Belonging

It's very strange, but ever since I've come to Germany I've had this feeling that I "belong" here. I never really had that feeling in DC, although of course I felt it in Champaign/Urbana (college was one of the best times of my life!).

The language barrier is very frustrating, and on the whole it can get very lonely being so far from friends and family. But, I feel very hopeful.

Just a few days ago I was walking down the street to go workout at a gym. As usual, I was unprepared for the surprise rain burst. So, I was getting drenched. At one point the rain got really hard so I hunched down into a little indentation in a building and waited it out. An old man stopped and just started talking to me, smiling and laughing. I, of course, had to tell him that I didn't understand him. He said "ohhh" and then smiled and walked away. I sat there for a while, wishing so badly that I spoke German. Finally, the rain let up a bit and so I started walking again.

I then saw that little old man again, this time with his wife, walking towards me. His face lit up, and he said to me "water!!!" and pointed at the sky. I laughed and said "ya!" I didn't have the heart to tell him that in America, we call water coming from the sky "rain!" Of course, I don't think I could have said that in German anyhow.... :)

Later, at the gym, I met a German girl who teaches English at a "Gymnasium". She spoke English very well, so we chatted for a while. I mentioned my episode with the old man in the rain and she looked at me in disbelief. She said "I've lived here all my life and things like that don't happen to me!" I told her that was funny because things like that seems to happen to me once every week or so.

In the little things I feel like God is looking out for me and helping me to feel okay here. And almost like I belong...