Sunday, March 31, 2013

Poznan, Poland - Co-Author: Sarah

Ever since I visited Frankfurt International School last March and heard about the trip to a Polish orphanage I have been interested in going. I joined the group in the beginning of the school year and have contributed with multiple bake sales; including a crepe sale and Halloween sale. We raised money throughout the year and in February I was told I was selected to go on the trip in April. In preparation we held a stuffed animal drive and collected toys for the kids. Then on March 23rd I packed my bag and headed to the train station.


Day 1: At 9 am we all gathered at platform 9 at the train station. I had my suitcase plus two huge bags full of towels and toys for the kids, my friend had 4 boxes of linens and others brought donations as well. This made piling onto the train a difficult task. Once we managed to all make it onto the train, we stuffed our boxes and luggage where ever we could find space and found a place to sit for the next 4 hours to Berlin. We had a half hour lay over and then it was onto the next train to Poznan. The train to Poznan was delayed 2 hours, but we finally got moving and got to Poland around 8:30. A few of the kids from the care home came to the station to pick us up and took the bus with us to the hotel. Once at the hotel we got our buddies and unpacked our things. We all ate dinner together and exhausted from the travelling went to bed almost immediately. 

Day 2: We woke up for breakfast at around 8 and packed our things so we could head to the care home. Once at the care home we walked around a bit and then all went outside to the soccer field. We tried to play soccer but due to the snow we were unable to, so some people resorted to volleyball. With 7 inches of snow on the ground, it made it easy to start a snowball fight. All of the kids got involved and attacked Mr.Brown. One of the girls taught us some polish words. Once inside we had tea and then played ping pong, monkey in the middle, soccer, ninja and handball. We ate lunch with them which consisted of schnitzel, coleslaw and broiled potatoes. After that we walked to the church just nearby the home and sat in on a church service. Following the service we took the kids bowling and stayed for a few hours before taking them back and returning to the hotel. 

Day 3: Today we went to the high school and had a tour of the school, meeting some of the kids and teachers. We played a name game and then a trivia game. The questions were extremely difficult; here is an example: They read us a 3 line poem and asked the meaning of the poem?   Was it about the dung beetle plague of 1864, the polish currency or the weather? Lets just say we didn't win that trivia game! After finishing the game we left the school and went back to the care home and ate lunch. Around 3 we headed over to this sports center where we played soccer, tennis and Zumba. There was also a salt cave for relaxing. Unfortunately, only a few kids were able to come with us. The few who did, headed to the indoor soccer field and played for 3 hours. Others made it over to the salt cave and took a nap and some of us, including me, went to Zumba; where I embarrassed myself and showed off some of my spectacular dancing skills ;)  After 4 hours at the complex, we dropped the kids off and went back to the hotel.

Day 4: This morning we went to the elementary school just near by the care home. We made Easter eggs, wood models and bracelets. They were so cute! After staying an hour or so with the kids we walked down the road to the store where we bought sausage, meat, tomato, flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter and chocolate. As we had decided that we were going to cook chocolate pancakes and pasts for the kids at the home. We split off into groups, I helped make the pancakes. After experimenting with the first few we got the hang of things and slowly produced a bulk supply of pancakes for dessert. The other group made mini meatballs and tomato sauce. Unfortunately we ended up leaving the pasta in too long and the pasta turned very doughy. The food was not the best in the world, and the few kids that came tried to eat the food to be polite! ha ha. After lunch we walked back to the school and played hockey and soccer. I was excited to play hockey, thinking it would be a fun game of indoor hockey just like gym class. However as we walked into the gym I saw the hockey class finishing up and quickly realized we were way out of their league. After losing to the little boys, we decided to stop playing. After hockey and then soccer we returned to the care home where they had made 5 different types of cake for us. We all enjoyed this together. 

