This picture is an intersection of my Kandern home and my Chicago home.

Reflections on Home….

Last week we held our annual Senior Transition Seminar where we prepare our seniors for the coming life changing transition they will go through. Besides graduating from high school and going to college, these kids will, in all likelihood, be saying goodbye to countries and cultures they have lived in most of their life, to take up life in their passport country. One of the practical things we had the students think about was to figure out how to answer the question: “Where are you from?”

It is not new information for them to think about how difficult this question is to answer. For years they have hated and dreaded this question. And knowing that most people they meet during their first few days on a foreign college campus are NOT going to want to hear: “Well, I was born in Russia, then I lived in Uzbekistan for 10 years, then Kyrgystan for 6 years. But I went to high school at a boarding school in Germany before coming here.” Yet that is the way most of our students could answer that question.

I, too, hate that question. A few years ago, I came up with my standard answer for people who I know don’t really want to know about my life. When asked: “Where are you from?” I say: “Chicago is home.” That’s what most people really are asking anyway.

Even “home” is a mixed bag. We’ve all heard the cliché “Home is where the heart is.” I believe it and my life has called (and still does) 7 different places “home”. They are places that I am/have been comfortable in, that have played a part in shaping me, places that I miss, where people are near and dear to my heart. Home for me is: Mexico; Jamaica; Ithaca, NY; Rochester, NY; Camp Troutburg; Chicago and Kandern, Germany.

I’d love to tell you memories of all these homes, to tell you about the people who were a part of that time in my life. I’d love to show you pictures of each place and show you how my heart leaps when I’m reminded of moments there. But this letter isn’t the time and place for that. It is, on the other hand, the time and place for me to reflect on how my current home became home for me.

Fifteen years ago this coming summer marks the first moment I came into this community. It began an adventure I never imagined. It was the first time I’d lived in “the country” and the first time I’d lived in a place where I didn’t speak the language. It was here that I came alive, loving teenagers and feeling so useful in ministry to missionary kids like me. Here is where I grew to love the simple, peaceful life of a small town with a creek running through it. Kandern is where I encountered the best chocolate the world has to offer, also great yogurt, cheap gouda cheese and raclette meals. This is where I got to marvel at students who speak 3-4 languages before they even enter my classroom to learn one more! Here is where I’ve been able to see history older than our entire country around almost every corner. BFA is where I have been able to invest in lives in a way I didn’t think was possible.

And this is the home that I am now leaving. After these years of joyful service to God and to missionary families, I am faced with a need to say goodbye. With the seniors I am a class sponsor for, I am approaching the same transition time they are. I am going through all the “lasts” of life here and all the goodbyes that will be necessary to face in a few weeks. It’s not an easy stage of life to go through, but a necessary one.

This life changing move comes from many months of praying, counsel seeking and facing the truth. The decision to leave BFA does not come from a desire to end this chapter of ministry. I continue to be passionate about loving and serving missionary families and empowering God’s work around the world. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get the necessary financial support in order to stay. It’s disappointing, but I also feel that God is using this struggle to bring me into a new phase of life.

I do not know where God is leading me. “Chicago is home” yet I do not feel like God has promised to let me settle there once I leave BFA. My future is wide open. I would ask you to pray for my future. Please pray that I would see where God is leading and I would be obedient to what He is asking of me. I am confident that God is trustworthy. Although I am sad about leaving this home, and scared about the unknown future, I know I can rely on my Heavenly Father to be all that I need. Please pray that I will cling to Jesus as I face the challenges of this time of “Transition”.

3rd Quarter Recap

So, what has this 3rd quarter looked like for me? Here's a quick review:



I love my ducks! I've been trying to name them, but I don't want to use something cheesy like Hewey, Dewey and Lewey just because there are three of them. Plus they're not actually mine. They already have names their owner gave them... But just about every day this year, I have enjoyed my walks to and from school because of these darling ducks that live about a half block away from me. Their owner has a fenced in area and pen for them at night, but during the day they hang out in the creek by my apartment. Aren't they precious? (I also had a wonderful time watching and talking to a multitude of ducks while on the following weekend trip to France.


