A Month in Germany

Hallo! It's hard to believe that one month ago we drove our weighed-down Volkswagon Golf from St Andrews, Scotland to Wuppertal, Germany. I don't think I imagined I would ever move countries 33 weeks pregnant, but to my surprise, it can be done!

For dinner on Thursday night in Dover, England, we stumbled upon a quaint pub serving tapas. It felt like we were back in Spain. After complimenting the chef, he bought us each a drink on the house: a beer for Garrick and a cranberry and soda for me. Our hotel room got upgraded to a suite with a sea view, and we truly relaxed. This was an unexpected blessing for us as I had expected the trip to be something to get through, not something I would enjoy.

The next morning we caught the 7:20am ferry to Calais, France. Our drive through France, Belgium, and Germany was pretty uneventful, although Garrick just received a speeding ticket in the mail from France. We arrived and quickly looked around our new flat and planned what we could do with the space before calling it a day. On Saturday, we took of first of four trips to the place we love and hate: Ikea.

And now we've been here over a month! "One day at a time" has been my mantra. This move has been like our move to Scotland on steroids. The language barrier being one reason, and another, the fact that Garrick has to do most of the work because I'm in my third trimester. But, I feel like our move to Scotland gave us the wisdom and skills to equip up for this move. This past Friday was the one month mark of our new life here. Most nights are spent enjoying a slow dinner, followed by a game of cribbage, and then a movie. This time as a couple before our first child arrives has been wonderful in so many ways.

Here are some highlights of month one:

- Our flat is now a home! My next post will be a photo tour. Garrick hopes to never again put together Ikea furniture.

- I've established care with a Frauenarzt and have had two great appointments. Eloise was breech but turned and we now await her arrival! We'll attend an information session at the birthing hospital this evening. 

- Garrick has continued working at the Theologisches Zentrum Wuppertal and developed a routine he enjoys.

- We've set up wifi, mobile phones, etc.

- Saturdays are usually spent exploring Wuppertal and surrounding cities. We've found a few great restaurants and walked around the Botanical Gardens near our house. We also took the train to Münster and found a lovely market and enjoyed the local brewery. 

- We've attended the Evangelical church below our flat and the first two songs were in English. My favourite line of one of the chorus' was "Jesus lives in my house."

- Friday night we had our first dinner guests.

- We've enjoyed getting to know Garrick's colleagues and enjoyed meals together and birthday celebrations.

- I've slowly found most of the items we needs for Eloise. It's been quite the challenge since most of my product knowledge is North American, but things are coming together.

- I've been working on my German and making slow, slow progress. 

- Garrick is playing baseball for the Wuppertal Stingrays and has his first double-header this Sunday.

To close, here are some iPhone photos of our recent happenings. I've not taken out my DSLR in a while, but I will soon!

Downtown Elberfeld (Wuppertal)

Sankt Laurentius Kirche (Wuppertal)

A rainy view from our kitchen window. 

Our hospital bag is packed!

The Luisenviertel (Wuppertal)

Garrick's birthday spent with new friends. They gave him lots of German food to try!

Bikes in Münster.

34 weeks! (I'm now 37.)

Münster

Pinkus Müller Brewery, Münster

Pinkus Müller Brewery, Münster

Bringing the Castle Sands to Germany.

First batch of chocolate chip cookies in our new home.

Cheers, Scotland.

We arrived on 3rd September 2012, and we're leaving on 16th April 2015. That's 3 years, 7 months, and 13 days. That small amount of time doesn't seem to equal the major ways in which this experience has changed us. With our move to Germany just 4 days away, I feel more prepared than I thought I would. Here's why:

Transition is complicated, but builds character. Our first flat in St Andrews was less than ideal. We signed the lease sight unseen, and the mould that greeted us upon arrival almost had me on the morning plane back to Seattle. That first night we slept in our sleeping bags on the living room floor, and I cried. Hard. The next day we walked to the East Sands beach and I told Garrick, "I guess I can live here."

In just a few days, we're moving to another country, Garrick is starting a new job, and we'll become parents in early June. These changes are all good and we cannot wait for our daughter to finally be on the outside. But we're going into this knowing there will be rough times. Garrick's German is decent, and mine? Well, I know how to ask for help at the grocery store. It will take a few months at least to feel settled, but I know we'll get there.

Our second day in Scotland at the East Sands.

Community is essential.  A week after arriving in St Andrews, we met our first friends at church. A year later, new faces arrived, and we made more friends. And, some left. This was our first taste of the transience of the academic life. While we were excited to make new friends each year, we were sad to say goodbye to others.We also made friends with my coworkers, and we tease them that they are our local tour guides.

