Shopping

There's lots of toys and I bought a race car in Germany that I can use in America. It might not take the batteries but I hope it will.

Did you know there's lots of bookstores here?

And wherever people go there's lots of doggies -- like in the stores, or going to pick up people from school or going to restaurants or almost anywhere they go. But some places don't allow doggies inside them so they put doggy parkers so people can tie their leashes to hooks outside. They don't hook the doggy on the hook, they don't. Bakeries and butcher stores, any place that sells uncooked food that may be contaminated, don't allow doggies.

My mommy takes her own shopping bag with her when we go shopping. And lots of people take theirs, lots of 'em, so they don't have to buy extras. Shopping bags cost money here, they're not free like at home in America.

To go shopping you have to walk all the way. Because this is in a different country. There's not enough parking where you need to go, so that's why people just walk.

But if you're going someplace far away you have to drive. I remember last year when I went to Germany we had to drive to get to a place with very old castles. And also it had a park for kids.

JuJu

Dear 1st Grade

It rained this morning, then it stopped and right now it isn't raining. It looks dark and there's trees with green leaves outside the window. It is turning into winter here.

The money isn't like it is in America. Euro is what the money is called. Just like American dollars the euro has 100 cents each. You can also get coins that are worth 1 or 2 or 5 euros each, instead of just a few cents.

They don't have the same pictures American coins do. All of them have the map of the (european) continent on one side and a picture of either eagles, the Brandenburg Gate (in Berlin), Mozart, The King of Spain, the Leonardo Da Vinci guy and some guy we don't know. (Dada says it's the King of Belgium.)

The paper money is different colors, like toy money is, orange, blue and green.

I've been able to buy things with my money from Germany, go places with my DaDa -- like to his cousin's houses and stuff, and play with my electric train my Opa and Ms. Gudi gave me. We can't take it home to Kansas because it can only use German power.

So far in my chocolate eggs I've gotten a coloring wax toy, a lady bug spinner and a robot.

I haven't seen any animals so far. But I've seen a hole that I think has some animals in it. But I don't know for sure 'cause I'm not stickin' my head in it. Oh, there is animals here. One's a squirrel. It was red instead of grey like at home.

There are also a lot of birds at the park. Ducks like we have at home and some different ones with lots of colors.

I have met some friends here. They're really nice. They're German kids, but I don't know their names because I did not ask. The German kids don't talk the same way I do. They talk different. Really different. They speak German like my DaDa. I am learning some German like 'dankeschön' and 'tschuß'.

I am ready to go back to school. We fly home next Monday. We buried my Oma today.

JuJu

Chocolate Eggs

Did you know in Germany chocolate eggs have toys inside? But before you can get to the toys you have to open a yellow wrapping. It's connected to another piece of the yellow wrapping. After that piece, it's the toy.

It's sometimes not what you always wanted, but you just have to go with it. Like I've got lots of things I haven't always wanted and I've got lots of things I have always wanted.

You have to build all the toys and it's very hard to. There's some instructions and stuff. And the toys are usually cool.

And the chocolate is yummy. It's a German kind of chocolate that's really good. It's made just for kids but grown-ups can eat it too.

I've been doing my homework. It's been good, or great if it was the first one.

I miss you guys and can't wait to come home and back to school.

Love, JuJu

P.S. Tomorrow is my Oma's funeral so I may not write tomorrow. Oma is the German word for Grandmother. She was my Dad's mom.

Management Note

From JuJu's Mommy,

Oops! I had the comments section set up so only registered users could comment. So sorry. It should be fixed so anyone can comment now.

JuJu's too tired to post right now. Germany is 7 hours ahead of Kansas. So, when it's 9 a.m. in Germany it's only 2 a.m. in Kansas. That's a tough transition to make.

Over the years, we've found it's best to just force yourself to stay awake the day you arrive untilo a normal bedtime in the new time zone, then force yourself to lie down and sleep even if your body says it's time to be up and about. That way it only takes a day or so to adjust, instead of a week or two.

JuJu should have a new post for you guys tomorrow or Monday at the latest. He misses everyone.

JuJu's Mommy

Getting Ready, Packing & How the Flight is Different

Getting Ready

You have to pack your clothes and some toys and since the flight is different you can't take too much on the plane. At all.

The flight is different because someone was trying to attack the plane this summer. So, the plane people changed the rules if you're flying through London.

Now you can't take things in the airplane. At all. No drinks. No food. No toys. No computers or phones. Only the clothes you're wearing, any medicines and your money can go in the airplane with you.

Everything else has to go either in the trash or in the suitcase that rides in the belly of the plane.

Did you know I've flown on airplanes before?

JuJu

P.S. But, they do feed you on the plane. And, there are TV's in the back of the seat in front of you with TV shows and movies you can watch during the long flight over the ocean. That's when we're flying from Chicago to London. --JuJu's Mommy.

JuJu

Welcome

This is JuJu's space to share his coming world travels with his first grade class back in the United States.

JuJu is still sick today, as his dad and I prepare for our trip. Here's a look at what's going to happen.

Thursday at 1:30pm we fly from Wichita to Chicago O'Hare. We have a 1 ½ hour layover in Chicago. This means we'll spend one and one half hours, or 90 minutes, on the ground at the Chicago airport.

Then, at 4:45pm we fly on to London's Heathrow Airport. We arrive there around 6am the next morning. Before taking off again, around 10 am, for Dusseldorf, Germany.

After a nearly 14 hour trip we'll finally land in Germany. Then we'll have to travel about 45 minutes north of Dusseldorf to get to Moers, Germany. That's where JuJu's dad is from.

I hope you enjoy following JuJu in his world travels online. I know he won't be able to wait to share all sorts of stories about his trip when we get back.

Until then, have fun in 1st grade.

JuJu's Mom