Bible Study Group Retreat

My group decided to take a weekend retreat to a Bed & Breakfast that caters to missionaries in central France, a short road trip away. What a wonderful weekend of comfortable, cozy housing, amazing cooking, historical touring, quiet time with God and bonding with girlfriends. This weekend was honestly a gift from God (and a friend) at a time I needed it most. God has used this group of ladies to encourage me and draw me closer to Him. They are a constant source of joy, friendship and support. I thank God for them.


Pep Band!

I watched Pep Band a couple years ago, watched some friends who were not percussionist handling a triangle and I thought: "I could probably do that!" So this year, when my friend who directs Pep Band started talking about it coming up, I asked if maybe she could coach me through playing the triangle in Pep Band. Next thing I knew I had sheet music for four songs. I arrived at the first rehearsal absolutely clueless and proceeded to play Triangle, Crashing Cymbals, and the Guiro. I asked Katie for private lessons after that and she patiently helped me work out how to read the music (kind of), taught me how to play the Cymbals (the most nerve-racking of all my instruments)and best of all encouraged and trusted me. YIKES! But I had so much fun! By the end of the basketball season, we had added two more songs, and therefore I added even more instruments to my repetoire (the tamborine, maracas and the Cabasa) just for fun. Now I feel like I can really call myself a Salvationist since I can say I played in a band! And I have an awesome t-shirt to prove it!


Spanish 3 Field Trip to Madrid:

I must admit that all year I worried about this trip. The two times I planned and took this trip before, I had a grand total of four students. This year I had 20 students! Big, huge difference! Finding appropriate, affordable housing was the greatest challenge. I also had to decide on a variety of churches to go to, since our full group would have overwhelmed any one church. Finding seating in restaurants was also a challenge. The final strain was the fact that one of the adult sponsors and I were both sick the week we left. A lot of people were sick, actually, and we had to leave one student behind due to illness. But Rob and I powered through our fevers. My cough had been bad enough leading up to the trip that the first two days I barely had a voice at all. There were even more challenges I won't include, but suffice to say, this trip was a bit of a heavy weight. But as always, God is faithful! The students had an excellent time! They saw and experienced a lot of Spanish culture. They practiced their language skills and gained confidence in their abilities. When we debriefed post-trip, I was amazed at how positive they were about the trip. Glowing reports! God is good.


Illness:
As just mentioned, I went through about three weeks of sickness. If I could self-diagnose, according to symptoms on google :-) I'd guess I had bronchitis. But there were flus, pneumonias and mono going around, so who really knows. I only missed one day of school, but I definitely got behind in grading since I was dealing with Madrid and needing to rest all at the same time. I also got to experience some of the nastiest prescription strength cough syrup in Spain. My second night in Madrid, I knew I wouldn't make it without something. A pharmacist agreed to give me the prescription stuff (I would've been better off with plain old Robatussin). I'm still amazed I made it through 5-6 helpings of the stuff. Thinking about it now a month later triggers my gag reflex. Never again! Anyway, I was grateful when spring break came along and allowed for much needed rest (and time to catch up on my grading!)


Teaching:
I continue loving my students and my time in the classroom! The other day I was reviewing some grammar points with my Sp. 3 class and by the end of the period the whiteboard was covered in notes and I just had to smile! I love sharing with my students that little bit of expertise that I know. When my Spanish 1 students put together sentences that haven't been formed for them, when they see that they can combine what they learned two chapters ago with what they learned today, it makes my heart leap. When I get to watch my students act out the Don Quijote comic book we've been reading, I realize how blessed I am to be able to do a job that I love to do.


This is long, I know! I wish I wrote on here more often so I wouldn't be stuck trying to fill everything into one post. Thanks for caring enough to read this far!

Blessings!

Meet Yolanda II

I’d like to introduce you to Yolanda II (a friend of hers was a former student of mine. She wanted to use the same Spanish name as her friend and be called “the second” II) Yolanda, both the I and the II, were in my small group two years ago. Now that they are no longer in my small group, I was so happy to see Yolanda II on my class list so I would still have a connection with her. Although her parents are currently living here in Kandern, they normally serve in Siberia. Yes, I’m for real, Yolanda II really did grow up in Siberia. It’s not just a metaphor for a punishing far away place! Yolanda II is one of my “bright spots” - the kind of teenager who not only works hard and tries hard to achieve excellence in the classroom, but who has an intense strength of character. She truly desires to grow and to honor God in all that she does.

