Hannes's subway adventure

Brawl in the U-Bahn
by Hannes

One of the more exciting points so far of my time in Germany was what happened in the subway three weeks ago . . . . Drum roll, please . . . .

I had just gotten out of school at about 2:00 and was waiting in the subway station right next to our school with my friend Niko. I had my bag with all my basketball stuff, and some Turkish guy just bumped right into my bag. At the time I thought it was an accident, so I kind of looked at him and—as usual—I was smiling. He didn’t like this, so he came over to me and asked me: “Hast du Probleme mit mir?” That means: “Do you have a problem with me?” Then he took out a knife and held it out threateningly. I was scared to death, so I just said, “Sorry, sorry, sorry!” and started backing away from him. He kept advancing on me, and punched me with a right hook just below my left eye. I’ve never been so scared in my life.

The right hook!

My friend Niko was almost as shocked and terrified as I was, so we went to the other side of the station and hid behind a pole (making sure that we didn’t look at him). Then when the train came we let him get on without us, and we waited five minutes for the next train. A bunch of other friends who had seen what had happened but had not seen that we didn’t get on the train waited for us at the next station and then got on with us. We were all talking about what had happened and none of them had ever seen anything like it.

First-aid at home

I had a huge bruise and bump on my left cheekbone, but it could have been much worse. We didn’t go to the police because we didn’t really have any hope that they would find him again in a city as big as Berlin. But the next day, on the little television that’s always running in the subway train, they had a new video about knives being prohibited on the subway. I’m guessing that maybe they saw what had happened on the surveillance cameras in the subway station.

At first I was very worried about meeting up with that guy again, but as I said, in a city this big, what’s the chance of seeing him again? Now I enjoy riding the subways again, and life is good!

A week in Switzerland

Sprechen Sie deutschli?

We’ve just returned from a week of vacation in amazing, awesome, spectacular, beautiful, scenic Switzerland. (Was that enough adjectives to make my point?) We stayed in my parents’ apartment in Brienz, the little woodcarving village nestled by the lake of Brienz in a valley in the Berner Oberland region of the Alps.

Looking down on the Brienzersee

We had gorgeous weather except for one afternoon of rain that put a light dusting of snow on the peaks around the lake. Words truly fail to describe how beautiful the scenery is—the soaring snow-capped peaks against the brilliant blue sky, the clear aqua green of the lake, the dark-stained chalets with geraniums tumbling out of window boxes, and fat cows grazing on the steep mountain meadows.

A view from the village of Mürren

For the children this was an exciting exploration of their family roots, because this is the village where my great grandfather Peter Schneiter was born and where Schneiter cousins still live. Hannes was amazed to find the Schneiter family coat of arms carved on the side of a chalet with the other original families of Brienz.

The Schneiter family crest

Mountain village life was a great change of pace from life in the big city, and we were all grateful for the break. Now we're back in Berlin and ready for school and work to start again tomorrow.

Tschüsli!

We've had company!

Hotel Zetzsche

Aack! Two weeks have passed without a blog posting from the Zetzsches. Surely you’re about to send out a search party?! Jost tells me that the problem with blogs is that people begin to take themselves too seriously, so let me reassure you that I know you’re probably okay with not hearing from us for awhile!

We’re doing well, and today’s post is to tell you that we’ve just come through a nice time of playing host to many people we love! Beginning back in August, just a week after we arrived, we’ve been happily welcoming family and friends in our home here in Berlin.

Jost’s brother Holger visited us for several hot days in August. He was the first to try out the “guest futon” and navigate the adventurous bathroom—and survive! We went on a wonderful boat cruise from Spandau to Potsdam, played in the park near our house, and did lots of fun, touristy things.

Anna and Onkel Holger

Jost’s father Hans-Georg and his wife Annerose were here in early September for a week. Wonderful things happened in our kitchen (Annerose’s a great cook!) and to our apartment (Opa knows his way around a toolbox!) while they were here.

The kids with Annerose

Near the end of September we had double company when Jost’s mother Heidi and my parents Donna and Jerome came to visit at the same time. We celebrated Hannes’s birthday, checked out the Berlin shopping, visited Queen Nefertiti in the Egyptian museum, made Mom's signature Swiss Chäsbrattel, and had a great time together.

Here's a picture Dad took of the beautiful Nefertiti.

Then, to top it all off, our cousin Hannah from Bonn came for five days at the end of September. It felt like the family was complete with our “fourth child” back at the table again. She visited school with Hannes, poked around Berlin with us, cheered on the world-record-setting Berlin Marathon, and went to a contemporary art exhibit and a professional Alba-Berlin basketball game. [Hannah, where are those photos?]

After Jost’s quick trip to a conference in Warsaw, Poland, life has now returned to normal again, though friends from Eckernförde have just called to say they’re coming next week. If you’re thinking of coming, too, do book early—rooms are going fast!