A Video Tour of Marburg

My father and I were looking for videos of Marburg on Youtube and we found this one. It does a pretty good job showing the highlights of the town. I got pretty excited when I could pick out some of the places highlighted here.



Mentioned in the clip is "Jackob Grimm." He was one of the brothers Grimm, responsible for collecting and making famous such fairy tales as "Red Riding Hood" and "Rapunzel." Marburg is proud of its Grimm Brothers history.

Apropos: The elevator is not always the fastest way to get from place to place. In the morning and after work in the afternoon, people using the elevator cause major congestion in the narrow passage. Then it's quicker - and healthier! - to climb up the steps that were shown a few moments earlier in the clip. It's really not that hard.

Marburg B(u)y Night

It's been a while since I've written, and I know how much everyone is dying to hear from me. I'm going to fix that problem now.

Today marks the 55th day that I'm in Germany. Things are getting better - I feel like I'm living more into my life here. Developing a routine - even a rough one - has been a huge help. But I also think that I'm learning how to deal with spontaneity a bit more easily. This is, after all, supposed to be a learning experience!

Last night, the Oberstadt was open and full of people to usher in the Christmas season. The event was called "Marburg b(u)y Night." All the shops were open past their normal seven-o'clock closing times until 11:00 and the streets were decked out with lights and wreaths and music played. Kate and Julie (click on the link to learn more about Kate and Julia) and I enjoyed the festivities together. It was a terrific time and I look forward to going back to a few times before Christmas rolls around (only 27 days!!).

For Christmas I'll be with a family who lives north of here outside of the city of Kassel. I've written in a forum online with the woman-of-the-house for several years now, and when I came to Germany, she made sure to invite me. My stay at Christmas will be the third one so far of my time here. I'm glad that I'll have a family to spend Christmas with and that I can experience the "typical" German Christmas.

Not long after Christmas, Katie Hetrick will be coming to visit on December 30! We're meeting in London and going to spend New Years together there and then head to Scotland of a little excursion. Afterwards, Katie wants to come back to Germany and see where I live and what I do here. Of course, I'm excited about that. It'll be nice to have someone to spend the holidays with whom I know!

That's about all there is to share as of now. Acadamia is a major part of my life (Remeber - it is perhaps the biggest reason I'm here...). I try to make sure that my weekends are busy and that I get someone or do something when I have some freetime. I'll keep you posted about any further developments!

Kate and Julia

Two years ago Kate and Julia spent a year in Millersville. I learned to know Julia pretty well there after I had to do an interview for a project where she was my interviewee. Since I've gotten here, both of them have done a lot to try to make me feel welcome and comfortable and it's starting to work. It's nice to have someone who identifies with what you're going through.

Long Awaited Update

They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.

People have been asking me when I'm going to post something new on my blog, and I admit that I've been rather remiss in doing so for the past several weeks. Busyness at times might have contributed to it, but also lack of motivation was and might continue to be a big contributing factor. I'll have to strive to work at it more. I apologize for not having posted more frequently.

As of today, I've been in Germany 34 days - almost five weeks. I'm trying to adjust to my new life. Something I've learned about myself: I'm very much a routine person. I've always known that, but I didn't realize how much that really was the case until I came here when trying to make my routine from home work here failed - miserably! I just never realized how much so I lived into and had become a product of my culture at home. In the past month, I've had to reshape what it means to be me while still trying to maintain every bit of me that I could possibly maintain. This balancing act has been tiring and taxing. I'm happy to report that I'm beginning to live into German life more and I feel like I'm becoming more and more used to being here every day. It's hard, but it's doable, and that's what I'm learning.

I started this post with a biblical quote from Psalms. Although it tells of how the people of God turned from God and turned back to him only in their time of need, I think it - in isolation - really speaks to how I view my current situation in Germany. Without God - my rock and redeemer - I would be lost here. Prayer has really helped me when I'm feeling lonely and depressed. It's made me realize that I'm not alone in the world. It makes connections seem open to home, friends, and family. Without it and my relationship with God, I know this year would be unbearable for me. I thank God daily for His presence in my life. He is truly my rock and my redeemer.

And now...for some more concrete, positive news. Classes are going well. Tuesdays are my busy day with three classes, and Tuesdays are my favorite day as well. I find that being busy suits my person better than not being busy. I've made friends with Janice from Canada, Kayla from Pennsylvania, and Rob from Great Britian, and I'm very thankful for them. We - minus Rob but plus Kayla's roommate - travelled to Eisenach this weekend. It was a nice day trip. We saw the Wartburg and Bach's birthplace. The Germans are very technology oriented. The Bachhaus was fitted with iPods for listening to recordings about Bach and his work or pieces of his music. It was a fantastic museum. It was also nice to visit the Wartburg again since my German has improved so much since 2004 when I was there the last time. I understood almost everything the tour guide told us during the tour, and that really made me feel good about my German.

In this picture, you see the room where Luther spent ten months at the Wartburg. During that time, he translated the Bible into German.

Speaking German all day long can be a challenge. Before I came here, I felt confident in my German skills, but after being here for a month, I realize that it's more than just listening to a professor speaking. It's everyday life and all that goes along with it as well. I do notice that my German has improved some even in the short time that I've been here, so I'm hoping that it will continue to improve in the coming months.

The next few weeks are busy for me. I'm headed to Grebenstein to visit a family that I know from the internet next weekend. The following weekend, I'm headed to Bavaria to visit my host family from 2004, and the following Saturday is going to be a day to celebrate Thanksgiving for me and the Germans who were in Millersville two years ago. It's good to be busy.

Keep after me about the blog. I will try to keep everyone updated more regularly. The longer that I don't write, the harder it is to actually do it when I try to start again.