In her words: "When I first heard about BFA, I hated the very thought of living in a boarding school, away from my family and friends. I was accustomed to a TCK life in Siberia and I understood the Russian culture like no other. Every time my family returned to America for home service, I would feel like the freak show from the frozen lands. So when God clearly led my parents to enroll me at BFA, I protested with all my might. Despite my arguments, I moved to Germany and have spent the last two and a half years here at BFA. Those years can barely be put into one paragraph, but I will do my best.  As my parents moved back to Siberia, I was forced to make my faith my own. As I mentioned before, I had no clue what western culture was like. Even simple things like looking people in the eyes; Russians would never do that. My first semester at BFA was very hard. I excluded myself from the community at school, not understanding the culture of Europe, much less the combined cultures of 52 countries represented at BFA. I no longer was the foreign child that followed her Christian parents around; I longed to develop my walk with Christ. (I had said the prayer when I was seven and hadn’t done very much at all since then.) He was the only One who was always there for me, not depending on my actions or expressions. As I’ve walked with Him through this time at BFA, learning some painful/joyful lessons and knowing more of who God is, a certain image always remained in my mind. I picture a raging swirling tornado of grey and black, where there is no way out. In the center, unmoving, is a beam of light. This light is God and He’s asking me to hold on to Him. I think most TCK’s struggle with all the change that goes on around them. They all say: “Oh yeah, well this move wasn’t a biggie. I’m used to change. Done it all my life.” In reality, I think this change has hurt us and brings painful memories every time we move. But with God as our focus and guide, we won’t be shaken, no matter where and when we leave our homes. BFA seemed the worst thing that could ever happen to me, yet it has turned out to be the most rewarding experience I have ever had. The Lord has helped me through so much because of that initial adjustment from Russia to the west."

Here are a few on my first thoughts from Germany (incl. the trip across the ocean.) It's been a full week of God's blessings. I'm beyond grateful to God and everyone who has joined my team in prayer and support. -British Airways was a dream! They were so good to me, even thanked me for all the good work I do as a missionary, gave me an empty row so I could sleep, on the short flight from London to Basel, but still appreciated! Everything regarding British Airways from O’hare to Basel was wonderful. - Got a 24 hr. cold during the first flight. Miserable night trying to sleep, instead sneezing, blowing my nose, wanting to rub my face off cuz my nose was always itching, feverish chills while sitting in London airport… Not fun! - German yogurt was one of the things I missed most while I was away. My two favorite kinds of yogurt are on sale this week at my grocery store. Lots of yogurt being had these days! - Walking around town seems completely normal and natural, don’t feel the least bit out of place! - I thought I was away for 14 months, but it seems from the construction around town that I haven’t been gone at all. -Walking around school property… very strange. The amount of new faces is crazy! There are soo many new people to get to know. I feel very out of it around school. - Suitcases unpacked, but all the storage in the basement… haven’t gotten that yet. Haven’t set up the internet and phone either. Weekend to-do list. -The view from my classroom is amazing! I love where I work! -I got the most amazing welcome from one of the girls in my former small group. I was still in the school courtyard and she saw me from inside, came running out and nearly knocked me down to the ground with her hug. -I somehow got roped into being the Dept. Head for Foreign Languages. What!? Stop laughing! -My praise: “Oh Lord, You have been good, You have been faithful to all generations!”

You probably know me enough to know that I am NOT a morning person. Never have been. Just before I came to BFA, my friend Rachel gave me a great mug that says: "I don't do mornings"! It has been my constant companion these two years. I have my daily breakfast tea in it while I trudge through the first couple classes of each school day. During those two years, I have had to teach during 2nd period, and during the spring semesters I have proctored Study Hall during 1st period...a painful undertaking.

But Study Hall 1st period was nothing! This semester, I have to actually TEACH during 1st period, every day! AGH! This does not bode well for me or my students. I am trying to do my best at going to bed a little earlier so I can wake up earlier. All this in order to get the crabby out of my system before I'm forced to deal with students, who deep down insided I really do love.

