Merry Christmas

Well, a post with pictures and detailed summaries will have to wait awhile until I am back in Karlsruhe with my computer and my camera cord and such, but I want to write you all and tell you how much I truly love and miss you all. I think as far as "Christmas without your family" I may be the luckiest person ever. I am currently staying in a condo in the Black Forest of Germany. Thomas' mother manages vacation condos in the small tourist town of Schluchsee (not to far from Tittisee, which you may have heard of...) and so I have a comfortable bed, kitchen, living room and bathroom here and it is simply wonderful! We have hiked a fair amount and seen the breathtaking beauty of the Schwarzwald - I cannot tell you how happy I am to be in the mountains with snow!

Anyway, all that is to reassure you all that I am safe and warm and happy this Christmas. However, being away from family also provides a unique perspective of just how thankful I am for my family and 23 years of being "home for Christmas". I couldn't ask for a better family or a better support system than the network of people who have raised me into the person I am today. Thank you. I love you all so dearly.

Giving Thanks, International Style

At last - the story of Europahaus Thanksgivng (aka: how Bekah and Amy, with the help of a few others, cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 35-40 people) Months ago Amy, Jonathan and I began discussing Thanksgiving and how much we really wanted to celebrate here properly, not just with Americans, but with the people here who have become our European family. Now, that is pretty enough in a theoretical sense...I mean, Thanksgiving is a holiday about friends and family, generosity and thankfulness. The logistics of such a fest, are something entirely different, however. Luckily Amy and I are quite laid back and "go with the flow" kind of people - open to experimentation and mistakes. We began the night before with baking - pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, cookies, and cake. 10 am on Saturday morning we began the "real deal" cooking - more pumpkin bread, a 5kg turkey, 2 turkey breasts, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, neither of us had ever in our lives cooked a whole turkey ... needless to say, we were a little nervous: 

Clearly, I was a little nervous. To ease the tension, we named the turkey: it was much easier to work with Marv than with a rather intimidating mass of raw flesh and bones. (at least from my perspective) At this point of the day we made the executive decision to serve sloppy joes if the turkey flopped. We also comforted ourselves with the knowledge that most all of the people who celebrated with us  had ever celebrated Thanksgiving and thus had absoultely no idea what everything was supposed to taste like.

Marv nestled in his lovely home...stuffed and laying on a bed of vegetables (aka: just before the point of no return) Note the smiles on our faces: one part hopeful joy, the other part sheer terror! At this point we still had two more turkey breasts to cook (and had no idea how we were going to cook them) We ended up getting a little creative and making an orange-turkey breast and one with lots of vegetables. I would like to say that we pulled off everything flawlessly on our own, but that would be a gross exaggeration: without the help of Cindy (of course - her middle name is Save Bekah's Life Whenever Possible!) Sophie, and our Italian friend Giorgio no one would have eaten mashed potatoes or gravy...the were the 11th hour heroes! Also, Vicki, Melissa, and Justina did all of the decorations: what amazing friends we have!

Somehow, everything really turned out. Jonathan made chicken, sweet ham and apple pies, some people brought salad, some dessert, some drinks...it was an incredible group feast. We talked a little about why we celebrate Thanksgiving (origins, traditions, etc) and thanked everyone for being there...once everyone started eating, I finally started breathing again! Thomas was kind enough to stick by in the flurry and make sure that, in spite of my excitement, I ate something. 

I cannot even begin to describe to you the overwhelming number of compliments we recieved, or the joy that I felt in being able to share such a meal with so many of my good friends here. A friend lived in the US for a summer and lost like 15-20 pounds because he didn't like the food, but went back for 6 plates of food - we restored his hope in American cooking. The family of one of our good friends was in town and they joined us for the celebration - the entire night was just a shower of praise from them: how none of the French stereotypes about Americans seem to ring true with us, that they were so impressed by our work, generosity, cooking, and mostly the amazing community that we were able to gather. I had at least 5 people ask me for the pumpkin bread recipe (which everyone here is convinced is actually cake...) The list goes on. My thankful heart grew at least 10 sizes that day

Our smiles of terror turned to smiles of disbelief, relief, and sheer joy by the end of the night. I could not ask for a better person to do all of this with...and I still can't believe we pulled it off!

My Europahaus (and Karlsruhe) family...most of the group was still there when we took this picture (although a few had to leave a little earlier) I am so thankful. So blessed. ~love~

Confessions of a Delinquent Blogger

My faithful readers:

I am a delinquent blogger...you wouldn't believe the backlog of half-written blogs that are clogging up my thoughts, and yet, I cannot seem to find the time to upload the pictures and write them. Subsequently I have two thoughts/hopes: 1. that you all are just as busy as I am in this crazy time of year and aren't checking my blog that regularly 2. that you all will overlook this delinquency and continue reading my blog as soon as I continue writing in it! 

To tide you all over (because of course I am on my way out the door to go to lunch then go see Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carole" at the Jakobus Theater here in Karlsruhe...so cultured, I know) I would like to fill you in on some of the intricacies of cultural differences that I encounter daily. Today's lesson is about food. The following are two actual conversations that have taken place within the last week or so (translated, of course, for your convience)

Incident #1:

(setting: the train, approximately 6:30pm)

Thomas: I'm hungry

Me: Me too...maybe we should eat some dinner

Thomas: Ok, well, what are we going to eat?

Me: Well, we could make pasta, or chicken stir-fry.

Thomas: But I've already eaten warm today.

Me: You are so German!

Thomas: Well, why do you think Americans have an obesity problem?

Me: I'm pretty sure it has nothing whatsoever to do with the temperature of the food.

Thomas: Well, I guess you're right, but I still already ate warm today.

Me: (laugh and roll eyeballs)

Incident #2

Me: Thomas, what are you doing for lunch?

Thomas: I don't have plans. Lets eat together. But I don't have any food.

Me: Well, I have lunchmeat and cheese.

