The Godparents

Photos: Jasmine with IC and Nadine with MC

Für Nadine und Jasmine, ihr seid die Beste!

Both kids were christened Catholics, despite my husband a Protestant and after having long discussions with my in laws (they insisted on keeping the kids on the father's faith). Enough of that.

I am going to tell you about their godparents. It did not amaze me that here in Germany, they only have at least one or two godparents for the baptism ceremony. Remember the long lists of godparents in every baptism and wedding ceremonies in Manila? There are none of that here.

Well, I did not know that when I was doing the preparation for the baptism for my eldest daughter. Thus, I have more than one! The document I got for baptism had only one line allotted for the names of godparents :-) Anyway, one of them is Nadine, the eldest niece. She was our first choice for MC. She passed the first board exam for law last year and is now reviewing while doing on the job training in Baden-Baden.

For IC, the godparents list isnt so long; and of course, we have Jasmine; the youngest sister of Nadine as one of them. She got engaged this year, and is also busy doing her on the job training with various engagements for the environment, for the Dalai Lama, etc.

Both are lovely choices as they really got along well with both kids. Plus they are taking their responsibilities are patentantes (godparents) well. They come to babysit, call to just say hello to the kids, send emails or postcards named for the kids, and almost always a presence in every occasions (even calling to congratulate about getting the ears pierced or inquire about the first loose tooth, asking about the first kindergarten day, etc). It was a bit hard for the kids to learn that their cousins cum patentantes were living home and building their nests someplace else. But they got used to it, for they know that they are always there for them -- no matter the distance.

Though, I think, I also missed some interesting tradition with the baptism here. My husband informed me that usually, when someone is baptised; their second name would be culled from their godparents' names. That would have been a good one, passing names from generation to generation. Oh well, too late now; but the kids can start doing that, if and when, they wanted to.