*sigh* We're back, the weather is crummy and I just got the biggest culture shock I've had in a looooooong time.Apparently there's a hallowed tradition here in the area that children receive a cone filled with candy and presents, called a Schultütte, from their parents on their first day of elementary school.
These things are huge and impressive and S's eyes sparkle every time the word even gets mentioned. So I talked to the kindergarten teacher, who helped me order a kit so that I can assemble it at home.
And my idea of "assembling" was that I might whip out some scotch tape and stick on a couple of nice bows. Maybe I would even go over the top and curl the ends of the ribbon. You know, get a little krazy...
Maybe some little bells and whistles should have gone off when the teacher mentioned that she could lend me her glue gun. But I just glossed over it like I do with so many other German phrases that I cannot or simply do not want to understand.
The "kit" arrived today and I was in for the shock of my life. I don't know what I was expecting, but what I received was a bag full of random pieces. Most of it looks more like confetti than the sleek trophy it's supposed to morph into.You even have to glue the separate little black segments onto the soccer balls!!!
If that glue gun had any bullets in it I'd probably be pointing it at my head right now!!!
I HATE crafts even on a good day and there's an ugly American side of me bubbling to the surface. A convenience junkie that's been hiding in some dark crevice and is now starting to hammer her fists on the table in revolt-- where the heck are prefabricated Schultütte(n?) when you need them!!!???
I'm thinking of throwing out all of the assorted foam and ribbon and just presenting S with his candy / presents in the plastic bag it all came in. You think he'd notice?
3 comments:
The pre-fabricated ones can be found in major departments stores and where newspaper and stationary are sold. However, the mommies who have made their own, like you, really shine on the first day of school and there's a big difference in the pre-made Schultütten and those that've been fashioned with blood, sweat, and tears. Ditto the homemade lanterns on Sankt Martin. Get ready for November 11th. :) You'll learn about those shortly if you haven't already.
I arrived here shortly before the school year started back in '99 and like you didn't know this tradition existed until the last minute, literally a couple days before school started. So I ended up buying one pre-made and putting the quality in the contents.
On the first day of school I noticed a marked difference between mine and the mommies who'd made their own. It was like their children were carrying signs which read "My Mommy Loves Me More" or something. Lesson learned. My advice to you (not that you need it) is: bite the bullet and do your best.
Truly mind-boggling. The other blogger's comment reinforces that I was simply not meant to have children.
I'm dead impressed you understood "glue gun" in German. What you've been there 4 weeks and you're totally conversant! Go, Bets!
L
Reminds me of Halloween costumes -- the mommies who obviously MADE them obviously loved their children more than the mommies who bought them... until junior high, when no one would be caught dead with a homemade costume!!
I was always jealous of the German schoolkids because I wanted a Schultutte (my paremts always talked about them), but never got one.
How are you???? It's been SOOOO quiet in my corner of blogville. :-(
Carol
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