Thomas: Oh, well, I do too. And I have tomatoes and mozarella.

Me: Mmm...sounds good to me.

Thomas: But thats all breakfast food. 

Me: (rolling eyeballs) You are so German.

I am so not even exaggerating these conversations. They happened (more or less) exactly as here replicated. Germas are so funny about their food. Who cares how many times you eat warm in a day? Who cares when you eat warm in a day? (here its mostly midday, then something cold in the evening) Also, since when is salad, lunchmeat and cheese only for breakfast? I tell you what, these Germans are crazy! As much as I am blending in here more and more, I just can't break myself of my "American" conceptions of food and meals...and thats okay with me! 

More to come, I promise! ~love~

Thankful

Of course on Thanksgiving my thoughts are occupied with the things in my life for which I am most grateful. I have to say that today most definitely does NOT feel like Thanksgiving (going to class on Thanksgiving kinda kills the mood...) but nevertheless, as I stop to reflect, I am overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the things (people) that I am most grateful for. Count your blessings one by one...for me that would most definitely take several days if not weeks! So, since I am apparently lazy, I will just paste the copy of the letter I sent to Lisa as "Because I can't be at Thanksgiving, here are some words so you can feel like I am there for a little bit at dinner time..."

Family and Friends,

I sit here in wonder as I reflect on the journey in the last year that has brought me to this place...Two months in Germany already passed and I have so much to be thankful for. As I embarked on this journey, I had as keen a sense now as I did then that all of this is made possible by the incredible network of love and support provided by you all. You all truly lift me up and make me strong enough to face whatever the future holds because I rest assured in the knoweledge that I have an incredible safety-net of love backing me up (and probably the loudest cheering section as well) So, as I think of what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving, the first thing that comes to mind is of course the small army of loved ones who believe in me and challenge and encourage me to chase my dreams. 

Beyond that, though, I am accutely aware of the Source of the strength and love that you all provide me with - our Beautiful Savior - whose unending, unchanging love challenges me every day to see creation and his people through His eyes. Thank you all for teaching me aspects of the Father's heart through your words and actions. As I live in a vastly different culture and come to know and love people here, I rejoice in the unending source of love that fills me anew each day.

Life in Germany has shown me in new ways the things that I am thankful for (both superficial and not so superficial) I will forever be thankful for people who bag groceries...trying to pay and bag my groceries in the bags that I brought is always an interesting adventure. I will also always appreciate the wide array of ingredients and gluten-free foods we have at home...Germany is about 10 years behind the gluten-free bandwagon, apparently. I am also thankful for Target and the availability of one-stop shopping. I can't decide yet if I am more thankful that stores are open on Sundays in the States or if I am more thankful for the mandatory pause and rest that closed stores provide on Sundays in Germany - that one might come out a wash (although, there have been a few tight weekends with a mostly bare refridgerator)

In my German Thanksgiving spirit, I would like to wrap up by expressing my thankfulness for our nature as relational beings and the value of communication. Living and interacting in another culture has lent new meaning to communication and relationship. Because of this, I truly cherish the incredible instances of relationships that cross cultural backgrounds - what a gift we have in our hearts for others, and what a gift to be able to communicate our hearts to others. I am daily awed by the beauty of human connection, and the vehicle of that connection, language and communication. I am thankful that our hearts are so intertwined that I can miss you all so much from an ocean away. I am also thankful that our hearts are so structured that they continue to reach out and form connections even in the aftermath of pain, hurt and confusion. The power of connection and the satisfaction of understanding and being understood are great and powerful gifts. 

Sorry if that got a little philosophical :) I am thankful for you all and miss you more than I have the power to express with words. I carry you all in my heart, and thank our Heavenly Father, giver of all good things, for such a privilege.

Now, because we all know that I have an extremely high word-quota, I would like to include a list of things that I am especially thankful for this year (in no particular order)

-Skype

-Not having to pay separate utilities

-bicycles

-online dictionaries

-internet in general

-scarves

-crocks

-the incredibly generous International office here (that just offered to fund our Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday...hooray! I'm not going to go broke feeding 30-40 people!)

-German coffee, chocolate and ice cream

-Peanut butter

-the bar :)

-trains, and student tickets

-maps

-good friends, old and new

As you can see...I am overwhelmed by things to be thankful for...I love and miss you all, eat some extra turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes for me :)

Reflections on 2 Months

As I walked home in a pink dusk last night, I was suddenly struck by the realization that 2 months have casually passed since I began this journey. Thusly, I find it appropriate to record some basic thoughts and reflections on how my life has changed in these past few months (in no particular order):

I don’t get to drive a car here…I never realized how American I am in that sense: I really miss driving my car!

Instead of orienting myself according to the mountains, directions are all given in relation to the castle.

I walk a whole heck of a lot more.

I somehow find more of a need to express myself profoundly in English – never in my life have I felt such a deep need to write.

I find it strange when I walk down the street and overhear a conversation in English – I actually notice the “rrrr” of the American accent, which is kind of hilarious.

I never could have imagined the boldness that has been instilled in my heart in my drive to learn German. In the past few weeks, I have really branched out from my English-speaking friends and find myself walking boldly into new situations in which I meet new people and casually converse in German. Unbelievable. The only exception to this ability to converse in German is one of the Germans who lives on my floor. For some reason, I absolutely cannot understand him when he speaks. Germany is a land of diverse dialects, and the accent here in Baden, while I must really concentrate to understand, is at least clear enough that I can understand at least 75% of what is being said. With Dennis, he might as well be speaking Chinese half of the time. Anyway, bottom line: I am really enjoying making German friends here. I also enjoy the confidence that I am gaining as I truly relish every moment that has been granted to me in this place.

