All moved in

Yesterday I moved into my new home. It is great. I carried my three suitcases through the front door and dropped them in my room and called'er quits for the day. Pretty tough move ;) Well, that is all I have in Chicago at the moment cause I came here straight from Germany. My car and most of the remainder of my stuff in it is slowly making it's way out here. Last night I made Sari and I dinner and we sat and had a bottle of wine while visiting to get to know each other. She is great and we get along very well. I think the situation will work out good. Still have to organize and move some things around in my room. Since it was a quick move in she wasn't quite prepared and still has personal things in there. We'll slowly get it all situated. For now, it works and I am gradually getting comfortable. Today I got some groceries and then I found my new church. Since I am going to have to work on Sundays I needed to find a Saturday night service and I found it. It was a younger crowd, good music, and good message. They also have alot going on and lots of ways to get involved so it should be good. That was easy (not surprisingly when I think of how everything else has been coming easily as well). After church, I walked around the city a bit and then headed back to the condo. All of the sudden I got in organization mode so I reorganized the entire kitchen. It was actually pretty fun and helped get me familar with all that I had access to. Sari didn't mind cause she doesn't cook much, but the kitchen is always my favorite place in the house so I'm glad I got to be a part of it's new creation :) Tomorrow will be a full prep day for the start of my new job on Monday. Coming down to the wire. One more day of my extended vacation :)

Quick hunt and thankfully over :)

So I went and looked at my first room rental this morning and meet the owner and person who would be my roommate. It was great! She is great and the place is beautiful. So many amenities and close to work. That was easy :) When you "go with the grain" in life, things always come a little easier. I have learned that many of times :) It is right in the city, a few blocks from the lake, very nice neighborhood, in a high rise building with floor to ceiling windows, 2bed/2bath, fully furnished (remember, I don't have any furniture since I sold it all before the move to Germany) and a 20 minute walk to work. Sari will be my new roommate and she is very sweet and friendly. We both have a travel bug so will have lots to talk about. Looking forward to moving in this weekend. So glad I can now just relax and prep for my new job starting on Monday. Tomorrow will be so nice to stay at the house (my cousin's house that is). Still jet-legging a little but getting closer to on schedule :)

On the hunt

This week is apartment hunting week. Was difficult for me to drag myself out of the house and go into the city yesterday but very glad that I did. Thank God I have friends that push me when I need a little shove. Just felt a little overwhelmed when I first got here but I was calmed a little after my days events. Picked up some maps, rode the EL, visited with a potential roommate, walked around a bit, and stopped in my new store to explore and say hi to my new boss. The store is so nice. I LOVE IT! The music was fun, the employees were all happy and friendly, the displays were beautiful, and I walked around admiring this new place called "my work." I had a quick visit with my boss and the education director and they are soooo cool and genuinely friendly. Although I am quite nervous, all of those factors make it exciting to get started and get the new job jitters out of the way. Today I have a couple more places to look at. I really hope I find a good one so I can be done with this. I'm not a big a fan of apartment hunting especially finding a new roommate right now. I'm sure it will work out just fine :) Update soon...

