Es herbstelt schon! Autumn in Germany and Austria

[LinzerTorte]

A thread for all those living in Germany or Austria or anyone who just wants to chat/ask a question about living in or visiting this part of the world - all welcome.

Previous thread here.

He's actually doing really well although he seems to jabber away at the other children in English most of the time He's very popular though, every morning there's someone shouting his name or "come on" etc. Perhaps being able to tell people to stop is one of those "having different personalities in different languages" things? He's been pretty much left to it here whereas when he was little I used to sit with him at playgroups etc.

Thankfully our kiga has an office with adult sized chairs They did actually ask me in the meeting how long he'd been learning German for and I said "Only since he's been here!" They thought he'd been learning it for a year!

Cherry Gluhwein sounds nice... I love the sauer kirsche juice you can get at Edeka.

All the phone talk has been interesting, as I've just ordered a smartphone for DD1 - we got her a Samsung Star, which I think you recommended a while back Ambling. Personally, I think she likes the idea of having a smartphone - and texting is definitely easier - rather than needing all the latest apps, so the more basic the better really. DS wants her old phone but I've told him that, until he starts walking to school on his own, he doesn't need one.

Berstie I definitely agree about the two different personalities thing; I feel like a completely different person when I'm speaking German.

Ambling Well done for shouting at the caretaker; I'd just have been seething inside!

platanos Hope DS has fully recovered now; I was going to suggest meeting at a Christmas market, but if you don't like Glühwein... What a shame that we weren't able to discuss the trials of having a non-vegan-friendly cleaning lady. Hope the DS ate the dinner; I find whizzing the vegetables in the food processor until they're as unrecognisable as possible helps! Although, strangely enough, they're quite happy to eat carrots, broccoli, etc. with the dinner - it's just veg in the dinner that DD2, in particular, seems to have a problem with.

FrauEnglisch I think you might be putting your DD at risk of a kidney infection too. Or is that just from bare feet? I have problems keeping track sometimes.

MrTumbles Poor 11 year old whose mum tells people that he's in pull-ups. DS went to a birthday party on Sunday and I was trying to tell the mum very discreetly that we were keeping track of his fluid intake etc. as I know he gets embarrassed about it.

There's an information evening about the local secondary schools at our school this evening, but I won't be going as DH is in Germany this week and, after all the hassle we had trying to find a babysitter for Saturday (finally sorted thanks to C4ro), I couldn't face looking for one for this evening as well! DD2 knows which school she wants to go to anyway, so we'll just go to the open days and I think that will be enough. Was speaking to another mother about it yesterday and she said that her DH is going to try to come home from work early, but the children are now old enough to leave on their own for half an hour or so. Her youngest is 2; I'm constantly amazed at how different attitudes are here to leaving young children and even babies on their own.

Linzer yes, ds has the samsung star, dd and dh have a similar version. They are OK as they do have wi-fi so there is the possibility to check google or my dc watch you-tube videos (music mostly) sometimes. Ds managed to get some decent apps just not the ones the rest of his class mates have.
Dd was meant to start school an hour later today but the class sent whatsapp messages that they were meeting early at 8am to play table football in the school hall. Luckily her friend sent her a text message so she didn't miss out.
Is dd2 not going to the same school as dd1?

Berstie and spooked sounds like your dc have really settled in well. I don't recall having a meeting of any kind at kindergarden, maybe I missed the invitations! I went to almost every parent meeting from year 1 onwards though and the chairs slowly start to get comfortable around year 4!

Does WhatsApp work on the Star, Ambling? I'm assuming not - it's the only app that DD1 has mentioned although as she hardly ever texts anyone at the moment, I'm not convinced she needs it. The most important criterion for her is that the phone has square rather than rounded edges!

DD2 wants to go to Gymnasium, whereas DD1 is at middle school (which is only for four years, so we'll have to start thinking about where she wants to go afterwards next year). The main issue for DD2 is which class she goes into; she wants to go to the Sportklasse, but I'm not convinced it's the right one for her. She does enjoy PE at school but isn't particularly sporty otherwise and, unlike her friend who also wants to go into the Sportklasse, doesn't do any sports activities after school. Then she has another friend going to the same school whose mother doesn't want her to be in the same class as DD2 and this other girl as she feels her DD will be pushed out; it's all rather complicated!

