So, before I go on rambling, I should apologize for taking so long to write this time! I know two weeks without an update from your favorite American-Germans seems interminable, but once I tell you what happened last weekend, and last week for that matter, I think you'll understand!
Where to begin - I have so many stories to share!
I'll start with one I've promised several of you that I would post...the retrieval of the package!! Mom and Dad sent over a package with some of our Fall/Winter (Herbst/Winter) clothes including much needed scarves and gloves - yay for homemade fuzzies! It took about a week to get here - not too bad - but it arrived on a Saturday (two weeks ago.) By the time I collected the mail that afternoon, the post office downstairs had closed for the weekend. We were very sad because there was a promise of a surprise which any of you who have had my mother's cooking know is a very exciting proposition! We would simply have to wait until Monday.
I couldn't be there when the post office opened on Monday because I teach an English class downtown from 7:30-9 (I know, you never thought I could get up that early, but I'll have you know I leave the house every Monday morning at 6:40!) When I got home from teaching at about 10, I excitedly went to the post office to pick up our package!! It wasn't there! Apparently, the green slip of paper attached to the back of the receipt said that we could pick up our package in Mölln. I assumed that Mölln was probably the central post office downtown or something. When I looked up the directions on the web site, however, I was quite surprised to find that it was not in Hamburg at all, in fact, I would have to pay extra fare to take the public transportation outside the city limits to reach it (I have a travel card for all of Hamburg proper.) I thought: OK, it can't possibly take that long... oh, contraire! It took me an hour and forty-five minutes, several cow pastures, many horse paddocks with the horses wearing their little winter blankets, and countless bus stops labeled with only numbers (Stop 514, for instance) to finally arrive in the TOWN of Mölln. When I got there the woman at the desk told me that I would have to open the package to see what was there (I was praying they weren't going to take our food away!) She did look at the food - dried apples and pears from the trees at my grandfather's house! - made a face like: "WHAT is that?", and put it back. All she really wanted to know was if this looked like my stuff...? I said: YES! I asked why (IN THE WORLD) I needed to travel to Mölln to get my package when we live in Glinde, and was told that "Das ist eine Großstadt." (This is a big city.) Apparently, based on what I've put together from what friends have said, because we don't live in downtown, and because the package was coming from out of the country, this office in Mölln is where all of our international mail will be routed! So, four and a half hours later I was back home and getting ready to teach that evening (I was, however, wearing my mohair scarf, fingerless gloves, and leather coat when I left home that evening! :)
I substituted for nine English classes (90 minutes each) each of the past two weeks, and I have now been given three classes of my own. It can take anywhere from 20 to 90 or more minutes to prepare for a 90 minute class! Some of the classes are great fun, and others are quite difficult, but it's so wonderful to have a job! God is good!
Last weekend was busy with my first on stage performance in Germany. Friday night was a rehearsal as was Saturday afternoon, then Saturday evening was the performance. I hosted the 2008 Gospel Explosion at our church: Wort des Glauben (Word of Faith.) The reason that they wanted an English speaking MC was that they were to have guests from America who didn't speak any German. The American guests ended up being held up in another part of Germany, but I still hosted. I had a translator who stood beside me and translated what I said from English into German. The person who was supposed to translate for me, Thore, was not able to get there in time, so at the last minute, I had one of the other members of the church translate (she translates English spoken during worship on Sundays into German.)
The Gospel Explosion was a time for Christian hip hop, rap, and vocal artists from all over Hamburg to showcase their talents. Some of the acts were QUITE good! There was a group called the Hamburg Break Dancers which was FABULOUS! There were several rap groups that were pretty good, a beat box duet that was very funny, and various other levels and styles of talent displayed. The event was organized by two young people from Kenya who are members of the church. Let's just say that African ideas about schedule and urgency are very different than American ones! Sidonie and I are both getting used to the German way of thinking about time (early is on time,) as well as the African one (on time is when you get there!)
OK, so enough blabbing on for now - I know you really came to see the pictures, so here some are! Enjoy!
Sound check for one of the singers in Gospel Explosion 2008 (She was Saaaangin')
This is David - adorable!
David's dad is German and runs the sound for the church, and his mom is from Zimbabwe, and sings on on the worship team.
This is Pastor Corrin talking with some of the worship team as they rehearse on Friday before the Gospel Explosion sound check. (She is from Lebanon, speaks French, Arabic, German, and English - although her English usage can be a bit startling at times! She preaches in English and is translated into German and Farsi - German simultaneous interpretation, and Farsi from a booth with headsets available to the Persian congregation members. She did her theological studies in America!)
This is Nicole, who interpreted for me last minute!
Well, hopefully I'll be able to keep up with blogging a bit more regularly, but if not, feel free to email or message me!
Tschüß! Bis später!
No comments:
Post a Comment