And We're Off

Hi all,

Saying goodbye is so hard, even when you're about to head off to a wonderful journey. Even I will admit that my heart of stone has been very warmed by the outpouring of love to me over the past few days. I am so lucky that my family was willing to take me all the way to the airport and helicopter me all the way through security. Speaking of family -- please keep Roo in your thoughts as he epically battles Strep Throat this week. 

Rest assured I arrived safely this morning in Frankfurt around 11 am local time (5 am EST). It was a very bumpy flight and I wasn't able to sleep much (less than 2 hours). But, like the rock star that He is, God brought us to Germany safely. Once we landed in Frankfurt, I got my first passport stamp EVER. It was super exciting -- the customs man looked up, took my book, and stamped it. The train station was definitely an adventure, but we were able to make it on the train to Karlsruhe with the assistance of many sweet German employees. 

Let me say that Germany is beautiful. It is like everything you see in picture books -- and then a bit more. The country side just rolls on and on, speckled with sites of brick churches and Bavarian households. When we arrived in Karlsruhe, I was amazed at how close everything is to each other. It's like NYC on a smaller scale. For the most part, there's not really a need to use the public transportation, but it is readily available if we need it. 

Our room is quaint, but pleasant. Once we were settled, we went out to dinner with some of our German buddies. I had my first experience with spätzel and schnitzel. I have been amazed with how much of my German is coming back to me. All of our buddies are so sweet and willing to teach us how to say anything we want. Tomorrow, we will get completely settled. We will not be at school on Monday, but will begin teaching on Tuesday. 

I think that's all I have for now. I am horribly messed up on sleep, so I may pass out for a long time. Please send me your thoughts via Facebook, NOT via my cell phone. 

Tschüs/xoxo,

Faith