Berstie Ah, that's interesting to know for definite that the apps will stop working on my old phone. I'd realised they weren't updating any more, along with the OS. Is Apple the worst offender for this, or do Android phones age similarly quickly? I'm sort of resigned to it with phones now, but it really cheeses me off that my 3yo ipad is also unsupported and has been for at least half a year (probably much longer, but that's when I noticed).

Dd is another quiet child who isn't particularly good at fending off unwanted provocation from other children. She doesn't have the language problem to contend wth, though, and possesses an effective hysterical outburst of sobbing which quickly attracts adult attention. There's a boy in her class who is really suffering from being expected to learn how to defend himself with no adult input, though, and I often think the kiga teachers could keep a bit more of an eye open for kids getting cornered.

Linzer no ds's doesn't run WhatsApp but maybe that one Berstie linked to would be a better idea if that's what dd wants it for too? They all seem to communicate through WhatsApp at school. I've never seen it but I presume it's cheaper/quicker/better than plain old fashioned text messages. No idea, I'm so behind the times in technical stuff!

FrauLehrerin it's really annoying how quickly these devices become out dated when you think how expensive they are. Makes me think the big companies like apple must be laughing their heads off at us all. Good question about android. I'm going to have to look up all the 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 versions to see what they mean! I'm just starting to get used to Windows 8 on my laptop, don't like it and wish they would stop changing things, Windows 95 worked perfectly well back in the day (that's the one I had on my first computer)!

Too late now Ambling as I've already ordered the Star; I hope DD1 isn't too disappointed... I have WhatsApp, but don't use it all that much - mainly to message a friend in Germany (cheaper than texting), DH (no advantage to texting really) and platanos (I can bore her with random photos ). I think its main advantage is that you can have group chats, which I don't use it for at all but can see that it would be useful in a school class, for example.

DS has decided he wants to be a vegetarian; he's managed nearly two weeks now so I've signed him up to the Vegetarian Society's children's club for extra motivation. (Couldn't find a German/Austrian equivalent.) I wasn't at all convinced that he would stick with it, but he's turned down meat at friends' houses a few times now so he seems quite serious about it.

Linzer the star doesn't support Whatsapp as it's not an android phone.

Whatsapp uses the phone's internet connection (3G or wifi) to send text messages so you don't pay for the message, but obviously you do need internet. It doesn't use much data, though. I used to use it for texting DP when we lived in separate countries and it's also good for sending picture messages for free (although this uses more bandwidth!)

Android phones do a similar thing Frau - the new apps/updates are written for more up to date technology and eventually you get to a point where you can't run it on the older technology. It would be like trying to use modern software on a Windows 95 PC - it just ends up really slow and glitchy and can overload the phone which can actually cause permanent damage if you do it too often. Usually the app store will prevent this by just preventing you from downloading the latest updates but eventually the older version of the software will stop being supported - you wouldn't get technical support now for Word 97, for example, although Word 97 would still work perfectly fine on your hypothetical Windows 95 PC! The problem is that so many apps are now internet-dependent, things like facebook for example will stop supporting the older versions of their own apps so they will become unusable in time.

However, iPhones tend to last longer in terms of physical usage, Android phones get really glitchy after about 18 months - 2 years depending on the model (some more, some less) and they are just a pain, even if you totally reboot everything, it does the same thing. iPhones seem to last longer in that respect.

I used to work in a second hand phone shop, and I tend to absorb useless information

Ambling I use Whatsapp exactly like linzer, except I send the random photos to my sister . It's cheaper for me than texting within Germany as I pay for every text (except to other iphones when imessage covers it). You have to have some sort of internet connection to get whatsapp messages, though. I've just discovered Viber as well, which lets you make mobile to mobile calls over the internet - great for ringing dsis who doesn't have a landline.

