I miss Siloah.
I love being in Jena, though. It is fantastic seeing my host family again and being reunited with the group was a lot of fun and interesting. I look forward to hearing more about other people's service locations and sharing all about mine.
But quite honestly, I think I left my heart at Siloah.
My luggage is pretty much packed and doesn't weigh nearly as much as I thought it would. I can lift it with ease and I'm not too worried about it. It's crazy to think that I am packing to go home and not just to another part of Germany. I'm not sure if I'm ready to face the shock of being in a totally different setting. Germany has become so familiar to me. I'm comfortable here. At Siloah, when I found myself given the option of speaking to the American Team Missions group that was visiting there in English, I immediately wanted to go back to my German friends. It felt better that way. I'm scared of losing my German once I go home because I don't have anyone at home to speak with. My family speaks Spanish as a second language. I am the only German speaking Mexican I know!
Perhaps at Goshen that won't be much of a problem. There are plenty of German speakers on campus, including the people from my SST group. I want to keep it up just in case I actually do work at Siloah in two years. I don't want language to be an issue. Well, it wasn't really before.
The night before Nick, Matt, and I left Siloah, the mannschaft and the workers had a party for us in which we had pizza, conversation, and gifts down in the Kaminkeller (fireplace basement). I was able to take some pictures with people from the group and thanks was given all around for our hard work and their hospitality. The next morning, some of them actually woke up early to have breakfast with us (an usual thing, waking up early on a Saturday at Siloah) and gave us final hugs before we climbed in to the car to head towards Fröttstadt to catch a train to Jena. I gave my yoyo to Kathi, a fellow co-worker who has a place in my heart, because she was getting so good everytime she practiced with it. My yoyo had been my little trademark but she means so much to me that I felt she should have it.
Today is being spent relaxing and enjoying that all homework is done and there are no other priorities other than tomorrow's meeting and packing. Traveling back home is coming too soon. I am eager to see my family and friends and my beautiful Houston. First, I will come to Goshen via the traditional SST bus, and then stay in Goshen for a night with Rachel. The next morning I will catch a train out of Elkhart in to Chicago and from there I will fly in to Houston. I have a lot of traveling ahead of me and I hope I have the strength to get myself home. I think my excitement of being surrounded by people speaking English and the anticipation of seeing my family will keep me going.
So, Germany, Auf Wiedersehen. I know I will be coming back very soon. There is a wonderful opportunity here for me that I am willing to take. You have taught me a lot about myself and you will forever be a wonderful memory. I'm sorry that we are the last SST group here. Thank you to everyone I have met here and who have made me feel so welcomed.
Tschüs.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Ich möchte hier bleiben
So, tomorrow is my last day at Siloah.
Part of me is wanting so badly to stay here because who knows if I will make Team of the Year and be able to come back. These may be my last days here. I don't like thinking about it because this is maybe my favorite place in Germany.
The other part of me is absolutely dying to see my family and friends and my city. I miss them all so so much and I am just having to contain myself when I stop to think about how soon it is that I will be heading home.
5 days.
I can't believe I am almost done with SST. This was something that I was really worried about. I almost didn't go on SST if it couldn't have been Germany. I feel like God led me in the right direction when I received the email to hear about there still being room in the group.
It's raining. It feels like it's always raining now.
Anyway, Jena on Saturday. I'm excited to see the rest of the group. I'm really interested to hear how everyone else's service went. I hope they enjoyed theirs as much as I have enjoyed mine. It'll feel weird being back in Jena and with our host families whom we have not seen in a while. I hope I get to spend some nice quality time with them before leaving Monday night. It'll be exciting to speak to them since I feel that my German has really improved while on service.
I'm tired. I feel like I'm just going to sleep the majority of the time that I'm home.
Part of me is wanting so badly to stay here because who knows if I will make Team of the Year and be able to come back. These may be my last days here. I don't like thinking about it because this is maybe my favorite place in Germany.
The other part of me is absolutely dying to see my family and friends and my city. I miss them all so so much and I am just having to contain myself when I stop to think about how soon it is that I will be heading home.
5 days.
I can't believe I am almost done with SST. This was something that I was really worried about. I almost didn't go on SST if it couldn't have been Germany. I feel like God led me in the right direction when I received the email to hear about there still being room in the group.
It's raining. It feels like it's always raining now.
Anyway, Jena on Saturday. I'm excited to see the rest of the group. I'm really interested to hear how everyone else's service went. I hope they enjoyed theirs as much as I have enjoyed mine. It'll feel weird being back in Jena and with our host families whom we have not seen in a while. I hope I get to spend some nice quality time with them before leaving Monday night. It'll be exciting to speak to them since I feel that my German has really improved while on service.
I'm tired. I feel like I'm just going to sleep the majority of the time that I'm home.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sei ein lebendiger Fisch
I'm sick.
I don't know what it is but I am having a loss of appetite and I found myself hurling out this mornings breakfast. Not pretty.
I hope it's temporary.
We have less than two weeks left in Siloah and these last two are going to be so busy. As well as having to finish our final papers and projects, Siloah is hosting a huge tent fest thing that we will be setting up for as well as enjoying next week. It should be pretty amazing.
