First Week Plans

Hello faithful readership (if you so exist!),

Just a little update on what's going on. I am well into packing my things at this point; even my clothes are packed! I have so many clothes (NOT a good thing!) I can pack all I want to bring and still have plenty to wear for the next two weeks. Passengers in first class are allowed 2 pieces of luggage, each weighing no more than 32kg each... that means I can bring more than my body weight in luggage, ha ha ha!!! I can manage that, I think. Basically, if I have room for it, I am going to pack it...no worries on bringing too much, I'm going to be there quite a while. I don't want to have to go scurrying around town in Germany to find this item or that item if I've already got it at home and have such a large luggage allowance. Might as well just pack it.

My cousin (technically he's my 2nd uncle) Tobias works for Sparkasse, a popular bank with branches at every corner in Germany. Soooo to my luck, he is opening an account for me at Sparkasse before I even get there, saving me the hassle of doing it by myself when I get there. I am going to visit my cousins in Ingolstadt the first weekend I am in Germany.

Last night, I got an excellent deal on a train ticket from Koblenz to Ingolstadt. I was sooo close to buying a railpass, a 4 day one for $202 (w/ shipping) that I wasn't even sure I'd be able to use. I'm sure I'd find some way to use it, but still... so, I went to the Deutsche Bahn website again just to double-check the prices on the ticket I wanted, and lo and behold! For some reason, the special price wasn't listed a few days ago, but it was now... I got my ticket for $43 as opposed to $110! The reason I am going to visit them is because they have things of mine that they brought back when they left last week so I didn't have to pack them, AND...

I'm going to Oktoberfest in Munich! YESSSS! A life goal will be scratched off the list on that very weekend. I am excited already. I can't wait to eat a Bratwurstsemmel (a bratwurst on a crispy roll) with mustard... mmm!!!

Doing a good job packing, though, I think I'm covering all the bases. I looked at the pictures of my friend's apartment again today. She lives in the same building as I'll be in. The apartments are so cute and everything is new. I am very excited about it!!

I can't believe I'm leaving in two weeks!

Keeping you posted,
Caitlin

A Thought on Money + Travel...

Here I am again, worrying about a budget for my stay in Germany. Why? Have I not saved my entire life to do something cool? Isn't that why you save money, so you can eventually spend most, if not all of it? I can't have the same amount of money stashed away forever in my savings account, gathering (albeit interest) dust! I'm mad at myself for worrying about money. Am I going to look back at my year abroad in Germany and say to myself, "You spent way too much money!" or will I say, "That was a hell of a time!"? Which would I rather say...? Stay home and do nothing all weekend or...hop a train to the Black Forest?

Just something that's been on my mind lately.


Caitlin

A Little Reflection...

The time is already ticking, I can't believe it! In less than a single month, I will be gone from this tropical/sub-tropical climate to spend the fall and winter months in Germany. Wild. Mom and I have been thinking out loud a lot about stuff, what to pack/not to pack, etc. I got a new suitcase, even. It's huge! 34" tall and its 2" expandable!

Right now my mind is kind of blank. I feel like there's something on my mind but I can't remember what it is. I'm really looking forward to a drastic lifestyle-change. Firstly, I want to work on my relationship with Jesus. It definitely needs work (as it should) and I think going off on my own (technically) away from home is the best way to work on it. Then it's just me and Him. I got a taste of it over the summer and I've noticed since I got back I've drifted a bit. Here I feel more comfortable, less dependent on God. I guess it's because after living here in the same place for 19 years, I feel like I have it all down pat, all figured out. On my own in a foreign country, it's different. Obviously I don't have it all figured out either way.

Secondly, I want to change my eating habits. NO MICROWAVE!! NO OVEN!! Hence, no frozen foods = less preservatives and sodium (a preservative, ha ha). I just have a tiny little stove and a tiny little refrigerator. We'll see what happens with that!

Thirdly, I'm going to stick to my fitness goals for once. I have no excuse not to anymore. I won't be working, I won't have very many classes... I want to work out and LIKE it. I LOVE the way I feel during and after a workout, I have soooo much more energy and I feel great. It's a great encouragement to do it again the next day. So that's the third thing I want to change.

"Sticking to it"... this next year for me is going to be a real test of that. I have a problem with it. Whether its fitness, eating right, prayer, whatever it is, it is very hard for me to develop new habits. It's time to make these goals of mine very well organized and thought-out. I need to plan it, there's nothing wrong with that. Self-discipline, I think they call it. God gave me a heart for organizing, thinking, and planning... hopefully I can glorify Him, at least a little bit, by using it.

Until next time,
Caitlin