Reasons to be impressed

J and I are currently in Germany.  J is here for work, and since I can work on my dissertation anywhere I can set up my laptop, I am also here for work.  But I have enjoyed daily breaks from working in our hotel room.  The weather isn’t the best, so I haven’t been spending much time wandering outside.  My excursions into the community have been mostly limited to tea and soft pretzel breaks in the local cafes and visits to the grocery stores in search of the key ingredients to make homemade pretzels.  But more about shopping for pretzel ingredients in another post!

The main point of this post is to express how much I am generally impressed with the German culture and their commitment to being environmentally green.  Two things have stood out to me.  I should also note that these trends are not unique to Germany alone, but are common in other European countries as well.

First, the lack of throwaway cups and plates at cafes.  Did you ever notice that when you go into a Starbucks, every one is sitting around with their throwaway paper coffee cups?  Starbucks doesn’t even give you the option to have your drink provided in a reusable, glass mug if you are planning to stay.  Of if they do have that option, I was never made aware of it.  Here in Germany, the expectation is that you will stay in the cafe.  I have noticed that paper cups are available for people who are taking their drinks with them (for an additional fee), but the standard is definitely non-disposable dishes.  I know that there are many cafes in the US that also serve their food on non-disposable dishes…but there are certainly plenty that do not!  If not for environmental reasons…the use of glass mugs adds an air of civility and luxury to an afternoon coffee break! 

Second, the lack of plastic grocery bags in the grocery stores.  People are expected to bring their own bags.  If you don’t, you have the option to buy a plastic grocery bag, or you just walk to your car or home with your groceries in your arms.  Imagine how quickly Americans would start to consistently use cloth bags when grocery shopping IF the only other option would be to pay for bags or carry the individual items home.  I imagine there would be a lot of initial grumbling because of the loss of convenience…but we would get over it!  The experience has made me think more critically of my own pathetic efforts to use cloth grocery bags in Israel.   I forget them more often than I remember them.  Every trip to the fruit and veggie markets increases my plastic bag pile significantly.  I can do better. 

And completely unrelated to the environment, a third reason I’m impressed with the German culture is their love and appreciation of high quality bread, soft pretzels and all things related to pork! 

Welcome Home

I returned to Israel this past Saturday.  It was a lovely time abroad visiting family and friends in Holland and the US, but it is very nice to be home again.  I have enjoyed returning to the normal routine of life here in Jerusalem, reconnecting with our local friends, and relaxing in our cozy little apartment.

J returned to work (and therefore Israel) two weeks before me, so it was a joyful reunion with him!  We enjoyed an evening at the Tel Aviv beach, watching a beautiful Mediterranean sunset and dinner at a cafe on the beach, before heading up the hills to Jerusalem.  The beautiful weather was refreshing after spending four weeks in particularly frigid northern weather! 

The PA Farm Show and a trip down memory lane

It was an annual tradition in my family.  Every January, my brothers, sister and I were allowed to miss a day of school to attend the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg, PA.  The Farm Show is a week long event where farmers from across the state of PA come together to compete with the best of their animals, examine the latest and greatest equipment and services in the exhibition hall, eat their fill of tasty food, and network with their fellow farmers.   But the Farm Show also provides the opportunity for the non-farming type of people to come into contact and better understand the value of the farming industry. 

As a child, a day at the farm show was a full sensory experience.  The taste of our favorite farm show food.  The smell of the barnyard in the animal halls and the comforting sounds of animals.  The touch of the farm machinery and the bag filled with free goodies I collected in the exhibit hall   And the observation of the wide range of people when walking through the crowd all the while feeling like I belonged in this place because I was a farmer’s kid unlike so many that walked by!   

As a teenage, attending the farm show became more of a social event when I would go on weekend evenings with my friends. 

But then I moved away to college, then to suburban Philadelphia and then to Boston, then to Israel.  Making an annual trip to the Farm Show became a memory rather than a priority.  I would make an occasional trip when it was convenient, but those were few and far between.  My last trip to the Farm Show was in 2005 when I introduced J to this childhood memory of mine. 

 

So I was very excited that my recent trip to the US corresponded with PA Farm Show week.  I tagged along with my brother Brian and his family and thoroughly enjoyed every moment and every memory triggered…the smells (with the exception of the poultry section, my least preferred barnyard animal!), the sounds, the crowds, the tastes. 

