Lutherland

PICS:

1.Our Bahnhof Strasse - we live above that CB sign - 3 floors up. The "Concordia Buchhandlung" is our ELFK's christian bookstore.
2. Schoene blumen

3. Stinging nettles growing wild everwhere.

4. Our local grocery story called " Norma" not that you could tell from the exterior

5. a Lutheran church in the neighborhood.

When we last lived in Germany it was in Bavaria (Bayern). There it looks like what most people, Americans at least, would expect Germany to look like. The Alps, Edelweiss, cows with bells clanking along the countryside! It's also predominantly catholic.

This time around we're in Saxony. (Sachsen). A former eastern sector of Germany where signs of former times are still apparent. We live right down town on the street which leads to the main train station.......Bahnhof Strasse. It's loud. Such a mixture of fine quality mixed with what I find to be a more "raw" way of life. In the past weeks our kids have pointed and wondered about skinheads and punks. We've "hushed" their english voices as we walked past neo nazi's. There's graphiti everywhere you look, much broken glass, the sewers smell particularly strong in places. People everywhere are constantly smoking.......immorality is blatant. In the same moment one is able to view the most amazing flowers hanging from balconies and windowsils or walk into the finest bakeries and meatmarkets. Being " on foot" as we are without a vehicle one sees a different perspective of life. A german friend from this city visited us in the USA this summer and seemed stunned at the fine condition of each persons yard. She wondered if they were done up " extra" for the 4th of July. I understand now.......as here its so much apartmentlife and tiny yards if any. Again the flowers are gorgeous but the grass around the city streets is overgrown and "stinging nettles" are an overgrown problem everywhere which all of our children have discovered the hard way. This is a land of predominantly lutheran people. I'm amazed at the list of lutheran churches in the area..........near to our apartment is an immense church building which boasts a large statue of Martin Luther in the front and his words" Here I stand I cannot do otherwise". A building so weatherworn its completely blackened in most places. The heart stirring GONG of church bells rings and a handful of people walk in. Most are just architectural museums now. For that reason I am proud of our small group of WELS sister synod christians here in this lutheran heartland. They are small but they are strong in faith . They stick together and worship quietly amidst this "rawer" life around them.

Geburtstags Kind

Anna turned 3 this past weekend! Her birthdays have become something of a worldwide celebration.....Malawi, Canada, Germany! And those were just the first 3 ! I am forever amazed at the genius of German handicrafts! For Anna's birthday the Synod's Seminary President who resides in our building made her this "Acorn man"......and I felt it was the best gift of all! She played quite a long time taking his acorn topped hat on and off ! I also feel blessed to again live in a land where wooden toys can be bought at smart prices! Meanwhile, our german guests thought my "american BROWNIE cake in the shape of a butterly" was so creative....americans always hold one simple treasure in impressing those from other lands.......BROWNIES! They never cease to be amazed at this delicacy!

Wieder in Deutschland - in Germany again

So we made it to Germany. At first glance it always appears you’ve landed in a picture out of a fairy tale book. Thick green forests and clusters of villages with red roofs and the more modern scene of BMW’s and Mercedes whizzing by on the autobahn at top speeds. That’s about all I saw before jet lag forced my heavy lids to fall into a deep sleep. Upon waking I realized we were soon going to see our “new” town…….our “new” apartment. How long would it take for this place to become our HOME? Will it become Home? Having lived in a variety of homes within our 10 years of marriage. Teeny apartments, duplexes, one bedroom!, a guesthouse, our own house with a giant African garden, a modern home on a modern residential street and now we’d take our 3 kids to the 3rd floor of a large apartment house on a busy downtown street. The apartment (Wohnung) turned out to be larger than I envisioned. The high ceilings and wide hallway give it a feeling of space which is what we need! Despite our constant nags of "No stomping, yelling, screaming or running.......the lady under us will think we're a bunch of elephants!!" ......we still bought a used plastic bowling set for the kids to make good use of the space !! ( and our neighbor works during the day :) We're hugely thankful for the balcony/terrace so that we can step outside and get a bit of fresh air right here on the 3rd floor!

Flying again

A friend recently told me he once took the time to count all the flights he’s taken in his lifetime. Somewhere in the range of the high 80’s, I believe. I took the challenge. Having never flown until my college years it’s rather astounding to realize that I have flown somewhere in the count of 90 plus international flights (there and back). That is to say if flying from MN, USA to Jakarta, Indonesia one has to fly 3 separate international flights one way to get there. And back again makes for 6 flights right there.
Our own children have flown numerous times. Our firstborn had a flight booked for her before she was even born! So its odd but true that FLYING is a familiar part of our life. There are many a story to be told of our flight experiences…..ranging from the worst food poisioning ever survived on a gross airplane bathroom floor (Air France) ……..to the most amazing service with the lovely hot washcloths and foods that were actually enjoyed not just eaten to relieve the boredom ! (Singapore Air) The kids have progressed from the attachable baby bassinets where the droning hum of the airplane lulled them to sleep and the flight attendants took turns passing around the cute baby on board to now carrying their own backpacks and maneuvering their own handset to watch movies or listen to music !!

Border patrol gone wrong

We left Malawi just a year ago in hopes of pursuing a life in Canada and it didn’t work out. We were faced with such uncertainty and sought to come to the USA and find work and make a life there…..somewhere. It’s a big place. We embraced that idea and moved forward………………until STOPPED. At the border separating Canada and Sweetgrass Montana. There my husband was given the most disrespect in any LAND in which we’ve lived or travelled to. Shame on them. But God has a plan in all of this……….
We enjoyed 2 ½ months in Wisconsin living with my parents and cherishing moments with family members and dear friends.

What LAND are we in now?

This is the way our kids see it. We’ve lived and traveled to so many different “Lands” that they aren’t exactly sure WHERE we are and what language is to be spoken. America being referred to as “English land”. We’re a mixture, this Felgenhauer Familie. My husband and first born daughter were born in Deutschland, our two younger kids born in Blantyre, Malawi and myself the only one who can truly rock out to “Born in the USA” ! The kids have been away from the only home they knew in Malawi for just a year now. Calling Malawi their home is starting to fade……..sigh. That was a remarkable life for them to be born into. Elias, our faithful gardener whom they learned Chichewa words from and climbed on his back while he weeded the flower beds. He taught them how to know when the rains are coming by the activity of the birds in the air…. We miss him dearly.
Stefan left his homeland 7 years ago and grew to love all that is Africa deeply. If he can’t live in Africa he’d like to try out North America however we find ourselves back in Deutschland for the time being and Stefan is also experiencing the feeling of being a stranger in your own land. As for myself – I think I’ve simply grown to love the adventure of living overseas. Having not yet resided in my own homeland for 12 years I find it difficult to know where I feel at home except to make a HOME wherever we might be. America is nostalgic for me. When there I like to steal the occasional moment to ride down a country highway with the windows down and a country music station blaring……….remembering that once upon a time this was the only life I knew. There I know I can be ME …. no language barrier or culture faux pax. This is a comfort to me. My family is there and they are just like me. But …….if you leave you simply can’t come back the same girl who left all those years ago.