She's Crafty (Weekend Arts)

As this year is my first away from family for the holidays, I haven't exactly been in the "spirit" of things. Christmas markets and school festivities, staff parties and even watching "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" (the original, not the Jim Carry version) have kept me busy enough but there was something missing. It's the lack of turkey and tourtiere, the last minute preparations, the anticipation of a blizzard or gathering around the tube to watch the game. It's the late nights, the poker games, the young cousins being allowed to drink and knowing that you are surrounded by people who love you so unconditionally that they forgive you for getting them the same present every year.

For the past couple of years I have made presents ( "you don't gnome me" and "that's the tooth") but I couldn't ship bags and t-shirts to everyone with the outrageous cost of postage here so, to keep everyone close to my heart (cheese alert) I decided to make my own holiday cards this year. This is also the first time I've even sent out cards, so to those that I missed, I apologize. I set up shop in the living room and carved out potatoes, traced stencils and mixed colours. It was a great weekend and it was fun to custom make them for everyone so far away. I think they turned out allllright, in the future I might consider using this technique to make wrapping paper or t-shirts.

A few tips and tricks that I learned while making potato stamps:

1) use a small paring knife to carve the potatoes, i used an exacto knife, which was a bit tricky to manipulate. Of course, simple shapes are easier to carve. When drawing your design on the potato, large wax or coloured pencils worked best.

2)Acrylic paint works fine, but it was more practical to paint on the colour i wanted rather than to dip the potato directly into the paint. the third and fourth stampings are always lovlier than the first ones.

3) The potatoes can be used for up to a week (maybe more) after being carved out, just wipe clean and store in a plastic bag in the fridge (NOTE these do not make tasty mashed potatoes!)

December, now so much more than Kristimas

I know that lately I have resorted to photoblogging( is that a word? it is now. let's call it phobloing for short) but it's really an easy way for me to keep my 3 readers up to speed on my fast paced life here.

Up here we have Molly lighting a homemade menorah (yes those are pipes) at Hanukkah dinner. One of the benefits of hosting the dinner is that you get to bask in the smell of oil for the entire week. Mmm latkes.

Of course, there was lots of baking to be done and sweets to eat. Surrounding Bron's sacrilicious Christmukkah cake are my peanut butter cups that I had to make in large muffin tin instead of a small one ( this proved to be a bit much, so i chopped 'em into quarters)

Here's how you do it: (Brit, you might want to omit the deadly peanuts on this one, if you make it for Charles)

Melt 4 oz white chocolate with 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter ( i use a double boiler but it can easily be done in the microwave)

in a separate bowl melt 12 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

in a lined mini muffin pan, evenly divide the chocolate mixtures, using a spoon to layer between the chocolate and the peanut butter.

Sprinkle with chopped peanuts

Place muffin tin in freezer for 15 minutes and bring to room temperature to serve

can be stored for up to 2 weeks in fridge.

In tune with the annual Christmas markets around Germany, our school put on it's own Winter Bazaar, the children made things (above lanterns and cards) that the parents purchased at very reasonable prices!

Turkey and Mulled Wine, Holiday favourites in Germany

Friends, as you know I loves me a get-together so naturally as I make a few more friend here in Berlin, get-togethers are a happening. Luckily for me, I have met some people who like to take day trips, celebrate American holidays and find any excuse to share a pie. Here are a few snap shots from the past few months.

Above is a gathering at Katie's house in Charlottenburg (West Berlin) for Thanksgiving. Russ, the keen looking fellow in the back, brought bacon wrapped sausages to make his first Yanksgiving extra special. He was too busy posing for the picture to realise how serious this meal is and that you better dig in or forget getting any white meat.

At 8am we hopped on a train and headed to Dresden for the day to check out their famous Christmas Markets. These are popular throughout Germany during Advent ( December) and they are much more than just regular markets with fake snow on the stalls (although there is plenty of that too). The best part, aside from dried fruit dolls, is Glühwein (hot mulled wine) that comes in every flavour imaginable, including Apfel,, as seen above.

