Hopefully tact comes with age...

I don't think I've ever been insulted so many times in one day.

Today was my second adventure with the Tausendfuehler kindergarteners where I have been hired to speak ONLY English with the kiddies. The older ones that I played with last week were at a book fair today so I hung out with the 3-5 year olds for 6 hours. I was accused of many things. One of the 3 year olds (Nina) doesn't speak yet, and a 5 year old, Julius, decided it was his job to inform me of that, since I might not be able to figure it out all on my own. :P He then paused for a few seconds and added "but then again you can't speak either, right?" Ya. Um. Thanks. The good thing is I can defend myself as heatedly and long-windedly as I like...in English. So I gave him a piece of my mind in a friendly sing-song voice with a smile on my face.

I was not meant to become a pre-school teacher.

Lol. I was also told that I have a weird name (a "j" sounds like a "y" in German, so if I say Julia the way we say it in English I first get very strange looks and then they all run off yelling my name as if it was the funniest joke they've heard in months.) I mean, how degrading is it to be patronized by children that barely come up to your knees and leave out the numbers 4,5, and 9 when counting up to 10? Seriously, they'll ask me something, I'll answer in English, they look at me like parents look at their children when they say something completely childish and illogical, then pat me on the hand, turn to their friends and say "she can't speak properly yet." And the icing on the cake was when Hannah insisted I couldn't even speak English properly! (Who knows...after 7.5 months in Germany, she could be right...)

But the real kicker...the absolute tip of the iceberg, was a little conversation I had with Hannah, Coralee, Elli, and Lena in the sandbox. Coralee asked me if I have a husband. I said "no". Hannah asked me if I am looking for one. I was a little stunned but how do you relate, using only your hands and feet, "Actually, Hannah, I am a content, confident, independent young woman who does not need a man to complete or fulfill her ... or at least that's what I recite to myself every morning when I wake up in my quiet little apartment." Trust me, it's even harder than it sounds. So finally I just nodded my head and said "yes." I mean, despite my serious relationship phobia and previous anti-marriage rants on this blog, I still have this slight, fading glimmer of hope that one day I just might find some guy ignorant enough to propose. :P Anyways, about 5 seconds after I had responded with my meek little "yes" Lena turns to me (and keep in mind I had just met this girl about 2 minutes earlier) and says "well, it's not that hard!"

You're killing me, kid! I mean, single girls are hard enough on THEMSELVES. The last thing they need is OTHER people reminding them how pathetic they are. AND THEN TO HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD RUB IT IN! FOR THE SECOND WEEK IN A ROW! (see here if you don't know what I'm talking about) Now come on! That's just unnecessary!


Ok, but all complaining aside. Today was SO MUCH FUN! I had an absolute blast with those kids. And again they stuck to me like bugs on fly paper. I will probably contract some new cold virus every single Thursday when I'm there, but it's so worth it. After they got over the weirdness of "how I talk" (read: after I refused to respond to their pleas to "speak like a normal person") they couldn't get enough of me. We sang songs, played ring around the rosie ... over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over ... well, you get the idea. Anyways, it's amazing how quickly 6 hours can go by. :) What I love about such young kids is that there is still no concept of what is "cool" or "loserish". Weight, clothing, even smell! don't matter to these little munchkins. Speech impediments aren't even noticed (as long as you SPEAK THE RIGHT LANGUAGE, that is...). No one cares whether your hair is combed or whether you have the latest Dora the Explorer slippers. As long as you're up for a good game of tag or always have a funny song on hand you're good. And I like that. I never get tired of singing. :) :)


P.S. To all you mamas, aunts, grandmas, uncles, grandpas, fathers...or just anyone who is frequently around kids ... or remembers their childhood incredibly well: if you happen to know any fun songs (with actions are good) and games, please let me know in the comments box or send me a mail at jdhiebertAThotmailDOTcom. If you have a good game make sure it's something easy to explain in English. :) I already have some of the basic songs that I remember (bah bah black sheep, old mcdonald, bingo was his name-o, itsy bitsy spider, etc. But any further ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!