I daily gain a deeper understanding of cultural identity. It is funny to observe another culture and begin to realize how much of my perception of self and world comes from being an American. Walking the tightrope of cultural sensitivity and personal pride is becoming ever easier, however, as I find my feet in this sometimes strange world, and learn to step away from the wall and live my differences boldly. I am learning that a large part of the American psyche (at least mine) revolves around a sense of empathy. I have a strong propensity to identify with the feelings and experiences of others…because of this, I apologize a lot, I laugh with people and conversely take their hurt on and hurt with them. I have been told countless times that I mustn’t apologize so much or utter such sympathetic mutterings when hearing the plight of others. To which I now reply with a smile, laugh and expression of genuine camaraderie: I am an American, and proud to be so.

I no longer find it strange to visit several different stores over a period of days in order to purchase my groceries.

I am becoming a pro at working the train system here.

However, I continue to miss you all dearly. I looked back on the first few posts and remember easily the tears shed in the airport and on airplanes as I embarked on this adventure with the support of a small army of family and friends. Without your network of support I am certain I would find myself here a little adrift and uncertain. I know that my boldness here comes from a deep sense of security in being loved, missed, and encouraged. I continue to carry you all in my heart with a deep sense of inexpressible gratitude. Thank you. ~love~

Karlsruhe in Pictures

One Sunday, I took a walk in the gardens and forest surrounding the castle (Karlsruhe Schloß) This pond is a lovely peaceful spot, beautifully accented by vibrant fall colors.

Solitude

Center

Reflection

Botanical Gardens

Fun fact: The German Supreme Court is located in Karlsruhe, just next to these botanical gardens. I would include pictures, but pictures of the building are not allowed.

Walking across cobblestones in heels and other adventures of the old world

I have officially entered the chapter of my life in Karlsruhe entitled: Life as a Student in Germany. Therefore, I am utterly devoid of the page-turning adventure stories that keep you all coming back for more! For those of you who nevertheless search for updates, exciting or not, here is a little overview of this somewhat mundane chapter of my life.

Short version: I go to class about 14 hours per week and in the mean time, read, work on grammar, watch movies, and cook. (not necessarily in that order)

Bekah version: I am still getting used to the German system of classes meeting only once a week (for 90 minutes) and the fact that I am taking 9 classes right now. 3 of those classes are classified as "German as a foreign language" classes (translation, I am reminded how terrible I am at German grammar) where I am there as someone who is learning German. I have a love-hate relationship with these classes. They are comfortable in that I am with fellow foreign students who empathize with my hatred of noun genders, adjective endings and subjunctive prepositions (aka "verb kickers"). However, these classes deal with the finite details that formulate the border between being able to speak a language passable and true fluency. 

3 Other classes are for German students and include: Film and Literature of the Weimar Republic, Modern German Literature and the EU in International Relations. Number one: I love these classes. Number two: I may or may not be in WAY over my head. The fantastic news is that the professors are glad to have exchange students in their classes and are very sympatheic to my situation. One of the coolest things that happened was that last week one of the most well-known modern German authors came and talked in our modern-lit class and read a selection from his new book. It was a surreal experience to look at the picture of the author on the back cover of my book, then look up and see the man in the flesh. I was a little star-struck. 

I am also doing a teaching internship at a high school, teaching English one day a week. That starts tomorrow...I'll keep you updated on that one. 

Meanwhile, I am working on my skills of reading in German by mostly not allowing myself to read in English for a little while. I eat a rediculous amount of chocolate. I found popcorn at the grocery store last week (translation: I have been eating a rediculous amount of popcorn as well). Homesickness comes and goes...which means that homesick comes most notably when the sun decides to take a vacation and leave rain to rule the weather for 4 or 5 days. I MISS COLORADO SUNSHINE!! Luckily the sun returned yesterday and decided to stick around for today, so things are looking up at the moment.

For those of you who are curious about the post title, I went out with Cindy for her birthday on Friday night and we decided to get all dolled up for our night on the town. That means that even though it was raining and gross outside, I wore a skirt and heels. It will take a very big occasion to convince me to wear heels ever again in this city full of cobblestones! As we were crossing a side street, my heel was stuck and my foot came right out and landed directly in a puddle. I had to retreat back several paces to retrieve my shoe from its wedged position. Lesson learned. Now that I have entered the time of "everyday life" in Karlsruhe, I am becoming acquainted with the intricacies of German student life. The learning curve is a bit like a roller-coaster here, but I really enjoy it.

Hope you all feel better informed, if not more entertained! ~love~

Going once, going twice...

Wow, two posts in one day, I'm on a roll! 

Now, I would like to submit to you, my faithful readers, as evidence that I am gaining boldness in this foreign place the following: I purchased a bicycle at an auction on Wednesday. Now, I would like to draw your attention to one very important word: auction. This was no easy, walk in, find a bicycle, buy said bicycle...this was go in, peruse the merchandise (some of which was very poor quality, I might add), make a mental list of which bicycles I would be willing to buy, and decide how much I was willing to pay for each of the bicycles. Then, I stood in a crowd of about 50-75 people and bid on said bicycles. Now, maybe I'm making a bigger deal of this than I should be, I mean maybe everyone is bold enough to go to auctions, I don't know. Plus, I've never been to an auction in which everything was conducted in English, either...however, I was pretty darn proud of myself for winning not one, but two bicycles (Amy got there late and we made a deal that I would get her one as well...) in an auction conducted entirely in German. The best part was that I got a pretty great bicycle out of it in the end as well! (I mean, my bike at home is much nicer, but I just need it for a year and I'm on a bit of a tight budget) The other good news is that I know the school will purchase my bike back from me at the end of the year, so I'll get all of my money back...huzzah! 

So I now own a bike that is in desperate need of a name (suggestions welcome...) It is a mountain bike painted a lovely shade of dark blue (if I remember, I'll post pictures, perhaps after it is christened with a fabulously fitting name...) and I am so glad to be able to hop on  and ride wheresoever my little heart desires. I need to get a light soon, so that I am not limited by the ever shortening daylight hours. 