 

 
A farm show tradition, a sculpture made out of butter. 

The Draft Horse competition in the Large Arena

The colorful Turkey Hill Cow.  I do prefer the traditional black and white Turkey Hill cow that watched over the farm show days of old.

Crowds of people…the farm show remains a popular outing for PA folks! 

One Step Closer

I am one step closer to finishing my dissertation.  This past week I have been in Boston to defend my dissertation proposal.  This is Step 2 out of 3 formal steps that make up the dissertation process in my PhD program.  At the proposal defense meeting, I met with my entire committee to present my research plan - the justification for my proposed research and my plan on how I will move forward with my research.  It was a relatively informal meeting, with a lot of helpful discussion on how to improve upon my ideas and make the end result a better product.  I was very glad to be told at the end of the meeting that my proposal was accepted! 

Living 6000+ miles away from my university does present some unique challenges.  For instance, I needed to organize this meeting months ago when booking airline tickets for our holiday travels.  Since I would only be in Boston for a few days, I needed to make sure that it would suit everyone on my committee to meet with me while I was in town…so advance planning was a necessity.  But, many months ago I was far from finished with the work.  It was a big step of faith for me to say I would be ready to defend my proposal in January, which caused me a lot of anxiety and stress as the date drew near!  But I do work best with a rigid deadline…and the sense of urgency to meet this deadline helped me focus and fine-tune my research ideas in recent months.  Throughout the preparations for the proposal defense, it was encouraging to see a path emerge as my ideas began to take shape.  I even had a few glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel!

And now, with the proposal defense successfully behind me, that light at the end is glowing brighter!  I know that more challenges will arise as I move into a different stage of my research.  But it helps that I now have a concrete plan that has been approved by my committee.  If all goes according to plan, I aim to finish my dissertation by the end of 2010! 

Family Christmas Fun

I am posting a few of my favorite pictures of my family that were taken the evening we gathered to celebrate Christmas.  It was a fun time, filled with laughter, good food and Christmas presents, of course! 

 

My oldest nephew has perfected the art of opening presents.  This is my most favorite picture of the night because it perfectly captures the movement and energy of his efforts.   

 

 

 

 

My sister gave my father a painting she did of the family farm. 

We exchanged Christmas tree ornaments.  Some ornaments were very nice, others had been clearly picked out to be a joke.    

 

My mom opened the most “beautiful” ornament!  Can you imagine this dangling icicle hanging on your tree next year?! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J tasted the chocolate covered ice cubes that my sister-in-law added to the candy tray as a joke.  They looked innocent enough on the candy tray!  But he suspected something was a bit odd since I grabbed the camera to take his picture.   

                                       

Christmas Dinner

We enjoyed Christmas dinner at my parents’ house with my dad’s brothers and sisters.  It was the first time I can remember being with all of my aunts and uncles in such an intimate setting.  It was a delightful evening filled with laughter and the sharing of fun memories of years gone by.  I learned something new during the evening’s chatter…my one uncle had once told my dad that he had been adopted into the family and that he was really the twin brother of Mickey Mantle!  My dad, an avid Yankee fan since his boyhood days, was so convinced (if not a bit hopeful!) of this bit of news that he asked his mother if it was true. 

Since my mom needed to work on Christmas Day, my Aunt Marian and I were in charge of preparing the evening’s meal.  We had a fun time cooking together.  I enjoyed the chance it provided me to catch up with my aunt who I get to see so rarely because she no longer lives in Pennsylvania.  We had a good laugh at the obvious generational difference in our cooking strategy!  I was using a recipe that I had found on the internet.   She was using a recipe out of a well-worn cookbook.  

The result of my internet recipes…a blackberry tart and an apple tart. 

My first turkey!! The pomegranate glaze was delicious :) 

Christmas Morning at the Farm

We walked down to the farm on Christmas morning to meet my niece’s Christmas gift….a pony named Patches!  Katelyn is a lucky little girl.  I was so excited for her, since I can easily relate to her love of horses.  I’m happy that there will once again be a horse on the farm after so many years!  

Brian and Brandon, my brother and nephew. 

A few fun animal pictures from the farm. 

I do love this place…for all the wonderful childhood memories and for all the fun I observe my brother and his family now having on this beautiful farm.