entirely concrete and very, very hard!)  They advise you to wear hiking shoes, and I would second the recommendation.  As I mentioned, the corridor that connects the several segments of the fortress is 1 km long, and the segments themselves are each about 250 meters long, with little wings sticking out.  You must walk up and back each.  They tell you it will take about 2 hours to walk the tour loop.  And, during that walk I calculated that you will go around 4 km- not including the 60 stairs up to the turret, loops around smaller rooms, and the main stairs up and down.  Every so often they have empty wheelchairs stationed around the museum.  I imagine those likely get used on a fairly regular basis by people who had no clue that they will wear themselves out just checking out a little old fort!

Heading out to Schoenenbourg

We have arrived.  More than anything, the area reminded me
of a National Park in the US where one would go camping.

Schoenenbourg also did encounter some fighting- in fact it was subjected to aerial and artillery bombardment. The fort held out, though, and was largely in tact when the French surrendered and the commander was forced to relinquish the site.  Most of the damaged structures have been restored since the war. Indeed, I don't recall seeing any damage that I could obviously point to.
 

The main entrance- no clue to the size of what is beneath!

They had the anti-tank precautions, as well.

Stairs Down.  DD wasn't pleased with them, but made it OK.

This is the first of the many long tunnels you pass through.

Further tunnels and odd rooms stick out from the main one- this one
was rather interesting because there is no room.  Just a little altar for
prayer.

A better photo of the altar.

Small-gauge train tracks run throughout the fortress.  In some sections there
are also overhead wires for these guys.

Some of the cars.

Another of the tunnels.  The grooved walls seem to be
for the ease of laying various pipes and wires along the tunnels.

The kids working in "the works". 

 There were a couple locations considered interesting enough to posses a tour guide.  I wish I had gotten a photo of the lady who stood here in the Machine area called "The Works".  She was a grandmotherly woman who may have been taller than DS, slightly, but not by much.  She asked us what languages we spoke so she could give her spiel.  Then after delivering it in a rather pat German, struck up a conversation with us.  She told us about her children and grand children, told us about growing up in a small town in Germany where she was not allowed to speak her local dialect at school.  She told us about learning French a little English and a few French dialects.  And she quizzed us about what we were doing in the area.  Then she set the kids up for this special behind-the-chain photo :)

After we left her area, she did a couple more groups, then seemed to go on some sort of "walking the museum and checking that everything is right" tour of her own.  She was walking the same path we were, so we kept bumping into her!  Twice, I think, she caught me turning the wrong way down one of the confusing passages.  Doh!  Then, about 1/2 through the tour we came to a restroom.  It had no genders on the door- only WC.  So, David and I both headed in.  I realized right away that the seatless toilets were not welcoming enough for me to bother with.  I exited.  But, David found a urinal.  As I walked out the door, our new friend, the little old lady tour guide, passed me!  Poor David had unexpected company in the toilets.  He says she went about wiping down a couple sinks while he tried to concentrate on his own business.  Ah yes.  The differences of culture!

We hustled ahead and I am pretty sure we didn't see her again after that:-)

These look like fine wine racks, but actually
they are for storing munitions!

A similar set of racks with their intended hardware.

Please police your brass!!!

This was the weirdest looking weapon thing we saw.
It had something to do with anti-tanks, but I am not
really sure in what capacity.
It looks like the eye-doctor would use those scopes!

And, another passageway.

Photo Op!  DS and Me with some rather large
metal objects!

One of the coolest bits of engineering they had-  this was a secret escape
tunnel.  There are two parallel tubes running to
the surface.  The one up top is filled with gravel.  If the fort was
being taken, you would pull a door and release the gravel into the
shoot underneath.  Then, you could crawl out to the top!

Minerals dripped down along the passages in places
creating miniature stalactites and stalagmites!

Call-center Recon Map

Call Center 1930's bunker style.

Another geological point of interest- oil seeping down the
walls.

DS explaining the mechanism for the
counterweight that opens the turret above.

Diagram of the turret pop-up mechanism

Underside of the turret

Schoenenbourg Art

Another aspect of the fortress that fascinated me were the various murals scattered throughout.  They were created by the men who were living here and they were influenced by images from their time.  By this time my camera batteries were running down, so I apologize that some of the shots are blurrier than I would like.

Some images from the time- ads framed on the walls

Yeah, not exactly the same cultural standards that
apply today!!

This was hanging in the infirmary.

This mural was in the kitchen

As was this one.

A little ways in we discovered an exhibit with more of
the murals photographed and retouched.

Well, it is a French Military Base!

Blurry- but this is showing where the original pieces were in the fort
there was a second room with more examples in it,
but the lights were out in it and my camera wasn't up
to the low-light task

Afterwards

After our visit, we were exhausted and hungry! We stopped in a little border town along the way and had one of the best meals I have eaten since we arrived.  The restaurant was froofy but inviting, and the friendly tri-lingual owner (French, Italian, German) greeted us at the door as she caught us  reading her menu while she opened up.  So early (6 PM) on a weekend, we were the only ones in the place. The menu was Italian and the cook was, it seems, French.  I had salmon in a tomato-cream sauce with rice (which was also doused in the sauce- I am willing to bet many of their diners come from a German eating tradition!).  DS ate an entire small pizza Margherita, DS got penne in a red sauce and DH had tagliatelle with the same salmon and tomato-cream sauce that I enjoyed.  It completely hit the spot!  After the filling meal, we headed out into a light rain and watched the full-sky rainbow that accompanied us on our way home. 

What an altogether Lovely Day!

DH raising one eyebrow at me for pulling a camera on him at dinner ;-P
(He was joking around, but the shot makes him look like Hulk getting
his Smash on!)

Luckily, it tasted far better than it looked!

A rainbow- terrific end to a wonderful day!