Linzer oh I hope she is OK about it - my 2 were happy with their phones until this WhatsApp thing turned up. Can you send it back? Maybe try and indirectly ask dd1 how important it is (is it a surprise)? I guess it could be the group function of WhatsApp that you don't get with texting and yes, the photo thing. I know dd went for a walk with her friend and her dog the other day and they were sending pictures of the dog to the group and getting comments back on her friends phone.
Well done to ds for sticking to his decision! Now you just need to convert the dds and dh and your life would be easier in the kitchen!

I've just broken the news to DD2 and she was fine about it - she did say that most of the other children in her class have Samsungs and have WhatsApp, but it turns out they have Galaxys (or should that be Galaxies? ) and she said she doesn't really need it. She was mainly disappointed about the fact that her phone still hasn't arrived (she's paying for it herself).

Berstie I didn't realise until a week or so ago, when I was looking for an Android phone to test the app I'd translated, that not all non-iPhone smartphones aren't Androids. And I also didn't realise, when I ordered it, that the Samsung Star isn't an Android. Ah well, you live and learn.

FrauEnglisch That's true, WhatsApp also has the advantage of being cheaper in your own country if you pay for your texts. I've heard that Viber is good; will have to look into it.

Ambling I actually stopped cooking meat for the DC a few months ago; we have vegan main meals now but they eat dairy at other meals and have meat if we're out/at friends'/if DH cooks it for them at the weekend. I made a red lentil flan today, which went down well; DD2 even asked for a second helping as it was "so yummy".

I think it is only Samsung who continue to make the non-android smartphones - I don't really understand why! In fact, the Star is the same phone as what I would call the Tocco Lite, which is ancient in phone terms! It is very reliable though and they last a long time. I'm not a fan of the operating system myself but it's still a very popular phone even with the newer technology out, which must count for something! :)

I think that all of the Samsung Galaxy something-or-others are Android phones, but there are so many - The Galaxy mini, Galaxy Y, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Apollo, etc etc.

I've just done a search and there are 185 phones produced by Samsung which are some kind of Galaxy!!

There is in fact a Galaxy Star which looks like a good basic model too

I'll bear that in mind for DD2 when the time comes, Berstie (and everything will no doubt have moved on since then!).

Could I ask if anyone does (or has done) Mütter-Kind Turnen with their toddlers?

I've found a class nearby, and I thought I might try it as part of my drive to meet people by doing stuff with Dd2.

But I don't know what to expect - will it mainly be the children running round and climbing stuff while parents encourage them, or will parents actually have to do gymnastic type things too? Do I need to get those funny slipper Turnshuhe for me and dd? Would I wear gym kit,or would iI get laughed out of the sports hall?

Spooked I've done Mutter-Kind Turnen with all 3 of mine at one thing or another - believe me I wouldn't have if I was expected to do gymnastics ore wear lycra :o I've done it 9 months pregnant and with a baby in a sling - you just encourage/ hover anxiously/ police turn taking / stop them beating up bigger kids for a go on the trampoline/ wander off and have a chat then dive in an unlikely fashion to grab them as they fall from the wall-bars :o
Those shoes for dd are ideal, but I always just worse socks - "grippy" socks on a good day, if I remembered to put them in my bag - you do have to take your shoes off but as long as your dd is in comfortable clothes to climb and run and jump there is no dress code.

That's my experience anyway, other experiences may vary, and I sometimes appear to be living in a different Germany than even (especially) people in Munich (or nearest city) let alone everyone else in other parts of this massively varied country, so I am sure somebody else will tell you if all other Mutter-Kind Turnen groups require you and your child to wear matching leotards and prove you can climb the rope with your baby balanced on the end of your nose in order to join :o

Spooked It's basically as MrTumbles said - parents are there to help the children rather than perform any daring gymnastic feats of their own. I've never seen an adult in Gymnastikpatschen (as they're called here, bound to be a different word in Germany) but most of the children wore them; they were allowed to go barefoot as well, but not sure that's the case in every class. All the adults just wore socks and their normal clothes.