During our time here, we had times of joy and times of sorrow. Academic accolades often came with lots of rejection. I had several job changes, some positive, some negative. There were deaths in my family, and also the birth of new family members. We are joyfully anticipating the arrival of our baby girl in June, but experienced two miscarriages last year. In these times, we had people eager to celebrate with us and to comfort us. As our families were thousands of miles away, these people became our family.

We are being very proactive about forming a community of friends in Wuppertal. It's slightly more intimidating as we are the only Americans we know of so far, and our language skills need work. But I know that we need community to thrive.

PC: Spencer Bentley

Living in Europe is a privilege. Being a Washingtonian, it takes at least a full day of travel to get most anywhere in Europe. Plus, jet lag is a pain. When I list the countries I've visited since moving to the UK, I'm immediately thankful. In Germany, so many beautiful places will be within driving distance. It's pretty cool that our daughter will have dual citizenship and travel to many different places from birth!

Different isn't bad. In Scotland, vegetables are tinned, not canned. Eye glasses have legs, not arms. "Hiya" means hello. "Cheers" means goodbye. Washing machines often are in the kitchen. And these differences are minor in comparison to accents or other cultural conventions. In our early days, I would come home exhausted. I felt like I was translating all day long. I would often revert to the thinking that my way was the best way, and anything different was bad.

But soon, I started appreciating some of these new ways of doing things. I'm excited to learn from the German culture and adapt to a new lifestyle. I'm sure some things will drive me crazy, but I'll be less quick to assume that the differences are negative. Also, I will actually be translating all day; not just trying to understand new accents.

We're on the same team. I'm competitive and so is Garrick. It's easy for us to forget that we are in this together. On days when I had to walk to work in gale force winds, or when we were tight on money, I would often blame Garrick. This was counterproductive to working through anything. I often remember the words Brian Muchmore said at our wedding, and the baseball he gave us with "Team Allen" written on it. This truth grounds us. 

We both decided to move to Germany. This will be true on good days and bad ones. We have been focusing on being good friends and supporting one another through this uncertain time. I even stayed up late to watch the first Mariner game of the season last week, and Garrick has been very attentive to all of my pregnancy needs and makes me laugh all the time. What a blessing it is to do all of this with my best friend!

Cheers, Scotland!

February Update

We have 45 sleeps until we drive to Germany. Our Bucket List is keeping us grounded as we prepare for the big changes ahead. And today, I added and completed another thing: breakfast at Balgove followed by a manicure with Liana! (Thanks, Garrick, for this thoughtful Valentine's gift.) There's lots to cover, so we'll just get started.

Pregnancy

I'm in my 26th week and now require at least 6 pillows to sleep at night. Our baby girl is most active in the afternoon and evening, and we watch in awe as my stomach moves and bounces. We have a name, which I'm sure we'll share here soon. Last weekend, my lovely friends planned shower for me, and I'm still overwhelmed at the kindness of the community here. Liana, Elissa, and Rachel made a delicious brunch that had everyone going back for thirds. (Thanks to Kate Sherrard for the photos!)

The Thesis

Garrick printed out a copy of his entire thesis and is reading through it one last time. After a short trip to Birmingham for a conference early this week, he plans to submit Thursday or Friday. Much celebrating will be required, and an entire blog post will be devoted to that momentous occasion!

Admissions

Monday marks three weeks until my last day. This job has been one of my favourite things about living in Scotland. The role suits me, and I get to work with wonderful people. Higher Education is a challenging and exciting environment, and I hope to continue to do this type of work in the future. It won't be too hard considering Garrick's chosen profession.

The Move

With just 31 days until we need to be out of our flat, I've planned a moving event for the end of March. We've found a new home for most items, and the rest will go to a charity shop. After we move out, we'll stay with Jesse and Liana for the remaining two weeks before Garrick defends his thesis on 14 April. We are grateful for this blessing of housing! Then, we'll be Germany bound. Our current plan is to drive to Dover, England, take the 30 minute ferry to Calais, France, and then drive to our new home, Wuppertal. It will be an adventure, and there will be several bathroom stops along the way.

So, how are we doing?

Some days we feel excited and grateful for the upcoming changes: moving to a new country, a new job, and baby due in June. Other days, we wonder if we're slightly insane. Having gone through an international move once before, we feel like we have a good grasp on what to expect. There will be tears, fights in Ikea, and doubts about our new life. But, there will also be a sausage stand in the town centre, new friends, beautiful places to explore, and the birth of our first child.

Moving to Scotland has been the best decision we've ever made. I have loved living here, and leaving is really hard. But, I know I will likely feel similarly when it comes time to leave Germany. For those who are curious, yes, we do hope to get back to the Pacific Northwest someday, we just don't know when that will be. I am sure of two things. God is faithful, and home is wherever I am with Garrick Allen.