Want more photos? I've added more on picassa (just click on the Dresden at Christmas album on the right hand side of the page)

Galariffic

This past November, Luke and I were invited to a Gala at the Ritz Carlton that was put on by another International school here in Berlin. We were each the plus one of a friend from the school, and cashed in on some free champagne and a delicious spread. We are practically Michaele and Tariq Salahi!

Above are some girls (Katie, my date, Bron, to whom these photos belong and Anne, who made that fab hair piece) that I've been lucky to get to know these past few months in Berlin. You might recognize them from such events as "Brunch" and "Sunday's in the Park" and will be coming soon in "Thanksgiving".

Q's take on walls

Here is a pertinent podcast from Q (on CBC) recommended by Charlotte and enjoyed by many, myself included. Thanks C!

http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/qpodcast_20091109_22806.mp3

Trip to the Zahnarzt

As most people do, I put off going to the dentist as long as humanly possible, and in a place where I don't know the language, nor a good dentist, I was hardly inspired to make a termin. Well nothing gets you going faster than dental discomfort in the old talk trap, which is how I (only now) have made my first trip to the dentist in Germany.

After struggling through the new patient forms and checking no to the only 2 words i could decipher, pregnant (schwangere) and diabetes ( diabetes) I pieced together enough of my German to tell the doctor about my mouth woes (Ich habe ein Problem).

As he sat me down in his chair, pried my mouth open and stuck in one of those saliva suckers, I noticed that he didn't have friendly googly eyes on his overhead light. Since i generally hate going to the dentist, I closed my eyes, thought of Italy and waited for it to be over.

Now usually, I trust medical professionals and had no reason not to trust this Zahn doctor but as he's sticking one of his mini drills into my mouth, he says " kein angst" (no worries) and I had no choice but to worry a little and adjust my facial expression from "get this over with" to "i just drank chunky milk".

At least he was consistent with my doctors of tooth pain past and tried talking to me while it was clearly impossible for me to respond, not only physically but mentally too. You try saying mein Zahn weh tut with a mouth full of cotton.

Cinque Terre

Stay tuned, I'll be enjoying the Italian riviera next week and plan to post pictures and stories to brag about the food, wine and landscape. In the meantime, please enjoy some light reading:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/travel/05hours.html

36 hours in Berlin and 20 years after the fall

The following article was recently posted on the New York Times dot com: 36 Hours in Berlin

(Berlin T.V. Tower)

I hope to accomplish most of that after 36 months. An evening at the TV tower is expensive by Berlin standards, especially when you can "pay what you like" at wineries around town. It's also fair to say that although I spent a bit of my childhood in Charlottenburg, I rarely venture to the West.

(above: dad and I at East Side gallery last spring)

In light of the 20th anniversary of the wall coming down, there is a plethora of events going on around town. Artists who painted murals along the east side gallery 2 decades ago have been invited to recreate what has faded or been covered in graffiti.

There are concerts (there is a rumor that the Hoff himself will be playing on Nov 9th) exhibitions, and of course a large scale, human recreation of the wall. At 8:15 pm on Nov 9th a chain will be formed along the path that the wall once followed. Naturally, I will be part of this and as soon as I find the youtube video of it I'll post it on the blog.

Click here for more information : Mauer Mob

Oktoberfest part 1- the Devil's Wheel

(most photos courtesy of Katie Lepak, I wisely didn't bring my camera)

Last weekend, Katie and I went to Munich to play in an ultimate tournament and of course, join in the Oktoberfestivities. The weekend was set up so that we played all day Friday, had Saturday off to taste the beer and played again on Sunday. There are 14 big beer tents on a massive fair grounds, where each tent could hold close to 10,000 people.

(taken from muenchen.de)

Our tournament fees included entrance and reservations in the Hofbräuzelt, right beside the band who played everything from Country Roads to the traditional and often repeated toast "Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemutlichkeit", which roughly translates to " A Toast, A Toast to Coziness".

