Last night European Daylight Savings time ended, which is going to do nothing but confuse me for the next few weeks. As a dancer, or maybe just a whacko, I’m usually pretty affected by this time change. I’m sure all of you non-dancers will think I’m crazy (just chalk it up to the many, many other logs that fuel my ‘crazy fire’) but time changes have always made my body feel, well…kinda funky. Almost like my joints are a little stiffer, my muscles less elastic, and my head not as clear. Like I’m dancing through fog. Maybe it’s because I’d be teaching until 9pm, which really felt like 10. Does that make sense? (Don’t answer that.) So this year, as I’m not dancing, I’m not sure how it will manifest. I do know, that since all of you in the states don’t ‘fall back’ for another week; I’ll be constantly calling home at all the wrong times. I apologize in advance for waking you up, Mom.
Well, we are in the heart of fall here. The weather is getting colder (mind you, it was never warm), the days are getting shorter (it’s 5:15 and dark at the moment), and actually I think the trees peaked just last week. I know for some people, Autumn can be a touch depressing. I mean, if you think about it, we are truly celebrating the darker portion of the circle of life. Leaves are falling, birds are migrating, bears (and the Klauses) are getting ready for winter hibernation. Not to mention, our choice of holiday--Halloween. (Side note: my Yoga friend Peg bakes the greatest Halloween cookies each year. Picture a beheaded gingerbread man with blood icing pouring out. Very Tim Burton.)
Somehow, even though slightly morbid, Fall has always been my favorite season. (Go ahead…chalk up another tick mark on the ‘Heather is crazy’ scoreboard.) Maybe it’s the gorgeous colors that come with the leaves changing, or getting to play dress up for one night. Ok, it may just be hot apple pie. Whatever it is, this is the time of year when I feel most alive. Come to think of it, when I need to go to ‘my happy place,’ I always picture this apple orchard in Peoria that Tim and I go to this time of year. (Thinking of naming my first-born Tanner after it.)
Tim and I were discussing last night with some Cat friends what Halloween is like over here. I guess costumes and trick-or-treating is gaining some momentum, but only in areas where Americans have brought it over. The Halloween-ish Holiday here is All Saints Day, which is November 1st. Germans (I think mostly Catholics) get together with their families and go to graveyards to honor the dead and celebrate their lives. I read somewhere that there is even some sort to “soul bread” made somewhere in Germany. Oh--more trivia. I also read that it was the Irish that made the first Jack-o-lanterns and, here's the interesting part, that they were made out of...turnips. (Nope, not been to Ireland yet, but it's on the agenda.)
I’m just fascinated that cultures can be so different—different language, race, religion, government, but yet have astounding similarities. We all must need some way to deal with the “death” of this season, so we create a way to celebrate it, enjoy it, even mock it a little. Man must have a device to make death less scary. All Hallow’s Eve, Dia de Los Muertes, Halloween, All Saints Day, a different name in each place, but I think essentially the same idea. Hmmm, wonder if this day transcends all culture. Need more investigation.
When my Oma was alive (my dad’s mom) she would go to the cemetery in Quincy every change of the season to decorate and clean up the graves of her loved ones. My mom got to go with her a few times as she got older. Mom said it wasn’t morbid at all, in fact she would look forward to these days. Oma had just an amazing memory. I guess she would get to talking about her relatives, telling funny stories and sharing memories. Essentially, making them all come alive for my mother as they would clean the gravestones.
On a different note, I’d also like to take a moment and celebrate life for just a minute. My Grandmother (on my mom’s side now) will turn 90 on October 30th. Think that is amazing too. Happy birthday GM! Thinking about you from a few thousand miles away.
Happy Halloween everybody! Hope you all enjoy this Fall.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Yoga for Dummies
Last Thursday I took my first Yoga class here in Germany. I have to say, that my body is a little irked at me for not dancing or doing much Yoga since I’ve been here. Yes, I’ll do a down dog from time to time, maybe some sun salutations twice a week, but nothing like I was doing back in the states. So, I enrolled myself in a Yoga class every Thursday evening for 90 minutes here in my village. My neighbor Claudia took me for my first class since I don’t have a car yet and to help me explain to the teacher that my German is nicht so gut. (Read with a hint of sarcasm.) But I’ve got to do something with my body and I figure that since the poses are in Sanskrit, I’ll be just fine. I mean I have spent nearly a quarter of a century in dance classes; I can follow just about anybody.
Let me interrupt myself and say that my German is rapidly improving (only way to go is up!) But I tell you what, I did not understand one word my entire class. Nichts. Nada. Null. Nothing. Ok, not entirely true, I did get ‘Fuss’ (foot) and ‘Augen’ (eyes) and think that ‘aus’ was telling me to breathe out--but that is seriously all. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, except that the majority of the class was a guided meditation. I’m sure it was brilliant, but I had no clue, and I mean NO clue what was going on.
I did just fine once we got to the physical postures though!
You’d better believe that I’m looking up every German word for parts of the body and anything that has to do with relaxing. This week’s goal—just five words!
