I don’t think any of us were aware, of how different the Bavarian culture, and language was going to be, until we got immersed in daily life in the city of Munich. We found out pretty quickly that they had specific customs, and a different kind of mentality, than we were used to. I will use the word “we” meaning our three families that came from California. Of course, each of us had different experiences, and ways of coping with the changes. The good thing was, we were young and pretty flexible, in adapting to each new situation.
Our first challenge was, not in setting up the house, for the second team. It was dealing with culture shock! As a group living in Nienburg, we thought we had begun to understand the language, and had taken on, some of the customs. But landing in Munich, we had the feeling, like we were starting all over again, in a brand new world. At the same time, we were enjoying, having a fresh start.
We had no missionary training about history, about the state religions, or the customs of Munich. I think it was good that way, because we had no preconceived ideas, about anything. That was part of the adventure, learning new things by getting to know, individual people. We met folks of all ages, professions, backgrounds and nationalities. We were totally dependent, on the Lord’s guidance, and wisdom every day.
