One of Errol’s favorite verbs is wallow. Sadly, he’s often describing my behavior in his overuse of the word. Indeed, I’ve done a good bit of wallowing since we got here. The uprooting and transplanting hasn’t quite taken.
However, let it be known that on this very prone to wallow, gray Freiburg day, I waterproofed the children from head to toe and took them out for a couple hours in the rain.
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Today at the Farmers’ Market I ran into a little bit of trouble. I ordered a “viertel kilo” of salad mix, which means a quarter kilo, but the woman helping me was not understanding me. We went back and forth a couple times. She asked, “Vier kilo?” (Four kilo) I answered, “Nein. Puntk, fünfundzwanzig kilo.” (.25 kilo) I was confused because I successfully ordered a viertel kilo of salad last week, but it was not going as well today.
Finally, a good-natured fellow customer asked me if I needed help--in English. She told me that, yes, viertel kilo does mean a quarter of a kilo, but no one says that. They call that measurement 250 grams. So, she ordered 250 grams of salad mix for me, and now I know. To make this interaction even more awkward, I was over 2€ short after we got the salad business figured out. When will I learn to carry more cash than I think I’ll need? We solved the colored egg mystery. It’s how they sell hard-boiled eggs. I thought they were tomatoes at first glance. They were the only eggs left when Errol made a post-bedtime run to the grocery after we returned from London. These eggs can’t be scrambled. Instead, Vinnie can pretend she’s eating an eye for breakfast.
The kids were thrilled with take-away from the pizzeria across the street. On trips, they picnic most of their meals. In the places we rent, rarely are there enough chairs and/or a large enough table for us to eat normally.
I was annoyed when the twins asked me for plates. Who needs a plate when you're eating pizza off the floor? |
Anne Thomsen lordWritings on our year abroad. Archives
September 2018
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