There was a kindercamp here last week. Nick was made a leader with another guy of a group, Matt helped out with the labor stuff and entertaining the kids with his mad wood chopping skills and I helped with food and made some 8 year old friends. We went camping in the woods in Volkenroda, about an hour away, and I ended up making a lot of new German friends. The three of us received a lot of attention from the kids and it was mainly because we were American. I had girls asking me to sing in English and I had the enjoyment of talking about Hannah Montana and other girly things. They also weren't afraid to correct my German which helps me a lot. I love being corrected bluntly because I don't forget it. While it rained majority of the time we were camping, we still enjoyed cooking food over a fire and going on walks through the woods. Before heading back to Siloah, we returned the key to the camp house at a Klosterhof where Sarah and Mark happened to be for their service location. Nick had tried to see them earlier in the day so we were happy when our van pulled in to the driveway to return the key. I spotted Mark and he took us up to Sarah's room. It felt so weird but exciting since we weren't supposed to really be seeing each other yet but still pretty amazed that we were with them.
The last few days of the kindercamp were so much fun. On one particular day they had set up a game where there were different "shops" around Siloah that the kids were in charge of. One could go in to the medieval room and get a massage or their nails painted, or go to the underground cellar to the "bar" that sold cups of juice and cookies, or to the side of the barn to buy flat bread that the kids were making over a small fire, or to the work shop to buy some homemade lotion stuff. You earned "money" based on what job you did at Siloah so I got a fine amount for working in the kitchen. Even though it was raining, it was still a lot of fun to go around to each different place and hand over play money for something. We then had a nice dinner and presentation of pictures and small skits performed by the kids. They all left on Saturday and Siloah has gone back to its quiet peaceful self until people start pouring in for next weeks festivities.
I talked to two of the workers, who have also become good friends, about possibly applying to be on the Team of the Year here at Siloah. I would work here for a year after college. I feel like this is something I could afford given the amount of debt I will be in after college. I will consider it simply because Siloah has done so much for me without even trying. My German would improve and I could get a lot of my book written. We'll see.
I miss everyone very much and I can't believe I will be seeing everyone very soon. I can't believe I am almost done with SST.
I'm not sure if I want to be done.
I don't know what it is but I am having a loss of appetite and I found myself hurling out this mornings breakfast. Not pretty.
I hope it's temporary.
We have less than two weeks left in Siloah and these last two are going to be so busy. As well as having to finish our final papers and projects, Siloah is hosting a huge tent fest thing that we will be setting up for as well as enjoying next week. It should be pretty amazing.
There was a kindercamp here last week. Nick was made a leader with another guy of a group, Matt helped out with the labor stuff and entertaining the kids with his mad wood chopping skills and I helped with food and made some 8 year old friends. We went camping in the woods in Volkenroda, about an hour away, and I ended up making a lot of new German friends. The three of us received a lot of attention from the kids and it was mainly because we were American. I had girls asking me to sing in English and I had the enjoyment of talking about Hannah Montana and other girly things. They also weren't afraid to correct my German which helps me a lot. I love being corrected bluntly because I don't forget it. While it rained majority of the time we were camping, we still enjoyed cooking food over a fire and going on walks through the woods. Before heading back to Siloah, we returned the key to the camp house at a Klosterhof where Sarah and Mark happened to be for their service location. Nick had tried to see them earlier in the day so we were happy when our van pulled in to the driveway to return the key. I spotted Mark and he took us up to Sarah's room. It felt so weird but exciting since we weren't supposed to really be seeing each other yet but still pretty amazed that we were with them.
The last few days of the kindercamp were so much fun. On one particular day they had set up a game where there were different "shops" around Siloah that the kids were in charge of. One could go in to the medieval room and get a massage or their nails painted, or go to the underground cellar to the "bar" that sold cups of juice and cookies, or to the side of the barn to buy flat bread that the kids were making over a small fire, or to the work shop to buy some homemade lotion stuff. You earned "money" based on what job you did at Siloah so I got a fine amount for working in the kitchen. Even though it was raining, it was still a lot of fun to go around to each different place and hand over play money for something. We then had a nice dinner and presentation of pictures and small skits performed by the kids. They all left on Saturday and Siloah has gone back to its quiet peaceful self until people start pouring in for next weeks festivities.
I talked to two of the workers, who have also become good friends, about possibly applying to be on the Team of the Year here at Siloah. I would work here for a year after college. I feel like this is something I could afford given the amount of debt I will be in after college. I will consider it simply because Siloah has done so much for me without even trying. My German would improve and I could get a lot of my book written. We'll see.
I miss everyone very much and I can't believe I will be seeing everyone very soon. I can't believe I am almost done with SST.
I'm not sure if I want to be done.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Siloah
Well, I switched service locations after only being in Bad Sulza for a week. The reasons for me leaving are something I do not wish to share on here. It was a lot of miscommunication with me and the clinic that led to me crying and giving a phone call to Joe and me on the next train to Jena the next day. I stayed with my host family for the weekend and was on the Monday morning train to Neufrankenroda, my new service location.
