Life: Idiotropic

... and I can't find the buns!!! Seriously... have the hotdogs and all the extras, but there is not a bun to be found at Schinnen. 240 packages should arrive on Wednesday, I'm told, but that won't help me now. Hot dogs on hoagies? Will have to do, but not what I had hoped for.

Not stressing, not stressing...

Ok, it's not working. It's not how I'm wired. I was born to stress. Mellow is so not my style. I stress over the most organized parties. I stress over work that's already done. I never allow myself to mellow until the event is over. Though at times I am successful in appearing nonchalant, my husband and children know the manic me.

I'd be worried if this was a normal American birthday party, but it's instead a "normal" American birthday party with about 8 (I think) or more German children attending. Somehow that has the pressure on to make it special. Really, this could be the only time that some of these children are in the home of an American or experience something like this... it's got to be good. The list of activities is done... the games are ready... I made a pinata and bought one... cake is done. Mentally preparing. Kirk will translate. I think we'll have about 10 kids.


So, I wake up the day of Elise' party after staying up late preparing for an absolutely fabulous back yard bash with all the games and outdoor fun a kid could want. My alarm goes off at 0700. Kirk tells me it's raining and isn't going to stop all day.

Shifting gears. Almost all activities planned required the good ol' outdoors. So, I looked up activities, stressed, worried, and grumped. Cleaned and got food ready. I expected 10 kids.

At noon the doorbell rang and a steady stream of German children came in with their mothers. At the end we had over 18 kids - and only 3 of those were Americans. That number didn't include ours either. But it was fun. The kids played in the courtyard and the Schlachthaus with balls, chalk, and bikes. They played in the house with the legos and choo-choos that I'd gotten down. My friend, Kristi, painted faces for hours. We ate, we did two pinatas. And, I think, the kids had fun. Three parents stayed. That was it. 3.

And that absolutely amazed me. Imagine your 3-5 year old child is invited to a party at the home of a non-American. You don't know them. You've never been to their house. Will you drop off your child for 2 hours? They did. Yeah, I see them at the kindergarten and we exchange basic pleasantries, but I am not part of their community, really. I'm an outsider. I don't speak their language well. And they really don't know me. But there they were leaving their kids here and the kids were ok too. They played and talked to me as if I should understand every word. Surprisingly enough, I understood enough. They were sweet, well-behaved, and so fun. I can't wait until next year. One parent took the time to record 6 German children's music onto CD's for Elise and wrote out every single song on the back for us. They were so kind.

Here I wanted to impress them and they definitely impressed me. They made me feel like a lot less of an outsider and more like an accepted member of the community. And I got to hear Elise talking with her friends auf deutch which is just incredible to hear.