Life In Germany

So there are two main reasons why I haven’t written about Germany yet. 1.) I am living in an apartment in the town of Herrnhut not on the YWAM base, so I do not have Internet. And 2.) The past couple of days we created a refugee camp simulation where we were the refugees. Which actually ended early. There are a lot of things I could say about this camp, but I’m going to be completely honest. I do not feel like this refugee camp helped me relate to refugees. However, contemplating it now, maybe it did. The conditions at a refugee camp are a lot more severe than we could ever create here with out risking our health. So to me this camp felt like Stalag 13 from Hogan’s Heroes. All of the people in the camp were happy, joking around, playing games, talking, and there was occasional groaning when the “guards” did something we didn’t like. At the same time though (again in hindsight) I feel like a lot of the thought I was having were probably the same as a real refuge. I remember being slightly scared that in the middle of the night (because I thought the whole thing seamed too easy) the leaders would come up with some type of torture for us. Which they told us then that had we kept the camp going all week like they hoped, they would have done some crazy things like kidnap some people, or steal our sleeping bags. During this camp my allergies were acting up, my medicine was back at my apartment, and once I did get some meds they didn’t help. I felt so miserable. But I guess that’s is how a lot of refugees feel. Again I say, I guess I learned more than I thought. One good thing about the camp though, it made us students connect a lot faster. Now that the simulation is over I really want to concentrate on praying for these refugees. I know that I can never truly experience what they live in every day, and I praise God that I don’t have too, but I do want the need and the severity of these camps to be made known. Please pray… You know, it’s funny because I wasn’t going to talk too much about the refugee camp simulation in this post. I was just going to mention it and tell you to check out my roommate’s blog (she stayed up till 2am last night writing about the camp). Now let me put a little more detail into this place that I am living. Germany does not seem that different from Lancaster County Pennsylvania. There are lots of rolling hills, and woods, and fields. I’ve seen lots of tractors, but none of them are New Holland (I guess you’ll have to get on that Dad. LOL.). Oh and there are LOTS of mosquitoes. I got bit on the forehead! Like I said earlier I am living in town and not at the base so I have about a 15-minuet walk to the base. I personally think I am going to walk it four times a day. To the base in the morning, back in the afternoon so I can have a quiet introvert time, to the base for dinner, then back to sleep. The nice part of this walk is it is through woods, and as soon as I get a chance, I am going to make a walking stick to make the hike easier. I feel like I’m going to get sick of walking so much, but I also feel like it will be a necessity (especially so I can have my introvert/quiet time).  So I do have a mailing address here, and the longer I’ve been here (which is only four days) the more I wish I would get some mail. So feel free to mail me at:

Bethany Graybill

JMEM / DTS

Untere Dorfstr. 56

02747 Ruppersdorf

Germany

A couple of things I realized that I didn’t bring are a flashlight, a notebook, and envelopes (so I can mail you). Some things that would make my day are Hershey’s Chocolate (don’t get me wrong the chocolate here is good, but I miss home), any form of pretzel (yeah, they are probably here. I just don’t feel like hunting them down), and (this goes out to you mom) I totally forgot those posters I set aside to bring, I put them in that portfolio and didn’t think twice about them. The last thing that I would totally love getting is pictures of my friends and family! Everyone here has some and show them off, I guess I feel a little left out. Well, anyway, that is what’s going on here. I should be getting online more often now. Email or Facebook me if you want to set up a time to video chat or instant message.

~Bethany Graybill