Cold and mostly cloudy, always a chance for rain.

And such is the weather in Northern Germany at this time of year, though as I type this the sun stares defiantly at me in contradiction to the above title.

Hey friends, sorry for the late update. Martha was gone and I had been using her computer to update but now she is back and I can give you a quick brief on the last week and a half. Much of my time was spent relaxing after a fun summer in Central Asia. I needed some time to rest, debrief and recount my adventures from this summer. Here's a shout out to the team from the summer; Andrew, Tiffany, Jessica, Sarah - thanks for being such a great team and an encouragement to me. (Sarah-thanks for being a great co-leader as well, you were a tremendous blessing to me and the team!)

As for my time here, i've gotten to know a couple more friends: Abdul and Murat, both employees at a Tea Cafe here in Braunschweig. Its been fun trying to learn a little Arabic through speaking German, because they don't speak English. Just a reminder: This weekend I will be traveling to Munich and I will be there for a week. After that I will go with several students on a trip to Hungary for the week after that. I will try my best to keep posts during that time, but given travel schedules and time constraints we will have to wait and see!

The picture above is the western portion of my city as seen from one of the University buildings. Gotta run, lots to do!

All Roads Lead to Rome

Last week was fantastic, with an interesting trip to Hamburg, in northern Germany. I got to spend some time there; meeting friends of Martha's and seeing a little bit of the city. I found a booksale while I was there and managed to snag some works of Goethe and I was even able to find a soldiers prayer book for about two dollars! Quite an acquisition, I would say. Last Saturday, I was invited to a Tunisian party by my friend Yassin. I enjoyed the escape from this world and into another, if only it were for a few hours time. We enjoyed Tunisian dancing and there was also a fortune teller (though I did not have my fortune told...I already know it), as well as Shisha pipes alongside the view of a beautiful lake late in the evening. The weather was perfect for an outdoor party and I got to ride on the back of Yassin's motorcycle to get there, which was exciting! All in all, we had a great time and I made a few more Tunisian friends.

Yesterday, I went to the movies and saw Rush Hour 3 in German. It was a fascinating experience to hear the voices dubbed over into German. I went with Martha and Christoph, an acquantaince of Martha and it was a lot of fun. I've been kept busy with work and have managed to find time to do the things I love: writing, exploring and causing trouble. The two pictures in direct succession are both pictures of my city at night. They were taken on a very chilly evening as I raced an approaching storm for shelter. Dark clouds were rolling in from all directions, seeking to do battle with one another like the warriors of old, pouring forth their anger with relentless energy. They ignored me completely as I headed off to bed and left them to their duel.

Thanks to Stephanie (My Desert Rose) for the gift of the camera! Without her, you wouldn't be able to view the chronology of my adventures! I leave you with one last picture. For those of you who think you've seen everything under the sun, think again. In the picture below, you will find me pondering the complexity of that which is before me. What is this ancient relic that you see? Why, it's nothing more than Salmon flavored cream cheese! Spread that on your bagel in the morning! As far as food is concerned, I thought I had seen everything. I guess I still have more traveling to do...

Catch me if you can...

It seems that the past week has been steadily consistent of one thing: traveling. This past weekend I took a trip out to East Germany to a city called Jena. There I stayed with Stefan Beyer and spent some time with some old friends that have been to America before. We ordered pizza and played a few rounds of a German card game called "Skat" (Pronounced "Scott"). I did ok, but it was difficult to pick up on the rules...in english and in german. The first two pictures are from Jena and are of a cool building and the apartment of one of my friends where we hung out. It was refreshing and fun to see familiar faces halfway across the globe. In addition to hanging out with friends, I even went to a local soccer match which was exciting. A fight even broke out behind me after the game; so exciting! The police looked really cool in all of their riot gear and weapons.

Besides taking a trip to East Germany, I also went to Nuernberg, which is in southern Germany. I spent the day down there visiting an old castle and ruins of some of Hitler's building projects that he began but never finished during World War II. There was a really nice museum and I even got a discount for being a student-how nice! It was amazing to be amongst so much history and it was eerie to even stand at the same podium where Hitler gave many of his infamous speeches to rally the Germans and dehumanize everyone else. The next picture you see is that of an unfinished Coloseum that Hitler was constructing but did not finish because of the allied infiltration of Germany. It was to house his new government and was to be the center of his fascist "parliament". As you can see, it is not very well kept by the current residents of Nuernberg, even though it is a substantial piece of history, some things must be left to fester and rot.

In addition to the museum, I was able to see a tour of the courtroom where the famous Nuernberg trials were held. These were trials against many of the political and military leaders of Germany and most of the verdicts ended with a death sentence or a life imprisonment due to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

But for now, I have returned to Braunschweig and I am hoping to spend a little time with friends before I leave again to go to Hamburg to visit some workers there. I will only be there for a day and night and then I hope to get back up and running with the students who are here in Braunschweig. For the most part I have been busy working, things seem to be going well and at a steady pace with always something to work on, but as summer nears its end, the approach of fall has brought upon the city an icy-chill, as winters in Northern Germany are often times extremely cold and wet. I feel as if I have traversed the greater parts of Germany, but I still have more travels to do as I will be going to Munich next month as well. Please send me messages if you find the time; I do enjoy hearing from friends and receiving news from the other end of the globe. I close with a couple of pictures: one is a view from the top of the Imperial Castle in Nuernberg of the city below it. The only thing that sat higher than the castle was the cathedral. The second picture is of one of the corners of the castle, complete with turrets and parapets to make your war upon any bothersome invaders. Much Love!

Internships: It's like being in college, except that you actually do work.

