1st Day of School 2012

we still think in US terms, but in Lux, James is in Cycle 1 and Daphne's in Cycle 2.1

The day we've been waiting for has arrived!  Although the kids already had a "first day of school" in Luxembourg when they began their 6-week stint this past June/July, we always thought of that as practice for the "real thing" this fall.  Still, today we were so grateful for that little bit of practice time under all our respective belts (or..er...sweatpants, as you can see).

And, today was an extra special first day of school because Grammy and Grandpa were here to be part of it.  I don't have any pictures of them in this post, but I'll have lots in subsequent posts.  It was just great to have them here today and I'm sure that it will always be a highlight in our memories.

As I say, even though the kids have been to school in Luxembourg before, we hadn't had a real back-to-school day until now, and many aspects of the whole system are completely unknown to us.  There was no orientation night, no list of school supplies to buy.  Our only communication was a paper that came in the mail about a week ago from the Ministry of Education telling us the names of the kids' teachers and to show up at the buildings at 9am on the 17th.

Daphne has moved to the primary school for the start of "Cycle 2," which is next door to the pre-primary building.  All the kids and parents gathered in the courtyard until the school bell rang and then we all filed into the building.  We didn't know our way around the building, but fortunately we'd run into a mom we knew and she told us about where Daphne's class might be.  A few kids and parents were carrying big shopping bags of school supplies, which we found out meant they had the same teacher last year who gave them a supply list before the summer.  It is common here for teachers to keep their classes two years in a row. 

We found the classroom easily.  The teacher greeted us at the door and handed us a information packet in French.  Daphne found a desk in the front and began to color, and was soon joined by two girls she recognized from her class last year.  They all seemed happy to see one another.  

the other girl was happy too, I promise

The teacher then began addressing all the parents in French, with a few breaks to speak to the kids in Luxembourgish.  I caught very small snippets of the French content (mostly some details about he supply list in the packet) but as the parents were leaving a few of us stayed back to talk to the teacher.  When it was my turn, I just briefly told her that Daphne just started school here in June and doesn't really know any Luxembourgish.  She seemed like a very pleasant lady and of course spoke good English.

Weekly schedule for Daphne's class.  Looks like they have swimming on Fridays! (we have no idea where the pool is)

After we all dropped off Daphne at her class, I stayed in her room for the rest of the French instructions while Pete and his parents took James over to the other building.

Although he's in a temporary building which they call a "container," it's really more of a standard building than a "portable" or "modular" school building we're accustomed to in the States.  It's right next to the old building they'll be tearing down and eventually rebuilding.  He also has the same teacher as last year, who we all liked a lot.

getting ready

yes, that is a giant Etch-A-Sketch

Anyway, Pete and I were both pretty anxious all day long.  The kids were at school for 7 straight hours of language immersion and were staying over lunchtime for the first time, and we were just wondering what state we'd find them in at the end of the day.  There is a break between the morning and afternoon sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and last year they both came home for lunch on these days.  After much debate, we decided to pay for the kids to stay over the lunch break on these long days this year.  Some of the reasons were: to cut down on walks to and from school (especially during the cold months), to give the kids more opportunities to practice their language skills, and to better accommodate the fact that I take the bus everywhere (to provide more time to get to and from places while the kids are at school.)  Thus, here is their schedule from now on:

Monday 8-4

Tuesday 8-12:30

Wednesday 8-4

Thursday 8-12:30

Friday 8-4

When we picked them up at 4pm they seemed quite happy, and especially happy to see each other.  They said they had spaghetti and salad for lunch (and I'm inclined to believe them based on the state of James' clothes).  Daphne said the teacher explained a few key things to her in English (like how to win prizes?) and that she was very nice.

We're calling day one a success!

One more tidbit: Daphne's info packet contained a detailed list of required supplies, down to exact colors, sizes and brands (yes, just like the ones all parents complain about in the US.  But in French).  James just got a bill for supplies already bought for him by the teachers.

supplies to buy, page 1...

This task would be arduous and probably next to impossible for us, except for the fact that we'd read that if you just take the list to a local book shop they will find everything for you.  This was confirmed today by the mom we knew, so we headed into the city while the kids were in school and picked up nearly everything on the list.

