Hello again!
So the past few weeks have been full of hanging out with new friends I've met at my latest language school, GLS (German Language School), helping with the chilluns, and applying for my second time to college for next year. Fun!
I finished my 1 month long course at GLS on Friday and will start back at my old one, Goethe Institut, after the new year. So now I have about a month of free time to fill up with a little travel, helping more around the house and seeing what else Europe has for me.
A couple days ago I was talking about how I wanted to get involved in some sort of volunteering or ministry here, especially since I'm off until January. But my sister said something really cool that reminded me to enjoy my time here. She said to not focus on doing, doing, doing stuff. That we tend to think that if we're not doing, doing, doing then we're not successful and that our lives are boring. She said that we need to remember to enjoy life. Enjoy family and every day and not to focus on getting involved in activity after activity, but to be happy with the things that are in our lives now. I just thought that was really cool.
Living with my big sister in a foreign country, where she's totally in her element and obviously happy and thriving, has really opened my eyes. She totally fits into this international, multilingual, incredible city of Berlin, and anyone can see that. Family and friends might miss her and the kids really badly (I know I did for two years), but now that I've seen their settled lives here and how well they're doing, I now see why this is the place for them.
One of the many things I've learned here is that while we may be upset at people's decisions because it doesn't make us happy or makes us sad, we still need to support them. We need to remember that, especially if they're family, if it's important to them and it makes them happy, then by all means be there for them and join them in their happiness.
I, myself, have learned a good bit of German in the five months (already?!) I've been here. I know WAY more than I knew when I flew in on July 1st, and I think that's really cool. I've met tons of really great people, had so many laughs and interesting talks with my sister, enjoyed helping get the kids from school and babysitting them, and experiencing how people live on this side of the Atlantic.
Over the past few months randomly when I'm on the Tram or walking down the street, I just think how different my life is now from a year ago. A year ago I was a typical senior in high school. I went to school, made good grades, was involved with my youth group and church and planned on attending college in the fall.
Then, along came February and a slight change in events and what do you know? My life for the fall of '12-'13 was going to be spent in Berlin, Germany. I wouldn't be a freshman in college like most of the 18-year-olds in the US, but I would be learning a whole other language and getting used to life in Europe.
This year off/abroad has already opened my eyes in so many areas. Berlin is not at all like the Bible Belt southeastern US. People don't greet you with a smile wherever you go and if they don't like you, they don't hide it. You hear Italian, Spanish, Russian, French and many other languages spoken daily, not just German. You encounter not the friendliest of people on a normal basis. It is, as a whole, very different from the good ole South.
I have had an absolute blast so far and can't wait to see what the next chapter of my story holds :)
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Queen.
I realize that this is my second consecutive blog post commemorating someone, which can be perceived as sad and depressing, but I don't care because Jordan Queen is worth remembering and honoring. November 9th, 2011 was a day that shook the community of Gordon Lee and Chickamauga, GA forever. When I got the phone call that Queen had suddenly passed away in a car accident, I didn't know what to do. I went straight to Oakwood Baptist, where most of the community had gone to pray and be with one another. Everyone had the same look on their faces as if a part of them had forever been taken away.
It was not easy seeing friends and acquaintances with constant tears rolling down their eyes, but I soon joined them. The next day, we all wore black to honor Jordan at the school. Everyone gradually went to his parking spot and just stood there. Crying, hugging one another, not really knowing what to do. I found myself comforting others and being comforted by people with whom I hardly ever made eye contact with on the way to class.
As with my uncle, whenever Jordan comes to mind, which is very often, the pain is still very fresh. Whenever I think about him, it's as if I'm finding out for the first time that he's not wrestling anymore, or goofing off with his friends during break. It still doesn't seem real, but nonetheless we have to honor him and give our all at everything we do because that's what he did every day.
Everyone that knew Queen loved him and wanted to be around him all the time. He was always singing random songs in weight training (with Harlley), and I often played four square with them during that class. He always put so much spin on the ball that by the time it bounced in my square and my attention span caught up to what was happening, it had bounced to the other side of the gym! I never really hung out with him very often, but the times I did, he was great company. He told me randomly a few days before his birthday at school in the commons that his birthday was November 5. He was wearing that goofy smile that he always had and I remember just smiling and saying, "haha. Ok, Queen!"
Yeah, it sucks that he isn't graduating from GL this year and that we don't see him daily as we did before, but what's most important is that we know where he is. And we all know that he wants us to give our all in everything we do, and to always be positive because he always did those two things. And what better way to honor him than to be happy and live your life, just like he did?
