From FRIENDS to Lobsters

Phoebe: Hang in there. It's gonna happen!

Ross: Okay, now, how do you know that?
Phoebe: Because she's your lobster!
[At a loss, Ross looks at Chandler.]
Chandler: Oh, she's going somewhere.
Phoebe: Come on, you guys, it's a known fact that lobsters fall in love for life.You know what, you can actually see old lobster couples walking around their tank,you know, holding claws…


-FRIENDS

     My Lobster is a five-foot-nothing, blonde with blue eyes and paint-stained shoes. She wears stylish glasses, has a great laugh, dreams of baking for a living and adores Georgia O’Keefe. She is the only reason I actually know Georgia O’Keefe and how to bake! She was the first girl I met at cheer camp in 2002 and in the following seven years we would go from teammates, to camp mates, to Best Friends, to Lobsters. And from the very formation, our relationship has been one big competition.

For instance, I was the first one to get my driver’s license and a car. The first day I got to drive to school, I had “Swing Swing” keyed up for when we started the car and sped out of the parking lot; It was our first “song”. I was also kind enough to let her drive one evening, until she put my car in drive instead of reverse while facing a brick wall. Thank goodness for speed bumps. It was the last time she drove for a while. Yet, despite my modes of transportation, she was the first to have a “big girl” job to finance her car. She was also the first one with a credit card because she was the first one who was mature and independent enough to use it.

I was the first to graduate both high school and college; she followed the year after for high school graduation and I have no doubt she’ll graduate college in the near future. In fact, she was the first person I took a road-trip with when we drove to Savannah, Georgia for her first college visit.  I was also the first one to get my first kiss, while her's came nearly a full year later and was just as "forgettable" as one should be. 
She was the first one to convince me to go to church camp and I was the first one to convince her that secular music wasn’t a ticket to hell. I was the first to get Facebook and the first she “friended” when she finally got it.While I was busy becoming the first to get drunk, she became the first (and only) to get a tattoo. A big, black dove on her shoulder blade that means “Peace”. One night, after waking me up from a deep sleep, she became the first (and only again) to dye her hair. By default she also became the first to become a blonde, brunette and a redhead consecutively. I was the first one to pick a fight with her while cheering at a basketball game one night and she was the first one to draw blood when she hit me with a water bottle. So much for the dove of “Peace”.

Though I am currently nearly 4740 miles (or 7630 km for those Europeans) away from Daytona Beach, Kristen was the first one to move away from home. Now, technically I was the first one to move out of my parent’s house, but when she moved to Kansas in 2008, she was the first one to move away from home.

And a few nights ago, she became the first to be engaged. And that rock on her finger concretes the possibility that she will be the first to get married. The first to have kids. The first to buy a house. Thankfully she is engaged to a man that I know is her best male match; someone who loves her as much as I do and also understands that there will be some points in this triangle-relationship where he will be the third-wheel. But I will share. After all, she does have two claws.

She was the first one to contrive our terms of endearment “Lobster” for each other. She is also the first person I have truly considered a “best friend” and wanted to “hold claws with while we grow old”. And through our years of competitiveness, we have discovered strengths and weaknesses; weaknesses that are often carried by the other’s strengths. She is the girl who grew into a woman; the kind of woman that represents everything I aim to accomplish. A mature, caring, honest, independent, happiness in the face of struggle, clear and level headed-strong woman. Most of all, I have found my Lobster. And that is no competition.

Rosetta Stone Rescue

Location: MUNICH, GERMANY


I am currently in the process of reading the entire Bible in a year. Two weeks behind, I decided to do some speed reading last night. I was in the first six chapters of John where he details Jesus’ miracles. It was almost midnight and I was bored with the miracles. I had heard them all before, watched them recreated at every Easter play and wanted to skip ahead to Psalms. So, I read Psalms instead and went to bed.

