Lazy Days :)

Mood: pleasant (I've been playing card games and Playdough store with Pia all morning. How could I not be happy with that!?)
What I'm Reading: Romans by Paul; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Haddon

Yesterday I ''graduated'' to Mittlestufe 2 (after M3 I'll take a test to show that my German is good enough to study in a German University). For the next three weeks school is in recess. When we return, I'll continue to study with many of my current classmates through the summer.

This week has been especially full. Among other things, I've had to work out a banking problem (requiring a total of 7 trips to various banks, none of which had English speaking personnel), visit the visa office, talk with my telephone provider, re-register for utilities, visit my housing company and go to 2 birthday parties. I expect that my break will be equally full. I've been invited to go with the Bonnets to the North Sea where they have relatives. Immediately following this, I'll be in Budapest for a week with friends from church. There may also be a visit from Noel, a trip to an amusement park for Johanna's birthday, and a significant amount of time sprucing up my apartment squeezed somewhere in there.

Myself, Hannah, KoKo, Takuya, Sandra, and Yeurong at our end-of-semester party.

News at 11

Mood: frustrated
Stage notes: waiting at the train station

After all of my trouble getting to and from the States, you might think that we were due for some better luck. You would be wrong. My Mother and Aunt were delayed 1 1/2 days in Chicago. Because they were not sure how to ask for compensation, they may end up paying for the hotel and taxi there as well as missing a couple of days of their vacation here. I hope that the rest of their experience is a bit less stressful for them.

On a more positive note, I was able to hang out with Noel and Steve (as well as the guys here) for the last couple of days. Some of the highlights included dinner at Früh, a night of darts and conversation at the Shamrock, and shoe shopping in Neumarkt (I think that I may have been the only one who did not get shoes). The last few weeks have been a bit rough on me, and it was good to have some familiar faces around. I'm afraid that I was not the best company, but they were great about it and I really appreciated the opportunity to talk things through with them and get some time to pray with others in English. It was also helpful in giving me ideas on how to make things go as smoothly as possible here.

Also, it looks like a group from Riverview will be coming at the beginning of May. Although that's pretty far out on the calendar, I am already looking forward to the time.

Prayer requests:
-a good week as my Mother and Aunt visit Germany
-that Jonathan Bonnet would feel better
-that I will be able to find avenues to help build a sense of team unity and identity here in Köln
-that we will gain co-laborers here and that we can form healthy partnerships with other church groups in the area
-that financial and visa issues related to staying in Germany will be resolved
-that I will be able to better define my priorities and role in the church as I continue to work here

Stateside

Mood: jet lagged; cozy
Stage notes: Christmas music playing at the Bretts

Quick update:
-Despite a few delays and a snow storm at my home airport, I made it back to the States safe and sound and only a little bit late.
-I had no problem getting a visa renewal on Thursday.
-Everyone who sent package with me can breath a sigh of relief. Everything got through customs without incident and unbroken.
I'll try to write again soon.

Prayer Requests

Mood: busy
Stage notes: about to go to the visa office

-I'm attempting to get a visa renewal today. One of the papers that I ''need'' has not been sent to me yet, and I am not sure if this will be a problem or not. I really hope that I know what I am doing in January before I return to Germany, so please pray that everything goes well.

-I will be in Lansing for a few days beginning tomorrow night. Please pray that I am able to connect up with as many people as possible and that I will get over jet lag quickly so that I can be an encouragement to others and receive encouragement myself.

-That all of the flights I will be on in the next few weeks would go well (with layovers I expect to go from Köln through London, Amsterdam, Chicago, Philly and Detroit and to be on planes or in airports for 35+ hours)

-I am transporting presents back to the States for several families here. It would be great if everything goes through customs with no problems and nothing is lost or damaged.

I have a visa!

Mood: gratitude
Stage notes: CDC computer lab; Everyone else is in class but I just arrived. I figure it won't hurt to be a few minutes later to class so I can share my good news.

I went to get my visa this morning. This time around the process went incredibly smoothly. First I got a copy of my Anmeldung (everyone in Germany must register with the government when they move) and then I went upstairs to the foreigners office. I was able to walk right in. The man who helped me was kind and spoke English. He did not even ask me to show proof of health insurance or sufficient funds. The last person I dealt with not only required these documents, she wanted me to pay to have them translated into German!

Thanks be to God.

Argh!

Mood: mildly frustrated
Stage notes: sitting at a public computer at CDC, looking at a 1500 year old city wall out the window

My day started with a mad dash to the main train station to exchage US currency so that I would have EUR to pay for my visa. I was there a few minutes after 7 when the exchange office opened, and was feeling good about being so ahead of the game. I then proceeded out of the station for what I thought would be a 15 min. walk to the government building. Too bad I got lost and did not get there until 8AM.

Heike had been awaiting my arrival, and after greeting me, led me to the 'elevator'. This consisted of a platform that continuously moved from one floor to the next. There was no door, it never actually stopped, and there was an 8-12 inch space between the elevator car and the floors. If you had children, I am pretty sure that they could fall right through. Since there was just enough room for two people, however, I can't imagine taking a child on the contraption. I held my breath and took a leap of faith. Thankfully we got on and off without incident. I am wondering in my mind, what happens if you reach the top floor without getting off? I am tempted to go back, take the stairs to the upper floor and check this situation out.

Now, the office does not even open until 8, but there was already a significant line in the hallway. It was like a scene from Babel, with people from all over the world waiting more or less patiently for their turn to come. A woman collected all of our passports and we took a seat. There were no signs in any language to tell people what forms were necessary for the various visa types, and there were no blank forms for people to fill out as they were waiting. After about a hour and 15 min., number 9 was called. That was us!

We went into the office where a surly seeming woman with deep circles under her eyes was sitting across from us. Although she apparently spoke English, she did not use any of it while I was there. After a flurry of paper shuffling she told us that we would have to come again with my bank statement and health insurance papers translated into German. Why they did not tell me this in my phone calls to the US consulate, German foreigners office, or at the visa help desk of CDC, I do not know. Oh well, I was still able to go to class for most of the day, and I am looking forward to swimming this afternoon with a college student I've gotten to know a little bit.