2013 has really been an eventful year so far--I've realized that since being in Germany, I have done so many things that I've never dared to do in my life. I'm normally a really shy person, but I feel like something changed. Just like the profile picture in the AFS group on Facebook says, an exchange is really a life in a year. And because people are always changing as their life goes on, I guess I've also changed quite a bit. So without any more fluffy wording, let's get on with it :)
Weds, Jan 2. Hannover!
On this day, I went to Hannover with a family from my Chinese Bible Study group. We stopped by the Chinese library, followed the Red Line (it's a route that hits all the highlights in the city), and ate at a Chinese buffet called Ocean City. Oh, and Vickie was there too--I love hanging out with my fellow Asians. Sometimes I miss that here, but I definitely love hanging with Americans and Germans too :) So what can I say about Hannover..
a) Great shopping centers
b) Chinese food is better than where I live, but it still isn't always real Chinese food. Baked pineapples? It's like a staple dessert in Chinese restaurants here. Never heard of it in my life..until I got here, that is.
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| Neues Rathaus |
Mon, Jan 13- Sun, Jan 13. Week of Welcome
I went to the Friedenskirche for the first time that week, and it so happened that a group of university students were visiting from TN (Union University, a Christian college). I'll be going to Uni in TN as well, so what a coincidence :) No, I think God is just trying to open more doors for me. I ended up getting a ton of contacts, and this week was the perfect way to help me integrate into the church. The lineup was as follows:
Tues: Meeting at the pub, "Alex." I literally thought this was someone's house. Nope, the pub is called Alex. Then, when I got there, it took me forever to find it because there was a huge tree covering the florescent, red "Alex" sign. But no worries, Chelsea managed to find me. Oh yeah, and I also had a classmate with me, Christoph. We were chatting on Facebook, and he somehow wanted to come too. Most Germans do not come up to me and say that they want to meet Americans, so it was a nice surprise :)
Weds: Pasta Basta Night at someone's house. Yep, Germans love their pasta..we just chilled and chatted. Chelsea caught her hair on fire because she leaned too close to the shelf, which had a candle on it. What is with exchange students burning their hair? :P I also burned mine over Christmas break while making wax figures with my host brothers.
Thurs: Bible small groups. We chatted over some passage in the Bible, and it was nice. I felt like most people didn't feel like contributing that much though, and I wished they talked more. That's the thing in Germany..I feel like when it comes to the Bible, lots of churches only manage to scratch the surface or honestly don't know much about it. I'm not saying that I do, in fact, far from it. I still have so much to learn too, but I wish I could see some more enthusiasm.
Fri: Bowling! Um, let's just say I'm not so good at this :) The first round wasn't so bad--I didn't come in last place, at least. But during the second round, I probably ran out of arm energy and kept on getting gutter balls. And every time, the ball would be perfectly in the middle of the runway until the very end. It pissed me off, but that's ok :) I'm chill with sports; if I lose, I lose. It's the process of the play that I enjoy. It's the people who make the difference.
Sun: First, we went to the Fiesta Bible worship, and then we had a Goodbye Party at Martha's house. We had to walk for 20 minutes in the rain from the church to the house, but it wasn't so bad because I chatted with Julie, one of the Uni students, the whole way. She told me about how she ended up in Germany, and the story was really cool--God is always at work to get his purpose fulfilled! You can clearly tell when it's not just chance. We promised each other we would meet up when I get to TN--she's only a Freshman, so we will have at least 3 years to plan a hangout :)
I think I'll end here for now. Part II is coming soon :) I'll write a little about my school schedule, since a lot of people have asked me about it. Then, I'm off to bed!
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