It was not easy seeing friends and acquaintances with constant tears rolling down their eyes, but I soon joined them. The next day, we all wore black to honor Jordan at the school. Everyone gradually went to his parking spot and just stood there. Crying, hugging one another, not really knowing what to do. I found myself comforting others and being comforted by people with whom I hardly ever made eye contact with on the way to class.
As with my uncle, whenever Jordan comes to mind, which is very often, the pain is still very fresh. Whenever I think about him, it's as if I'm finding out for the first time that he's not wrestling anymore, or goofing off with his friends during break. It still doesn't seem real, but nonetheless we have to honor him and give our all at everything we do because that's what he did every day.
Everyone that knew Queen loved him and wanted to be around him all the time. He was always singing random songs in weight training (with Harlley), and I often played four square with them during that class. He always put so much spin on the ball that by the time it bounced in my square and my attention span caught up to what was happening, it had bounced to the other side of the gym! I never really hung out with him very often, but the times I did, he was great company. He told me randomly a few days before his birthday at school in the commons that his birthday was November 5. He was wearing that goofy smile that he always had and I remember just smiling and saying, "haha. Ok, Queen!"
Yeah, it sucks that he isn't graduating from GL this year and that we don't see him daily as we did before, but what's most important is that we know where he is. And we all know that he wants us to give our all in everything we do, and to always be positive because he always did those two things. And what better way to honor him than to be happy and live your life, just like he did?
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Coach Shoup
Today is the two year anniversary of my Uncle Ryan's passing away. He was in my first thoughts this morning and I wrote an entry in my diary along the lines of this:
"So today's a very important day. It's the two year anniversary of Ryan going Home. It's the anniversary of when my world stopped turning for a long time. It was the day that one of the most influential and incredible people in my life went on to their next one.
I miss Uncle Ryan so much. I miss seeing him mess with my brothers during Christmas. I miss listening to him and his brother play off each other's jokes. I miss the summers that for part of them he and his brother and their kids would come to our house and have a blast.
But today isn't a day to be sad and somber. It's a day to remember who his Hope was in. It's a day to remember how much he lived every day of his life. It's a day to see his wife and two beautiful children and be reminded of God's faithfulness because of how well they're doing. It's a day to remember all the times he and his twin brother tortured my brothers and cousins during Christmas time at Grandmom's. But most importantly, it's a day to remember where he is now, and to be ecstatically happy because of that.
He isn't somewhere unknown in a weird in between world. He isn't in the pits of hell saying hello to Michael Jackson and Hitler. He's in the throne room of HEAVEN. He's chatting with Pop Pop and trying to look interested as he talks about stuff "back in the day." He's talking to Jordan Queen and saying "Oh, yeah! You went to school with my niece, Emily Shoup! Isn't she the worst? ;)" To put it lightly, Ryan is wreaking havoc in Heaven.
But I think the biggest reason I miss him is because I miss seeing him be a primary example of how a life should be lived. He was always smiling, laughing. When you talked to Uncle Ryan, your day was instantly brighter. When you saw him and his brother play off each other's jokes, you couldn't stop laughing. When you saw how much he loved his wife and kids, you wished you could love your spouse/children, if or when you have them, half as much as he did. When you were in the same room as Uncle Ryan, you wanted to be with him and make your life count as much as he made his.
October 21, 2010 was a tear-filled, heart-breaking, world-shattering night. But it was also a reminder of who's in control. Even Ryan, who was larger than life itself, couldn't stand a chance against the Author who knew that 40 years was just enough to have him make a difference in this world. Ryan dying was very difficult but it was also happy at the same time because it reminded you that having your ultimate hope in God is, at the end of the day, what really matters. Ryan loved God first and then everyone else under Him, and that paid off. I can only picture what kind of escapades he's involved in up There, but all I know is I can't wait for the day that I get to see him again.
"So today's a very important day. It's the two year anniversary of Ryan going Home. It's the anniversary of when my world stopped turning for a long time. It was the day that one of the most influential and incredible people in my life went on to their next one.
I miss Uncle Ryan so much. I miss seeing him mess with my brothers during Christmas. I miss listening to him and his brother play off each other's jokes. I miss the summers that for part of them he and his brother and their kids would come to our house and have a blast.
But today isn't a day to be sad and somber. It's a day to remember who his Hope was in. It's a day to remember how much he lived every day of his life. It's a day to see his wife and two beautiful children and be reminded of God's faithfulness because of how well they're doing. It's a day to remember all the times he and his twin brother tortured my brothers and cousins during Christmas time at Grandmom's. But most importantly, it's a day to remember where he is now, and to be ecstatically happy because of that.
