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!