So Far...

Well...time for an update, I guess. I have now been in Germany for three weeks, have traveled around different towns in the south, and am now gallivanting in the big cities of the north. So far I have eaten the cheek of pig, escargot(aka snails), deer, and baby horse among other things, and have tried a multitude of different beers, liquors, and wines. I've also taken up to running almost every day...which apparently must not be a very popular sport here since pretty much every person I pass on the trails stares at me like I am out of my mind for strapping on running shoes and moving in a motion faster than a walk.

Anyways, I have realized that this trip is much less of a working trip than I thought it would be...in fact, it has seemed more like twelve weeks of vacation where I have been attempting to learn German. I feel somewhat useless, as my days are often spent either golfing (oh, if you could just see how good I am...jokes), going out for coffee and cake...or some other form of good food, shopping, or reading...either one of many English books or one of many German childrens books...yup, you read correctly...kids books. And I am slightly embarrassed to admit that it took me no less than a week to get through a story book about a young girl going on her first shopping trip to the grocery store to buy milk and plumcake...although, it probably took that long because I would throw the book aside in frustration at my lack of understanding. And for someone who reads A LOT, it was very frstrating when I couldn't understand something that was meant for a four year old. Thus, I would turn to one of my trusted English novels...of which my supply is slowly dwindling. I have had to make several trips to the Feuchtwangen library just to stock up. One particular time, I remember sheepishly walking in and asking the lady at the front desk, "Wo sind die Englishen Bücher?" She hopped right out of her seat ad began speaking in the most rapid German, all the while booking it around the library (no pun intended) to lead me to the small selection of English books. So, there I was -- running after her (actually), pretending to understand her and firing off my feeble array of "oh, vielen dank," and "Ja, ja..." with the appropriate head nods. Ah...good times. Needless to say, in the last six weeks I have read The Count of Monte Cristo (completely different than the movie), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (one word: weird), Catcher in the Rye (read it...if you haven't already), The Nanny Diaries (had to read it before the movie comes out), Eragon (bit cheesy...but ok), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (for the second time -- still obviously phenomenal), and am now simultaneously reading Eldest (the second book of the Eragon series) and The Hobbit. I read a lot...and apparently really fast, cause one book doesn't ever seem to last me more than two or three days.

So, right now I am in Schwerin...a beautiful small city of about 100 000 people, situated between Rostock and Hamburg, formerly East Germany. It's crazy, when you look at the old, crumbling, simple structured buildings, to see just how suppressed this side of the country actually was, having been previously under Socialist rule. Yup...but I'm not going to pretend to understand everything about the politics of a country I am only just visiting, so I'll resort to tell you that I have been having a great time here. I've made a few trips into Hamburg to go shopping and to see the sights, spent a morning in a Grade 5 classroom talking about Canada, and have spent the others days sitting by the lake and tanning...it's awesome. I leave to head back to the south tomorrow morning (the train systems here are much better than in Italy), and next week will travel to Munich, where I will stay with another family for a few days, and hang out with a friend from Calgary who will also be visiting. It seems bizarre that three weeks have already passed by...I have been away from Canada for six weeks now, and my trip is half over. Only three more weeks and then Heather will be here.

On a different note, this trip has been challenging in ways that I didn't expect. I was excited that maybe these twelve weeks would prove to be similar to my time in Winnipeg after my engagement was broken off...a time when I felt incredibly alone and yet so very close to Jesus. I look back on that time and often miss the hours I spent with God...totally immersed in His presence. Considering I am quite similarly alone over here in Europe, I have been surprised to find how much more challenging it has been to make time for God. My desire for Him has not stemmed from heartache, as it did just over a year ago, but rather from the need to feel something that is familiar, or from the need to just rest, or, in all honesty, from the need to speak English with someone.

Anyways, this is getting long...but I promised an update. There will be more to come...hopefully with pictures, if I can ever hack into a wireless signal on my stupid computer.

I miss Canadian life, and I miss all of you...and can't wait to be homein 43 days.

Love, Kate