Lorin's Musings:
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Living in Germany is both fascinating and challenging! That's the best way I can characterize our experience thus far. Let me expand on this.

Once we arrived at the apartment on Dec. 30, we began the transition from living in a large single family home (2,000+ square feet) to a small apartment (ca. 900 sq feet), less than half the size of the home in Boiling Springs. As Americans, we typically are used to lots of space in a home to put things. But apartment living doesn't afford one such options. So lots of decisions about what to keep and what we can do without are being made along the way. Learning how to compactly store things is one of the challenges. Then the boxes started coming the second week we were here. On the day we left Boiling Springs, Dec. 29th, we shipped four boxes of items that were not packed by the movers. These boxes then 'dribbled in' to Wesseling over a two week period a little over a week after being shipped. Each time a box was delivered, it was like Christmas morning opening of presents under the Christmas tree. The familiar things from 'back home' created high excitement, even though none of the items is worth a lot of money. Sheets and a bedspread for the master bedroom that fit the German bed and mattress better than the one in Boiling Springs, a favorite table cloth for the kitchen table, sermon folders containing the majority of sermons I've preached over the past 50 years -- all these and much more were affirmations of home and have made the apartment transition into 'home' go much more smoothly. Now the challenge is going to be in February when the big shipment of 42 boxes arrives from NC. Christmas will extend out into March for us this year! That will be enough package opening of things to last us a long, long time!

We have already begun planning the redecoration of the apartment as we anticipate receiving the many paintings, pictures etc. that were shipped. The kitchen will be the first priority with a new fridge (a regular full size one instead of the camper size presently here), a washer and dryer to cut down on wash time and to save energy. Eventually a completely new kitchen will be installed with matching cabinets, shelving, dish washer etc. Once the house in Boiling Springs sells, the remodeling projects will kick in gear full steam. The living room will follow and then the three bedrooms.

Yet little by little the apartment is becoming home to us. Through the graciousness of church members the apartment was already moderately furnished and fully operational. Yet we need to put our touch on the apartment in order to make it truly home and enjoyable for our retirement.

Living in Wesseling is proving to be a delight as well. This small town is conveniently located between Cologne and Bonn where our church members live. We catch the U-Bahn 16 train going either direction to Bonn or Cologne. In about 25 to 30 minutes, we're in the central train station of either city, which are about 20 or so miles away. It's an adjustment from having had cars to go everywhere, but as retirees we have lots of spare time and the enormous reduction in transportation costs make it well worth the extra effort. Our passes enable us to go on any of the trains all over the Cologne / Bonn metropolitan region without having to buy tickets.

Shopping is proving to be much easier than we had anticipated. We bought a pull shopping cart and now can easily load up groceries etc. from shopping trips and make our way back to the apartment without having to lug heavy bags in our arms. Major stores like Herties, Marktkauf, Aldi etc. are convenient to our apartment. Then, not too far away is Ikea, and a host of mall superstores. Most convenient is the Plus grocery store across the street from the apartment. On the cold days so far this winter we haven't ventured too far out. Instead, we have stayed in the comfort of a warm apartment and have gone across the street for the few needed groceries.

Right after the new year western Europe experienced a good snow. We had about 4 inches of snow that remained on the ground for around a week. The public schools were in their Christmas holidays until Jan. 8, so the kids in the apartments near us used the opportunity to play and have fun in the open field behind our apartment. Claire used most of the day to sit in the lounge chair in the living room and take pictures of the kids having a blast building a snow man etc. With little or no wind blowing and the temperatures in the mid to upper 20s, it was a perfect day for young people to bundle up and have fun outside.

All of this to say that life is settling into a normal routine and one that we're enjoying immensely. Church responsibilities are primarily on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings. So there's lots of time to leisurely work in the apartment and then venture out on short excursions to explore the area where we live.

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