Algunos pensamientos a empezar el ano. Necesito practicar mi espanol mas, entonces voy a blog en espanol. Han eliminado mi clase de espanol, entonces voy a continuar en el nivel bajo. Pero me gusta la profesora Lola. Tambien, tengo planes a viajar un poco mas al Pais Vasco, Valencia con mis padres cuando vengan, y posible al sur a Almeria o Sevilla y Marruecos!
Just kidding. I know that the majority of you don't speak Spanish, so I won't blog in Spanish. However, please know that I'm translating this into Spanish as I type it just so that I can practice.
December was fantastic followed by a great trip to Germany. I'll just tell the highlights! The 36 hour bus ride to Germany was a bit frustrating. The bus broke down inside the France border and we sat/slept on the bus for 6 hours waiting for another bus to come get us. After we got to Germany and all the Spanish speakers had gotten off the bus, I was left at the final stop having to switch buses with only German and I had no clue where I was or where I was going and I had no way of asking. So I just followed the crowd of people that were waddling with their suitcases and saying "Frankfurt...Frankfurt." It was comical and I only cried a little bit out of my frustration; I hate not knowing where I am. I connected with Esther and her dad at the bus station in Frankfurt and it was all uphill from there.
They live in a small village about 45 minutes away. Seemed like less driving 140km/hour on the autobahn. Her house was like a five star hotel compared to my little room in Spain. Real carpet, a real family, a real dining room table with fresh bread and homemade jam every morning. We drove around and saw all of her favorite places in her villages, went to church, ate a fancy meal at a 1000euro/month country club, saw a German castle, a Coptic Orthodox monestary, and ate bratwurst in downtown Frankfurt. We were taking the train back to her village from Frankfurt and we got distracted watching an Italian man play with his little toddler son so we weren't sure which stop we were at. Esther got off the train to check the sign, but the doors closed! I was still on the train and she was on the platform and the train slowly started pulling away and we gave each other that look of terror and panic through the glass. I giggled but secretly I was terrified because I was on a train going somewhere I didn't know. She called my cell (lucky she had the number) and told me which stop to get off at. Then she proceeded to come on the next train. I don't think I'll ever forget that look of panic we gave each other!
New Years eve was celebrated in the house of a friend of a friend. 9 people who didn't really know each other including the one who didn't speak German. Good thing they all learn English in school, so they can speak English good enough to communicate. We stood outside on a hill outside the village at midnight in a dense icy fog and shot off fireworks, drank champagne, and listened to the fireworks going on all around us and watching this fog turn pink and green. I learned to count down from 10 in German and say Happy New Year. I practiced all day to prepare.
It was a great time!! It was difficult to come back to Spain for several reasons. There's no real comfortable home to come back to. No fresh bread and homemade jam every morning. It made me a bit homesick and it was hard to come back to Spain knowing that I wasn't really going "home" anyway. So the bus ride was a bit bitter, but then I get here to smiling faces and warm greetings. Then this morning...church. A great Sunday School where we talked about how good God is (a common topic), then an amazing cup of coffee, and tons of people came for the service. An amazing energy was in the air and God reminded me gently but firmly that this is where I'm supposed to be and it's a great honor and privilege to be on His side and work for Him and be here with these people at this time with the rich cultures. There's definitely an air of newness and new beginning and I know the future holds no fear and no worry. 2008 is starting off very well.
Esther's family's house.
Peter, Gisela, and Esther Kohler.
All the German words look like the letters have been put in a blender and were put back out of order.
German countryside:
Driving down a street in her village:
Approaching the Castle.
Esther, Katarina and Francy in the freezing fog on New Years Eve.
Me and Esther partying!
Downtown Frankfurt
Can you tell I'm about to die of hypothermia?
Esther and her 88 year old grandmother (she patted me on the cheek and told Esther that she could tell I was a good person because I looked her in the eye. She called me the German equivalent of "darling" and Esther said that means she liked me.)
3 comments:
All I can say is WOW. What an adventure. I would like to drive the autoban if i had the right vehicle. My Toyota wouldn't cut it. love you Lisa
You're so brave,Lisa! A great example of trusting God. It's so amazing how different Germany looks from Spain when they are so close together.
Wow! That is super scary! Please don't get lost in Germany again!
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