The end of a chapter...not the book

A very hard goodbye once again but this time quite a bit harder. After a chill Saturday of fruehstueck with Suse, some walking, a little shopping, a friend Stefano's basketball game, and some Gilmore Girls, the last day of my trip to Heidelberg had come. Sunday was sadly a day of goodbyes and some very heartfelt moments. Sunday morning I met up with my American girlfriends, Grace and Abby and we had coffee at a cute little breakfast place. They were both very sweet to meet up with me and walk me back to the apartment as we wished each other the best. Then Gerhard picked up Caro and I and we went to watch her little cousin Felix play basketball. I was able to spend some time with Kay, Gonilla, Niklas, Felix, and Katharine one more time and say my goodbyes to them. (Gonilla is Anke’s niece, Kay is Gonilla’s husband) They are such a sweet family and another part of Caro’s family that was so welcoming, made me feel like part of the family,will be missed and forever be in my heart. They gave me a very sweet going-away gift of photos, of when I first came to Germany, that were placed in a little photo cube. Sooo thoughtful and very cherished. After the game we headed back home for a little afternoon coffee and kuchen and made our way to the USC-HD basketball game. (Another of Caro and I’s Sunday traditions). We, not surprisingly, missed the bus AGAIN so decided to splurge and take a cab so we could actually see the beginning of the game for once. It was a great game and afterward we followed another tradition and went to our favorite Thai place for dinner. After dinner it was time to do some last minute packing and avoid going to sleep in hopes that the morning wouldn’t come so quickly. In avoidance of the sadness and for a little laughter, we watched a few episodes of Gilmore Girls and then attempted to sleep for a couple hours. Then…. this morning came :( The inevitable goodbye. Why do they have to be so hard? They are especially hard when you leave someone whom you have seen and/or talked to most every day for the past 9 months, someone who has become your best friend, someone who has influenced your life in so many ways in such a short amount of time, and someone who supports you, loves you, helps guide you and understands and accepts you for all that you are. Your heart aches, you’re short of breath, a big knot sticks in the back of your throat, and tears continue to periodically fall from your tired eyes. It seems I have had a couple versions of this experience, more than once and yet it never gets any easier and always hurts like hell; a part of life that we can’t avoid as much as we may try.
At 7:30am this morning, Gerhard and Caro gave me a ride to the Frankfurt airport. It was a pretty quiet trip but very meaningful. After an hour and a half, we made it to the airport, I checked my bags in, and we had a little breakfast. We shared some laughs, some hugs, and some tears and then the time came for me to pass through the gates and step on a plane taking me to the other side of the world once again. While crossing the point allowed for passengers only, I couldn’t stop turning back to wave goodbye, not wanting to let go, not wanting to face my extreme sadness or deal with the fact that I was actually leaving and not coming back for a while. It was a pretty awful feeling. Now, I’ll give myself the chance to grieve a little and then push forward as I always do. I guess it’s time for another adventure; a new chapter. The mind of a man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps….so here I go. It's gonna be a busy next couple of weeks apartment hunting and starting a new job. But never will I forget the chapter that is now coming to an end. Even if it didn't go quite as I had planned, I came out pretty good after a little decision last June to work at a kids camp in the middle of nowhere, California. It, so surprisingly, led me up to a chance to live in a new country, knowledge of a new language, meeting a new group of family, and being blessed with another amazing best friend. Things always happen for a reason and I can give you so many other examples of events in my life that have ultimately led me here. Interesting how we sometimes don’t actually see the reason for some of those evnets until a good chunk of time down the road, if even at all. All I know is… Germany, so unexpectedly, now holds a piece of my heart and always will. Goodbye Heidelberg :( …Hello Chicago :)

Last weekend in Germany

Friday morning was spent packing up all of my things so that I could enjoy my last weekend without having to worry about it. It will be interesting to see if the bags are too heavy. I have a pile of books to lug back with me so I’m a bit concerned. After packing, my afternoon was spent with Anke, Caro’s mother. It was sooo nice. We walked around a couple book stores looking for a good German cookbook to take home with me. I found a couple little ones with some traditional recipes in them and am very excited to try them. Then Gerhard, Caro’s father, met up with us at a little coffee place and we enjoyed our coffee while having a great visit. I enjoy their company very much and will miss them dearly when I leave. They have done so much for me while I lived here and are very special family to me. The evening was spent cooking Schafskaese with our friend Suse. Schafskaese, meaning sheep cheese, is baked in the oven with onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and spices and then accompanied by a fresh baguette. Very delicious! One of my faves for sure. Caro got home just as the food was finished and we sat down for a great dinner and a couple bottles of Prosecco. It was such a fun girls night with excellent food, good drinks, and great friends. We visited, listened to music, and enjoyed our time together on the Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg. I must say my German was in prime condition and I am sooo sad that I won’t be hearing the language much anymore to practice and learn. A couple more months and I would have definitely had the hang of it. BUT I already found a great place in Chicago where I can take some German classes if I can find the right class times. YEAH!

A little side note

Last week I baked a "German Chocolate Cake" while in Germany :) The other funny thing is that it was actually an American box cake so it wasn't German at all! Hee hee :) OH WAIT....I guess I did use German eggs, water and yogurt so one might consider it slightly authentic ;)

Mein letztes Hausgemacht Deutsches Essen

Last night I was able to enjoy one last homemade German meal with Anke, Gerhard and Caro before I leave. It was great, of course. On the menu this time was steamed brussel sprouts, steamed kohlrabi in a home-made "cream" sauce (a little cream, flour, water,broth, and spices) and pfannkuchen with cheese and ham. Pfannkuchen is a German flat pancake made of milk, flour and eggs. Anke is most always using whole grains and the best ingredients, so of course it was probably a little healthier than some in the country. Pancakes here are eaten mostly as a savory dish rather than a sweet one with syrup as in the States. You put the pancake on your plate and fill it with what you like (in this case it was cheese, ham and maybe the kohlrabi with sauce) and then you roll it up. I could definitely make something of this sort back home. Very delicious. In fact, I am about to go out in search of my very own German cook book to take back with me to Chicago so I can prepare some of these dishes when I am missing Heidelberg. Also, I can then share them with all of you!