I feel that the whole bike-auction scenario illustrates well my first hectic week of classes as well. I have attended several classes this week, (most of which I will keep, at least one of which I will not continue going to) and it was hard, and confusing at times, I had to use my brain not only to learn but also to understand the words being spoken, and I am utterly exhausted, but not without reward. I feel a certain sense of accomplishment in making it through this crazy week. My class schedule as it stands now includes: German as a foreign language (advanced), Literature and film of the Weimar Republic, a teaching internship class, German as an academic language (basically how to write German well), Germany Today, Paths to European Integration, Modern German Literature (since 1989), the European Union in international relations, and German phonetics. The teachers are great and I am confident that my German will improve through these classes (they're about half and half - classes specifically for foreign students and classes for German students) I feel supported and challenged and only marginally overwhelmed! So, thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers through this crazy week. I am glad to finally be in classes and getting into a routine. 

I carry you all in my heart ~love~

End of the line...

Last weekend Amy, Jonathan, Sophie, Chad and I set forth in search of a relatively cheap adventure and thusly decided to ride to the end of the street-car line with our free student tickets to the town of Wiessemburg, France. After a morning at the flea-market, we set out for the sleepy town of Wissembourg in the early afternoon and found a charming old city. Wissembourg is a much older city than Karlsruhe and I was impressed by the old houses and narrow streets that gave this quaint town a more historic feel than Karlsruhe. This church is a beautiful centerpiece of the town:
We were lucky to have a native French speaker (Sophie) with us to teach us a few key words and phrases, read the signs and talk with the locals. Although most people there speak both German and French, they much prefer speaking French. I must say it was a strange feeling to be somewhere where I couldn't understand anything they were saying and couldn't really communicate. But being there definitely gave me a new appreication for just how much German I can understand and speak!

Here you can see Chad, Amy, Sophie and Jonathan sitting on part of the remains of the old city wall that surrounded Wissembourg back in the day. In the background is a nursing home dedicated to the Polish King Stanislow who was exiled there in the 1700s. 

The narrow streets on which old and new architecture comfortably rubbed shoulders lent a comfortable feel to our afternoon stroll through the city. The city integrates green parks and open spaces well with the crowded building structures. I glimpsed a few gardens through rusted gates that made me long to read The Secret Garden for the first time in years.

The afternoon was sunny and comfortably warm, seasoned with the company of friends. I thoroughly enjoyed the sleepy town, although I know I would have felt more comfortable if I knew the language!

After an afternoon of strolling around the narrow streets, we settled down to eat dinner. Unfortunately for us, the French eat on a much different time table, with most restraunts closed until 7 or 8 at night when the re-open for dinner! Luckily we found a place that took us at 6:30 and enjoyed some traditional French food: escargot! Sophie convinced us all that we needed to try snails at least once in our lives, so she ordered a plate and we took turns using the tongs to pick up the very hot, rather slippery snail shells and using a special fork to extract this delicacy from said shells...food and a show, what more can we ask for?

As with most things that are cooked in butter with a lot of great spices, the snails were superb. (a conclusion that all came to, despite the skeptical look on Jonathan's face!) In the end, a good time was had by all, although we were all glad to come home to familiar Karlsruhe. I am glad that each day this city is more and more familiar and feels more like home. However: here's to exotic food, good friends, and new adventures! ~love~

The hills are alive

Luckily enough, we seemed to have found the "easy" button for the entire trip to Liechtenstein...Amy, Jonathan and I left early Friday morning with seemingly little knowledge about the adventure we were embarking on. We traveled south to the Boden-See area where Germany, Switzerland and Austria all meet. We crossed over into Switzerland perhaps a little too easily (we walked through an empty and quiet customs room...with surprisingly little fanfare) Amy thinks that when people cross international (or even state) borders, there should be at least trumpets or something! Anyway, we took the train through the German part of Switzerland to the border town of Buchs. From Buchs we took the Liechtenstein bus to the capital city and then farther on to our hotel in the small mountain town of Steg. Keep in mind that we had no idea what trains or busses we would be taking past the German border or how often such transportation ran...we were so fortunate to always make close connections and made surprisingly good time.Here you see the Steg hotel and almost the entire town of Steg. The fog that had shrowded our entire journey lifted just as we pulled into Steg, making the scenery that much more majestic! We immediately ran up a little hill to a bench to take in the scenery and breathe the fresh, cool mountain air. Jonathan had never seen mountains like this (he lives in the Appalachian Mountains...a different, more rolling kind of beautiful) and it was great fun to experience the Alps with his sense of wonder! I was beyond overjoyed to be in the majestic Alps - I truly believe that one understands the word majestic more fully when standing in the middle of such beauty and grandeur. The whole weekend I was struck by the fact that while archetecture and cities are impressive, nothing that man builds trumps the splendor of God's craftmanship! 

We took a little walk around Steg and the base of the mountain directly behind our hotel: Schönberg (literally "beautiful mountain"). The fall colors were perfect, the weather was relatively warm, the company was wonderful and the setting could not have been better! Upon returning to Steg, we ate at a local restraunt. It was wonderful, we walked in the door and I was worried that they were closed because the chef/owner was sitting with a bunch of people around a table talking - through observation I came to understand that such behavior is pretty much the norm in this sleepy little town! We enjoyed warm drinks and delicious food (the chef boasted that his saurkraut is the best in the region, and I cannot argue...it was most definitely the best saurkraut I have ever eaten!) Then went to bed at 8pm (we were exhausted!) to wake up for a morning hike....
We hiked Schönberg, taking in the amazing scenery every step of the way (ok, except when we were catching ourselves from falling on the loose gravel!) ate at the top and made our way back down to go check out the capital city of Vaduz. Once again, we caught the bus that comes once every 55 minutes by a 5 minute margin! 
Here you can see in the distance the town of Feldkirch in Austria! The Swiss Alps were also quite easy to see from the top of this 2104 meter high mountain!
Here you can see the picturesque town of Vaduz. We visited the art museum there on Sunday morning before traveling to Feldkirch and then through Austria to return Sunday night to Karlsruhe. I am increasingly thankful for the friends that I have found in Amy and Jonathan. The trip to Liechtenstein worked out perfectly and was exactly what I needed. I feel protected and provided for in this place...praise the Father! Missing you all...~love~

