Happy Birthday Zaza!

My baby turned two this weekend; and what a long, joyful journey. He has grown so much from the tiny 1-1/2 pound boy at birth. I thank God constantly for giving us such a healthy boy because it could have easily gone the other way. Many babies born at 25 weeks have physical and developmental problems, but not our Zaza. Looking at him you would never know that he was born early. People always say he’s big for his age.

This year for Zaza’s birthday, we spent the day with his German grandparents. Oma made four cakes and took care of all the food and decorations, leaving nothing for me to do but prepare my vegetarian meal. Hubby’s brothers were there along with Zaza’s 8-year-old cousin Tobias. Zaza had a good time playing and also got a lot of gifts. It was a nice day.

Back In Deutschland

It’s been exactly three years since we moved from Germany to Toronto, and now we are back; but this time it’s Berlin - the capital of Germany. What a vibrant city! I already like it much more than I did Toronto. With approximately six million people, over 35 per cent are foreign born. There are people living Berlin from all over the world, making it the perfect city for a multi-racial family like mine.

What I like most about Berlin is that unlike other cities in Germany, the people are laid back, friendly, open-minded, creative and individualistic. I can leave my home wearing a pink hat and polka dot pants and people will see it as art. Every form of the arts is explored in this city- sometimes to the extreme. Art exhibits, theater, opera and other performances can be enjoyed at a very low cost. This is because the government subsidises the arts; therefore, giving everyone access to quality entertainment.

Germany will be very different for me this time around. First of all, I’m towing toddler, which requires me to engage with community on a deeper level. I’ll need to push myself more to speak the language, and meet other parents with small children. Just last week, I felt adventurous and took my son Zaza to a German speaking toddler play group. The teacher didn’t speak any English, so I was forced to use German. I got along quite well with my limited German, but Zaza did great! I think that he understood more than I did.

Also this time around in Germany, I’ll have a job, something I haven’t had in almost four years. I’m really excited about working again. Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom and raising my son. I just miss the intellectual stimulation gained from interacting with adults. For me, doing a task that takes my mind away from home duties will do a lot for me psychologically. Hopefully, I can now put what I’ve learned in college to good use.

But for the next two months, I have my plate full with finding permanent housing, and securing a spot for Zaza in a bi-lingual day care-something hard to come by in Berlin. I’ll keep you posted.