Saying goodbye to my family in Massachusetts was very difficult, but I feel so lucky to have spent those last weeks in the states with them. I feel equally blessed to have had a great visit with my friend Jason (and his wife Alex for one night - not just his wife but also my friend!), which reminded me how lucky I am to have the greatest friends in the world!
I won't lie, coming to Germany hasn't been all roses and rainbows. Of course, seeing Jerry again brought me so much joy. But there are things that will be hard for me to adjust to as an army wife. It was difficult to arrive in Germany and receive little demonstrative affection, as my husband picked me up at the airport with a superior officer. It has been strange to accept our apartment as my home, as it is one of countless apartments that look like all the other military units. This is accentuated by the fact that our stuff has not yet arrived. So the place is void of personal touches, holding the barest essentials for living and some furniture on loan from the army. The military installations that make up the Schweinfurt post are boring and uniform. Anyone who knows me probably can imagine that this is not the ideal fit for my personality!
But those are just initial impressions. Ones that I suspect will change as I make our house our home (when our things arrive in June) and as I get to know the people that call this home.
While the aesthetics of the military housing and the posts have left much to be desired, the city of Schweinfurt has all the German charm and character I had hoped for! In less than a week, I can already see myself feeling very much at home here and not wanting to leave! Since Jerry's been given time off to spend with me, we've spent much of the week not only taking care of business on post, but walking around and exploring Schweinfurt together. We've eaten yummy foods and even yummier ice cream (yeah, I know that technically ice cream is a food...but it's so good that it needs a separate category), walked a lot, and tonight went to a city fussball (soccer) game.
I'm happy to say that I've retained some of the German that I learned in high school, even though I haven't really thought about it much since then...fifteen years! I'm excited to learn as much as I can while I'm here and to immerse myself in the language and the culture as much as possible.
I feel like there's a lot to be said, but I'm not able to say it right now :) As I settle in, I
should be posting more and adding more pictures. Today's picture is a simple one, but one that makes me happy. In many places surrounding the posts, there are very large sidewalkes that are divided in half, with one side designated for pedestrians and the other for cyclists. When the sidewalk reaches a street, the crosswalk sign is a little different from the ones in the U.S.. Pretty cool, eh?
Overall, I'm so happy to be here. It feels like Jerry and I are finally getting the chance to begin our lives together. Which is amazing and scary at the same time. We have a lot of love and a lot of work ahead of us!
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