He isn't somewhere unknown in a weird in between world. He isn't in the pits of hell saying hello to Michael Jackson and Hitler. He's in the throne room of HEAVEN. He's chatting with Pop Pop and trying to look interested as he talks about stuff "back in the day." He's talking to Jordan Queen and saying "Oh, yeah! You went to school with my niece, Emily Shoup! Isn't she the worst? ;)" To put it lightly, Ryan is wreaking havoc in Heaven.
But I think the biggest reason I miss him is because I miss seeing him be a primary example of how a life should be lived. He was always smiling, laughing. When you talked to Uncle Ryan, your day was instantly brighter. When you saw him and his brother play off each other's jokes, you couldn't stop laughing. When you saw how much he loved his wife and kids, you wished you could love your spouse/children, if or when you have them, half as much as he did. When you were in the same room as Uncle Ryan, you wanted to be with him and make your life count as much as he made his.
October 21, 2010 was a tear-filled, heart-breaking, world-shattering night. But it was also a reminder of who's in control. Even Ryan, who was larger than life itself, couldn't stand a chance against the Author who knew that 40 years was just enough to have him make a difference in this world. Ryan dying was very difficult but it was also happy at the same time because it reminded you that having your ultimate hope in God is, at the end of the day, what really matters. Ryan loved God first and then everyone else under Him, and that paid off. I can only picture what kind of escapades he's involved in up There, but all I know is I can't wait for the day that I get to see him again.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
11th Anniversary
Today is the 11th anniversary of the falling of the World Trade Center that happened on September 11, 2001. It's a day of grief, and remembering those we lost. It's a day that all Americans will have in their hearts for all time.
On that day I was 6 or 7 years old and I was sitting in my kitchen, doing my school work, as I was homeschooled. The rest of my family was around the house. My brother came into the kitchen and said "Uh, mom. You might wanna turn on the TV." So she did and we all watched the planes go into the towers. I was young so I didn't really understand what was happening, but I did know that it was terrible and horrific. My sister and mom were balling, and they only cry when something serious happens, so I knew that it was a big deal.
This morning, when I realized the date, I remembered. Off and on during school today I remembered. My friend from New York mentioned how weird it was to be in Europe on 9/11 instead of back home. She talked about how that day was for her, which was much more chaotic compared to mine because she was nearer to the actual site than I was.
Later on, one of our friends from Europe came up and shook both our hands and offered his sentiments for 9/11. It was extremely respectful and really neat to have someone do that. I mean, up until now, I've always spent 9/11 in the States where remembering 9/11 is understood. But being here, where it didn't happen, is kind of odd. It reminded me that I represent my country here on the other side of the world. I'm not just another one of the million Americans who mutually remember the day, but I'm an outsider here and I represent the USA. So when he acknowledged us and our country and his genuine respect for us and everyone we lost on that day, it was very eye opening. Because I really do represent America here, and I need to take that seriously.
On that day I was 6 or 7 years old and I was sitting in my kitchen, doing my school work, as I was homeschooled. The rest of my family was around the house. My brother came into the kitchen and said "Uh, mom. You might wanna turn on the TV." So she did and we all watched the planes go into the towers. I was young so I didn't really understand what was happening, but I did know that it was terrible and horrific. My sister and mom were balling, and they only cry when something serious happens, so I knew that it was a big deal.
This morning, when I realized the date, I remembered. Off and on during school today I remembered. My friend from New York mentioned how weird it was to be in Europe on 9/11 instead of back home. She talked about how that day was for her, which was much more chaotic compared to mine because she was nearer to the actual site than I was.
Later on, one of our friends from Europe came up and shook both our hands and offered his sentiments for 9/11. It was extremely respectful and really neat to have someone do that. I mean, up until now, I've always spent 9/11 in the States where remembering 9/11 is understood. But being here, where it didn't happen, is kind of odd. It reminded me that I represent my country here on the other side of the world. I'm not just another one of the million Americans who mutually remember the day, but I'm an outsider here and I represent the USA. So when he acknowledged us and our country and his genuine respect for us and everyone we lost on that day, it was very eye opening. Because I really do represent America here, and I need to take that seriously.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Deutsch schule
Greetings from the Mediothek in my German school, the Goethe Institut! Today was a typical first day of school. I filled out some random paper work and took a placement test, which I knew a whopping maybe like 2% of, and had my first interview in German. Tomorrow I come for actual classes where they'll put me with a group at about the same level of Deutsch as I am.
