I am so excited to be able to keep up with friends in a more concise, productive way. It has been tempting to email everyone I love individually with every exciting/scary/awe-inspiring moment since I have been here, but honestly, I would never get a damn thing done.
Let’s just say that I’m in Germany and I absolutely love it. We have been having some problems with official stuff that is holding up our pay and reimbursement for travel expenses and accommodations since we’ve arrived. Even that (pretty darn big) problem has not distracted us from how much we absolutely love this place.
Schweinfurt is picture of our ideal European town. We are staying in the center of the town. We have our choice of dozens of coffeeshops, bakeries, dirndl-shops and bookstores. There’s even an H&M across the street! At the same time, though, we can hear church bells from a few blocks away chiming away all the time. At 11:00 tonight, we hear the church bells again; a softer version than earlier today, but still reminding us, “Hey! You’re in Europe!”
...the view from our hotel room.
School is school. It’s like every day we are transported from our little Euro-haven to a miniature American High School. It is so bizarre, transitioning from our little town square to the Honda that so dutifully picks us up each morning to our little pocket of the United States and back daily. And don’t even get me started on the different languages I interact with on a daily basis. Yikes. The German woman at the gästette (family kitchen/restaurant) asked us, in English, how our meal was. I replied, “muy bien…er…sehr gut…thanks.”
Zeughaus Gästette. Currywurst. Before
Zeughaus Gästette. Currywurst. After
Well, other than the whole going-to-work thing, this is still feeling vacation-y. Which is why it’s a total bummer to have to think about things like bedtime at 11:30 on a Sunday. Especially this Sunday, when all I want to do is stay up all night remembering alongside my fellow Americans. I spent a good portion of the day remembering that day and being so grateful to not have lost anyone 10 years ago and thankful to all those who continue to support my country.
I also spent a good part of my day exploring/falling in love with this city. Pictures to come whenever I figure out how to do that here.
Love. Amor. Liebe.
Señorita Fräulein 