We're starting to feel like we've got our feet on the ground. Lots is swimming in our minds with information, plans and stuff that's going on...but it's coming together. Mark and I had quite the adventure on Saturday as we tried to find our way to Freiburg where the IKEA is. I wanted to get in some driving practice so I drove for the whole day. We meandered our way through these little towns on a back way into that city. Unfortunately once we arrived in Freiburg, our map only showed some of the streets and we got royally lost. At one point we were on a five lane road trying to get a left hand turn in at the last minute. You have to remember that I'm driving this big dorm van that's a stick shift. Anyways, after close to an hour, we were able to find our way. We even stopped and asked for help...ended up being a German who could understand us. Very friendly. In fact every person we've talked to and asked for help (it's been many) have been very helpful and friendly. I got to have a go at driving in small country roads, city traffic, the autobahn, through construction areas, backing up - using my mirrors (a big thing here) in a New Car lot, etc. Pretty good range of things. So I think I'm ready for our test. We went to church yesterday and then went out to this awesome Italian restaraunt. It's the same place where we had the coffee outing with our German class only the restaruant part was upstairs in this this really unique building. Had fun there trying to order off a menu that was all in Italian and German. At least we're familiar with italian food and it sounds alot like spanish, so we were actually able to figure out what we were ordering without any surprises. The rest of the day we were in the apartment (it was a rainy day) and just puttered around getting stuff cleaned up for Derksen's arrival. With no guys here yet, we're able to use the dorm rooms for them so it works out really well. In the evening, Tiera and Jake went and played soccer at the gym with a group of people and then off to a friends place for pizza and movie. It's so strange to have to drive them places and not have Tiera as one of our drivers anymore. She could actually drive for 6 months here on here SK license, but out here you have to be 18 and go through a MAJOR test and process. Then it would cost about $5000 for her license. Very few youth have their licenses until they are well in their twenties. It just costs way to much. Darrel and Priscilla and their 3 boys arrive today. We're really looking forward to that. They want to be put to work so that won't be hard to find stuff for them to do. We want to do some painting but I'm having trouble deciding on the paint colors. Hopefully I'll get that sorted out today and pick up the paint tomorrow. We also want to visit some places around here...we haven't even done this yet, so we'll be tourists together. Of course this will be after all our classes that we're still going to this week. Our classes are for New Staff Orientation. We've also got a bunch of RA's who are coming over this week to help out in getting the dorm ready. The bathroom is also supposed to get finished this week. We've been going through the dorm trying to see what needs to be fixed and cleaned up. We're making a long list of things that hopefully, with the RA's help, we''ll be able to get finished. We need to bring up alot of furniture that is still in the basement and I believe was moved there because of the english camps that were taking place here. There is also a room full or computer pieces that need to be brought down and set up on the computer tables in the main area room. Baking needs to be done to fill the freezer with stuff before the boys arrive. The outside needs work in the courtyard and flower pots, cutting back the vines that are growing all over the place, etc. The office is FULL of stuff. I don't think anything has been sorted or thrown out for a long time. So I started on that last night but it's a time consuming job. The filing cabinet is full of papers that I think most can be tossed. I'm keeping anything I'm not sure of so that the Residence Life Leaders will go through and decide what to do with it. Other things to do include setting up bulletin boards, making name plate cards for boys rooms, setting up all the arrival information packet stuff, organizing the financial end of things for each guys accounts, going through all the dorm room and making sure they're clean and ready, putting garbage cans and laundry baskets in each room, making a meal plan for the first week and purchasing the groceries for this, and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, throwing away stuff is not like it is in Canada. This means taking things apart (if there is metal and wood on a piece of furniture for example) and putting them in the right garbage categories. During our German class we went over to the garbage dropoff for most things other than "real garbage". There are dumpsters for each of the items like this: broken glass computer parts plastic items cardboard paper white glass bottles brown glass bottles green glass bottles small appliances with cords metal wooden furniture pieces (all metal things taken off) and the list goes on and on. The garbage place is a big area where there is one man directing traffic. If you put something in the wrong place he yells at you and gets very upset. We actually got to meet him and he appears to be a very nice man. He told us that if he yells at us it's because there are so many people that he is trying to get through and that he does not mean it to be offensive. If you see something in the dumpster that you'd like to have, you have to have permission from this man. You are NOT allowed to just go take something. When we were there, there were ALOT of things that were in perfect condition and could've been sold easily. Furniture items, computers, etc. It's quite incredible. Any grass clippings or garden refuse all goes to a different place all together. Any chemical stuff goes to another place. Everything is only open on certain days at certain times. So as we're going through all this stuff in the dorm, we're trying to figure out where what will go. Maybe that's why there are so many things left in here. The office is the size of a living room..not the size of office we would think of at home. It's huge. It could really use a good paint job but I don't think we're going to get around to doing it. We're going to try and set up a Blog (web diary) where we will put pictures and update you from that site. That way we won't be writing so much info in emails and taking up your time with all the little details of this place. We'll let you know the website once it's going. Here again, it will be determined by if we can actually get this computer system to agree to let us put on pictures etc. There are lots of "blocks" that don't allow us to do the same things we would normally be able to do at home on our computers. Anyways...the computers and phones are still a frustration for us. Some praise items: - our last big box arrived - Mark's back is good again - we're catching on to stuff here Prayer items: - we do our written drivers test on tuesday - we do our driving test on Friday - special time with our pastor and his family - the continual adjustment for our family