She apparently needs 4 of these HUGE binders.  They must work 'em hard!

So, anyway, one day down.  We're still bracing ourselves for a tough few months ahead, but we're off to an optimistic start.

Our First Schueberfouer

3 Ts below the sign

Having now seen at least a half a dozen blog posts and Facebook albums documenting expat experiences at the annual Luxembourg "Schueberfouer," I can't help but feel as if I'm just copying someone else's photos and stories on this one.  On top of that, a carnival is a carnival and we've all been "there." Still, I suppose I must remember two things: 1) Most people reading this blog are our close friends and family, most of whom have actually never heard of Schueberfouer and will happily read on (thanks!). And, 2) The Ts do have their unique way of doing things.

So, I bring you Scheuberfouer 2012, Ts-style.

Ok, to begin with, we are not huge fans of being ripped off carnivals, a fact that this post from way back in 2008 and this one from 2009 both illustrate.

Yet, I felt determined that we were going to enjoy this carnival as a family and in our own way.  After all, it's right in our town, right on our bus route, and is solidly part of the Luxembourg experience. The Schueberfouer has been held here for 672 years straight (yeah, since 1340).

We didn't make a plan, per se, but this is what happened.  The fair lasts for 3 weeks, and we went 3 times on 3 different days during its run.  Each time, the kids got to choose one ride to go on, one time (you could buy "bulk" rides for less, but we didn't).  We also tried a different food each time.  Each visit lasted about an hour or so. We purposely avoided the half-price rides days, opting for less busy times instead.

In other words, we kept it very simple, low-key, and relatively inexpensive.  Shocking, I know.

When we first arrived at the fair we thought we'd all go on the ferris wheel together, but James decided he didn't want to at the last minute.  So, Daphne and Pete went together.

Meanwhile, James hopped on Route 66 solo

The next time Daph tried the swings, again with Pete.

I tried to talk James into going on the big ferris wheel with me, but he decided this one was much more his speed...

wee

The last day Daphne took a flying saucer...

And finally, James agreed to try the big ferris wheel with me!

of course, he loved it after all

view of the fair

and a bit of the city

 For food, we tried French...

crepes, naturally

German...

I finally figured out why the meat is always bulging out of the bun in Europe: the bread is really just a meat handle that happens to be edible.  It's only the meat that really "matters."  I get it now.

meat with handles

And last but not least, Luxembourgish...

think deep-fried garlic and herb mashed potato patties.  yum.

Although we're obviously not carnival connoisseurs, the main difference we observed in this carnival from any we'd been to in the U.S. was that there were a lot of young professional-types standing in groups blocking the pathways and drinking beer.  Clearly people had moved their typical after-work-meet-at-the-bar to stand-around-at-the-fair instead.  In addition to the typical food stands, there were maybe a dozen full-on restaurants set up in large tents where you'd need to make reservations to eat.  There were also lots of raffle stands with large electronics.  And a condom stand.  Hmm....what else...the carnies were yelling at us in German and French instead of English.  

We were never there after dark so I have no idea what happens then.  But we could hear faint screaming and smell cotton candy from our balcony at night.  That was actually kind of cool.

Annual Amazon Family Picnic

We attended our first Amazon picnic yesterday.  Great fun was had by all, as we were treated to beautiful weather and a lovely setting in the valley between the new and old Amazon buildings.  And...drum roll please...we met our very first fellow-fully-American-family that will be enrolling their kids in the Luxembourgish schools!  They are even from Oregon!  We are officially not alone!

Daphne went straight for the face painting

and art (button-making)

Both kids waited patiently for their first silly balloon creation since landing in Lux.  Big milestone, for sure.  Glad we got it over with, and for free.

sad balloon clown

happy balloon boy

We have discovered that at almost every festival or fair or outdoor event in Luxembourg, a set of quirky wooden games are laid out for the kids (and kids-at-heart).  Looks like Amazon has followed suit.  Here are a few examples:

mini mini golf

old-timey pinball

pretend you're a cat burgler thingy

bring the ball to the top without dropping it through the holes

puzzles

giant Connect Four

giant Connect Four suddenly got intensely competitive

That's Pete's boss.  I don't know who won and I don't want to.  All I know is that several rounds were played and neither of them smiled much.