Before heading into the tent, however, we explored the midway and met up with a few other people from the tournament at Das Teufelsrad (the Devil's Wheel). This is a rotating disc, where people try to stay on while being hit with a giant ball and lassoed by carnies. Occasionally, the caller gets two kids up there and makes them box, or asks all the women in dirndls to come up and have a hool-a-hoop contest.

Click on the photo above or this link to watch the hilarious video of us giving it a go. I didn't stay on long because I am weak, but Russ ( a friend from Berlin Ultimate) managed to stay until the end.

last weekend(s) of Sommer

After an impossible/emotional/incredible start to school, I desperately needed a relaxing weekend. My wish was granted when Friday (finally) Ultimate League started and I was able to run around like a fool (as I do) and let out some of the week's tensions. I was once again reminded of why I love this city-when the organizers showed up with two cases of beer to sell at 1 Euro per beer. Why can't we drink in parks or at sports clubs in Canada? We all cleaned up (thanks to the pfand) and no one got belligerent. Afterward, a bunch of us went for (arguably) the best roasted chicken on the planet and as Luke and I biked home, a show of colourful fireworks lit the way.

On Saturday we ended up grilling (maybe for the last time this year) with some friends in Volkspark Friedrich shain.

We tossed the disc, grilled some meat and had some baby time with Jasper (I forgot how much I missed my babes in Montreal). I really couldn't stop smiling all day, and I soon forgot about the week's woes!

On Sunday, after a successful Mimosa filled,pancake brunch (recipe for banana bread seen above coming soon) at our place ,

we all headed to the park again, to enjoy the 28c weather. (Thank you Christina for the above pic)

It was the perfect end to summer!

And although autumn officially started this week, we enjoyed warm, pleasant weather all week and were once again able to enjoy Berlin on a sunny day as we meandered to Mauer park just in time to catch Bearpit Karaoke, a Sunday afternoon favourite!

War of the Wursts

Here is a picture of my favourite vegetarian

Here is an excerpt from an article from the Times that pretty much sums up my meal plan here in Berlin.

Berlin Journal

Grills With Legs Beckon Germans to Bratwurst

By NICHOLAS KULISH

Published: September 23, 2009

BERLIN — Jürgen Stiller regularly stands outside Berlin’s historic Friedrichstrasse train station with a four-pound canister of flammable propane strapped to his back. But if a police officer approaches him, it is only to buy one of the hot bratwurst sizzling on the flaming grill suspended from his shoulders.

Mr. Stiller works as a Grillwalker, a one-man mobile sausage-cooking machine. He and his colleagues can be seen around the capital, turning their browning bratwursts with tongs and tempting pedestrians with the scent of cooking meat wafting from their grills.

for pictures,video and the full article, please visit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/world/europe/24bratwurst.html?em

Robyn's Fritada

Luke loves this recipe so i got it off his mom and make it almost once a week. This week for Brunch, I added pumpkin and sunflower seeds. THANKS ROBYN

FRITADA (the D has a th sound... free-ta-the)
2 packages (10 ounce each) frozen spinach. thaw and squeeze out a lot of the water)
4 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese (don't know what you can substitute that with if not available
3/4 cup matzah meal (can use crushed unsalted soda crackers, or even a few slices of bread broken up or uncooked oatmeal)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese (or any hard italian-type cheese)
crumbled feta
a little oil

combine everything into a big mush.
spread a bit of oil in 9X12 pan and sprinkle some extra crackers crumbs or oats or whatever your using in the bottom, just to make a little coating.

gently spread spinach stuff with a fork or fingers, it will be thin. don't press too firmly...can be rough looking on top with nooks and crannies

sprinkle extra cheese on top.

bake for 30-40 minutes, 370 degree F oven until top is nicely browned.

