Schulfrei? Boah!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen!

Tomorrow we don't have school!  That's apparently a big deal here.  Actually, the whole state doesn't have school.  Schleswig-Holstein is school-free tomorrow!  And in Niedersachsen, people aren't even supposed to leave their houses.  A little snow is a big deal!

It's not really the snow, though- it's the streets.  For the last week or two, it's snowed a little every day.  I believe I said something earlier, but I'm really not impressed with snow removal in Luebeck (I can't speak for other cities).  It's just the way it is, though- people accept it with minimal grumbling.  Still, though- the streets in front of the Waldorfschool are completely unplowed- yesterday I helped push three stuck cars out of their parking places in the space of fifteen minutes.

I guess it is excusable, though- I've heard that last winter had almost no snow.  In Lynnfield, we're all set up for snow removal, so it happens relatively fast.  I guess the snowy streets doesn't really reflect anything in Luebeck- it just means that the city is undermanned for a job too big.

Last post I said I'd put up a picture of the Regal I finished in carpentry- here it is!

It's not much, but it's still cool that it's a subject in school.  I'm working on a new one now.

Here's a picture from a box I made in Kartonage, way back when.  That was also cool- we made the paper, the stalk, actually just about everything, and then assembled it all together in a good looking box.  I had a second one, a suesses kleines shaechtelchen, but I sent it away for Christmas.

Last post I talked about the Waldorfschule being built all askew- here's a few photos of that, too.  I don't have many, because I really don't think a camera is allowed in school... I'll get more one day.  In the meantime, check these out:

 

Here's a pretty typical chalkboard.  They're not all like this, but some are.  Notice also the advent wreath (this photo is a little old)- every classroom had one.  We would never put advent wreaths in school in the US.

 

A doorframe, skimping on right angles.  Notice too the doorframe in the background- it's just as abstract.

My classroom.  None of the rooms are totally square- the whole classroom is bowed outward, and the interior walls are also uneven.  Check out the windows, too- no screens!  They swing into the classroom, and when the windows are open it feels like we're learning outside- the whole wall opens up directly to outdoors.  Right now, this means that in the breaks there's always snowball fights between people in the classroom and people two stories lower, outside.  That's pretty funny to watch.

A hallway.  Also not straight.  Also note the polyhedral lights and the sponged Waldorf-colored walls.

A table in a common area.  This photo makes it look like a pretty regular hexagon, but any other angle it's pretty warped, giving the feel of a long, stretched out hexagon.

Notice that in all the photos, everything is wood.  Absolutely no plastic, minimal metal, no laminate- all natural!

Anyway, that's Waldorf.  Neat stuff, huh?

I'd like to say thanks to whoever it was that entered me into Lexiophiles' Top International Exchange and Experience Blogs contest.  Thanks!  For everyone else, if you like this blog, here's a link- just click it and vote for &etc- it's about halfway down the list.  Or, if you like, you can use your computer's search function (ctrl + f,  then type &etc) and you won't need to scroll through all the other entries..  Thanks for your support!