German Traditions for Christmas! with Erica the Argonaut

"Remember, when you walk home from choir, DO NOT STEP ON THE COOKIES LEFT FOR ST. NIKOLAS!" my host father warned me. The message was clear. Step on the cookies, the children won't get their share of chocolate and candies.

The Christmas tradition is different all around the world. In America, it is celebrated in the two days, the 24 and 25 of December, just as it is in England. Of course other cultures in America probably celebrate it their ways. In Germany, the Christmas season starts way before Thanksgiving in America ends.

The second week of November came. I came home from school and took a nap.

Then, I was woken up by my cute host brother screaming through my door, "Ewika, Wir können gleich essen." (We can eat soon). My host brother, Darian, is five. Rubbing my nap blurred eyes, I walked down stares. I really believed I was still dreaming: Lights were everywhere and snow globes and little angel figures were placed on the counters and decorated with sprinkles! They had already decorated for Christmas!

My host mother came up to me that day and handed me on very special box, one I am now slowly tearing apart. It is an advent's calendar. Starting from 1. December, you open one box everyday and eat the chocolate inside. You know what they say: Tis the season to eat more than you weight! Now I would be bragging on Facebook about all the chocolate I am now eating, but I added my mom this summer.

 The pictures on the side are pictures of my advent calendar. The days are scattered so I always have trouble finding the day I'm supposed to open.

When I took this picture, I was only on my tenth day of December, but now it's one day before Christmas Eve. (I'm getting cavities from all this delicious chocolate.

On the sixth of December, it is important to remember this: Before you go to sleep, but your snow boots outside your bedroom door. This is the only way you can get chocolate and candies from Saint Nicolas, who takes your wish list to the "Christkind." On Christmas Eve, the Christkind will bring in the Christmas tree, decorate it, and put presents all around the tree for the little kids.

I admire my host parents for keeping up with these traditions. The kids draw out what they want on their wish list, and on Christmas day, they get what they want. Imagine Erica the Argonaut as a child:

Dear Santa,
I would like a boat, a car, a license, an iPad, an iPhone, and much more. Do you have an email? I think it would be much easier to send my wish list to you this way, so you won't lose my list!

Love always,
Erica the Argonaut!

Hallo! Von Erica in Deutschland | Part two: Weekend Trips

Throughout the month at Language Camp, we went on a few weekend trips. To be exact, we went on two weekend trips and one wdeekday trip.

Destination Sachsen-Anhalt:

1. Leipzig
2. Quedlinburg
3. Magdeburg

Leipzig

Two hours. Two hours on a stuffy bus. Two hours, sitting with those same loud and crazy students with whom I sat on the plane and on the four hour drive to Hedersleben from Frankfurt. Those two hours seemed familiar and bearable, but they took a life time. 

Leipzig was our first weekend trip after two weeks of staying in Germany. It was the first time we would get a taste of German life outside of Hedersleben, outside of our little "monastery life." Those two hours were just too long for 50 other students who have not seen humanity for two long weeks (save the familiar faces of our language teachers, facility, and townspeople in a town with the population of 200). 

Upon arriving in Leipzig, I already had my camera out, ready to take pictures despite still being on the fast moving bus. But the point was, I was ready. Ich bin fertig (a German term used to say both "I am ready," and "I am finished."). I stepped off the bus, ready to explore this wonderful city. A family friend lives here, and upon a visit in America, he told me about the beauty of the city. I was eager to hunt down that beauty. As a group of 50 some students and a few chaperones, we crossed the streets of Leipzig and headed toward the city center. That was when I discovered: Germans don't wait for pedestrians. Yes, I nearly got ran over many times before understand just exactly how the streets and signals worked. 

This image of Leipzig is forever engrained in my mind . I don't even know where to start because I can barely remember that moment after crossing the streets of "possible getting ran over." But I remember peering across the courtyard and thinking "Woah, that's a darn big church." Turns out, however, this massive dome, beautifully designed blue glass structure was not a church but a university. We walked past it to enter the city center. 

I remember our Sprachelehrer (language teacher), a well-travelled and well-educated old man, Gerd, hobbling across the city taking us from church to church, then finally to a museum. He was wearing a worn blue-knitted cardigan and a traveling hat. We, as a group of 50 some kids, lost him a few times. Leipzig's city center, itself, is filled with tunnels across old-aged buildings, and Gerd walked through them without a doubt in where he was heading. Though hobbling he was much faster and focused than we were. 

Finally, we reached the first destination, St. Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church). This was where Bach had worked in his years of composing. Here is also the headquarters of a boy choir that is world famous. Unfortunately, the boy choir was on vacation. The next church was St. Nikolaikirche. (seen on the left). It is the oldest church in Leipzig, and I personally think that it's architecture is stunning!

Now, let me tell you a little about shopping in the City Center. YOU MOST LIKELY WILL GET LOST! Germans have a thing for H&M here. (You know: the store with big red curvy writing and cheap clothing). Unfortunately they like it so much that it is not only necessary to have one store in the city center, but three stores (maybe more) in the city center and one more in the city mall. On the left, is a beautiful metal sculpture that welcomes a visitor into Leipzig. This is also found in the city center. 

Quedlinburg

Okay, this was not a weekend trip. We went to Quedlinburg, a town located 30 minutes from Hedersleben, on a Thursday. Technically, I would still count it as a weekend trip since we didn't have to attend language classes the rest of the afternoon. (We had language classes even on Saturdays). 

Three words: Quedlinburg is adorbs! You can argue with me later to about adorbs being a real word. But seriously, this town is filled with old architecture and even comes with a legit castle. Quedlinburg had this certain calmness that vibrated through the entire town. Despite half of the city center being under construction. Senior citizens and retired people lounged outside the Eis Cafes (Ice cream shops) digging into a triple-scooped sundae or something much more delicious. People walked around leisurely despite it being a Thursday. Smaller streets were deserted. However, the quietness made walking through this town even more unique. It was like being set inside one of the sections of Disneyland, but without the little kids screaming and people waiting in line. 

Magdeburg 

Simply artistic. We went to visit an old cold war prison. Let's not talk about it. I was pretty scared and haunted throughout the entire tour. 

Magdeburg. This is the capital of Sachsen-Anhalt. As we drove our bus (chartered by the mayor of Hedersleben) through the town. I was simply confused. The bus kept turning and turning, in this small alleyway and out onto a big street, but while the bus was turning, my eyes saw a certain beauty that can only be found in Magdeburg. It felt like city-chillness. It was city life but surrounded by trees in certain areas and wild sculptures in others. Even the buildings tilted to the side, or gave the illusion of tilting to the side. 
It's that tall apartment complex (left) painted pink with weird marble streaks throughout the building. This building reminded me of a burning fire in the middle of a calm sea. Wild and unique and absolutely strange. Let's just say, staring at this building was just a favorite past time we (the other asians) ran around looking for Boba stores and asian meals. 

I want to say that we did enjoy the culture of Magdeburg to its fullest, but that would be a lie. I would like, very much, to go back again and simply enjoy. However, I was on a homesickness spiel, meaning I was craving asian food and asian drinks, and nothing was going to stop me from getting it!








Es tut mir leid! (I'm very sorry) This post is long, but I haven't posted in such a long time!

Liebe immer (love always), 

Erica the Argonaut.