Besides my morning tea in my trusty mug (still emblazoned with my message "I don't do mornings" should any student need reminding!), I need something else to cheer me into a good mood. Lucky for me, someone in our quaint little German town decided to paint their house like this:




Now, doesn't that just make you smile...or actually just laugh right out loud! I see this on my walk to work every morning. And I think I have smiled or laughed out loud every morning. That bright red apartment building just makes me happy every time I see it. I have to thank God for that. It's the first smile of my day and I wanted to share it with you.

Look for those moments, those people, those circumstances or things that God brings into your life to give you a little joy when you least expect it. Really look for them, they are all around us. Then take a minute to thank God for them. They really are gifts from Him. He deserves our thanks for bringing us the joy in our lives.

I'm praying God opens your eyes to a little gift He's given you. Next time you smile or laugh, remember who made it happen!

PS, I'm actually laughing right now. I just did a preview of this message and when I caught a look at the picture, it just made me laugh all over again. Also, I found a typo when I read the preview, but now I can't find it. Extra points to anyone who can point out where that typo went!

Back in the USA

I’m home! And 6 weeks from now I’ll be going back home. That’s my life now, I go from home to home, happily traveling around the world to my other home once or twice a year. Right now, I’m in the Chicagoland area, enjoying the time I have at one of my American homes. Later in the summer I’ll travel to Ithaca, NY to my other American home, my family home.

I hope to send regular notes this summer with highlights from my year. But this first one is actually about my first weekend back in the U.S.

My good friend Mary was commissioned and ordained as a minister in The Salvation Army on Sunday morning, June 13th. Mary and I (with my friend Tanya) have been in an accountability group for about 8 years. Mary has been a great friend, a godly example, a constant encourager. I am so blessed to have her in my life. And I was honored and proud to be there to witness her ordination. She was chosen by her classmates to be their representative speaker during the ceremony because she’s just THAT cool! I sincerely thank God for the gift that Mary and Tanya have been in my life. I thank God for no more volcanic ash clouds that could’ve delayed my trip home. I thank God for allowing me to witness and support my dear friend Mary on her big day.

I hope you, too, have a friend (or more) like Mary in your life.
-the type of friend who prays with you and for you,
-who laughs with you,
-the type of friend who drives out of her way to be at an event of yours when she knows you’re gonna need a little extra support,
-the type of friend who fills a journal full of thoughts, scripture and prayers for you to read when you’re on a mission trip,
-the type of friend who challenges you to be a better person, to be the person God wants you to be.

If you have those friends, take a minute to thank God for that gift. If you don’t, take a minute to ask God to bring one of them into your life. And don’t forget to BE that type of friend to someone else. They need it as much as you do.

Thanks for your involvement in my life. I am blessed!

Viki

Only in Germany PS

If you haven't read my last post (Only in Germany), you should go back and read that first. This is a PS on that.

Actually, I'd like to share an antithesis to my last post (or is it?). Here's the story:

I don't have a car. I walk to school, church, grocery store, Bible Study, etc. It's pretty much the only exercise I get and it's pretty good. I mean, I walk about 30-60 minutes a day, depending on how many times I have to go to school in one day. I rely on this walking since I have finally gotten to that age where I can't eat whatever I want without any physical effects. And since I haven't learned to control the eating (especially my consumption of chocolate over here), I need all the walking I can get. And since tonight was a nice night out, I didn't take the offer of a ride home after Bible Study.

So....Picture it, Germany, 2010.... I was walking across my quaint little town nestled in the Black Forest on a cool spring night. I passed the main street section of town with all its shops closed (as they all do at about 6 pm, except on Wednesdays when they close at noon). As I was approaching one of the many inns in town I thought I heard something...a little out of the ordinary. I thought I heard singing. So, I stopped, right across the street from the inn and listened. Yes, there was a choir singing, it seemed to come from the windows of a room on the second floor, a meeting room probably. It was a tune I knew....from....Mary Poppins? Oh yes, there was a choir singing, in English. "ChimmChimminee, ChimmChimminee, ChimmChimm Charee." I stood there stunned, until I burst out in laughter and giggled the rest of the way home.

