I landed in Germany two weeks ago, and these first weeks have been nothing short of wild and wonderful. Nothing about this trip so far has been what I expected, but I have fallen fast in love with the city of Ludwigsburg. The architecture is breathtaking and the local cuisine is to live for, and public transportation is pretty nice as well once you figure out what all the symbols mean. It has not been easy to adjust to life with a language barrier, and being around sixteen other 20-something girls all of the time is nothing short of a struggle, but I am having fun nonetheless. For better or worse, the seventeen of us (and our two professors) have become a sort-of family this semester and like any family, we experience our fair share of ups and downs. Some days feel magical, others are much more mundane; so goes life whether in Germany or the States.
Of all the things I am learning - among handling culture shock and adjusting to life abroad - I am learning the most about myself. I am learning how to be with myself even when I'm not by myself, and how to trust the God of the universe with emotions and situations that are just too heavy for me. Before coming on this trip I had a frame of mind that said life would be even more perfect once abroad. The truth of the matter is that at the end of the day, I still have to sit in this new place with my same self. I have to choose to make peace with my negative experiences and decide to focus on the positive aspects of moving forward. That being said, I am an advocate of the fact hardships and beauty can coexist. Perhaps that is just the Enneagram Four in me coming out - one who is sometimes comfortable with a melancholy mood. Nonetheless, that is only one of a few mottos of my life right now. So instead of writing about how yummy currywurst is or how I still cannot correctly pronounce the word "recht", I want to share some things I have been reaffirmed for me since I came to Germany that I think are applicable no matter where you are, who you are, or what you believe.
1) Beauty and hardship can coexist
I will shout this from the rooftops until the whole world believes that it is possible to experience both beautiful and hard things at the same time. These things are not always separate things, sometimes joy and pain occur together. It's okay to feel these emotions at the same time. In fact, it's okay to feel all of your emotions, always. This, in part, is how we learn to navigate life. Without emotion, we are hollow.
2) Real life happens to everyone, everywhere.
No matter who you are and no matter where you go, you cannot fully prevent heartache and disappointment from finding you. Both the ups and downs of real life happen to everyone, everywhere. The important thing is not always what happens, but how you handle it. The beauty in all of this is we get to love one another graciously in our humanity and seek God in that process.
3) Life is better when we let others in.
None of us were made to live this life in isolation. Many of us were not even made to process our emotions and experiences on our own. So as it is healthy for you, let people in. Share your experiences with others. After all, you may just find that underneath it all we are more alike than we are unalike.
4) Walls are rarely (if ever) a good idea.
East and West Berlin, Germany. North and South Korea. The United States and Mexico. Us against the world. All different contexts, all diverse histories, all one goal: separation and isolation. We convince ourselves that our walls are for protection, and maybe some of them are, but in the end, only one thing remains. It is not our city or country, our walls nor our pride that will stand at the end of this life - it is how we loved. The plan was never division; the goal has always been unity and reconciliation.
As you can assume from this post, these first two weeks abroad have not been all Nutella stuffed pretzels and good beer, but while this experience has not been quite what I expected thus far, I remain indescribably thankful for this opportunity. I am looking forward to growing closer to the friends I have here as we continue to become acclimated to life in Germany. Thank you for letting me share glimpses into this new little world with you. I am already excited to make time to blog again soon!
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