Saturdays -
Sundays
Most weekends, as you may know, are dedicated to our voyages
around Europe to desired countries. Arrival back into Celle is usually late on
Sunday nights, with most times being in the wee morning hours of Monday. So,
with exhausted bodies and aching feet, we both head straight to bed and melt
into the mattress once finally home. Because of our late returns and lack of
WIFI signal throughout our weekend trips, it has made it quite challenging to
keep in touch with family and friends, seeing as how it’s most convenient to
catch up on the weekends because of work schedules and the time difference. For
this, we sincerely apologize. I hope all of you know how much we love and
dearly miss you. In fact, this blog and the pictures we continually upload from
our trips are much more intended for your viewing than ours. Sure, it’s a great
way for us to chronicle our journeys to be able read back on in the future, but
really it’s to share those journeys and moments with you all. We want everyone
to experience our experiences (even if it’s only through a computer screen),
and know we are taking a piece of them wherever we go. Basically, we have MUCH
LOVE FOR YA!
Mornings
Mornings come too early, as they do back in the states. Most
days, we usually roll out of bed around 6:30 AM and slowly prepare to make our
way to the gym. It’s cold and we’re grumpy, but we still suit up knowing that
we’ll feel better afterwards. Planet Fitness, our chosen gym in Celle, opens at
7 AM every morning with J and I usually being there right on the dot and
waiting for the employees to open up shop. On more days than not, we usually have the iron all to
ourselves. We check in, get the keys to our locker, greet the roaming naked
Germans in the locker room (no one is shy about anything here), and get on our
way. We work out for about an hour, occasionally stopping when an onlooker with
furrowed brows requests to know what a deadlift or weighted walking lunge is,
and then we pass by all the other gym-goers sitting in the gym lounge area on
our way out. I have never seen a gym
before that has couches, bar stools, and serves drinks to their clients other
than protein shakes. This is no grind time sort of place. Like many other
things in Europe, going to the gym is a social event, and you should prepare
yourself to stay for a while.
Zee Iron
The Gym Bar
(Photo source: www.fitness-planet.de)
Magazines - in case you prefer to lounge
(Photo source: www.fitness-planet.de)
Once home, breakfast is consumed. With the luxury of our own
kitchen I am able to whip up our usual Americano breakfast complete with eggs,
bacon, oats, veggies, fruits, and COFFEE no doubt. While it is common for most
Europeans to eat a light breakfast with perhaps just chesses, deli meats and
bread, this is just a practice we cannot quite adhere to…on weekdays
anyhow. J is usually off to work by 8:30
and my routine usually involves picking up the kitchen, starting a load of
laundry, pouring a cup of coffee, and then settling into my self-made home
office nook in the living room. (Side note - My boss, God bless her, is an
angel that has afforded me such an amazing opportunity to work from home while
traveling abroad. I am BEYOND grateful to have this opportunity throughout this
transition in our lives, and I send many thanks to her and the big man upstairs
for such a blessing)
Little Sunshine w/ Homemade Breakfast Spread
The Kitch
Office Nook
Afternoons
On Thursdays our “house mama” (owner of our abode) comes
over to clean and change the linens. I usually take this time to walk into town
to pick up groceries, or stop at a local café to imbibe in a café latté and
catch up on my reading. Although an obvious language barrier exist between our
house mama and ourselves, we can tell through her gestures how kind of a lady
she really is. For example, one afternoon after returning to the house, I
noticed the cheap votive candles I purchased and set in the bathroom were
replaced with cutesy candles in tiny glass jars. The onions and garlic cloves I had scattered on the countertops were given a small basket as their gathering place.
The old pan we used to cook eggs on was retired and in our cabinet sat it's predecessor - a shiny brand new non-stick
pan. The side-table lamp I had taken from the bedroom to use in my self-made
office nook was replaced with a legitimate brass desk lamp. This sweet woman
sensed and had picked up on our idiosyncrasies and provided us things to improve our
way of living. What a kind and gracious host!
See: Votive replacements on right
Our Abode
Dining Area
Coffee in Town
Grocery Haul
Evenings
On Monday and Wednesday nights Juston and I attend German
class at the Volkschochshule (School for Adults) of Celle in the center of
town. It’s 2.5 hours of pure fun and excitement. Okay, I mildly exaggerate.
It’s tough stuff and being in the class makes you feel wildly uncomfortable.
The teacher speaks only in German and often calls on Juston and I to
participate in her exercises. The
majority of the time we are clueless as to what it is she is requesting of us,
but somehow we are able to fumble our way through, laughing at our unsuccessful
translations and pronunciations in the process.
Practice makes perfect
To keep a piece of
home with us, we spend the other weeknights catching up on our American television
series. We make dinner, pour glasses of vino, and delve into the world of The Walking Dead or The Game of Thrones. Afterwards, we usually convene to the bedroom with our laptops and travel books to plan our next adventures.
Wine and Cheese sampling
Don't forget your Knopper!
Additional Dinner Spread
Trip planning in comfort
There you have it.
The aforementioned gives you a small glimpse of what a typical week consist
of for Juston and I, with weekends being spent traveling elsewhere. There was a
wise woman that once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Well, mission
complete Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt. Every day in Germany, along with other
countries, Juston and I have struggled to speak and understand the various
languages and cultures. Every weekend when we travel to foreign lands, we face
an all-new learning curve. Now, more
than ever, our lifestyle is unpredictable and our comfort level is constantly being challenged. And although it’s terrifying at times, we have always been
able to adapt. Although it’s frustrating and a feat to communicate, our
gestures and pleading expressions have been more often than not enough
interaction to produce the right results. As residents of Germany, we
have arrived at the point now where we are finally comfortable with being
uncomfortable. Challenging ourselves. Testing our limits. Trying new things. Being humbled over and over again. It’s what this process and journey is all about, and we appreciate you coming along for our ride. We give thanks and all glory to God.
With Love,
Yours Truly
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