Spontaneity is the spice of life

Well, I keep thinking that I have exciting things and thoughts to post, but I honestly cannot think of any of them right now. I write merely to say that I decided with Amy and Jonathan on Tuesday that we will travel to Liechtenstein this weekend. (to save you the time that it will take you to get out your map of Europe and magnifying glass, I'll clarify...) Liechtenstein is the only remaining absolute monarchy in Europe, it is a landlocked tiny little German-speaking principality (about 160 sq. km) with a population of about 35,000 people, whose major exports are machinery, dental products and stamps. It is bordered by Switzerland and Austria and (we hope) about a 4-5 hour journey from here. We made a reservation at a hotel in the mountain town of Steg. We plan to visit the capital city of Vaduz tomorrow when we arrive, then spend time on Saturday hiking and exploring the wonders of the Alps. We are more than just a little excited!

In truth, this trip is coming at a perfect time. Our previous professor for the "intensive German course" fell ill and is unable to complete the last two weeks of the course. Enter our new teacher: a very very kind and friendly former student of the Pedägogische Hochschule who just finished her exams to be an elementary school teacher. While she is an extraordinarily nice person, I have to say that the last 4 days of class have dragged on at an incredibly slow pace. I can only do so many practice German exercises. I can only get excited about German grammar for very short periods of time. I am so ready for real classes to start! On top of the longest 4 days of class, we had a meeting this afternoon to finally discuss our course schedules for the upcoming term. Now, being an expert on making things as hard as possible, I have to say that the Germans have made this excersize an artform in the university system. Points, classes, seminars, labs, I still have yet to make sense of this system that I'm supposed to translate into classes that will transfer to UNC. Luckily the German department at UNC is composed of rockstar professors who will somehow make everything work when I get home, I continue to be stressed out about this highly complicated system. 

In other news, I am now only waiting for my new PIN number to arrive in the mail so that I can load money onto the chip on my new bank card so that I can do wash. Luckily kind, generous, wonderful Amy allowed me to throw in some necessities with her load of wash today or else I would be slaving over the sink right now instead of writing about my woes!

Moral of the story - a spontaneous trip to Liechtenstein is just what the doctor ordered! I can't wait to see more of this beautiful continent! Stay tuned for pictures and stories! ~love~

Stories in my pockets

On Friday, Amy, Sophie, Justina and I took the train to the Rhine River port in Karlsruhe. We checked out one of the industrial "fingers" of the port and decided to go in search of a scenic view of the Rhine. After walking through a very industrial (read: ugly) area, we came at last to a beautiful wooded nature park that runs along the river. As strong and confident women, we entered the woods in good spirits....

...and we had a great hiking adventure. We found little ponds, observed the beautiful changing leaves, sang, laughed and enjoyed one another's company on an overcast fall day. When we set out, we looked at a map and saw that we could walk from where we were (the industrial area) through the nature park to another Strassenbahn stop on a different line. Perfect. To our credit, we followed the map in our heads perfectly - turned left when we needed to turn left, found a beautiful scenic overlook, and had a little adventure. Unfortunately, the map in our heads was flawed...
...when we got to this point, we discovered we had hit a dead end. We walked a very long way down a peninsula that left us with no other option but to walk back the way we came (keep in mind...this was a very long way - much further than any of us had anticipated when we chose our clothing and footwear for the day). One milisecond after we reached the end of the peninsula, the heavens opened up with a generous portion of rain. Just the present we were hoping for. In hind-sight...the rain may have been a gift in disguise in that it ensured that we didn't pause too long to bemoan our fate at the end of tragedy point, but (not so gently) encouraged us to head for what cover we could find in the woods... 
...of course I burst into uncontrollable peals of laughter. We were fortunate to find a faster way out of the woods, however the water damage was already done. We found this very helpful map of course after we made our little miscalculation, but it provides a fabulous illustration of our walk of folly...
Please observed the orange "you are here arrow in the bottom center of the picture, Sophie's finger point to tragedy point, and the ever-important fact that the scenic overlook we found (besides being on a peninsula) does not, in fact, overlook the Rhine River (that would be the blue strip on the far left side of the map, in case you were wondering). Mission failed. So much for being strong, independent and directionally saavy women. We then journeyed along the purple line to the nearby town and (after stopping for directions in a restraunt full of men who may or may not have sniggered generously when we explained our situation) found a Strassenbahn stop. Hungry, tired, cold and wet (with surprisingly high spirits) we were excited to find that a train was scheduled to arrive in about 10 minutes. 10 minutes later, no train. 20 minutes later, no train. 30 minutes later, no train. 45 minutes later we were finally able to board an overcrowded train and stand the rest of the way home! 

Now, lest your bleeding hearts pity me too much, here are the highlights of the adventure(in no particular order):

-Amy, Justina and Sophie - I could not have hoped for more patient and upbeat, optimistic companions for such a trip

-beautiful scenery

-a great hike (who knew I'd get to hike so close to my home!)

-the chocolate bar in my bag

-finding pear and apple trees on the side of the road while we walked

-a hot cup of tea and a döner (turkish version of gyros - there are döner places everywhere here!) when we got back

-shouting "Abenteuer" (the German word for adventure) whenever we felt particularly down

-lots of great pictures

-ever-deepening friendships

-a great new story

~love~

may my heart always be open to little birds...

I found this poem by ee cummings and this opening line struck my eye...I think this beautiful sentiment is my wish for my time here - to walk with my heart open to people, places, and lessons big and small here. To that end, however, I am pleased to share with you all some of my new favorite places that aid me in this open-hearted journey.