First Haircuts in Lux

Returning to the "Forest"

This week I got to see where the kids went on their school field trip to the forest back in July, when a friend from church invited us on an outing to the Bambesch Woods.

Indeed, there was a large forest with what looked like some lovely hiking trails, plus a restaurant and sports complex.  And of course, the playground.

has sort of a rustic, pioneer feel 

several old-school see-saws = good problem-solving/science lesson

climbing fortress thing in the background 

rustic loungers

I think it would be nice to go back sometime with the whole family and actually hike.  I almost wonder if the annual school trip to the forest started out including a nature walk, but over the years they realized it was easier to just let the kids play all day.

Anyway, there you have it, THE Forest.

No-Car Update: Grocery Shopping

I apologize for the long post here, I crammed too many of my thoughts in it, but I'm not motivated to trim it down.  If I could give you a prize for making it start to finish, I really would.

But anyway, here we go.

returing home with a full shopping trolley

Skeptics of our no-car plan (about 90% of people we talk to) usually bring up one or both of the following issues:

1. Difficulty shopping, particularly stocking up on groceries and supplies
2. Limited options/convenience for travel and special outings, "doing stuff" on the weekends, etc.

(Surprisingly, no one mentions transporting kids to the doctor in case of middle-of-the-night-but-not-ambulance-worthy-medical-emergencies, which is the part that does worry me.)

I will share how we're adapting to #1, but before I go on, I'd like to quickly address two principles on which we operate:

1. A car is a convenience.  It is not a necessity, provided that you have intentionally arranged other aspects of your life (i.e. work, choice of location/climate, etc) so that it's not.  Just think of how many people and families all over the world survive without a car.
2. There is no law that says you HAVE to buy in bulk or get the cheapest possible groceries in existence.  You don't HAVE to do massive stock-up trips and buy bulky/heavy amounts that require a car to transport.  We canceled our Costco membership years ago when we realized that a slow-and-steady, low-inventory system was much more our speed.

Pete coined a saying a few years back which I think fits here: "Other people are not malfunctioning versions of yourself."  I suppose people have their set way of doing something and often can't see doing it another way.  So when they say, "But how are you going to stock up on groceries every week/month?" or "But how are you going to go to France/Germany every month/week to get the cheapest groceries?" they are thinking of how they would do their own system without a car.  And the answer is, they wouldn't - they would have to make a new system.  Or live somewhere else.  Or even just be someone else in the first place.

The challenge this summer has been working the shopping trips around my time with the kids, which is of course, all the time.  I learned quickly that one trip per week with the kids is quite enough for me.  There's just that higher level of stress and inefficiency associated with managing the groceries and buses and walks and weather and random hiccups that ALWAYS occur with kids that I'd rather keep to a minimum if possible.  While this aspect of shopping will be much easier when the kids are in school, I will be trading my independence for cold, rain, and occasional snow.  But as of right now, I'm still naively confident and figure I'll cross that snow-covered bridge when I come to it.

Anyway, here's my current system.

Equipment:
2 shopping trolleys, 1 small insulated bag that fits inside about half a shopping trolley, 1 ice pack.  Eventually, umbrella and/or waterproof gear.

Overall Plan:
I/we shop 3 days a week.  I plan 2-3 days of breakfasts, lunches and dinners at a time and shop only for these upcoming days, plus stocking up on a handful of non-perishables each trip.  I go to the store that's on the closest bus route to our place and is also my favorite (we do have one within reasonable walking distance, but with limited selection, higher prices, and fewer open-hours)

Schedule:
Monday:
If Pete gets home from work by 6:30, I have enough time to eat a quick dinner with the family and then head to the grocery store on the bus.  The store closes at 8pm.  The whole grocery trip from leaving the apartment to getting back takes 1-1.5 hours and I quite enjoy it when the weather is decent.  If Pete has to work late, I just buck up and go on Tuesday morning with the kids instead.
Thursday:
I take the kids on the bus.  This is probably a 1.5 to 2 hour round trip.
Saturday:
Pete or I go alone, or Pete takes one or both kids (walking to the local shop or busing to whatever store seems appropriate)

We recognize that we are making some sacrifices and trades in this system.  We give up the general convenience of the car - which could save us on number of shopping trips, total time spent, and provide more flexibility and shelter from the weather.  We could also conceivably save money buy buying large amounts or traveling to France or Germany for groceries and supplies that we've heard can cost about 30% less (but, there goes some of your convenience and gas money).