As the minutes tick by, mild-mannered Tommy sits at his desk, working tenaciously to finish answering e-mails, translate documents, and plan routes through the perilous German Autobahn. But in the evenings, he is free to roam the city, seeking out danger and adventure wherever it might find him.

(The picture to the left is a mighty stream which floweth forth through the great city of Wittenberg. It ain't the riverwalk, but it works!)

This last week has been fun and interesting. I'm struggling with the language a little, but I might be able to get a tutor so that I can increase my language capabilities. I've been busy with a lot of work in my internship and have met a few more people, including a very nice Tunisian man who is also studying and working. His name is Yassin and was kind enough to meet me in the city and spend some time with me last week. I went to a church this week that several of the students I met go to and I really enjoyed it. This week I will be helping with a Grill Party in a local park. We'll grill food and play ultimate frisbee. I think I might try and put together a game of capture the flag if I can. Anyways, the days are cool, the nights are cold and I have to figure out what classes I'll be taking this October, because that time is bearing down on me sooner than I thought.

I hope everyone is doing well back home, know that I certainly am!

Retreats and Reformations

This last week has been really busy and I apologize for not updating sooner. I've made a few trips to several different locations in Germany to look for a place to have a retreat in November for a couple of our groups in Braunschweig and in Jena. Although I went to several different cities, the highlight of the trip was stopping in Wittenberg, Germany. This is the city where Martin Luther began his undertakings which led to the Reformation and seperation from the Catholic Church. The top picture is one of the turrets of the Schloss where Martin worked. The middle picture is a statue of Luther with the inscription "A mighty fortress is our God". (In German of course) The third picture is me standing in front of the very door to which Luther nailed his 95 theses. So much history and so much of who we are today stood upon the shoulders of a single man who was willing to give up everything to serve Christ and not men. Many men died so that others could freely worship Christ and read His word in their own language instead of being held down by the traditions and regulations of the Catholic Church.





My favorite three experiences so far:


3. Being in the same place as Luther once was.


2. Going to a German Rock concert in Hannover and hearing "Hells Bells"...with a 10 foot church bell accompanying the band on stage. I think the bell was stolen.


1. Learning that its cheaper to order beer at a restaurant or pub than water or soda.







Tired? Thirsty? Nothing quenches your thirst better after a hard day of Church Reform than "Luther Bier"!

Peasants Revolting? Slay their dissension with a cup of this cold, refreshing lager!

Take a bite out of the Devil AND your thirst with "Luther Bier"!

(Available at all grocers in Wittenberg)

New Sights, New Friends

Well, today I managed to get lost...it would have happened eventually. I was given a bike that was used by the team this summer. (I'm certain it was Beck's.) I was biking around the inner part of the city when I lost my way. But with the acquisition of a map and my uncanny ability to get out of trouble, I was able to escape the clutches of doom...and ride my bicycle home. Thanks a bunch to everyone who helped to send me here. The weather is much different here than in Central Asia. During a normal day in Central Asia, it was about 35 degrees Celsius, but here it is half that, about 17 degrees Celsius. I get to wear my jacket everyday as I go about my business. Although it makes for a nice summer, I have precluded that winter does not bode well for me if it is freezing cold at the end of July...

What you see on the left is a Lutheran Church that is just a block down from me. The pastor that worked there during the time of Hitler's Reign was killed for standing against the Nazi's fascist ideals. A solemn reminder that many people suffered along the side of the Jews for standing for Truth and Justice. The church is quite beautiful and still holds a weekly service and outreach program. I think i'll build my fortress like this one, but bigger of course and with archers in the parapets.

I got to see a museum about the history of Braunschweig today and it was well put together. They had some of the sweetest weapons from the Medieval Period, as well as clothing, artifacts, and displays. It was every archaeologists' dream to see so much history well preserved and put in a manner that was quasi-contextual. Well done Deutschland, well done indeed.

I've been able to meet a few new guys so far and tomorrow I'll be heading off to a local pub to play billiards with some more guys. The social-cultural differences here fascinate me to no end and I am always learning something new about customs and language differences. Next to all apartments are a series of receptacles. I counted them and there were 12 different trash receptacles in this picture, each one for a different type. For example; brown glass, green glass, paper, clear glass, plastic, plastic w/ wax coating, cardboard, etc. Those are a few of the examples, but it will take me a long while before I get used to seperating my trash out that specifically.

I hope all is well back home, it will be interesting to see what has changed in a year whenever I finally return. Much love everyone.

Arrival in Germany

After much travelling and little sleep I have arrived in Braunschweig, Germany! My plane ride from Moscow was actually one of the best ones i've had in a long time. Once I arrived in Frankfurt it was only a simple matter of asking around before I got to my train station. I took a train from Frankfurt to Braunschweig, which lasted about 4 hours and was really comfortable. It was nice to be able to sit, relax, and watch the German countryside roll past my window. Once I arrived I was greeted by Martha, whom I will be working for, and Antja, another intern. It's exciting to finally be in Germany, but I won't start classes for two more months which means a lot of down time and language acquisition. During this time I will be working for Martha, doing work that needs to be done and also meeting other students from the University. Special shout out to the team that was here all summer, you guys did an amazing job!

I am roommates in a small apartment with Markus, an aerospace engineer, and Wolfgang, the owner of the apartment. Both speak english very well and want to practice more, but they have to accomodate me, because I have forced them to talk in German most of the time. So we've decided that they will talk in English and I will speak in German so that everyone wins. Wolfgang has been kind enough to let me stay in the apartment for two months, rent free! What a tremendous blessing that is! I'll post pictures later.