First, I got a coupon book from the city office when I registered with the city a few weeks ago. In that book was a two for one coupon for coffee at a coffee shop not too far from here. So, last week Amy and I went in search of coffee deals. After walking all over the city, we finally stumbled upon C'Asia, the coffee shop where this coupon is good. The instant we walked in the door, I knew I had found a safe place for my heart to roam...comfortable chairs, stools, candle-lit tables, delicious coffee, good music and free wi-fi - what more can a girl ask? I have since been back to pass a few hours sipping coffee and reading and I just feel so glad to have a place to relax and process!

Secondly, my class took a field trip to the nearby city of Baden Baden and spent three hours swimming in the mineral waters of the Caracalla baths...I think I found a part of heaven! Everyone knows that I am always happier in water, and there the water is the absolute perfect temperature to swim and relax for hours...outside one of the hot-spring pools is a giant whirlpool - great to just swim around and around and around quite quickly (any poor swimmer will feel accomplished with the help of the powerful wall jets that propell you along!) The have aromatic steam rooms, cold and hot water baths and the big baths that all stay right around 85-95 degrees...perfect. There are chairs under heat lamps where you can take a little nap and also massages available (for a fee, of course). Anyway, for the fairly reasonable entrance fee of 13 Euro, I feel confident that when I get stressed out every three months or so, I can go spend a few relaxing hours at Caracalla (a short 30 minute train ride from here!) and watch my stress melt away!

So, all of that to say, I feel reasonably supported to walk through my time here with a heart open to the little birds. I am learning so much every day, and glad to be here in spite of missing you all. The leaves continue turning spectacular shades of red and yellow - a show I get to watch every day from the windows in my room. 

Now I am just sitting in my room waiting for my ride to take me to Cindy's birthday party...it should be a fun night (although I am unsure how my German will hold up with a room full of native speakers with different dialects...I spend most of my time with exchange students who speak relatively slowly and use vocabulary that is easy for me to understand!) However, I will hopefully post soon pictures from the grand adventure I had yesterday in search of a scenic view of the Rhine River, and also post about the birthday party. Until then... ~love~

more from Munich

As promised (and maybe a little later than I anticipated) here is a little summary of my time in Munich while I wasn't at Oktoberfest. Munich is an incredibly beautiful and historic city and I really hope to return there soon to better appreciate all of the museums and outlying historic sites. However, I was quite content to see whatever was pretty centrally located and within walking-distance. My motto is generally walking is better than getting somewhere quickly (I can't even tell you how many cool things I have seen by walking from place to place and occasionally getting lost along the way!) So, here are a few pictures that exemplify my Munich experience...

These two pictures are of the city hall (Rathaus) on Marianplatz, one of the main squares in Munich city center. This ancient building is home of one of the most famous Glockenspiels in the world - during the summer it runs 4 times a day and in the winter, only 3 times per day. So of course when Amy and I went to see the elaborate movements of this clock, the square was crowded with hundreds of tourists. The crowds and the wait were well worth it, though - the figures move for a good 15 minutes and the bells continue chiming different tunes long after that (we were too hungry to wait around for too long!) The highlight I think was the joust that the figures execute. First, they just go around and Amy turned to me and said "wouldn't it be great if they like really jousted and one of them won?" then, what do you know? The next time around the blue knight dealt the red one a powerful blow, knocking him onto his back! (to thunderous applause...well, kinda)

Also, just off of this central square is the Frauenkirche or "Church of our Lady" of Munich - a beautiful church. Unfortunately we couldn't go up to the top of the towers because it was closed every time we were there. 

After a lovely morning walking around town, we stopped in to see the historic Hofbräuhaus to see one of the most famous beer halls in Munich (a city known for Beer Halls, and birthplace of Biergartens...a fabulous German tradition) It was so lovely and we were so hungry, we decided to eat there - a decision that cost us further sightseeing opportunties but was well worth the time spent experiencing the Bierhall culture. The band was fabulous and everyone was so friendly - I love this communal style of eating. People just sit down and strike up a conversation with complete strangers, talk about life over a beer and good food, then continue on their way.
Here you can see our accidental find of Gartenplatz - a beautiful square with cute shops all around. Just on the other side of this square was a fabulous cafe that served 32 different kinds of hot chocolate. Walking through this part of town, I felt like I was in the Munich that real Müncheners experience...it was a little off the beaten tourist path. 

In all, Munich was beautiful and a truly wonderful experience. I was struck by the beauty of the city no matter where we went. Most windows had flowerboxes overflowing with geraniums and the integration of green space and beautiful architecture. I appreciate the use of trees and greenery throughout many of the cities I have visited in Germany - it adds an air of cleanliness and romance to cities I think. Anyway, the train ride back was a bit of a disaster, about an hour standing in a crowded car, 45 minutes sitting on hard steps, and an unexplained 1/2 hour delay that turned our trip into a 6 hour ordeal...oh well. In all, it was worth every minute! For now, I'll wrap up this post. Love to you, my faithful readers...more to come!

People are people

Oktoberfest was an adventure from the start...Amy and I had walked about halfway to the train station when I relized that I had left my bus tickets sitting on my desk (baahhhh!) By the time we got back to our dorm, got the tickets and made it back to the train station, we had missed our train and had to wait an hour for the next one (definitely not the worst case scenerio!) We made it to Augsburg about 4 hours later (only an hour later than planned) and met up with two other girls from UNC who are studying in northern Germany (where I was last summer). We stayed the weekened in Augsburg and just took the train 45 minutes into Munich each day (all of the hotels, hostels, and park benches in Munich were already booked). So the first night we walked around Augsburg and saw the sights of this beautiful old town (known for its role in the doctrine of self-determination after the 30 years war, in case you were wondering). 

One of the girls from Greeley, Laura, just arrived in Germany on Wednesday and her mother traveled with here, thus her mom came with us to Oktoberfest - making me very jealous that my mom wasn't at Oktoberfest with me...

