Something new

My entire life has been spent living in accommodations provided for and chosen by someone else: my room back home; cadet barracks rooms; missionary apartments; BOLC barracks; OBC lodging; Airborne lodging; my current hotel room. I am appreciative and obliged for all of it, of course. However, today I took one more step in becoming a man: I found my own house.

Truth be told, my friend Chris Wellington and I drove all over Germany with the Housing agent until we finally found my new home. Situated comfortably in the German countryside, Niederalben is home to 350 souls. Our apartment is actually big enough for two families with two kids each. It would be tight, but doable. Instead we must fill 6 rooms, 2 kitchens, and 2 American-size bathrooms with our stuff. The house is separated into 2 apartments by a door (like a two-room hotel room). We have our own stream in the back and a lush, forested mountain slope out the back door. The front door leads to a small, one-lane cobblestone road—one of 7 in the entire village. In less than 20 minutes we can be at work—or an hour long bike ride. I am looking forward to making it on bike.

I am sorry to say that I do not have any pictures. As a matter of fact, I haven’t signed the lease yet, but tomorrow I will! Then, as early as next Tuesday, we can both move in. Ahh, what a good, mature feeling.

That is all the news for now. Oh, plus it snowed this morning. There was almost half an inch when I woke up and a few abandoned cars on my walk in to work this morning. And just so you know, Hitler chose this very site for his SS troops to train precisely because of its harsh conditions. What a life…