Today is a beautiful rainy day in Kandern, and I'm enjoying a lazy morning at home, watching the fog settle on the trees and the raindrops fall from the sky. I made some coffee (very black coffee..oops too many grounds) and am settling down to get some things done with "Friends" playing in the background. This afternoon some friends and I are going to the Marktplatz (market place or center of town) for the pottery festival. Perfect day!
I want to share some highlights with you from this past month so far:
- I am really enjoying living in Kandern! I love walking through town, and am getting to know my way around. Having never lived in a small town, I didn't really know what to expect. But it's growing on me and now when we take trips into the bigger towns/cities around, I feel out of place.
- One of the bigger cities near us is Basel, Switzerland. It reminds me so much of San Francisco! We have been twice now, and it's been fun both times. This past time we had tea in a cafe that overlooked the Marktplatz, ate delicious pretzels from the Pretzel King cart, explored some shops, and took pictures by the Rhine.
- Two weeks ago we had a teacher's staff retreat to the Janz Team (TeachBeyond) chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland. It's about two and a half hours away, and it's so hard to believe that that the alps are so close! We had just finished our first week of teaching, and it was so wonderful to be able to get away for the weekend to rest and recharge our batteries for the next week. A weekend in the alps? I could get used to this. We spent some time discussing our theme of redemptive teaching, and were able to spend our free time exploring the town of Adelboden and hiking nearby. I found myself speechless as I took in the gorgeous scenery, and was overwhelmed by God's majesty.
- After coming home from Adelboden, we were able to stop at Budenfest, which takes place in Kandern every year. The town clubs put it on as a way to earn money to fund their activities. They each have a booth with delicious German food. It was so much fun trying all the different things and experiencing the culture. We had baguettes filled with cheese fondue, spätzle with sauerkraut, a kind of pizza with cheese and onions and no sauce, and other yummy things.
- I started my German language class this week! TeachBeyond is offering the class at the BFA main campus twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays right after school. I ride the bus with the kids, and get to practice my German for an hour. So far we are learning how to pronounce the letters in the alphabet, how to introduce yourself to others, and some words that are spelled the same in both English and German but pronounced differently. "Wie heißen Sie?" (Ve hi-sen ze) is a way to ask someone what their name is, and you respond "Ich heiße Amy Collins." (Eek hi-suh Amy Collins).
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| The fountain in the Kandern Marktplatz |
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| We bought this at the grocery store! It made me laugh. :) |
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| American Pancakes at Starbucks! Haha! |
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| View of the Rhine |
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| Basel |
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| The Marktplatz on Saturdays |
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| The view from every window in the chalet |
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| The chalet |
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| We went on a hike through a gorge |
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| It was so unexpected, and so cool! |
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| Rachel (2nd grade), Me, and CB (4th grade) enjoying a walk on Saturday morning. |
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Adelboden is beautiful.
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