Let me interrupt myself and say that my German is rapidly improving (only way to go is up!) But I tell you what, I did not understand one word my entire class. Nichts. Nada. Null. Nothing. Ok, not entirely true, I did get ‘Fuss’ (foot) and ‘Augen’ (eyes) and think that ‘aus’ was telling me to breathe out--but that is seriously all. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, except that the majority of the class was a guided meditation. I’m sure it was brilliant, but I had no clue, and I mean NO clue what was going on.
I did just fine once we got to the physical postures though!
You’d better believe that I’m looking up every German word for parts of the body and anything that has to do with relaxing. This week’s goal—just five words!
A Taste of Home
Well, we just shipped my Mom and Dad back home yesterday after 10 days here in Deutschland. Had an amazing time. Usually, Hulsen-family vacations have a strange likeness to the National Lampoon's Vacation Movies, but I think we survived this one unscathed. Yes, there may have been minor blunders along the way, but no one tried to hang my dad, so I’d call it a success. Never have I been so excited to see my parents. Yes, I miss them more than I’d like to admit, but the truth of the matter is that they got off the plane with a few bottles of duty-free scotch and an entire suitcase full of Midwest, corn-fed, fat, juicy steaks. Yippee! I’ve always thought that I really could be a vegetarian most days, just one minor problem--Fillet. And Rib eye. Oh, and New York Strip. Oooh, and Prime Rib.
The original idea was that my parents would come over and get us settled, but I think Mom knew that I’d need a little taste of home about this time. (Smart woman.) It was also really important to me that they get to know our area and feel comfortable here. You know, a home away from home. Well, within hours my mother had vacuumed my entire first floor (would have done more but the damn thing needed to be emptied) and my Dad had burned up our coffee grinder. Ah, Home Sweet Home.
My class kinda clipped our wings this week, so we spent the majority of the time close to home. Most days Mom and Dad would meet me in Regensburg for lunch after my class and we sightsee or do some shopping. Monday, I thought I’d take them around to show them some of Regensburg’s highlights. The Roman Wall from 179 A.D., the cathedral, the opera house, the stone bridge. You know, just a few things. Few hours later, they decided they were on “Heather’s Death March.” (Well, someone had to be a guinea pig! Might as well choose someone that’s required to love you.)
On Tuesday night my aunt and uncle that live here in Germany arrived as well. They brought the traditional German housewarming gifts of flour (in the shape of an apple cake) and salt (housed in automatic salt-n-pepper grinders.) Wednesday we biked all along the Regen River, which was just beautiful. And Thursday the whole gang—complete with Sue and Georg’s dog Xack biked to Regensburg to meet me for lunch.
We did get a little traveling in, though, this weekend. We decided to head into Prague to “Czech” it out. (Insert laugh track.) What an amazing city. It has got to make the short list of the most beautiful cities in the world. Amazing architecture that unbelievably survived the World Wars and Communism. The true highlight for me, though, was the music that seemed to be at every corner. A trio in the streets of the Old Town, a violinist at our dinner restaurant, a flautist on the steps of the castle—and all of them quite good. That night we took in a symphony concert featuring the Czech composers Smetana and Dvorak. It was wonderful to hear the music that they had written for this city. It moved me almost as much as my mom playing my piano back at home in our apartment. Almost, but not quite.
The original idea was that my parents would come over and get us settled, but I think Mom knew that I’d need a little taste of home about this time. (Smart woman.) It was also really important to me that they get to know our area and feel comfortable here. You know, a home away from home. Well, within hours my mother had vacuumed my entire first floor (would have done more but the damn thing needed to be emptied) and my Dad had burned up our coffee grinder. Ah, Home Sweet Home.
My class kinda clipped our wings this week, so we spent the majority of the time close to home. Most days Mom and Dad would meet me in Regensburg for lunch after my class and we sightsee or do some shopping. Monday, I thought I’d take them around to show them some of Regensburg’s highlights. The Roman Wall from 179 A.D., the cathedral, the opera house, the stone bridge. You know, just a few things. Few hours later, they decided they were on “Heather’s Death March.” (Well, someone had to be a guinea pig! Might as well choose someone that’s required to love you.)
On Tuesday night my aunt and uncle that live here in Germany arrived as well. They brought the traditional German housewarming gifts of flour (in the shape of an apple cake) and salt (housed in automatic salt-n-pepper grinders.) Wednesday we biked all along the Regen River, which was just beautiful. And Thursday the whole gang—complete with Sue and Georg’s dog Xack biked to Regensburg to meet me for lunch.
We did get a little traveling in, though, this weekend. We decided to head into Prague to “Czech” it out. (Insert laugh track.) What an amazing city. It has got to make the short list of the most beautiful cities in the world. Amazing architecture that unbelievably survived the World Wars and Communism. The true highlight for me, though, was the music that seemed to be at every corner. A trio in the streets of the Old Town, a violinist at our dinner restaurant, a flautist on the steps of the castle—and all of them quite good. That night we took in a symphony concert featuring the Czech composers Smetana and Dvorak. It was wonderful to hear the music that they had written for this city. It moved me almost as much as my mom playing my piano back at home in our apartment. Almost, but not quite.
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