Holiday Festivities

This past week has been a week of festivities. The school where I teach had a big celebration, complete with singing, speeches, and lots of traditional holiday food. The eighth grade performed a few choral pieces and a few of the faculty members sang some a capella.



After the performances, all of the teachers gave the principal a poinsettia, appropriately called in German, a "Christmas star".



Directly after the celebration at the school, I went to another celebration hosted by my university's environmental engineering department. This one didn't have any singing and only one speech, but there was also lots of food and we went bowling afterwards. While bowling, I learned that you call a bowling ball not a “Ball”, which is the German translation for “ball”, but rather a “Kugel”. Apparently “soft” balls, such as tennis balls, are called “Ball”, but “hard” balls are called “Kugel”. I just wonder why you still call a scoop of ice cream, which is definitely soft, a “Kugel”.