The following morning, right after I arrived at work, the economics specialist at work called me. He told my colleague and me to decide between ourselves who would go with our boss to meet with the CEO and CFO of a major German corporation. Since I was dressed up, I went. On the ride there, I was informed that the entire meeting would be conducted auf Deutsch. Well, I can write and read German at about a high school level and can speak German at about a 6 year-old's level. However, when it comes to hearing German, I might as well be a newborn whose mother has decided to start speaking gibberish to them. I hear “blah blah insert a word I know blah blah two more words understood blah blah blah blah. Danke”. Oh and to make the challenge more difficult, it was my job to write a review of the meeting following the meeting. I squeezed my eyes closed tightly and pleaded with God “to grant me the Rosetta Stone, even if it is only for 20 minutes. That is all I need to make sure I still have my job tomorrow morning”. We arrived at the meeting and were quickly escorted into the room. Let the German begin. And let the Miracle Meeting commence.

We all sat at a large oak table overlooking a beautiful skyline. I whispered another short prayer as the CEO and CFO started to speak. And I understood. I took notes as quickly as my brain could process and soon filled up an entire notepad page. This continued on for another ten minutes as they kept talking and I kept writing. Now, I didn’t fully understand every word; that would be a lie. However, I suddenly remembered all the vocabulary words from my three years of high school German. Feeling pretty impressed with myself, I started to laugh at their jokes and even attempted to comment on one such point. I assume God felt that it was his time to shine and not mine because the next time the CFO said something funny, I was the only one to laugh out loud. Now, this was no LOL. This was a roaring laugh. I’m sure I turned the color of crimson and slumped back into my chair. The meeting ended a few minutes later and we said goodbye. Once we were in the car, the driver started speaking in German. I turned to answer him and realized I didn’t understand what he had said. And just as quickly as I had understood, it was gone and I was once again hearing “blah”.

But what I did understand: God’s miracles are never boring. The Bible should be read earnestly. I need to pray more often. And prayers are answered. Just sometimes they are in a foreign language.

"Crystal-Clear Ball" - Day Four

Location: MUNICH, GERMANY

This morning was like Christmas in my own Winter Wonderland. I woke up at 5 a.m. and laid patiently under my covers until I heard my roommate showering in the bathroom. That was my cue. I jumped out of bed, bounding for my hallway closet. I searched through the piles of neatly folded and newly laundered clothing trying to find that special combination. I had to look the part because today was the first day of my internship.

I had slept a little more than 5 hours and the sun was hiding somewhere, anywhere, besides the Munich skies. I walked bundled up in my winter coat through the gray and black, or sometimes yellow, but never white, snow. Yet, I had a cheery disposition and about eight hours of work ahead of me.

At the risk of violating my previous statement that I would avoid the J-O-B topic, I will say that today is the day I realized that I am right where I am meant to be. Three years ago, I was sitting with my father in a small cafe in Daytona Beach commiserating about my upcoming graduation. At this point, I still had a year left in college, but it was nearing the end of my studies and I had still not answered the age-old "what to do when I grow up" question. Dad had me write out what I thought were some characteristics or topics that interested me:

I want to travel.

I want to speak languages (German primarily).

I want to write

I want to study foreign relations.

Dad said, "Why don't you consider ______? I think it would be a company that would offer great opportunities and one where you could grow upon your current skill sets." People, parents and teachers alike had been asking me for years about my future plans. And here it was. Written on a napkin! Now, a lot has happened since that day, including the addition of two specialized minors onto my major, another internship, some chance meetings, a supportive family and friend base and of course, graduation from college.

But, today, as I was sitting in my first conference, doodling on a notepad, I looked up at the snow falling outside in the courtyard. A few flakes landed on the window and began to melt. As, I watched the drops slide down the window, I knew soon they would be grey, black or even yellow snow again. But for now, it was all clear.

Oasis in a Frozen Tundra - Day Three

Location: MUNICH, GERMANY


Jet lag is like a long night out partying: The following day is bad and sometimes it can last for days. The morning following my arrival I found myself wide awake at 4 a.m., but passed out asleep again at noon. The sky was so overcast and the weather was so biting cold that I woke up and thought it was still pre-dawn. Today was no better and I slept until 2 p.m. Munich Time. However, I woke up just in time for a shower and a mad dash towards the U-Bahn for church.