Off to get the DC up and ready for their school photo part II now. For some reason, DS didn't have his taken on Monday as scheduled; it's also the day for the Geschwisterfoto (which DS doesn't want to have taken) plus DD2 is having a photo taken with four of her friends. I didn't even realise this was an option but one of her friends asked the teacher, who said it was OK.

Linzer Gymnastikschlappen here (no idea if I've spelt it right, though).

spooked same experience here as mrtumbles. One of the nicer things to do with one's toddler ime.

berstie your 'useless' information has come in rather handy on this thread, don't you think! I feel a bit better now about falling for Apple's marketing if Android are the same or worse .

Spooked My experience has been the same as the others. Dd just wore leggings, a T-Shirt and Turnläppchen and I wore normal clothes and socks.

All the talk about phones has been really interesting. We´ve decided to get dd one for her birthday in December. I don´t think she´s that bothered at the moment, but I know most of her friends have got their own phones and have started to use WhatsApp. She´ll probably decide she needs one in January, so we´ve decides to get one now.l I must admit I´ve left it to dh to organise and all I know it´s Samsung (and hopefully supports WhatsApp).

Ambling Dd does go to a Ganztagschule, hence the warm lunch. She still comes home at either 13:40 or 14:25, although the dc can stay to 16:00 and do various clubs. She only stays on Wednesdays and goes to unicycle club.

If anyone wants to buy Christmas crackers, I managed to buy some yesterday in TK-Maxx. They also had lots of packs of Christmas cards.

or even Turnschläppchen as they´re called here.

Phew, feeling quite optimistic about the Turnen now, somehow the thought that heavily pregnant women can do it in their socks makes it seem less daunting! (I have been giggling away at the mental picture of parents and children in matching leotards .)
Everyone seems to have a different word for the shoes. Must be like plimsolls being called pumps or daps or guttys (actually that last one may be just my Dad). Anyway, it doesn't matter because they don't seem to make them small enough for dd in any case.

Hupa that sort of flexible ganttagschule sounds good. The ones where you have to stay until 4pm sound hard going especially with the 8am start.
Let us know which mobile it is in the end will you? Hopefully we'll be going into the city at the weekend to look at phones before we order one.

spooked good luck at the kinderturnen! I only went to one session when ds was tiny and dd was a baby and he didn't enjoy it. They built an obstacle course in the middle of the gym and there was a trampoline I think.

linzer hope ds manages to cope with the geschwister photo session! Our school does a class photo and a set of passport size photos of each child then a black and white slightly larger copy of the passport photo. Dd was mad this year as the photographer fiddled with her hair (and we all know how serious hair can be for a teenager) and she hates her photo now.
Have you got a link to that red lentil flan recipe? Sounds nice and it's something I've never tried. We're having roast pumpkin and butternut squash with basmati rice today. I think I might stock pile some pumpkins and butternut squashes next time I see them in the shops as it's our favourite meal at the moment. I had to go to 3 shops until I found them this time. Lidl had them for ages and they seem to have stopped getting them now.

linzer oh yes, I'd like the lentil flan recipe as well, please!

spooked non-slip socks (the kind with a proper rubber sole and not just paw prints) are better for Turnen anyway. I only bought schlappen once dd started dance class and found some small ones at H&M - size 25 at least.

Ambling / FrauEnglisch This is the lentil flan recipe. The DC ate the remaining half today without complaint, which is always a good sign! I used half white and half wholemeal flour for the pastry to make it a bit less "heavy".

I didn't sign DD2 and DS up for the Geschwisterfoto as DS didn't want to have it done (I didn't last year either, but they still had one taken ) and I decided we could live without it, particularly as DD1 wouldn't be on it. DD2 wasn't able to have a photo taken with her friends after all as the photographer would only do sibling photos; it would have been nice, but it's saved us a bit of money I suppose! She now has two friends over and there's lots of screaming and squealing going on - mainly because DD1 and DS are annoying them, I think, but I'd better go and investigate.