I think the fact that this is the first year I won't be with my family has a lot to do with it. I think a bigger part of it, though, stems from the constant busyness of the past few months. I've been so focused on finding a place to live; learning how to do "simple" tasks like grocery shopping and buying bus passes; practicing my German; and adjusting to the culture that Christmas has been far from my mind.
Even this past week has been full. I spent a good part of the weekend in bed with a sinus infection. I really believe that a shortage of restful sleep over the past couple weeks contributed to my getting sick, so I tried to sleep as much as possible.
By Tuesday morning I was feeling better, so I went to the ladies' Bible study. In my opinion, the ladies' Bible studies have been some of the best things I've done here. They've helped me improve my German, both in listening and in speaking. The women have been so encouraging as I practice speaking! Herta, who is in her 80s, smiles so big whenever I speak in German, even if I'm speaking to other people. To her and to some of the others, the simple fact that someone is trying to learn and to use their language is exciting. It's exciting to me that they're so patient! It's also been good to get to know the women who attend regularly. They come from a wide range of backgrounds and all have their own personal struggles, which leads to some interesting discussions at times. I wish that I could also say it's good to attend the studies because of the Bible lessons, but sadly I don't understand enough yet to be able to gain a whole lot. I usually do understand the basic story or thought they are discussing, but I haven't yet been able to participate in the discussion. Hopefully as time goes by that will change.
Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon I worked in Jim's library. We're making great headway in getting things organized. Hopefully this will help Jim get the most use out of the books and other research materials he owns. I think a little organization will also go a long way toward easing Elsa's nerves. :-)
Also this week I went to Mark and Karen's apartment to wash some laundry. I don't have a washing machine, and it's a bit of a walk to the nearest laundromat, so to save me some time and money they said I could wash my things at their apartment. Let's just say it was a bit of a challenge getting my laundry to their apartment. Most of the trip was on the streetcar, but it was still a little awkward carrying my laundry bag across town. I wasn't sure if I looked more like Santa Claus or a homeless person. I'm just thankful I have some clean laundry.
Today the contracts were signed for the purchase of the new building and for the sale of the current one. The man from the Turkish restaurant next door officially takes ownership of the building at the beginning of February, but he will let us "rent" the building for a couple months while we renovate the new building. Many prayers have gone up on behalf of this effort, and it's wonderful to see progress being made and in such a short amount of time! I know that getting the paperwork taken care of before the holidays will ease a lot of burdens for everyone here.
The Christmas market is still in town and is still going strong. Here are a few pictures to try to help you understand what it's like:
The Tannenbaum at the Christmas market
Santa sets up his sled to sell Christmas goodies.
Some of the crowds of people waiting in line.Most of the pictures I tried to take didn't come out so well because it was dark, but here's a good one I found on www.bsag.de while looking up bus routes:
(Thanks to Martin Rospek) :-)Frohe Weihnachten!
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