I love walking thru Kandern! It's worth turning down rides all the time!

Today was also a great day because I tried my new tea I bought yesterday. Mango PassionFruit Black Tea. It's called Havana Moon and it is GOOOOOOOD!

Good night all~!
PS. Extra points to the person who can find the reference to an excellent tv show from the 80s in this post...

Only in Germany!

I’ve had many “only in Germany” moments in the last few weeks and I had to share them with you. I hope you will have as much fun reading about them as I have living them….

In this area of Germany, during the early spring, we see a great frog migration. When fields come up to roads or highways, they put up plastic sheeting walls to keep the frogs from jumping into the street (then people come by and collect them and take them across the street to continue their migration!). There are signs out of the highway to remind you to be careful not to roadkill the frogs. A couple weeks ago I was walking home from school one evening after a recital. I was quite startled when, out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving. When I collected myself, I looked down at the sidewalk to see the bottom half of a frog. He had poked his head into a grate in the sidewalk and gotten stuck. So there he was struggling to get free and all I could do was laugh at the sight, flailing frog legs desperate for freedom. No, I didn’t help free him, I just laughed and kept walking, later wishing I had taken out the camera to take a pic to share with you. Oh well, next time.

One morning I was walking to school exceptionally early because we had pre-school meetings. As I walked through the parking lot at the grocery store on the way to school I experienced one of those moments where you shake your head, chuckle a bit and say “only in Germany!” There was a man literally vacuuming the parking lot at the grocery story…vacuuming! Sure, it was an outdoor type vacuum, not a normal home appliance, but still. They are soo clean over here in Germany, I think the phrase “Cleanliness is next to godliness” surely originated here, and they still live by it. The parking lot!

Above you see a lovely picture of my friends and I as we were arriving to Good Friday service at my church. Only in Germany can you arrive at church on Good Friday to be welcomed by a beer truck parked by the entrance! OK, its not normally there, but we’d rented out the building the day before for a Red Cross blood drive and they’d left it there. This week, I am at a retreat for my mission (TeachBeyond) and we are spending our time together at a Christian Conference Center. I had to laugh when I went down the hall with the dining rooms to see a full beverage fridge stocked with beers and wines. Only in Germany would you find a Christian Conference Center fully stocked with alcoholic beverages…

It's a great day!

I'm in the mood to sing the "Walka Walka" song. No, this is not a reference to Fozzy Bear, although Fozzy Bear is great. No, I'm talking about that great Sunday School chorus where each verse starts with "It's a great day to.... serve, praise, love...the Lord." Why am I in the mood? Because today is a GREAT day!

Today is Tuesday, which is always better than Monday! Today I am well-rested, yesterday I was NOT! Today it is bright and sunny, yesterday it was gloomy and rainy. Today my computer is fixed (thanks to Ev and Russ), yesterday it was not. Today is was my friends birthday and that meant homemade cake and buckeyes! Today I get a texican taco meal for dinner with my Bible Study! Today I saw ducks swimming in the creek...I don't think I've ever seen ducks swimming in the creek! Today I got a ride to work when I was late and needed it! Today I had a leftover cold turkey sandwhich for lunch! I love leftover cold turkey sandwhiches.

So, you see, it is a great day to Praise the Lord. Join me, will you? Praise God for the big and the small gifts. He gives them to you just to see you smile. And I'm smiling! Thanks, God!

Spanish 3 Alumni Night- The Horror Picture Rocky Show

Aargh~ I just spent 30 minutes typing up a blog entry, pressed the POST button and it disappeared! I can't rewrite it now. I'm too sad!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

White Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie. It says a lot about the film since I'm not a huge "old movie" buff. But I just love that movie. The Christmas season is not complete without one or two, maybe three viewings of it. But, that's actually not what this blog is about....It's about the fact that I am literally dreaming of, and praying for a White Christmas. Will you pray with me?

