Just say no to Eggs.

Is anyone else feeling the post-Holiday blah's? I am a little bit today. I hope you had a great Christmas though! I sure did. I went to Frankfurt with a family on my team and we had a good time with another family in Frankfurt on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning I slept in.
Things got a bit more interesting the next day. I somehow acquired food poisoning. I am not positive about the culprit but I am thinking it was either bad eggs, or perhaps bad mayo. Can we all just say..yuck? The question of the week is..Are eggs going to be added to my list of permanently banned foods? Will it join the ranks of cucumbers and pecan pie? I will keep you posted on this breaking news.
I was fairly pathetic on Monday and called various friends in America and none of them could bring me soup. I guess there is that whole flying across the ocean thing..
I think I am back to normal now though. As normal as I can be anyway.
It started to snow (and stick) on Monday and I was really bummed b/c I could barely move my head, much less go outside and enjoy the snow. But the temp dropped drastically and it snowed a bit more last night. It is pretty, but also pretty slick too. I was taking my life in my hands a few places at the Aachener Weiher. (The place pictured below). It is my second favorite place in the city to go running. No running there now though. More like waddling and slip and slidin'. Kindove like the duck.

Pardon the randomness, but this Duck quacked me up. (oh my..) He (or she) was quite rotund.

8 Things I Love About Spending Christmas in Germany

-Not having a city govt. ban on public Christmas trees, public Nativitys, and being able to say "Frohe Weihnachten" without worrying about offending anyone.
(Oregonians will understand)
-Mittlealter Weihnachtsmarkt (medieval Christmas market). Where men and women dressed in medieval costumes re-enact the Christmas story. Complete with carrots, bowls of fire, and a musical offering of bagpipes and drums as gifts to Jesus, a 4th wiseman, and an angel Gabriel who's wings don't flap so good (the fire juggling court jester was pretty awesome too.)
-The breathtaking Christmas displays EVERYWHERE
-Krakauers, and Reibekuchen at the amazing outdoor Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets) all over town
-sharing the true meaning of Christmas with my Mslm friends who have never been in a culture that celebrates it before
-St. Nikolas Day (Dec. 6th) when you put your shoes outside your door and during the night St.Nikolas (or in my case my upstairs neighbor) puts a gift in them during the night.
-My Charlie Brown tree and the fact that I am afraid to turn the lights on it because it is so dry it might burst into flame like a tinderbox
and finally....
-Sitting in my warm apartment typing this blog entry, sipping hot chocolate out of a boot shaped Christmas mug while the snow drifts down outside and Josh Groban is singing in the background....
Have I mentioned lately I love it here?

Props

Yesterday my mentor and I were talking about the roles many of the things we cling to back home take in our lives and what it is like to live where these "things" don't exist or wouldn't matter if they did . Of course we miss them, but why?
It was a really interesting thing to realize how much we cling to our "props" and "titles" in our places. Stripping that away into the anonymity of a new culture gives you this wonderful opportunity to re-invent yourself, except...when you have so many props and titles it is hard to figure out what "yourself" is made up of. My props were my friends, my family, my work environment, and the subconscious comfortable bubble I lived in. Perhaps even the more material things like my car, and my house and my favorite shoes that are really out of style here. I am a daughter, sister, friend, I was a co-worker, and in each of those areas (whether it is meant to be) or not I have status, a title. What happens when you move to a new place and the props are gone, and your title means nothing to those you meet, or simply doesn't exist anymore? What then?
I am entering into a unique phase of time. I am almost halfway through my 2 year term. Many things have happened that I did not expect, and many things have not happened that I thought would.
In the midst of my questions and doubts, I love Micah 6:8: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
I suppose that a humble walk with the Lord shouldn't involve props and titles anyway. So now I just have to trust that He will replace those with Himself.

Tips On Making House Work Fun

Tip #1: Realize how dirty your floor is. Mop the floor, leaving plenty of water on it. Realize that you can't leave plenty of water on the floor because your floor is tile and is very slick when there is water on the floor. Put a pair of socks on. Choose an old dish towel to put under each foot. Put on the Bee Gee's. Blast "Stayin Alive" while you slide around your apartment dancing and mopping up the excess water on your slick tiles. This is not only fun if your floors need cleaning, but it is also a great distraction if you are bored. AND it is guaranteed to make neighbors across the way think you are nuts as you go swooping by the window each turn around.