Back to the Roots

Family ties! Here is to my family and my first bi-lingual blog post.

I have been blessed with a family that keeps me grounded and actually keeps in touch with me though I never live anywhere near them.

Last weekend I had the chance for a quick visit and everyone was there to see me. I really enjoyed it so much. Living abroad makes you miss the funniest things: dark bread with seeds, water pressure in the shower, Kinder Schokolade and well ... my family.

Familienbande! Dieser Eintrag ist für meine Familie. Der erste Blog Post, der zweisprachig wird, damit er nicht noch erst von Google Übersetzer verunstaltet werden muss bevor er gelesen wird :)

Ich bin mit einer Familie gesegnet, die dafür sorgt, dass ich mit beiden Beinen fest auf dem Boden bleibe. Eine Familie, die mich regelmässig über alles informiert, obwohl ich nie auch nur entfernt in ihrer Nähe wohne.

Letztes Wochenende war ich auf einem Kurzbesuch in Deutschland und ALLE waren da um mich zu sehe. Es war so richtig nett!

Ich habe mal wieder bemerkt, dass man im Ausland viele Dinge vermisst: Schwarzbrot, Wasserdruck in der Dusche, Kinder Schokolade und ... ja vor allem meine Familie.

Year of the Tiger - Chinese New Year in Dublin

So it's Chinese New Year today and hoping for a dancing dragon, a bit of fun and Chinese food, we braved the cold weather and walked purposefully into to town.
After a quick walk we arrived at a little square next to the Jervis shopping centre with a ferris wheel, a small stage and a few wooden huts. We stopped to watch the performance of two Irish men trying to animate the crowd (or small gathering of people) to join into some basic Tai Chi movements. I found the idea rather appealing and joined in for a while, hoping it would stop the drizzle, but there was nothing for it, it continued to drizzle on us and we were more interested what food would be on offer for this Chinese New Year celebration. Quickly all the huts were inspected and we figured out that only two of them actually sold food. The other places sold toys, brochures for the Shanghai Expo and one sold sweaters from Peru (?). We were surprised about the sweaters from Peru, raised a surprised eye brow when we discovered the Indian incense stall a bit later, but we burst out laughing when we found the food. Two food stalls next to each other: One had German sausages and the other one sold German Brezel and waffles (also supposedly German, but I have never seen waffles on a stick shaped a bit like a Christmas tree anywhere in Germany). This was seriously not what I had expected at Chinese New Years, then again this was my first Chinese New Year's celebration so this could well be the most typical food for this occasion.
We did the only thing you can do in such a situation and escaped into the nearest pub for a Guinness and Fish'n'Chips. On the way back things had lightened up on the party square (as in the sun made an appearance). This time a Chinese pop singer entertained an even smaller crowd of sausage munching people. I thought he did a fabulous job and he really gave the performance his all. We were almost able to hear him all the way home.