When Thomas and I, left the train station in Berlin, I had flashbacks, of all the times I had been there to get the bus home after work. On the street directly below the train platform, was a grocery store, where I did our shopping. I had so many memories there, of being on my own, and feeling lost in the store. Obviously, they didn’t have any American products, like I was used to. At least, I felt confident, in how to say “hello”, Guten Tag, oderGuten Abend, to the cashier.
The most difficult, and scary part, was trying to ask a question. I didn’t want to sound rude, by using the wrong words. Basically, there are two different ways, of formulating a sentence depending on, if you are using the formal pronoun for “you” being “Sie”, or the informal pronoun “Du”. I think I never really got it right, but the lady working there, was nice enough to help me anyway. Then the next problem would be, getting on the bus with my heavy plastic grocery bags, and looking for a seat. I was always nervous, if I would need to say, excuse me, or sorry. The German word was like a tongue twister for me, Entschuldigung bitte!
But now things would be different, Thomas and I, were traveling together on our way home to Nienburg. This was a new experience for Thomas, leaving his parent's place,, and starting a new life with his own family. First we prayed together, that God would protect us, as we drove through East Germany. It was a bit nerve wracking, especially when the guards stopped the train and came on board. But I knew, that I would have to get used to it, if we wanted to visit his family.
When I reflect on those early days, I realize that we had definitely, entered into a new era by moving to Germany. We had grown up some, we were a little more mature, and believed that it was God’s plan for us. For me, it was going to be a mixture, of drawing on the little bit of language and culture that I knew. At the same time, it was new for both of us, to live in a town like Nienburg, in West Germany. The traditions and culture, were different, than the life Thomas knew growing up in the big city of Berlin.