Day 5: On our last day we woke up and went to a huge mall, about an hour away, for almost 3 hours. We walked around a bit, ate some frozen yogurt and bought some box fillers. After the mall we went back to the hotel and finished filling our boxes. (We each made a box for a kid at the care home, filled with toys, magazines, videos, nail polish, a watch etc.) Then the hotel, having a stable, gave horse sled rides and some people rode the horses. There was a bonfire for roasting sausages. The kids seemed genuinely happy. We gave our kids their box and each kid seemed appreciative. One of the boys cried when he was given his box  was so excited to see that inside the box there was an old Ipod inside. Then we had to say goodbye, which was really sad. Even though we didn't get to know the kids very well it was sad to leave them. It gives you a new perspective on life and appreciation of family and everything you have. I hope we brought a little bit of light into their lives and had an impact in some way. I had gone into the trip, hoping to get to know all of the kids and make a huge impact; however I realized afterwards how difficult the whole thing must be. Non the less I hope we helped them in some way and I hope maybe next year we can go and fix the home and or improve it somehow, to make their lives a little bit better. The trip definitely brought a whole new meaning to family and appreciation for me. 




He was trouble!

The school 



The Elementary School 

7 inches of snow!


Ping Pong








March 19, 2013 --- Coaches' Award

March 19, 2013 -- The Coaches' Award

FIS gave out their Winter Sports' awards tonight and Sarah received the Coaches' Award for Girls Varsity Basketball.  Her coach used the following words to describe her -- "Sarah works hard, is extremely dedicated, never misses practice, has a great attitude, plays any position I ask her to play (including forward), always smiles and never gives up.  She added that Sarah fit in seamlessly and that it was hard to believe that it was her first season at FIS.


Way to go Sarah! You make us proud!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

March 17, 2013 -- Spring in Oberursel

March 17, 2013 -- Spring in Oberursel


Several weeks ago, the temperatures reached almost 70 degrees.  Last Tuesday, we got a foot of snow and today we got another 4 to 5 inches.  Spring just does not want to come.  Here are some pictures from our walk today.  Keep in mind I had four children with me today -- Mac, Ana, S and C.  C and S had a snowball fight and as a result Mac went crazy.  Mac seems to forget that S is not her litter mate.












Sunday, March 10, 2013

March 9, 2013 -- Leiden, Holland

March 9, 2013 -- Leiden

After hanging around a gym watching basketball from 9 am until 4 pm, we headed back to the hotel (me and the mom of one of Sarah's teammates, BT).  I decided to walk to the town center and told BT that I would meet her at La Cubanita, a Tapas place, at 7 pm.  I made my way to the town center (about a 20 minute walk) without getting lost.  I wandered around taking pictures.  Leiden has a university (apparently the equivalent of an Ivy League School in Europe) that also includes a very good medical school.  C of course informed me that there was a very important discovery at the medical school of a genetic blood disease now called Leiden Syndrome (I know probably an unnecessary detail).  Here are some pictures from the quaint little city.  I have to say I really enjoyed it.  Got a little carried away with the pictures!




























Saturday, March 9, 2013

March 7, 8 & 9, 2013

March 7-9 -- International School Sport's Tournament

We spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Holland for Girl's Division I Basketball Tournament.  Frankfurt International School came in 6th out of 12 teams.  They beat Cairo on Thursday and then lost to The American School of Surrey.  Friday they lost to Athens, but them beat the International School of Belgium.  Saturday they had to play The American School of Surrey again and lost.  Sarah played well at times playing low post against girls that were a foot taller than her.

Here are some pictures from the Tournament.












Sunday, March 3, 2013

March 1-2, 2013 -- London

March 1st and 2nd -- London

If you are looking for the usual pictures for London (Big Ben, the Thames) stop now.  Although S and I stayed overnight in London, we were there for basketball.  We did, however, stop at Camden Locke and Camden Market right before the first game on Friday.  Camden Market is a huge area that winds around into small alleyways with hundreds of stalls.  In these stalls, people sell food, used items and new items that range from candles to hand painted t-shirts.  The street along the canal also has shops and restaurants.  The buildings on this street are funky.  Many of them have 3D objects on the facade of the building.   For example, a sneaker shop has a large sneaker on the facade of its building (see pictures below).  We had about an hour to get something to eat and to walk around.

After the game (not a good one for FIS, but a good game for S), S went on her way to house with a family from the American School of London and I took a taxi to my hotel.  I had a great dinner at an Indian restaurant called "guglee" and purchased some British candy and tea at a supermarket.  I have to admit it was nice knowing the language.

Saturday, we spent the day in the gym where the girls and the boys played two more games  (the first --a good game for FIS).   Having lost to ASL on Friday by 10 points, they beat them Saturday morning by 14 points.  Then off to the airport and back home.

Here are a few pictures of Camden Market and Locke.


S and her teammates




S and her teammates






The Canal and the Locke