You Go Nate!

(LDS meetinghouse, Rückertstraße, Munich)

Wait... So Why Is Nate In Germany Again??

Well...

I just graduated from college. I thought it would be fun and a good idea to come to Europe, find a nice city to settle into, make my way by teaching English, and learning a new language.

Germany is a country rich in history, culture, and ancestral ties. It is in the center of Europe, surrounded by a whopping nine other countries with many others a short train ride away. After some research, I've found that it is the most open and accessible in Western Europe for getting a work visa.

I arrived with no guarantees of job or housing, but if you never try.... you never know. So I've spent the last few days applying to different English schools, getting a feel for the city, and getting a beginner's grip on the language.

Picture that scene in The Sound of Music where Fräulein Maria is running around Salzburg singing "I Have Confidence"... Now picture me in the same situation but 100 miles west and without the hat.

I have an interview with a language school on Monday. If it does not work out, I will move northward to a different city.

I came to Munich for its great location and its many cultural offerings, however because of its popularity, English schools can afford to be a bit pickier with who they hire, and the cost of living (for Expats and Germans alike) is a bit higher than the rest of Germany (even Berlin!). It is, however, one of the safer cities in Germany with a very low crime rate.

No worries... I remain flexible and optimistic and we will simply have to wait and see what happens.

I've been able to get a smaller but cheaper room at the hotel where I've been staying (the free wireless internet is a nice bonus!) With the many bakeries and ethnic eateries nearby, I've found that I can eat for much less than I anticipated (I've had Afghan, Vietnamese, Turkish, and a lot of really good pretzels.) I've walked everywhere I've needed to go, so I have saved plenty of money on having no transportation costs.


This past week in the main city center there have been an enormous amount of Polizei (police) everywhere. I couldn't figure out why until I saw on CNN that the U.S. Secretary of Defense is in town and spoke today about the war in Afghanistan.



Today was Sunday and that meant Church. I found the local LDS building a few days ago. It's less than 10 minutes walk from my hotel. On Thursday I went there and met some missionaries including a nice missionary couple (From West Virginia, Isaac! They said Clarksburg was in their Stake). There is a living room-like set up in the basement where the youth and young adults have seminary/institute and where there are activities throughout the week. I returned the next evening to play the piano for a bit, and that was very nice.

For church on Sunday I had my choice of going to one of the German wards in the nearby buildling, or to take a subway and a bus to the English ward. I decided to go to the German ward.

The meeting was at 10 and I understood very very little. I puppy-dogged the missionaries to tell me where to go and to help with any translation needs. I prefer not to have everything in the meetings translated because I actually enjoy trying to figure out what people are talking about. In Sunday School and Priesthood meetings I was able to follow the most basic gist of what was being said.

There is a member here from Hungary, and, surprisingly, a small group of people from South America. There was even a sign on the bulletin board for "Noche de Hogar" (Family Night) in Español.

I met several nice members who spoke English quite well. One of them was a small family for whom it was the first day in the ward as well. They were about my age and just moved from France. The father is Canadian/French and the mother is American and they had a small toddler. They all spoke French, English, and German perfectly except for the daughter who just spoke in baby gibberish with a few words of French and English thrown in. They were nice to invite me over for lunch and gave me a few tips and helps on looking for a place to live.

So that's the scoop. I'm trying to post some more pictures on Picasa but the upload is going slow. What you see is what you get.

What will this day be like?
I wonder....
What will the future be?
I wonder....