Dear Delta

Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Post Office Box 20537
Atlanta, GA 30320-2537

Dear Sir/ Madame,

I am writing because I have recently had the misfortune of flying with Delta. Having flown with you in the past, I expected a certain level of comfort and security, however, I was appalled at the “service” you provided, or rather didn't.

As a teacher, I make a modest salary and so when I found out that I had to be in Canada for a wedding, I saved my money and shopped around for affordable flights. I discovered that going through JFK to Burlington, VT was my best option, which is how I ended up on flight DL 0079 on July 29th from Berlin. Upon arriving in New York around 2:30pm, I discovered that my flight to Burlington had been cancelled due to bad weather.

Along with hundreds of others, I waited in line to find out what my options were and hours later was told that I was rescheduled on a flight 2 days later. This is when I learned that your policy was to blame God for the inconvenience. Is it also your policy to be unapologetic, unhelpful and unfriendly? In all my dealings with you I only encountered one or two courteous employees and received zero smiles, despite my own attempts at being cheerful towards them.

Now I don't know about you but I certainly do not have the funds to stay in a hotel in New York City nor to stay for 2 days in the airport, eating expensive, unappetizing food. At this point, I gathered a few other stranded travelers and together we shared a hotel room and rented a car to drive to Burlington. I asked God to split the costs since Delta wasn't even giving out peanuts, but He's pretty broke these days too.

On the way back to Berlin, I was optimistic and forgiving and ready to give you guys another chance; a three week vacation with friends and family can be very therapeutic. Before I let my ride leave me at Burlington, I made sure to check the flight board for any cancellations but my plane was listed as on time so I said a weepy good bye to my father and lugged my bags to the Delta counter. I was once again informed that my flight had been cancelled and would be offered no compensation.

Still teary from my good bye, and now from another set back, I made my way to a hotel and was back at the airport at 4am to get on the 6am flight. Once we were on the plane and seemed ready to go, the flight crew informed us that there was too much fuel in the plane to fly to New York. Rather than de-fuel the plane, passengers were bribed to get off until only 1/3 of us remained. I was one of the lucky ones that got to go to New York after 2 hours sitting on the tarmac. No wonder you can't offer restitution with a business model like that.

After a costly day at JFK, I got on the plane at 7pm and because of a variety of problems that were not made clear to the passengers, we spent 3 hours on the plane waiting to take off. Now I understand that some things are out of your control, like weather and airport traffic, but others, like communication and sympathy, are things you can manage. You advertise as the world's largest airline, but with this attitude and poor customer relations, you wont stay that way for long. I suggest you take a look at Westjet's model and you'll find happy, friendly employees and satisfied customers.

Maybe getting passengers from one place to another on time and in good spirits isn't “your thing”. Maybe you shine in the luggage delivery department. Well, as it turns out, on both legs of this tedious journey you broke my luggage, forcing me to carry 75lbs instead of conveniently rolling it. Since I had exhausted my funds on hotels, car rentals and airport dining, I was left with no money to take a taxi home. Carrying two thirds of my weight on buses and trams was only the icing on the cake.

It would be easy for you to dismiss this, along with the other letters of this kind you surely receive but now is a chance for you to start caring about your customers. The extra costs, including new luggage, to this trip totaled over 400$ and I have no desire to fly again. I would like to know what you intend to do to make up for this disastrous experience and to get my business in the future?

Regards,

Rights of the Child

Here is a video I made with the children in my class, concerning the Right's of a Child

Why I love Berlin Parks

Ping pong tables in the park ( watch out for the wind factor)

hammocks galore (BYOB)

and if you're into kids, endless fun! (from trampolines to massive swings)

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I know that eating cookies isn't the best way to stay healthy but I actually cut the sugar in this recipe in half , and it's certainly better than anything store bought.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour (220 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (170 grams)
1 cup packed brown sugar (200 grams)
1/2 cup white sugar (170 grams)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 egg yolk
100 grams of Bitter chocolate broken into chunks
1/2 cup walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate and walnuts by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1 tbsp at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Luke has been asking me to make him something in a bread bowl for months now, so I took advantage of having visitors over so we wouldn't have to eat the whole thing ourselves. Please note that despite Aziz, Jo and Jan helping us out, we continued eating this for several days. Next time I will definitely half the recipe.