GERMANY

It is finally time to talk about our next adventure: we're moving to Germany on 1st April 2015!

We've been making plans, changing them, and changing them again since we first heard the news in early August. Now we have a place to live, dates, and a good grasp on what our life will look like. 

Garrick was offered a three year research post at the Kirchliche Hochschule (Ki-Ho for short), a university associated with the protestant church in Wuppertal, Germany, beginning 1st October of this year. As this would have been far too soon for us to say goodbye to St Andrews and for me to learn German, we requested a later move date. We need to be there for 1st April as the funding body requires, and until then Garrick will continue working from abroad. 

There are six Biblical scholars on the project  and they will create a new critical edition of the Greek text of Revelation. Garrick will read manuscripts, translate manuscripts into English, manage the student helpers, and possibly teach Hebrew and Greek (in German!). The post goes until September 2017. 

Wuppertal is in Western Germany near Dusseldorf. Spend two hours on a train, and you can be in Amsterdam, Brussels, or even Paris. It has a suspended railway that cuts the city in half and has a population of 350,000. It was mostly destroyed after the war, and has since been rebuilt. It's fairly industrial, but has lots of green space and amenities. I've visited once, Garrick twice. The people have been friendly and welcoming, and it's good to picture ourselves there. When we moved to Scotland, we got on a plane having never seen our new town!

We've been blessed to meet Moritz, a current MLitt student, and his wife Kim, who are from Wuppertal. They have given us lots of information and will even be moving back to the area in June, two months after we move! They are wonderful friends here and will continue to be in Germany. 

Transition isn't easy. We love our life and friends in St Andrews. A woman came to look at our flat this week and after she left, I cried. This season has been one of the best in our lives and in our marriage. We've lived in Scotland longer than the US since marrying in 2008. But, we can't stay forever; our visas tell us that. And soon our friends will start leaving, and we've already said goodbye to several others. I still remember thinking during our first year here that leaving was a long way off. Time flew!

It's great to have an answer to the question of "Where will we go after St Andrews?" Plus, GARRICK HAS A JOB! We still have hopes of settling in the Seattle area (or anywhere on the West Coast) after Germany. This research post will likely make that goal more achievable. If all goes according to plan, Garrick will graduate in June 2015 and officially be Dr Allen, although I'll never call him that. :) 

So, the over the next few months, you'll find us at the beaches in St Andrews, reading in our favourite coffee shops, and most importantly, spending time with our cherished friends. Oh, and I'll be learning German with the help of Rosetta Stone and our German friends. Upon arriving in Wuppertal, I plan to enroll in an all-day German immersion course at a local university. At this point I can say most colours, numbers, and body parts. I have a long way to go!

Thanks for reading. As always, we give thanks to God for his provision and guidance. 

Here is the Schwebebahn (the suspended train) that we'll be riding very soon!

Summer Life

It's a typical Saturday morning in the Allen residence. We're sipping coffee while Garrick watches the Mariner's highlights, and I'm blogging. Also worth mentioning is the delicious cake we're eating for breakfast, sent home with us from a lovely dinner last night in Edinburgh with the Kellys.

Garrick traveled quite a bit in July, and although I really enjoyed time spent with friends, and he enjoyed seeing new places, we're happy to be back together and start living more intentionally.

A few changes include waking on the first alarm, going for a short run a few mornings a week, and spending less time surfing the web. We also do the dishes right after dinner and make our bed every morning. It's like we're grown-ups or something.

A brief update on my world: I'm knitting a pair of gloves, just received 7 skeins of yarn in the post to knit this blanket, and Harry Potter is always nearby. At the end of August, I'll be travelling to London with my team at work to put on an event for students coming to St Andrews this autumn.

Garrick? He's editing his entire thesis, preparing to teach Hebrew this semester, and has just received an exciting offer for after we leave St Andrews (more info to come). He also cycles most days.

It's likely our final year here, and this is why we're trying to live more purposefully. We love our sea-side flat, the small-town atmosphere of St Andrews, and our wonderful friends. These next few months will be spent focusing on these elements of our life. There are a few places we'd still like to visit including the Borders, Outer Hebrides, and maybe even another trip to Skye.

Next month, we are welcoming my cousin Kyara and her husband Zach for a few days, my parents for a week and a half, and then we're travelling south to England to meet up with Garrick's mom, Mark, and Mark's family. We're pretty excited. Happy Saturday!

Lately

We are currently experiencing the calm before the business of graduation. Our favourite lunch spots in town aren't too crowded, and we can sleep peacefully without waking up to Katy Perry at 2am. (We really do love our flat!)