So this picture (above) is of Laura, her mom and Louisa, the German exchange student from Munich that lived with their family for the last year (there was a great moment in the train station in which Louisa's mom got to finally meet the woman who was the stand in mom for the last year...the beauty of human connection never ceases to move me) Louisa is clearly the one in the middle wearing the Dirndl which brings me to an important aside: traditional Bavarian clothing...

EVERYONE there was wearing Dirndls and Lederhosen (ok, well all the Germans, I fit right in with the tourist crowd in my jeans) I was not prepared for this at all. Secondly, there were shops and kiosks throughout the city where you could buy such traditional clothes for the low low price of (minimum) 200 Euro! I did hear of one guy who bought the whole lederhosen outfit (shirt, socks, shoes included) for 100 Euro, but that is the absolute lowest I ever heard of...crazy. Finally, not all of these dirndls (especially) were very traditional...we saw one that was bright pink with sequined butterflies (Schmetterling!) all over it. Oh, and we decided that it was really the manly men who wore lederhosen the whole time... (moral of the story - Oktoberfest involved a whole lot of really entertaining people-watching)

Back to the matter at hand...
Oktoberfest was like a Carnival times 1,000 - there were people of all ages, from infants all the way to very elderly people (in traditional garb, of course) There were rides and kiosks everywhere. One of my favorite discoveries was the asortment of rosted nuts (almonds, cashews, macadamia, pecans, chestnuts...you name it) the were roasted with sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, served warm and were absolutely delicious. You could buy pretzels as big as your arm, wurst of every kind, bread and all kinds of sweets. I would have been content just walking around the carnival and riding a few rides, but having the real Oktoberfest experience was something I could never have prepared myself for...

After a long and complicated process, the details of which I will omit here...let me know if you really want to know...we got into the Löwenbräuhaus tent (pictured above and below) The funny thing is, people talk about Oktoberfest and how the beer is served in tents by the big breweries and that was pretty much what I imagined - an actual tent, people coming and going. No. Absolutely not - it was like the coloseum or the main hall at the stock show - probably as big as a football field and a hard-sided building with more tables than you would think could fit in the space. 

 

Oktoberfest is a festival in every sense of the word, and I feel like I understand the nuances of this word so much more fully after this experience. There is an air of communal celebration that I have never experienced on such a grand scale. It would be impossible to sit at one of these tables and not feel the contageous joy and jocularity that filled the hall. The band in the middle played music from across the spectrum - old marches, German pop songs, drinking songs, and all kinds of international music (including but not limited to the Beatles, ABBA, John Denver and others) When the band wasn't playing, groups would randomly break into song and the whole tent would join in. The picture above is our group of 6 plus the three Germans we sat with. We had surprisingly good and deep conversations with them in the 5 or so hours we spent in the tent.

So, moral of the story, as Laura's mom, Melissa, so aptly put it - people are people. There were people from literally all over the world at Oktoberfest and despite language and cultural barriers, the joy and community spirit brought everyone together in order to celebrate in this fall festival. We are such relational beings and it only takes something like this for us to see past the walls that divide us and provide boldness to sit next to and talk with strangers in such a way that they don't feel like strangers anymore, but friends and fellow journeymen in life. I just love getting to know new people and see the imprint of God's craftmanship in their beautiful faces and Oktoberfest provided another great opportunity to do so. 

Don't worry - you'll probably hear more about this trip in the near future, but I think this is enough for one post! If you've had enough, mabye you shouldn't check back for a few days... ! ~love~

In other news...

I leave for Munich this weekend with Amy to meet up with two other UNC students...pictures to follow!

And so it is

The city of Karlsruhe is absolutely beautiful. The weather changes often but I have seen the sun at least once every day, a great comfort to my Colorado heart. As is often the case, in the smallest moments I find true peace and sense of home. With each passing day I believe more and more that I can feel safe and at home here - that this is a place where my heart has room to grow.

On Sunday evening Cindy and Lea came over and we walked through the castle grounds. Sundays in Germany are funny in that almost all businesses are closed (the only exceptions being cafés, some restraunts and some drug stores) so the park was full of families and friends out enjoying a restful day. I find it interesting in a country that has largely abandoned religion, the day of rest remains so strictly in place. Anyway, the castle is beautiful and the grounds extensive and well-groomed. We went to the playground with Lea and I have to say that Germans know what they are doing when they make playgrounds - they are fantastic

 (more on that later...) Then, as we were walking back through the park, there happened to be a launching of a hot air balloon from the middle of the park. We got to watch as they spread out the balloon and filled it with air - it was fun to watch it take off. Lea checked its progress every few minutes, always making sure she could see it, and noting that it kept going higher and higher.

Me and Lea in front of the castle

I have begun attending an intensive language course here which has proven more effective as a meeting place for new friends than a challenging class in which my German will improve (the subject matter is rather elementary). However, it is helpful to get back into discussing, taking notes and learning in German, and perhaps more helpful to enter into a ready made group of friends.

These are some of the people in my class: back left is Johann from Paris, next to him is Sophie from Switzerland, at the head of the table is Chad from North Carolina, next to him is Justina from Prague and in the back right is Jonathan from North Carolina. The last two nights Johann has cooked (last night was very much a collaborative effort) and it took about two hours from the beginning until we started eating - something with French perfectionism concerning food I guess! 

I always intend to keep these posts short and managable, but it seems that I have failed yet again! As I walk through my days here, I am continually reminded of the call to love - I am here to love and to live fully, as I am daily filled with love and true life. And so I will begin anew tomorrow and the days following - I journey on. ~love~

Good news, bad news

I am resurrecting a favorite “how was your day” game that Matty Hartness and I used to play at the dinner table in the staff room way back when…

Bad news: it is already really cold here

Good news: I don’t have to pay separate utilities so I already turned my heat on!