2 pounds fresh spinach washed ( or 2 packages of Frozen)

1 large can of artichokes, chopped

2 sweet onions diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 pint plain yogurt

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup walnuts lightly toasted

Directions

In a large pan cook spinach in water that clings to the leaves until it wilts.

Drain and rinse under cold water and gently squeeze out excess liquid.

Chop finely and reserve.

In medium pan cook onions in butter over medium heat until well caramelized.

Cool then mix with spinach, artichokes, yogurt, salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and serve in a bread bowl

out-of-towners

One of the perks of living in Europe versus Asia is that our friends and family feel that it is a bit more accessible. Since coming in January, we have had a steady stream of guests keeping us from facing the reality of having to make friends and learn the language! Here are a few pictures from recent visits that have kept us in our bubble.

Peter and I showing off our new scarves before the Hertha BSC football match.

Adrian, Peter and I at the match. (And surly guy in the background, jealous of the scarves I'm sure)

Luke and Dad at the Eisbaren Hockey game (in the opposing fans section)

Dad and I in San Sebastian, Spain
( not all of our activities are centered around athletics.. although some might call the wine tasting a sport)

Kathy, Sandy and I at the top of the Reischtag

Zucchini Carrot Bread

I have rediscovered baking! After my disaster of a banana bread a few weeks ago, I attempted this loaf last week. You might notice that this recipe does not call for baking soda (although my roommate did find some for me) and that I've set the cooking temp in Celsius in an attempt to embrace my gas oven (we've come to an agreement, he won't burn my bread and I won't kick him). Keep in mind that while I'm baking I'm constantly referring to my gram conversion calculator as all the measuring cups are in grams.

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. walnuts, chopped
1 c. grated zucchini
1 c. grated carrots
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. chopped dark chocolate (optional)
2 tbsp maple syrup

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix egg, oil and milk together. Add to flour mixture. Add zucchini, carrots, nuts, chocolate and walnuts. Stir until blended. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Drizzle maple syrup over thetop. Bake at 177 degrees for 70 minutes.

this recipe has been adapted from cooks.com

Me and the Riot Police

May 1st is labour day in Germany, which means anti-capitalism themed protests that have often led to riots in Berlin. We were out during the day, before anything major happened and got this (rare) photo op with some pre-pumped police! Click here for more information

Full stops, Fasching and Fahrenheit

When moving to Berlin, I knew that language and culture might be a bit of a barrier but there are some things I did not consider when moving here. For instance, I tried baking my favourite banana bread but I found out that baking soda does not live in Berlin. After trying a variety of substitutes (including suggestions from German recipes) and fighting my with gas oven, I'm left with a rather dry banana bread and a better knowledge of Fahrenheit/Celsius conversions.

Last fall, we were shocked to find that Halloween was just a parade of dressed up expats and their kids marching down the street. We found out that the bigger celebration is actually Fasching (a mardi gras equivalent) where pretty much any costume goes... and is encouraged. This holiday, however, comes complete with parades and politician bashings!

Finally, although not knowing German has proved to be a barrier here, my "Canadian English" has received a few laughs and funny looks. My students correct the way I say "Tuesday" and " tomato" which, at times, has made me want to "call the whole thing off". Don't be surprised if I come home saying bin and full stop instead of garbage and period.

Skype With Mo

Skype With Charlotte and Fin

Coming Soon..

Stories about my recent travels with Dad through Germany, Italy, Spain and France. Also look out for more skype pictures and Berlin in the spring time! In the meantime...look for some travel stories on byworldofmouth.com

love
kristi

Spring is Here (March 21, 22)

Skype with Eric

the wonderful world of technology (Korea/Germany)

new teachers don't usually get to do this

Yesterday our tiny staff of 4 got taken out to a nice lunch and were given the afternoon off so we could have a meeting to discuss the school's concept. We met with curriculum coordinators and the school's founders as well as some parents and the non profit organization that we're a part of. The aim of the meeting was to revamp, rewrite and rethink the school's current concept, which was written without the help of teachers!