But, we feel we can counterbalance these sacrifices by saving money in other ways, such as:

• no car insurance, gas, maintenance and repairs, not to mention cost of car purchase (and we don't do car payments, period)
• carefully budgeting for food and sticking to the budget
• meal planning and sticking to the plan
• knowing and using what we have, not overbuying or wasting food
• perishables here spoil quickly - coincides with frequent small trips and not wasting food
• eating meat only about two times per week, which is enough for us anyway
• living a generally simple and frugal lifestyle in other areas, thus creating more room in the budget

Plus, the system fits well with our values and lifestyle:

• eco-friendly travel method
• increased fresh air and exercise
• sense of gratification in being resourceful - using pre-existing transportation and "my own two feet," as well as thinking outside the box(car).
• tangibly passing these values to our kids as they participate in the system
• a small fridge, minimal storage, and generally minimalist/small living fits perfectly with small grocery trips
• we're not too busy or over-scheduled with activities, so time is available for grocery shopping and household tasks
• each shopping trip is simple and relaxed, not overwhelming or marathon-like
• we're big weirdos anyway, so, yeah.

Oh, and regarding our grocery budget, we'll be tweaking it as we go, but we're averaging around 120-140 Euros per week on strictly food (not household/personal supplies like shampoo, toilet paper, etc) with hardly any eating out.  From what I've heard so far, that's actually relatively low for a Luxembourg family of four.  We have also set aside a budget for a monthly stock up trip for bulky/heavy household supplies (we're starting with 100 Euros), possibly with a rented/borrowed car.  Yet, we could probably manage fine with a couple additional bus trips, or the four of us going together one time a month with the two shopping trolleys and a couple additional carried bags.

This month a friend loaned us a car and I went on a stock-up trip, spending around 70 Euros.  Frankly, it was not an enjoyable experience.  I can only handle a certain amount of time at a huge supermarket (especially where many products/labels are still unfamiliar) before I'm just done with buying stuff.  Maybe that makes me lazy, but then I remember principle #2 from the ages-ago-beginning of this post:  there is no law saying I have to do it!  I find it's also easy to get carried away and go off-script when you're in that stock-up shopping mode as well.  A mentality of "Well, I might as well grab one of these while I'm at it!" takes over.  It's like the old running joke form the US about not being able to visit Costco or Target without spending at least $100.

I will eventually try shopping in France or Germany to see what it's like - maybe a friend will be kind enough take me and provide moral support.  I'm sure I'd find some great deals.  I'll reserve final judgement until then.

Well, again, sorry that was so long, but at least now when someone looks at me with disbelief and asks a "but how?" I can say, "You know, I wrote a blog post about that once, would you like the link?"

Too obnoxious?  Probably.

No English? Really?

Below is a carton of juice our friends brought over the other day (for a breakfast-for-dinner feast).

also a nice close up of my oddly color-schemed kitchen

As I was about to recycle the carton I became curious about the ingredients. It's very common here to see ingredients in multiple languages on products.  I'd say the average is around 3 or so, and often English does make the cut (and I do a little happy dance in the store when it does).  But I understand that's just a lucky perk when it happens - English is not one of this country's official languages and I must adapt accordingly.

However, this product (or should I say, this obviously highly important, globe-trotting product) featured its ingredients in a whopping 13 languages.

 this is a juice that gets around, people

But no English!  

I had Pete double check just to make sure I hadn't suddenly become illiterate in my mother tongue.

The sneaky part was, right under the name of the brand on the front, it says "Premium Since 1856" in English.  And on another side there is a bunch of flowery ad copy in English (along with German and I think Portuguese).  

I'm mildly offended by this.  Can you tell?