Letters home: September 2003

Dear Friends and Family,

I am realizing that if I were to write more often, then I could go into greater (and more exciting) detail of the reflections I am making on life and culture, and still keep the letter at a readable length for all my loyal fans ;-). If I wait too long between epistles, what comes out is a more of a manufactured-feeling laundry list of activities that were exciting, adventuresome, thrilling, sad or frustrating at the time but must be shortened into their Reader’s Digest condensed versions for your viewing pleasure. (Not that I have anything against Reader’s Digest; I am simply a fan of juicy details!) So, although I have been terribly remiss in dutifully updating y’all on all my thrilling activities, I will try for a life-giving compromise between all the juicy details and a sneak-inobtrusive-yawning-glance-at-watch travel laundry list.

Let’s see, I will start with… my goodness, has it been SO long? This is embarrassing. Last you heard, the faithful heroine had just wrapped up the academic year and was looking forward to some adventure-filled German wanderings with the Fam. Mom, Dad, Abby and Matt came out to visit and we spent a whirlwind two weeks wondering at the Alps from all sorts of beautiful angles, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over gorgeous cathedrals and castles and fortresses and Glockenspiels, some of which pre-date our Constitution by a good millennium. We took a boat trip on the Rhein, saw the Loreley statue, to which many a poet and sailor have lost their hearts (and lives), and of COURSE we visited that stalwart of Luther-flavored church history and the castle of our hearts, the Wartburg in Eisenach (Waverly, Iowa’s sister city). It was certainly a homecoming for the three of us proud Wartburg grads. J

August saw a week-long trip to golden Prague, a city with layer upon layer of history, and a random assortment of cultural traditions, all sort of simmering together in a giant soup pot of tourists, music, literature, cheap food, and great beer (yes, I can tell the difference now!). We stayed in a fantastic hostel where the staff somehow conjured up an inhaler to replace the one lost by an asthmatic traveling companion of mine and let us pet their cats. It’s hard to explain Prague. You really should just go there. All of you. Immediately.

Germany (Europe, really) is small, relatively speaking. In a weekend you can see the other border of the country. Last weekend my friend Meghan and I went out to Albisheim, near Heidelberg, to visit a friend. Jasmin showed us around the whole area: we drank new wine, went to the biggest wine fest in the world, and saw gorgeous cathedrals in Speyer, Heidelberg, and Worms and got to experience the beauty of grape-harvest time in Rheinland-Pfalz. In two weeks I am off to my university seminar in Italy for five days, the week after, it’s off to Breslau with the Collegium’s semester trip. I will probably welcome the start of the University at the end of October, just to get in touch with my inner rhythm again! :-)

After a year in the Collegium, having very little contact with other Americans, I welcomed my friend Meckhead (another exchange student here from Chicago) into the Collegium’s folds quite enthusiastically. We have been lucky to get to know a couple of really neat Americans where we take our German courses, and several of us have formed a little club with the informal working title “American Ghetto Series.” We don’t mind the stares we get when we spontaneously burst into a loud two-part rendition of “Summer Lovin’” from Grease, or join in on the actions to “YMCA” at the Hard Rock Café, where we gathered for our AGS pilot episode, to play the tourists for an evening. I must admit it’s nice to hear American slang again, and a Southern accent, and catch up on all the useless J. Lo gossip. We talk about important things too: but mostly I just really needed these people, to laugh at some of the sillier German customs with me, to remind me that I do truly have a good sense of humor, and just to reassure me that I am not completely nuts for missing ice cubes and squirrels sometime. But all in all, we remind each other what an exciting adventure we are on, and how at the same time it’s just life, with all the ups and downs included in the deal.

But by no means do I just hang out with Americans! That would be silly, and not at all worth giving up the ice cubes and squirrels for. There is one particular German who I see a lot of these days; my boyfriend, C., whom I met here at the Dorm O Fun. (Now if that isn’t good advertising for the exchange program!) He’s great, of course. More details upon request. :-)

And then of course, there is the question of next year. My first choice is and has been for a long time to do a 2-year assignment with the international branch of my church, somewhere in the world. Until the last job-posting, my top choices were Namibia and Jerusalem… and then I read the new listings, which included a two-year position as [no need to give details, really] I got very excited when I read about this opportunity, and if they’ll have me, it’s my first choice for the next couple of years. I do not know yet what the timeline is for matching people with positions, so I will sit tight and wait until they decide.

I took a German test last week that will allow me to enter the University as a “real” student this year. I took the test sort of on a whim, wondering if I could pass it, and pass I did. I got the results today, and still need to pass the individual oral exam on Wednesday, but at this point it’s just a formality. It’s kind of exciting, to have it on paper that I know German. And if I get the overwhelming urge to write a dissertation in German, I could. (OK, let’s all say it together: ha!)

Anyway, things are good, here in the Jess corner of the world. Lots to do, but lots of time to do it in. And if I am not yet totally fluent in German, I can definitely function just fine and with confidence in daily life, German class, and the university. I am happy with that. :-)

I hope that you are all finding peace and contentment along your varied paths; I would love to hear from you! Many apologies if I have neglected you in the recent email past. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa (accompanied by much contrite chest-pounding). :-)

Much love,
Jess