I realized after my last post that I didn't give any info about my time in Germany or the flight here! I left Monday afternoon, August 20th. Mom, Dad and the boys came to Medford to see me off. We checked my bags, then went to lunch for one last Mexican meal. When we came back, we found out that my flight was delayed by a half hour, so we had more time than expected. It was a teary departure with Eithen telling me, "You a go to 'Roc' and come back tomorrow. Then I a be a happy." I had a hard time dealing with the fact that I was going to be gone twice as long this time...
I went through security without any problems and fell asleep on the plane, feeling emotionally exhausted. We arrived in Denver too late for me to make my flight to Germany. The difference between this trip and the last one became apparent when I didn't even feel nervous about missing my flight. Once again, it was a good reminder to depend on the Lord and to realize that if this is His endeavor, then He will get me where I need to be. After bouncing back and forth between terminals to talk to customer service, I rescheduled for the flight leaving the next day. United gave me a free night's stay in a hotel with three food vouchers. I took a shuttle to the hotel, which ended up being thirty minutes away. It was a beautiful hotel though and I was able to rest and relax.
Left on time the next morning and had lunch at the airport. Left for Frankfurt at 1:30pm and arrived the next day at 10am. I took the train to Stuttgart (which was a new experience and served to remind me that I can navigate my way through a foreign country. It helped to relieve some of my trepidation about going back to Duhok.) My German sisters, Katze and Carola, met me at the train station. It was such a relief to see them!
We ate a late lunch together, then Carola and I went for a walk in downtown Nurtingen while Katze worked on a school assignment. Carola and I were able to catch up on life (it's been 8 years since we've seen each other!) The next day we went to Heidelberg, walked around downtown, had Eiskaffees (coffee with vanilla ice cream - my favorite German past time and super YUMMY!) then took the train up to the castle.
Eiskaffee!
View of Heidelberg from the castle:
The castle:
My time in Germany was definitely a blessing. I was able to sight-see and take a breath before transitioning back to life in Duhok. I could get around fairly well, especially as my German-speaking skills came back more each day. After Heidelberg, Katze's parents made schnitzel for dinner. More yumminess! The next day we went to Tubingen where Carola and Katze are both attending university. We stopped by Carola's apartment first, then went to Katze's while Carola went to her physical therapy appointment. We met up again and had pfankuchen for lunch in downtown Tubingen. There were a lot of neat shops that we walked by. A stream runs in front of the houses, so each one has a little bridge going across to their door. After lunch, we went to a factory store and tried on dirndls:
For dinner, Katze's parents hosted a BBQ for the family. We shared pictures and enjoyed being with each other. Carola and Katze helped me print my boarding passes and discussed whether it would be better to drive part way to Frankfurt, then get on the train, or take the train the whole way. We finally decided on the latter. The next morning, Katze and her family drove me to Stuttgart where I got on the train to go to Frankfurt. (On the way to Stuttgart we heard over the radio that there was a large accident on the autobahn going to Frankfurt and all the lanes were closed. God had definitely gone before us when we decided I should take the train!) Made it through the check-in process and security without too many difficulties. I found the right gate, keeping an eye out for the Bishop's and for Sarah. As I turned to leave and take a look around the airport, there they were, walking towards me! It was a happy reunion! Got one last Eiskaffee before we boarded. We found out that the Nelson's weren't going to be able to make it, so that was a disappointment. In Erbil, we got on our big bus with all our luggage and the rest ... is history (or at least in the last blog post)!
Monday, August 27th:
Moving ahead to today... Bishop's, Nelsons, Sarah and I went to the school in the late morning. We were greeted warmly by the teachers and got to catch up with all of them while we waited. It was one more thing to help me feel settled back into the life here. We met with the curriculum director who gave us our curriculum and yearly plans. It is good to be back to work!
When we got back to the apartment around 2pm, the city electricity was out (haven't had that happen in the last three months!) Sarah and I visited with John and Mary since our generator power wasn't working either. Around 4pm we took a taxi to Mazi and introduced Sarah to our local supermarket! After unloading our groceries at home, we got in another taxi and met the Bishop's at Shindokah Restaurant. We got our first team picture:
And introduced Sarah to after-dinner-tea:
Thankful to be here with a loving team, a great job, and a Father who is faithful and caring!