Oh, sure, everyone likes a white Christmas. But I feel especially desperate. I honestly cannot tell you when the last time was that I experienced a White Christmas. It's always a white Christmas wherever I am not. For example, when I lived in the states, my parents would have a white Christmas if I stayed home in Chicago. If I went to New York to be with my parents, or if we went south to be with my sister, they would have a White Christmas in Chicago. Last year, when I was here in Germany, wouldn't you know it, they had a white Christmas both in Chicago and in New York! What is the deal? Do I personally repel snow on the most important day of the year?!!!

So this year, I seriously, whole-heartedly praying that the Chicagoland area will have snow in the days leading up to Christmas. It would be icing on the cake if it actually snowed on the day of Christmas. But I'll take old snow still on the ground. I just want to look out the window and see snow. Is that too much to ask for? Answer: NO. I know that God likes to give good gifts to his children. So, my grown up Christmas wish for 2009....a White Christmas.

Oh wait, I think I previously declared to God that I would be satisfied, even ecstatic if I could just "Be Home for Christmas"... OK, I suppose I am happy enough just knowing I'll be home with friends and family for the holidays. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop praying for snow. You don't have to either :-)

I'd love to insert a picture here of a white Christmas, but I don't have any. Last time I saw one it was before digital cameras!

My loyalties

So, I've been realizing lately how fiercely loyal I am. Once you have been an integral part of my life, I will love you forever. This sounds like a great quality, and I'm sure that it is. But it also means I hold on to things and don't let them go after everyone else involved has. Can't tell you how many times I've tried to relive things or reconnect with people who think I'm crazy that I still care. But you know what, I'm gonna choose to look at this part of my personality as a good thing. So, I'm gonna give a shout out to all the things and people I am fiercely loyal too. Here goes:

Well, gotta start with my family. Anyone who is a part my family, whether blood or adopted...I love you. I love the way we share a hometown that most of us have never lived in. I love that we have regular family reunions. I love that I played Star Wars with my cousins in the treehouse. I love that my parents and aunts and uncles pray for our generation everytime they get together. In a nutshell...I love you!

Then there are the people I grew up with in Mexico and Jamaica from both church and school. We've had good times and bad.... But I gotta say, I actually thank God for facebook for being able to reconnect with so many friends from back in the d-a-y. I'll always feel connected to the people I learned to read with, the ones I played on the playground with, even the ones who always picked me last to be on their team in PE. And the ones who loved NKOTB with me. Man, I miss you guys!!!

At 13, I started working at Camp Troutburg...Wow, I could go on for hours about the great memories and friendships I have from there. Great nights of laying at the fork in the road watching the stars, great musicals like Antsy-Antsy-Antsylvania. Quick trips to Brockport and water wars in the middle of the night....I mean, in the middle of the day (in case Aunt Grace reads this :-) I love my Troutburg gang. I miss you to pieces!

College - The best days of my life! I lived on the same floor of the same dorm for 3 of the 4 years I was there. Miner Penthouse RULES and I'm so grateful for the ladies I lived with there (and even those I lived with on the 3rd floor that one year). Roberts was also the place where I had more good friends that were guys than any other time in my life. Sometimes I feel like I was a different person there than I ever have been since. All I know is I experienced snow there first, it was my first few years of living in the US and I have incredibly friends who helped me thru that transition. I don't get to see you guys often enough.

CHICAGO
Well, I've got to start with OBT - the best church you have ever heard of. Man, I really miss that family. I cannot even begin to express the fun, the growth, the worship, the love I have experienced there. If you are or have ever been a part of OBT, you are a part of me. I will always hold you close to my heart and consider you a part of my family.
The Ladybug House - you girls are my sisters! Thru thick and thin, I will always stand by you. We have been through it all together and somehow still manage to be friends today. I love you! Now, you know how I feel about nepotism, I think I made myself very clear :-) but if I allowed it, I would move heaven and earth for you because you are real sisters to me! I love you!
Wheaton friends - I'm so lucky to have made more friends even when I thought I didn't need them, cuz you turned out to be the only single friends I have left at home and I don't know where I'd be without you! I have had so much fun with you, I love that we still get each other!
CBLI - after so many years of being on CBLI staff that I can't even keep track of the number, words cannot express...

