The Arrival

I don’t think that it struck me that I was actually going to be in Europe until we were flying into Frankfurt and I saw neat little fields and cute miniature towns as far as the eye could see. The view from the plane was quite wonderful and I was so happy to finally be there. The plane trip itself was not too bad; it didn’t seem as long as I expected. Today, though, I feel a bit like the plane ran over me. My back did not appreciate sleeping in an oddly cramped space, and I clearly did not keep myself hydrated because I feel a bit hungover (I swear I didn’t get drunk yesterday!).

All these small annoyances are nothing though, because I am so happy to be here. My reunion with Thomas was everything I had hoped for, and we are happier than ever to have each other again. Thomas’ family has done a very good job of welcoming me, and I am already beginning to feel at home here. Although I did feel a bit overwhelmed yesterday because I wasn’t able to understand that much, and I was having a lot of trouble trying to say what I wanted to. I have realized that my German production abilities are mostly limited to telling people what I would like to eat, my address, what I did on the weekend, and what I studied in school. Unfortunately, the last three topics have not come up, so I have found myself with little to say.

Thomas and his family do not live in Karlsruhe proper, but rather a little town just outside of it. It is quaint and adorable. One of the first things I heard this morning was church bells ringing; it made me inexplicably happy.

The house is colourful and full of light. It manages to stay cool, even though there is no air conditioning and the temperature outside hovers around 30 degrees. All of the appliances seem pint-sized compared with our larger North American models. Despite the relatively small size of the kitchen, everything is well organized and works well (I am absolutely positive that my family could not survive with such a small dishwasher!).

Today was a very quiet day. I didn’t feel that well when I woke up and I still have a slight headache, but I’m sure it’s nothing a good sleep and lots of water won’t fix. We may go for a walk later, once it has (hopefully) cooled down a bit, to look at Thomas’ neighbourhood. He has done a great job of making me feel comfortable here and welcome. He came to the airport with a nice orange and yellow rose, and when we got home there was a beautiful bunch of Calla Lilies (my favourite flower) on the table.

I haven’t taken many pictures yet, but I’m sure I’ll take some tomorrow so I’ll post them then.

So how is Vancouver without me? Do you think you could live with tiny European appliances?

❤ Sid