Kirmizi_ada

[This is a special entry for my nephew Fin.]

Hey Fin! I wanted to write you a letter to tell you what I am doing here in Germany. I heard that your soccer team is named Germany. What are the names of the other teams?

Like the United States, Germany has a capital city, which is called Berlin. That’s where I’m living now. Many cities in Europe used to be castles, or at least they were surrounded by a big wall, and the king and queen got to decide who could come in and go out. Germany hasn’t had a king or queen for almost a hundred years now. Instead, it has a Chancellor, whose name is Angela. Sometimes she meets with other leaders to talk about the world’s problems. Anyway, Berlin is an old, old city, but definitely not the oldest city in Germany. There used to be many different gates to the city of Berlin, and everyone used to have to stop at the gate and pay a special toll to get in. The old gates are still here, but no one has to pay to come in and out of the city anymore. Imagine if Rumford had gates? Where would they put them?

There are lots and lots of kids your age in Berlin. Their families come from all over the world. Actually, half of the kids in Berlin speak more than one language, because their parents and friends speak Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Polish, Portuguese, or Farsi. And a lot of them like playing soccer too.

People also like to dance in Berlin, just like your mom and dad. A few days ago, I started learning a dance called the Foxtrot. Isn’t that a funny name? For the Foxtrot, you take two big steps forward and then two little steps sideways. So it goes: slow, slow, quick, quick. Slow, slow, quick, quick. Just like a fox. It’s so fun! At the dance hall in my neighborhood on Sunday, there were hundreds of dancing couples flying around the dancefloor like butterflies. Tall girls were dancing with short boys, short girls were dancing with tall girls, tall boys were dancing with short boys. We were all dancing so fast that sometimes we got dizzy and had to sit down. It’s hard to learn new things—like dancing, or writing cursive, or multiplication, or how to eat an artichoke—but I guess that’s what being alive is for.

The German language is also fun to speak, I think. There are super-long words like Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahme and Bundesverfassungsgericht and Aufenthaltsbefügnis. Can you think of any English words that are that long? I can’t.

I’m excited to see you at Christmas! Is there anything you want me to bring you from Germany? Will you please give your mom, dad, and sister a big hug for me? Or maybe a high-five. Are you still going to be a hunter for Halloween? I’d love it if you wanted to send me a letter. My address is:

David Gr.
Monumentenstraße 9
10829-Berlin
Deutschland

Okay, well I’ll see you soon!
Love,
Uncle David

COMING SOON: The Diss: Friend or Foe?