On Saturday, I helped organise the Medicine Visiting Day for the University, and it went very well! I enjoyed dinner and drinks after at this new pub. A possible new best restaurant in St Andrews. I'm really thankful to work with people who I enjoy socialising with. I've worked in Admissions for about seven months now, and I feel very settled.

Garrick is impressing me as per usual. I recently attended his paper titled, "The Theology of Early Christian Scribes and the Greek Manuscript Tradition" at the Christian Thought Seminar last week. His handout was literally all Greek to me, but I paid attention to others in attendance to know when to turn the page. Overall, I followed his main points and the discussion that followed was very important. I enjoyed the dialogue about biblical scholars and theologians working together. It's great to see him in this setting!

 

On Monday, we had a day off, so we headed out to Balgove for eggs benedict (for me!) and a full Scottish breakfast (for Garrick!). Along the way, we passed many golfers teeing off at the 18th hole of the Old Course in gorgeous weather. After brunch, we retreated home for naps and reading. That evening, Garrick played in a football tournament put on by all the local churches. He had fun, but I think it was far from anything we've watched in the World Cup recently.

This summer we're mainly staying in St Andrews. Garrick has a few short weekends away for conferences in Vienna and Leuven, as well as a whisky trip to the islands, but overall we'll be at the beach or spending time with friends. Much like the PNW, it seems a shame to leave during the summer months after making it through the dark and rainy winter. Bring on the sun!

Tonight we're having a mac and cheese dinner date, and I'm hoping to continue reading the Harry Potter series. I've recently started number three and can't put it down. That's all for now!

a spring update

The first day of spring began with sideways rain and wind. Scotland. We are excited for longer days and slightly warmer temps. Each winter we hibernate in our flat spending our time drinking tea and watching movies in our slippers, so we're pretty happy that spring is here. Daffodils and crocuses bloom and already we've been more energized in the morning with the sunlight pouring through our bedroom window.

I'd like to interrupt my normal posts of photos or events and get back to the basics. So, how are we doing? What's new with that PhD student? Do we have accents now? Here's a spring update:

This year has been a difficult one so far. In short, we've had some hopes and plans not work out. Whether is be personally or professionally, life doesn't always listen to what we want. Already, I'm seeing wisdom and growth come out of these hard few months. Every once in a while I look back over our time in Scotland and am quickly reminded of God's continued faithfulness. Regardless of our circumstances, He gives us peace.

Garrick works long hours and pursues every avenue he can, so with every "yes" comes many "no's". It's the life of academia, but it doesn't ease the sting of rejection. I think everyone has felt it at one time or another. I'm very thankful and proud of the hard work he puts into his PhD, book reviews, conference papers, grants, and much more. He was made to do this, and it shows.

I'm enjoying my new post in Admissions and have found it to be a wonderful department with room for personal development. My office view over the West Sands and Old Course never gets old. My list of hobbies continues to grow. I feel mediocre at all of them, but I think that's the nature of a hobby. For the past four weeks I've eliminated gluten, dairy, sugar, red meat, and caffeine from my diet. Despite cravings for chocolate chip cookies, I've never felt better and this motivates me to keep going!

Life after St Andrews is no longer a distant idea, but an impending reality. It's equally exciting and scary. Garrick is happy living anywhere in the world, and I'd like to stick to the English-speaking countries. Surprise. Our community here is still awesome. Last night I hosted a Buy & Sell event with women from the St Mary's community and it was a success. My wee flat was turned into a charity shop for the evening!

Spain is on the horizon in May. We'll spend 10 days in Barcelona and the Costa Brava area. Garrick has planned a conference taking place in June, and he will travel to Vienna in July for ISBL (International Society of Biblical Literature). In November he'll visit San Diego for SBL, and I'm hoping to jump to pond as well to meet my new nephew due in July!

Tonight we're having roast chicken with vegetables, wine and cheese, and then relaxing with a movie. Life is good because God is good. Anything else? Just ask.

My Daily Commute

Since I was 16, I've driven my Honda anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour to get to work. A cup of Starbucks coffee and 103.7 The Mountain kept me company.

Now, we live in an extremely walkable town and our flat is very central. Truthfully, if we had a car we'd walk a lot less, but the car-less life has some amazing perks. I start work at 8:45am, leave my flat around 8:40ish (on good mornings), and hurriedly make my way down the Scores to work. Some days I fight gale force winds, other days sideways rain, and occasionally, I take in the beauty of a calm sunrise. Seagulls and the ocean are my soundtrack. It's quite a change, and I love it.

Saturday means that I have time to capture my daily commute. Enjoy.