Tuesday # 3: Liecht isch schön* (Light is beautiful) / biscuits up your behind

Progress! This Tuesday, we are headed home from the Schulhaus after our lesson at 4:30, half an hour earlier than last week. Things go somewhat smoother this week. The theme for the week was “light is beautiful”. We had a story about Nino the Glowworm (Nino, das Glühwürmchen). This is a lovely book by Sueli Menezes, beautifully illustrated by Giuliano Ferri, about a Nino, who rallies his fellow glowworms to work together to take over the Moon’s job of lighting up the night while the Moon takes a rest. 

Then we listened to the song “Du Bist Das Licht Der Welt” (“You are the Light of the World”). I told them this song was about a good friend, and I asked them to guess who the friend was. When they couldn’t guess, I passed around a Divine Mercy image to show them. “Oh, it’s Jesus!” Zoe exclaims. It is so sweet hearing them oooh and aahh as the Divine Mercy image is passed around.

The previous week, we had discussed Lebkuchen (Christmas gingerbread). At the end of the class, I asked Maeve and Olive to distribute the little bags with Lebkuchen we had brought in for the other children. Most of the kids are really excited about it. At some stage, Zoe and Emanuele are trying to tell me something that Cedric has said. I don’t understand what they are saying. I ask Maeve if she can help me. (Maeve, it turns out, is not the best translator. She is often like a deer caught in the headlights.) I can see that Emanuele is getting frustrated that I can’t understand, but he keeps repeating slowly. Finally, Zoe mimes it out. When she gestures shoving the biscuits up her behind, I finally get it. In the ensuing chaos, I don’t get a chance to talk to Cedric. However, I will certainly bring up next time that such language is not allowed in our class.

About the biscuits incident, normally, things like this would really get to me. (Last week, the kids were making some fun that they can’t understand my German.)  However, strangely enough, it is like water off a duck’s back. Once I decide to make the rules clear next week, it’s practically forgotten (not normal for me, who usually broods about things endlessly). I am not stressed out when I get home, at least not by the class. A few hours later, after I’ve sent Luke to his room, following a granddaddy of a temper tantrum, I pop open a Panache and sit on the couch. Maeve is shocked. “You’re having a beer without Dad?” she asks, astounded. By chance, Oma calls on Skype a few minutes later. As there is nothing as dull as warm Panache, I glug from the tin while we talk. I can see myself in the little Skype window. I know what Oms is thinking. She can’t help herself. “Now, don’t you go turning into an alcoholic,” she finally blurts out. (Don’t worry, Oms. Panache is only 0.5% alcohol. It is practically Sprite.)

* That's in the local dialect, not in high German.