Then there is BFA...11 years ago I showed up here in Kandern and lived with 30 teenage girls, 4 other staff members, and one dorm brother. See, if you live in a building with me...then that makes you family. So, my Haus 1 fam, you cannot get rid of me. You may try, but I'm not letting you go. I will always care for and about you. I will always be there for you. You have brought me such joy!
Now I'm back at BFA and my BFA family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I get to add to it a long list of Spanish students, class of 2011 students, small group girls, HBR guys and staff members to whom I am fiercely loyal. I have the pictures to prove it. (OK, now that just sounds creepy, doesn't it :-)

Have I mentioned Urbana Missions Conference, Bible Study Fellowship, the many short term missions teams, etc.? (Actually I do have to give a special shout out to my Ecuador SMTeam. They are the best missions team ever and I was so blessed to be a part of it. That trip is beyond words...I love you guys!" Eres tu la unica razon!)

If you're actually still reading this, I'm guessing you fit somewhere on this list. Even if I didn't mention your category specifically, I think you get the picture. YOU ARE SPECIAL TO ME. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND I'M HERE TO STAY. Hope you can handle that.

Loyally yours,

Viki

'Tis the Season

You may be wondering what brings on the Christmas season for me here in Germany. Well, all the German Christmas chocolate, advent calendars, and sweet treats have been in the grocery stores for a month now. It's a bit ridiculous...I'm supposed to start buying Christmas chocolate and pastries at the beginning of October, really? So, no, that's not what has brought on the Christmas season for me. What has? BANQUET ASKING!!! What is that? Well, the last Saturday in November is the annual Christmas Banquet at BFA. That means that the last week of October is when the boys start getting really creative and extravagant in asking the girls for the honor of sitting next to them for dinner one cold night in late November.

Earlier today, I found out one of my small group girls had been asked to banquet. I was excited for tonights small group time to hear the story. I figured I should go ahead and plan for the majority of tonights time together to revolve around talk of banquet asking. I was right. Before it even began, one of the girls came in to tell me that two boys were planning of asking two of my girls during small group time. So, we started the evening by hearing 'C's story of how she got asked...she was 'kidnapped' and taken to a park where her date had lit a bunch of tealights placed in the shape of a question mark. When she took her blindfold off and saw the candles, he asked her to banquet. Soon after the story was over, 'EJ' was asked to come out into the hallway, were a boy was waiting for her with a plate of cupcakes, with frosting decorations spelling out "Banquet?". Then we all got to eat the cupcakes! They were super yummy and he baked them himself. Finally, a half hour later, after I'd given them my banquet speech, about how it really is just a relaxed time of sitting next to someone at a table with 9 other couples. Just have fun and talk to the boy...another boy burst into our classroom with guitar in hand and sang a song he and his sister had written for 'E' asking her to banquet. It was quite funny and I had to give him props for going all out, even packing a bouquet of flowers into his back pocket. His whole small group stood outside my classroom windows watching the spectacle. Good times!

So, now the school is abuzz with who is asking who, and what they will wear for the Christmas banquet. So, although I'm in no way in the Christmas SPIRIT yet, there is not doubt I'll be hearing the word "Christmas" every day from now on. Just wish I had known the plans before I'd left home. I would've taken my camera and given you a taste of what it was like. These boys can get rather creative!

I might be the strangest person you know

Now, I'm not strange in a Phoebe Buffay kind of way. But I am such a strange mixture of dichotomies and contradictions, I can't even keep track of myself. What brought on this declaration, you might wonder? Well, I was walking home from church today thinking, as usual, how much I love walking everywhere I need to go in town. I love walking! I love that when it's time to go to work, I bundle up, put on my huge red backpack and head out for my 15 minute walk to school. I love that at the end of the day, when I'm not in a hurry I can take the long way home that leads me along the creek that runs through the middle of town. I love that when it's grocery shopping time, I load up on reusable, cloth bags and walk to and from the store. I love that I finally have a form of exercise that I actually do. I love that my muscles and feet can now take long days of sightseeing without being in pain. I love that whenever I walk out the door, I am blessed with the opportunity to walk through a quaint and beautiful town in the Black Forest of Germany. I love it, I love it, I love it! So what's so strange about that? I really don't like walking. I'll hardly ever go for a walk just for the fun of it. I don't go for hikes on the many trails our area is famous for. If I had a car, I know I'd end up driving to school cuz I got ready too late. If I have some spare time, or I want to hang out with a friend, I'll never suggest going for a walk. (I'm going on a hike with a friend tomorrow, her suggestion. I'll enjoy it, I'm sure. But I would never choose it on my own.) How can I love to do something so much that it makes me smile and be happy every time I HAVE to do it, yet never want to do it when I DON'T HAVE to?

