Paper Hearts & Diamond Rings for Valentine’s Day
We do a lot of small group work in German class. Some classmates are more serious than others about keeping on topic. This afternoon, my partners were not. They were swooning over Valentine’s Day. My partners talked about cute guys, flowers, and lots and lots of pink. I was game! …as long as we did it all in German, not their native tongue.
I learn the coolest stories when we get off topic, and I’d like to write a series of “her story” posts to tell you about the people I am meeting.
When I got home this afternoon, the house was empty; Martin and his mom were off on adventures, so I decided to pull out some scraps of red paper that I found. This photo is of a page from the “Baby Hello” brag book that I’m keeping for my niece. I thought I’d tell her a little about what her grandma always did for her daddy and me on Valentine’s Day when we were kids. I’m adding lots of hearts.
A chain of red hearts is so easy to make! It’s a beautiful embellishment for your journal, whether you’re writing about Valentine’s Day or something you love.
Just before class came to an end, my class partners asked me about my lack of a wedding ring. “If you’re married, you should have a ring,” they told me in our broken version of German. “I have one,” I said. “I just don’t always wear it to class.”
“Did it come from Tiffany’s?” one asked me. She turned to the other girl. “All American girls have giant diamond rings from Tiffany’s. I saw it on Sex in the City.”
That is so funny! It’s interesting to hear how we are stereo typed. I love your idea for a Valentine’s page there. Makes me want to pull out my papers and get crafting. I enjoy your craft/journaling inspiring posts.
Oh thanks, Lisa! I’m doing this projects at home… and need to make it more of a habit to share with all of you!
Another curious fact here is that they wear the wedding ring in the right hand! Loved your post, in wich level of German are you?
Yes! You’re right about the rings, and I think girls are just looking for any ring in general when I’m in class. I’m back in B1; it feels like the perfect fit for grammar after being gone so long.
That’s funny! I keep teasing my American coworker, who is married to a man from Mexico and doesn’t have a wedding ring, that I’m going to buy her a big fake diamond ring. She (a friendly nurse) has been receiving some unwelcome attention from single male clients, and that might help.
I think it’s interesting that you don’t always wear your wedding ring. I very rarely ever take mine off. However, I did wear it on a necklace when it didn’t fit anymore while pregnant. How funny that we American’s all wear huge diamonds from Tiffany’s, but I cringe to be stereotyped by “Sex in the City.”
Yah, I think most people tend to wear their rings all the time. While most American women like myself have diamond rings, I have found that in other cultures, a simple band is more common. Leaving my ring at home has been a subtle way for me to connect with my classmates.
I’d rather be stereotyped by Sex in the City than by Desperate Housewives. Or any reality TV show. Haha! So funny!
I once met an African guy who asked me if it was true that Americans eat lots of Oreos and wear underwear only once before throwing it away. And he asked if I had ever seen a car chase that included police cars flipping in the air or exploding. Hah.
ha! I remember the first time I saw Desperate Housewives… it was in a hole in the wall Czech diner/bar. It’s fascinating how we all perceive one another’s cultures based on tv.
After two years in Germany, getting a big American diamond seemed unnecessary to me. My husband and I both have a simple band–I like that we match, and that we fit many cultures’ wedded type.