Wowza. It has been one month (in aggregate- I took a 3 week family trip to Tokyo & Hong Kong to grub) of officially living in Germany and boy, have so many things happened (or didn’t happen)! Here is my 1 month German life update following my move from California.

Being away from family, friends and what I’ve known forever has shaken my world. I continuously learn new things that surprise me (good and bad) and am learning more about myself with each day. I used to think that I knew myself pretty well , but change the environment and really- things become a bit mushy as new experiences mold you little by little. The past 4 weeks have been a blur, yet I can still recall every moment and realization of doing my “first timer” things here clearly. The first time I ordered lunch with Germany speaking employees, the first time taking the subway not knowing if I would get lost (I have no sense of direction), the first time a franimal rejected my frantic waving and attempts to pet him/her, the first time I ran along the Main River, the first time I became an Imo (aunt) of a sweet new friend, the first time I went grocery shopping and took 20 minutes just to find regular flour, the first time being locked out of the apartment overnight only to experience the generosity of a friend, the first time being extorted by Czech policemen and realized that we are no longer living under the US rules, the first time driving to another country,the first time being alone in the apartment without my pet dog and realizing that my husband being away for work will be harder than before, the first time that I am not home when natural disasters hit too close for comfort, the first time realizing that I have all the free time deciding what to do with my life, but feeling even more lost, the first time discovering turkish cheese and loving it, the first time tasting insanely fresh bread that is amazingness, the first time going to a festival, the first time realizing that water is more expensive than other drinks and trying to find what my default drink will be here (fyi- I love water), the first time making a doctor’s appointment that would be 2 months out, the first time not having internet for more than 2 months (things are a process here), the first time experiencing real fall weather aka the coldest night in Orange County December weather, the first time where smiling is not reciprocated by strangers, the first time breathing air that is refreshing without having to go to the mountains, the first time connecting to friends back home and cherishing these moments extra more, the first time experiencing God’s good timing with new friends and finding a church, the first time learning how to use an induction stovetop, the first time using a plastic bottle machine and using the credit receipt towards a purchase, the first time I tried Kinder Choco Fresh Chocolate and falling over in delight, the first time I went to homegroup and found fellowship, the first time *trying to* sing German worship songs, the first time not being afraid to buy things without being able to communicate (you get really good at improvising and acting), the first time a German stared at me and I stared back, the first time I ate $1 gelato and loving it, the first time I found Vienneta (bombest ice cream cake with multi-thin crackly layers of chocolate in between-Unilever, please bring this back to the states!), the first time I ate chocolate musuli cereal, the first time where I realized that non-organic meat/veggies/fruit here tastes like organic food back home, the first time where hearing English instantly makes my ears perk up and feel like home for a second, the first time where going to Ikea and eating meatballs makes me feel at home (they look the same global!), the first time buying eggs that are not refrigerated and not getting sick from it, the first time eating charcuterie 3x in a week and getting sick of it too soon, the first time eating German green sauce and the list goes on.

Oh. And how can I forget. This will be the first time I’ve officially blogged in a foreign country 😛