Before I left for Munich, Dad had suggested an English-speaking church for me to attend. Thankfully, I took his advice and attended Munich International Community Church. Church has always been a part of my weekend routine, but today it was like an oasis of English and recognition. It also helped that the congregation is mostly comprised of ex-pats, travelers and transplants.

The pastor talked about Joseph in Genesis and how Joseph left his home (though against his will) and went to Egypt, where he had to learn the language and the customs. According to the pastor, this passage suits the congregation because, like Joseph, we are new in this linguistic and customary environment. Though none of us were sold into slavery by our siblings (although I am sure Jordan feels delighted that I am thousands of miles away), we can learn from Joseph's devotion to God and use it to guide our own paths in Munich. I know I don't do the service justice, but I look forward to next weekend.

As for the new week, tomorrow is my first real day of work....Guten Nacht, alles!

Munich Mayhem - Days One and Two

Location: MUNICH, GERMANY

We interrupt the traditional writing topics to bring you a hybrid blog of my life in Germany. For my family and friends, I have created this so you can keep up with my happenings without the expense of a telephone call, but with the ease of a text message.

I am currently residing in Munich, Germany and working as an intern with a "company". I choose not to disclose much regarding my posting because, while my job is the reason I am transplanted, it should not be the star of my blog nor should I discuss it. After all, there is only so much 9-5 chatter that my family and friends want to hear. Instead, I’ll focus on my assimilation into a culture that I am rather comfortable with, but that is not “home”.

My adventure started really when I got the internship. As the months started to count down and I learned the German rental system, I found a roommate (also my colleague) and an apartment. Now, I have moved a lot thanks to my military upbringing, but this is the first time I am moving a fair distance away as well as the first time living abroad. I don’t know my roommate. I have only seen pictures of my apartment. I speak and read the language, but I have a difficult time understanding when someone speaks to me. And the weather is eiskalt.

Basically, everything is out of my comfort zone, but just at the edge. And to the edge of a nervous breakdown and into an episode of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” it did take me on my travels to Munich.

Originally, I was supposed to leave on the 6th, but snowy weather kept me from leaving. Then, in an effort to still get me to Munich on time, my travel agent booked me a flight leaving the next morning. Problem being, she booked me into Frankfurt instead of Munich. Frankfurt is about a 4 hour train ride (which I learned quickly) and Munich has multiple train stations, which I also learned traumatically.

Although it was stressful, I was reminded how friendly and generous Germans really are as numerous German strangers helped ferry my three rolling bags (extremely heavy, I might add though it is probably obvious since I was packing for three months and I am a girl) between different stations and on and off of busy trains. One rather charming German asked me “Darf ich helfen?” and proceeded to help me find the Frankfurt Airport train station, after I nodded my head and fought back some tears. Another woman, following my unintentional debarkation onto the München-Passing station terminal instead of the München-Hauptbahnhof station, helped wheel one of my bags from the train into the station. Many others, including a few gentlemen, helped lug my bags up and down staircases after I realized I was in the wrong areas. After today, I learned that vielen dank and danke schön really are universally appreciatated. And how appreciative I am that my parents answered the phone at 4 a.m. their time.

Sure, I have cried some tears, thrown some things and yelled swear words in both English and German (thanks Gwen for the “Dirty German” handbook), but I am here now and transitioning quite comfortably. I have met my German roommate and first impressions are positive. I moved into my apartment and it is wonderfully large, even by American standards (although my sheet rock-hard bed is not up to my normal bedding standards). The wintry and icy weather will be a challenge and I think I will need to find a gym in order to work out and not get frostbite. Then again, I hear it is snowing for the first time in like five years in my hometown. I hope everyone enjoys my little “snowy present”. It is sent with nothing but love! Guten Nacht!