Family Makes Everything Better

I write this a week after my parents visited for six days. It was so wonderful to have them here--to show them a bit of my world. It's moments like these that make me homesick though--not because I'm having a rotten time here. I'm still having a fabulous time. I'm beginning to realize though that I enjoy this beautiful place and interesting experience most when I share it with the people closest to me. So my parents' visit as well as my friends' visit earlier in the Spring are among my favorite moments in Germany. Here's a picture of my host family and with the parents.

We finished their week with a football win on Sunday and a trip to

Heidelberg on Monday. And then on Tuesday morning, I drove them to the airport and said goodbye. I've posted several pictures from various places The photo above is a castle from our trip down the Rhine River.

Another significant part of my life the last month or so has been my work at Berlitz Language School. It's been a wonderful job so far. Teaching here is rewarding for a few reasons. First, I love seeing the development of students--their comprehension of the English language and their growing confidence to speak. Also, you get to develop good relationships with these people. I teach almost exclusively adults and get to hear their life stories about family, career, etc. Last Friday I went to a Mongolian grill with ten students and a few teachers just to hang out.

Berlitz in Darmstadt is really booming right now with business. On my first day teaching (the day after my Visa arrived), I was scheduled for only an afternoon class. I received a call, however, that morning at 8 am asking if I could hustle into town to teach at 9:45. I was planning on spending the morning preparing for my afternoon lesson, but I hopped into the classroom barely knowing the material and pretending to be prepared. I don't think Berlitz was cruel enough to plan it this way, but I actually learned most quickly and probably most efficiently like this--out of necessity with no time for anxiety.

The other pictures come from the football game (Dad got a free sideline's pass), Heidelberg and the Martin Luther memorial in Worms. What a good looking couple, huh?

Miss all of you. God bless!

Ryan

Quick Post

My parents are currently visiting and I'll tell a fuller story of their visit after they leave and I have some longer moments to write. But in short, it's so refreshing to see them and very funny to see them asking the same questions I asked when first arriving. "Why is all the water carbonated?" "Where can you find ice?" "Do people always drive this crazy?" And to my surprise, I can answer most of their questions--having them around has made me realize how much I've actually learned about the language and culture.

So far we've been to the Gutenberg Museum and the absolutely stunning cathedral in Mainz, a few public parks and historic pedestrian area in Wiesbaden, the castles and vineyards along the Rhine River during our cruise, St. Peter's cathedral and the Martin Luther memorial in Worms, a preserved medeival area in Ladenburg, the Frankenstein castle, and some sights in downtown Darmstadt of course. It seems like a lot as I write it, but our time hasn't felt rushed at all--a relaxed and enjoyable pace. I'll attach some pictures soon.

In football, we dropped our game last weekend against Wiesbaden 20-24. We simply ran out of time. The offense scored everytime we had the ball in the second half, but we only had the ball three times. This also means we only started playing in the second half--down 14-0 at halftime. Hoping to put together a more complete game tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for love, prayers and support. God bless!
Ryan