The First Month

Hallo!

I have been in country now for exactly 1 month! I have just completed my first full week of work! It had been over a month since I had dawned scrubs and a stethoscope! The first three weeks were very full with classes, classes and more classes...or better known as "death by power-point." But truly, the hospital mission is amazing and I was very surprised to learn just how far reaching the footprint of Landstuhl really is! It's quite an incredible area and I feel very privileged to be part of it all.

I am still in search of a house. There has been a huge influx of military personnel to the area and thus housing options are very slim. I am trying to remain loyal to the area I really want to be in, but I might have to forego my dream location for now. Highlights of the last three weeks have been: Passing my driving test, which was a huge relief; finishing all my in-processing requirements; Kenric and I taking a day trip to Brussels, Belgium for a beautiful change of scenery as well as a recent trip to Heidelberg! I rented a little BMW Mini Cooper which has been a blast to drive on the Autobahn! I forgot how fun a manual transmission can be!

The weather is slowly improving. There have been more sunny days than snow this last week, which has made getting around much easier! I am becoming more comfortable with the area. I haven't gotten lost yet...I guess I have to give credit to the GPS. But it is nice to finally have a basic layout of the area. I walk to work most days, which I love as it helps wake me up at 0500! I'm slowly meeting new people and find most everyone I work with to be very nice. It is awesome to be surrounded by and working next to people from around the world! It's truly a very fascinating place to be!

I do miss home at times! I took the convenience for granted! I had my first Starbucks coffee since being here just two days ago and oh how incredible it tasted!! The closest thing to a drive-thru coffee is the "McCafe" and to be honest...it's not that bad, but I missed the coffee in the Northwest! Things are not as easy here nor made so convenient, which takes some getting used to. Things close down early and many stores and shops are closed on the weekends. But I'm learning.

Know that I miss you all and hope you all are well! Please write! It means a lot to hear from you and to hear what's going on in your world! Talk again soon...

~~Tschüss