This is not my only personal contradiction. I'm split right down the middle on being an introvert/extrovert. I love being social and hanging out, but I am quite shy and love being home alone. I can't fathom the idea of living in a country long enough to learn the language without doing so, yet I can't get motivated to learn a bit more of German. I miss home like crazy, but I absolutely love being here! The list goes on but you get the picture. OK, maybe that doesn't make me the strangest person you know, but I'm definitely weird. As a teenager, one of my favorite sayins was: "If you're not weird, you're not worth knowing." I hope that means I'm worth knowing. :-) (My other favorite quote was: "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.")

Looking forward to my next purposeful walk,

Viki

I'll be home for Christmas...You can count on me!

I JUST BOUGHT A TICKET TO GO HOME OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK. I was, just the last few days, trying to resign myself to not going home over Christmas break. I didn't last year and I had a really great time here in Germany...very relaxing and peaceful, not bad at all. But over this summer, I had kind of decided I wanted to go home for Christmas. I wanted to be at my home church on a Sunday when most of the congregation was there (something that never happens over the summer!) Plus, so much of what is Christmas tradition for me, happens only in the US at my church. I want to help with Christmas kettles, drive the bell ringers to their spots, count money, go Christmas shopping at all my usual spots, help with Angel Tree, stay up ridiculously late wrapping gifts with my sister while watching the 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story, etc. etc. and so forth.

But the more I looked for affordable tickets, the less I found them. I had kind of given up hope and was trying to wrap my brain around staying here, trying to get excited about the good things about staying: a lot more rest and down time, hanging out with friends like we can't during the school year, the peacefulness, etc. I just figured I'd keep looking and if by some miracle something turned up, I'd take it. Well, today, when I was about to sign off the internet, I decided to check again. And there it was....the cute little gnome was my friend today. He found me a ticket that was cheaper than anything I'd seen for the days I wanted to travel. Its not everything I wanted in a ticket, but its almost everything. And on a Sunday, the day of the week I miss home the most, it was an offer I couldn't refuse!

So, I'm going home! Hope to see many of you there!

I had my first small group time last night. I have 5 freshman girls and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna LOVE this! Four of my girls are home students who have lived in the area for many years. The fifth one is new this year and she is in the dorm that I worked at 10 years ago. For our first time together we just spent time getting to know each other and having fun together.

There were so many things that I loved about last night. First of all, the girls wanted to know about me. As soon as we got to my classroom I was bombarded with all sorts of questions about me, my life, etc. They had even done some research on me before coming, because they knew who my roommate was and where I lived, they had made guesses about my age (thankfully they were wrong - 28). So, I started out with sharing about my story, my life and how I ended up here. Sure enough, before we moved on to anything else, they asked how long I was gonna be here. They always want to know how long you are going to invest in them.

Then we played a good game of Pit, new for several of my girls. Then it was time for them to tell me a little about themselves. So, I brought out the marshmallows and the candle stick. While each one roasted a marshmallow and at their smore, they got to tell me some stuff about themselves. One of my girls was born in Japan and lived there till she was 7. One of my girls is Korean and has lived in Turkey since she was 5. One of my girls loves people, big groups of people, she just kept telling us how much she loves to be with people.

My first attempt at blogging

OK, I've avoided this for a while. But I have many reasons for trying this out, so let's give it a shot shall we.

Welcome to my blog. I hope you and I can continue to enjoy our journey together whether we are near of far.

I don't have too many thoughts for the day. I'm mostly overwhelmed with an enormous "to do" list and wondering why I picked tonight to start a blog. So let's just consider this a trial run and see how it posts.

More soon!