Now that we know the children and the school has been established for almost 2 years, they wanted a fresher view on the original concept. We decided on class sizes, who should be admitted and the break down of the grades. It was amazing and inspiring and an incredible , once in a life time opportunity. Despite having sat in a board room for close to 7 hours, I left with a renewed appreciation for the school and my work.

Habs on Atkins (No Carb Diet)

I know many disagreed with his inKostinsinsy and I know this is a classic case of " can't blame the players anymore, let's blame the coach" but I think we have little to Gain-ey and will ultimately pay the Price (I'm done with the puns now).

Last night I heard the news of Gainey's decision to take over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens and it broke my heart. Being in Berlin and with no one to talk to about it but my Ranger fan of a boyfriend, I went to bed upset and woke up frustrated. Another coach gets the boot in hopes of turning Montreal's season around, but I don't think it was the right decision.

True, he has only been coaching for a short time but like many fans, Carbonneau has become like a father to me (actual father show in picture). His reassuring grin and hideous ties made me feel optimistic even when our boys were struggling. Maybe if we'd given him the power center Montreal deserves, he'd have had a better chance at the Jack Adams this year instead of the Claude Julien. Gainey, you've torn this family apart!

Now like a true fan of the bleu, blanc, rouge, I will come around and ultimately support Bob behind the bench, until he messes up in which case I'll boo him with the rest of you. All I'm saying is we better win the cup now.

Happy 100th

Guy

Guy

Guy

The “15 Strangest College Courses In America”:

15. Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular “Logic” on TV Judge Shows; University of California, Berkeley

14. Underwater Basket Weaving
University of California, San Diego

13. Learning From YouTube
Pitzer College

12. Philosophy and “Star Trek”
Georgetown University

11. The Art of Walking
Centre College

10. Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles
University of Wisconsin

9. Joy of Garbage
Santa Clara University

8. The Science of Superheroes
University of California at Irvine

7. Zombies in Popular Media
Columbia College, Chicago

6. The Science of Harry Potter
Frostburg State University

5. Cyberporn and Society
State University of New York at Buffalo

4. “Simpsons” and Philosophy
University of California-Berkeley

3. “Far Side” Entomology
Oregon State

2. Myth and Science Fiction: “Star Wars,” “The Matrix,” and “Lord of the Rings”; Centre College

1. The Strategy of StarCraft
University of California, Berkley

taken from: http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/

Hockey Day in Berlin

We managed to tap into CBC's live broadcast of Hockey Day in Canada last night, what a treat!

Up until now the games have been on too late (6 hour time difference) or we haven't been able to access the feed, something to do with international blah blah blah.Luke was a champ though and managed to tap into it though the Mcgill website with a friend's student i.d. He hooked it up to the projector and we watched it on the big screen like the good old days in Montreal (complete with comfy pants ).

It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but because we were watching it on the projector, passersby could see it from our storefront window. This picture is actually the view from outside (Can you see Guy?). Our Australian roommates got a kick out of it and kept asking where the ball was. They also loved the cheesy Canadian t.v ads about a part of our heritage. I

have to say, I was a bit nostalgic myself, seeing the ol' Tim Horton ads.

It was a great game on my favourite day of the year "Hockey Day in Canada". Charles Prévost sang the anthem, there were a few good brawls and best of all, we won. (Second only to Sundin beating the leafs in shootout). Now I know I haven't been

the best fan while I've been here, it's been easy for me to ignore the poor performance of les boys without easy access to the games. I've even stopped checking the website regularly for fear of another loss. But last night, after seeing live NHL once more, I am back to being a hardcore (if they win) Montreal Canadiens fan. Go Habs Go.

berlin