Family Blog

It is not so easy to get our car into our gateway. And this week our car had a rendezvous with the post on the right side. I think we will wait some years before we will buy a new car...

They did it - as you can read on Manuel's and Philip's blog they passed the practical driving test. Now they ask every day if they can drive Carmen to the tennis training or help us to go shopping in the supermarket. Or something else where they need our car.

Yesterday , Manuel and Philip passed their theoretical exam for the driver license. The next step will the practical exam but therefore they still need some more lessons.

Last week first I went with Philip and later with Manuel to the public training area with our car. But the days are getting shorter, so half of the time they trained in the dawn.

At the beginning of last week Manuel was at the dentis and got out all his four wisdom teeth. He looked like a blowfish when he came home and could eat only soup at the beginning. But now he looks normal again.

This week our school had an exchange of students with a school in Budapest, Hungary. Two weeks before our daughter was in Budapest and this week her exchange student visited us. This means for my wife and me to stand up early in the morning to be the first in the bathroom. And in the evening it means to wait on him and our daughter.

Yesterday the bus with the Hungarian students left Gerlingen at 7:00 AM. Today the summertime ended which means one hour more to sleep for us. We needed it.

Manuel has discovered origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. I don't know where he got the instructions (somewhere from the internet) but now we have a lot of cubes, cars, birds and even dragons - all started by a simple (square) piece of paper.
In the meantime our printer paper runs short...

The Cannstatter Wasen is after the Oktoberfest in Munich the 2nd largest beer festival in the world and has started yesterday.

Today Carmen and Philip were in the Porsche Arena to watch the beginning of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. They sat both in the first line and saw life Serena Williams and other stars of the Top 10.

Manual has invited an American familiy he got to know from Wisconsin. They moved near Stuttgart some weeks ago and today they visited us. Manuel was very excited and we as parents too.

Fortunately the weather was fine today (about 15°C) so that we decided to barbeque in our garden. Shortly before 1:00 PM Brian and Kristin and their two children Madleine and Max arrived. It was a nice afternoon. Especially Manuel was happy that he could talk English (he missed it after his return from the U.S.).

After lunch we took a short walk thru Gerlingen where Manuel and Philip had the opportunity to show their school (the building with the orange wall).

I was this weekend on a Java conference in Berlin to give a talk while Philip was on an AFS meeting in Heilbronn (read his blog).

Last Saturday Manuel and Philip had their first practical driving lesson. In the afternoon I went with them with our car to the next public training area. First Manuel started driving. We have no automatic gear so it was not so easy for him to start the car. Several times we hoped more than we cruised but Philip had the same problem. We were not the only beginners on the training area and as I remember I had also problems at my first driving lessen to start the car.

A special challenge was the first turn ,because I ait on the front seat and did not know if Manuel or Philip would get the curve correct. You know you can't do anything. I'm happy that I'm not a driving instructor - I would loose my nerves.

On Thursday Manuel and Philip will have their next practical driving lesson .

On Friday when we packed our bags for a bike tour thru the Jagst valley we realized that Manuel's bag he got from his host parents for his additional baggage fits exactly in our bicycle trailer. Unfortunately the trailer hitch fits only at my bike so I had to pull for the next three days 25 kg additional weight.

On Saturday first we went by streetcar from Gerlingen to Stuttgart and then by train to Aalen. It was a little bit stressful for me to get both, bicycle and trailer, into the wagon and elevators (at the railway station) but with the help of Manuel and Philip we managed it.

In Aalen we had some difficulties to find the right direction but at last we found the bicycle path to the Jagst. Our first break was at a reservoir (Bucher Stausee).

We had planned to stay overnight at Crailsheim but we decided to go on to Kirchberg where we found a little inn at Lendsiedel. Most of the time Philip and Manuel cycled several 100 meters in front of my wife and me. I also changed the bike with Philip but nevertheless he cycled in front of me. This day we travelled about 75 km (47 miles).

It although went up and down on Sunday and we cycled about 90 km (56 miles), before we reached Möckmühl. On Monday we visited Bad Wimpfen, an old town above the Neckar. We climbed on the "Blue Tower" where you have a great view over the Neckar valley. Next station was Heilbronn where we entered the train back to Stuttgart.

...Manuel and Philip left Germany. Five weeks ago they came back to Germany. Since two weeks they work at the company where I work. Today there was a brown bag lunch at the company where Manuel and Philip talked about the differences between the U.S. and Germany and their experiences in America (slides: germnay-vs-us (pdf, 3,882 KB) ). We were nine people in the meeting room and it was fun to listen Manuel and Philip.

Last year in October Manuel visted Mr. Obama (look at his blog or on the picture left) – now he visited us. Oh, not really us, but our country. Yesterday Mr. Obama was in Berlin, today he will visit perhaps Rammstein. But Manuel and Philip are on an AFS camp for the "retournees" so they can't visit him.

A lot has changed since last year - both on the political area and on the family area. Since yesterday the vacations have started also here in Baden Württemberg. Next week Manuel and Philip will go working for two weeks at agentes (it's the company where I work). They need the money for the drivers licence which is expensive here in Germany.

Last Friday I had an operation at my nose but since yesterday I'm back home. I still feel a little weak but here it is not so boring as in the hospital - there is much more life here and I can go online or do anything else.

When the family visited me on Sunday all three children (and my wife!) began to laugh when they saw me. I look like a pig with my swelled nose! What cheek!

Today I had time to check the news and my emails. Jeff has started a new blog on jeff-closson.blogspot.com. Manuel and Philip have started with their driver's lesson. If you want to check your knowledge you can try it with this test sheet (in German) — I failed (12 error points).

Yesterday we were with Manuel and Philip the first time at the Lichterfest in Stuttgart. Last year Manuel and Philip were on an AFS camp at that time (the last camp before leaving Germany). The whole Killesbergpark was decorated with lights and there were many stalls where you can buy something to drink or to eat. When it was dark the light show at the Killesbergturm began, followed by a firework, highlighted with music. It was fantastic.

Today we had to get up early in the morning because Manuel and Philip had their first concert with the Hymnus Choir after their return from Wisconsin and California. One year ago it was their last concert at a church service before they left us. After the church service the summer party of the Hymnus Choir started at the Waldheim Möhringen. Fortunately it stopped raining when the church service was over and the party began.

One and a half week ago Philip and Manuel came back from America. The school year here in South Germany is not yet over so they have to go to school this week and next week. It is not easy for them because the school system and the teachers are so different from the American way of school.

What has changed for us? There is much more life in our house now and it seems that the house has shrunk. In the morning much more coordination is needed now because each of us wants to take a shower before to go to school or work.

On the one side Manuel and Philip are both more independent than one year before, on the other side they enjoy doing things together. Today they took their bike and went to the sports field to play soccer. There was only one lock for both bikes because Philip has broken his key when he was at downtown (and he had to carry his bike the whole way back). When Manuel and Philip came back from the sports field their bikes were locked together - Manuel has broken his key :-)