I made my first joke in German.

Okay, so now a more cohesive and less hurried blog post. Germany is wonderful. The people here at the resort are incredibly nice. As I mentioned already, my boss is wonderful and great. I really like her and the other workers. The town is the perfect post card town. It is a very small town in the Black Forest and has many little shops and cafes and snow! 

I am living in a room at the resort and have a nice large bed, closet, table and chairs, a small kitchenette, and my own bathroom. My first day of work was on Wednesday. I am working in the kitchen, cooking and preparing meals. And yes, I do have an incredible chef’s uniform. There are not too many guests right now at the hotel so there is not a lot of cooking to do. We take “smoking breaks” and get to hang out with one another. The atmosphere is really great. Nearly all the other workers are my age.  The first two nights we went out to a small tiny bar in the area. I have been very busy between working and getting to know the other workers, which is really only a good thing. The more I am alone, the more homesick I tend to get.

The hotel is beautiful. It is made up of several different buildings and they all have a south Germany flair to them. 

So, yes circumstantially Germany is perfect and I am having a wonderful experience.  I feel so lucky in the way things have turned out and to be here. However, to be perfectly honest with all of you (which I hope to be – I am a real person after all and don’t plan on sugar coating everything), I am overwhelmed. It is hard to come into a group of people who all know each other already, and it is harder when you don’t understand all that is being said and cannot express yourself well. I feel a bit alienated. Also, when I stop to consider just how long seven months is, I feel kind of sick. I hope that this is first day/week nerves and once I get settled in I will feel much more comfortable. All prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Happy first week of classes UVA. J