Neufrankenroda is an extremely small town with 70 people but its main attraction is the absolutely wonderful Siloah. I work at Siloah with Nick and Matt from my group as well as other German volunteers and workers all in our age group. Siloah is a christian family community place in a barn setting. Different schools bring their kids for day trips or over night stays with a plethora of activities going on during the day. There are animals including horses (which I have had the pleasure of riding) rabbits, and kittens, archery, fruit picking, a theaterstücke in one of the barns, guest rooms, a spielplatz with an incredibly long slide, and acres and acres of farm land. I adore it here because it is so different from my home life. I probably won't ever get a chance to live like this again so I am enjoying every minute of it.
A typical day starts with breakfast at 7:00 a.m. At 7:30 a.m. we have a prayer service in the Crypta. It's a really cool place because it is semi-underground and its original purpose was for wine...I think. It is a small stone cave with cool dim lighting and benches facing a small alter. We sing songs and share prayers before starting work at 8:00. We work from 8:00 to 11:40 a.m. until the next service (we have two in one day) and then have lunch at 12:00 p.m.-ish. After lunch we work again from 12:45 to 4:30 p.m. I work in the kitchen and I wash the dishes or sometimes get to make the random vegetable platter or cake. I really love washing dishes because it's such a mindless activity so I can let my mind wander or sing along with the Christian music that plays in the main kitchen. Dinner is at 6:30 so we usually have a couple of hours to shower, read, or relax. There's so much to explore at Siloah and I feel like I discover something new everyday. I have been trying to go to bed at 10:00 because I get so tired after lunch. It's worth it.
My room is pretty awesome. I live at the very top of the one of the guest buildings but not in a guest room. You have to walk through a costume shop attic to get to my room which is at the very end. It sits above a creepy cafe (well, only creepy at night) and is normally used as a storage room. A week ago they were installing solar panels on the roof so I would sometimes wake up to drills or a man standing over my window working. It was pretty entertaining.
It's hard to believe that week three of service is almost over. We will be coming home this month. I love the time that I am spending with Nick and Matt but I look forward to being reunited with the rest of the group. Tom Meyers is currently in Jena helping Joe and Jo-Ann close up Germany SST. It has been going on for 24 years with over 350 students, including us. Goshen College is donating two park benches to thank JenaKolleg for all they have done for us and to show our respect to Jena for being such an awesome SST location. We plan to visit where the park benches will be placed before heading to Frankfurt to fly back to the states.
As much as I can't wait to be home, it's sad to think about leaving Germany knowing that we will be the last ever SST group to study here.
Neufrankenroda is an extremely small town with 70 people but its main attraction is the absolutely wonderful Siloah. I work at Siloah with Nick and Matt from my group as well as other German volunteers and workers all in our age group. Siloah is a christian family community place in a barn setting. Different schools bring their kids for day trips or over night stays with a plethora of activities going on during the day. There are animals including horses (which I have had the pleasure of riding) rabbits, and kittens, archery, fruit picking, a theaterstücke in one of the barns, guest rooms, a spielplatz with an incredibly long slide, and acres and acres of farm land. I adore it here because it is so different from my home life. I probably won't ever get a chance to live like this again so I am enjoying every minute of it.
A typical day starts with breakfast at 7:00 a.m. At 7:30 a.m. we have a prayer service in the Crypta. It's a really cool place because it is semi-underground and its original purpose was for wine...I think. It is a small stone cave with cool dim lighting and benches facing a small alter. We sing songs and share prayers before starting work at 8:00. We work from 8:00 to 11:40 a.m. until the next service (we have two in one day) and then have lunch at 12:00 p.m.-ish. After lunch we work again from 12:45 to 4:30 p.m. I work in the kitchen and I wash the dishes or sometimes get to make the random vegetable platter or cake. I really love washing dishes because it's such a mindless activity so I can let my mind wander or sing along with the Christian music that plays in the main kitchen. Dinner is at 6:30 so we usually have a couple of hours to shower, read, or relax. There's so much to explore at Siloah and I feel like I discover something new everyday. I have been trying to go to bed at 10:00 because I get so tired after lunch. It's worth it.
My room is pretty awesome. I live at the very top of the one of the guest buildings but not in a guest room. You have to walk through a costume shop attic to get to my room which is at the very end. It sits above a creepy cafe (well, only creepy at night) and is normally used as a storage room. A week ago they were installing solar panels on the roof so I would sometimes wake up to drills or a man standing over my window working. It was pretty entertaining.
It's hard to believe that week three of service is almost over. We will be coming home this month. I love the time that I am spending with Nick and Matt but I look forward to being reunited with the rest of the group. Tom Meyers is currently in Jena helping Joe and Jo-Ann close up Germany SST. It has been going on for 24 years with over 350 students, including us. Goshen College is donating two park benches to thank JenaKolleg for all they have done for us and to show our respect to Jena for being such an awesome SST location. We plan to visit where the park benches will be placed before heading to Frankfurt to fly back to the states.
As much as I can't wait to be home, it's sad to think about leaving Germany knowing that we will be the last ever SST group to study here.
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