 

Bad news: my room is the farthest from the bathroom

Good news: there is a mirror and a sink in my room

 

Good news: my German is getting better

Bad news: when I ask about a translation or vocab word, often 5 year old Lea is the one who provides me with an answer

 

Good news: I got to travel to the black forest region with Cindy on Saturday and the weather was absolutely perfect: sunny and clear

Bad news: we both forgot our cameras

So, on that note, I'd like to share with you a little about my black forest adventure (without pictures...sorry - use your imaginations!)

Cindy and Lea picked me up and we traveled about 20 minutes to the base of the mountains  and the black forest region - that is where Cindy attended Gymnasium (an equivalent of our high school) she commuted there from her hometown in the mountains. The landscape is absolutely beautiful - flat plain running into small mountains with vinyards and farmland running right up the sides of the mountains, bordering dense forest. We then went onto the road that runs along high points throughout the range. From there we stopped to enjoy the view from a lookout point from which you can see across the flatlands surrounding the Rhine river and on to the mountains in France - it was simply breathtaking! 

We enjoyed a picnic along the way (something which Germans don't really do - we encountered many curous onlookers!) traveled to a beautiful little spot called Ruhestein. All along the way we saw a few ski lifts about the length of the one on the bunny slope, but steeper, I will admit. In Ruhestein there were cows grazing on the hillside, a ski lift running so people could ride up and hike down, a traditional house that is typical for this region of Germany, and the border stone that marks the border between the previously separate, now united states of Baden and Würtemburg (now collectively known as Baden-Würtemburg). 

Making our way back towards Karlsruhe, we stopped at a beautiful mountain lake called Mummelsee - the location of a German epic fairy tale about the ghost of a mermaid or something like that. There was a man dressed up as this ghost creature of the lake who gave us shells so we can listen to them and hear the sound of Mummelsee wherever we are. We walked around the lake, went for a spin in a paddle boat and enjoyed a cup of coffee.

Everything was so beautiful, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the images in my memory and that is a sad thought. Cindy promised a trip back there in the near future with cameras so that I can solidify my experience a little more concretely! 

from the internet: this gives you the idea of the man dressed up - it was pretty great!

also from my good friend wikipedia, this is a view of Mummelsee - just to give you an idea

A little Emily Dickinson does the soul good

Because I am too tired to share with you the excitement of my day, I will just share this poem I stumbled upon tonight that blessed my soul (as Emily Dickinson is wont to do)

Dare you see a soul at the white heat?

Then crouch within the door

Red is the fire's common tint;

But when the vivid ore

Has sated flame's conditions,

Its quivering substance plays

Without a color but the light

Of unannointed blaze.

Least village boasts its blacksmith,

Whose anvil's even din

Stands symbol for the finer forge

That soundless tugs within,

Refining these impatient ores

With hammer and with blaze

Until the designated light

Repudiate the forge.

~Emily Dickinson

There's no stick...

Right now I am feeling absolutely outsmarted by my dumb computer. Somehow I have navigated this day quite successfully (much credit due to the lovely Cindy for her selfless service to the cause of “help Bekah have a smooth transition…”). I opened a bank account, obtained health insurance, unpacked, set up a phone (on which I can only receive, not place calls, unfortunately for me) and yet somehow the internet is outsmarting me. on that note, let me just vent briefly: there are a lot of people in the world who have Macs, its not that hard to include instructions of how to do something on a Mac, and finally, probably the most frustrating thing that a determined computer user like me can encounter is the sudden and unexpected errors that programs encounter that cause them to shut down at the exact moment that I am pushing my chair back in order to begin a preemptive victory dance. So, needless to say, LAN internet: 1, Bekah: 0. 

Sorry to everyone who is concerned for my safety – I have no means of communicating to you all that I made it safe and sound. I am jet-lagged, but relatively none worse for the wear. I am mostly moved into my room. I have a list of projects to complete tomorrow and tentative plans to travel somewhere fun with Cindy on Saturday. I realize that as I type this that I will have somehow won the internet battle in order to post this, but at the moment it feels sad to be so utterly cut off from all of you who love me most and best. I love you all tremendously, I will find an internet café in the morning, and post a happier more triumphant entry tomorrow. I hope. 

A few tears shed

Well, I was doing pretty good the weeks, days and even hours leading up to my much anticipated departure for Germany. Anticipating a year away has brought on the full range of emotions, but saying goodbye at the Denver airport this morning evoked a deep sadness and pre-emptive homesickness. Hugging my mom then watching the mountains disappear on the horizon as I flew east, I shed a few heartfelt tears. 

As I sit in the Chicago airport, though, I am so thankful for a home, family and community that I could miss this much. I am so blessed to be surrounded by an incredible group of people, diverse and beautiful in their unique God-breathed identities. The knowledge that you all will be waiting with open arms when I return next summer warms my heart and brings a different sort of tears to my eyes. So, I would like to start this blog (and conclude my first foray into this virtual world) with a thank you to all of you who love me that will read this. I am blessed beyond measure to know and love you. I carry you all in my heart.

Victory!

I begin this blog chronologically out of order in order to celebrate and add a note of clarification...

First, I would like to welcome you all to my Germany blog - as of now, I have no idea how this project will evolove, but I am excited to share my journey with you all, thank you for loving me enough to walk with me even as I carry on my life an ocean away

Second, please rejoice with me as I celebrate my not so small victory over my internet connection here in my new home in Europahaus 17. C 301! I have been unable to post up until now because the instructions for how to set up the internet (besides being in German...the least of my problems) were only for PCs - I'm learning that Germany is not friendly towards Macs (shame on them!) So, after three days of set-up wizards, manual entry of various router numbers, and marginal success (I was somehow able to connect to skype and ichat but unable to browse the internet) I triumphed at last!

Thirdly, in the process of my travel and first few days here, I wrote a few blog entries on my computer that I will include after this post. Again, thank you all for coming on this journey with me - Wilkommen!