I was kind of expecting the teachers to talk to me in English or at least get the hint that my German isn't so good, but no. They persevered and kept on communicating to me in German, which ended up not being that hard to understand. I kept thinking to myself, "People! I came here to LEARN German! I'm not an expert yet!" But I guess at German school, you start learning literally the second you walk in the door.
I love the area my classes are in though. It's called Hackesher Markt, and it has tons of shopping and restaurants and stuff and Talya's work isn't but like a 5 minute walk away. There's also a park where we go to pretty often. I have a feeling I'll be taking advantage of this library that I'm in right now and the park and the cafes and stuff in the area for when I need to study or just chill and kill time before I have to get the kids in the afternoon.
In the interview today, the lady asked me what I'm gonna do after these classes. I know the words for "I don't know" in Spanish is "no se" but I'm not exactly in Spanish class so that won't be very helpful. But I got to thinking. Oh my gosh. What AM I gonna do after the classes are over? I wanna find something to do other than read all day and eat döner kebabs. Well, I have 2 months of German classes ahead of me, and in the meantime, I'll just have to trust God to provide productive, healthy things to do with my time once October 27 passes.
Well, I think I'm off to go get a coffee and a little something to eat at one of the cafes in the area and read more of "The Magician's Nephew." And speaking of books, I just finished "The Help" and absolutely loved it but after comparing it to the movie, I hated the movie. The movie's good but it doesn't have nearly the same emotional themes as the book does. There are some pretty gut wrenching scenes in the book, but hardly any of them, let alone the emotions being conveyed through them, made it to the screen. That's the best thing about Netflix not being available in Germany yet. I'm forced to actually pick up a book and read, something that I've discovered I LOVE doing. Every now and then, I scan Talya's book shelf in the living room and see what I want to read next. I get really excited when I see a book that looks interesting. It turns out I'm more like Lydia and Josiah than I thought ;)
Alright, now I'm really gonna go. Auf wiedersehen! :)
I was kind of expecting the teachers to talk to me in English or at least get the hint that my German isn't so good, but no. They persevered and kept on communicating to me in German, which ended up not being that hard to understand. I kept thinking to myself, "People! I came here to LEARN German! I'm not an expert yet!" But I guess at German school, you start learning literally the second you walk in the door.
I love the area my classes are in though. It's called Hackesher Markt, and it has tons of shopping and restaurants and stuff and Talya's work isn't but like a 5 minute walk away. There's also a park where we go to pretty often. I have a feeling I'll be taking advantage of this library that I'm in right now and the park and the cafes and stuff in the area for when I need to study or just chill and kill time before I have to get the kids in the afternoon.
In the interview today, the lady asked me what I'm gonna do after these classes. I know the words for "I don't know" in Spanish is "no se" but I'm not exactly in Spanish class so that won't be very helpful. But I got to thinking. Oh my gosh. What AM I gonna do after the classes are over? I wanna find something to do other than read all day and eat döner kebabs. Well, I have 2 months of German classes ahead of me, and in the meantime, I'll just have to trust God to provide productive, healthy things to do with my time once October 27 passes.
Well, I think I'm off to go get a coffee and a little something to eat at one of the cafes in the area and read more of "The Magician's Nephew." And speaking of books, I just finished "The Help" and absolutely loved it but after comparing it to the movie, I hated the movie. The movie's good but it doesn't have nearly the same emotional themes as the book does. There are some pretty gut wrenching scenes in the book, but hardly any of them, let alone the emotions being conveyed through them, made it to the screen. That's the best thing about Netflix not being available in Germany yet. I'm forced to actually pick up a book and read, something that I've discovered I LOVE doing. Every now and then, I scan Talya's book shelf in the living room and see what I want to read next. I get really excited when I see a book that looks interesting. It turns out I'm more like Lydia and Josiah than I thought ;)
Alright, now I'm really gonna go. Auf wiedersehen! :)
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Exciting newness
Well, my classes start in exactly 2 DAYS! Ah! I'm nervous, being that I've always gone to school in the States, but excited to see what learning intense Deutsch will be like. The classes are around an area called Hackesher Markt, which has lots of shopping and food and stuff so I think I know what I'll be doing when 1pm rolls around every day :)
I have been learning bits and pieces of German every day though. I learn new words like, for example, I learned Wednesday night that "ohrwurm" literally translates into "ear worm". If you have a song stuck in your had and you absolutely can not get it out, you say "Ich habe einen ohrwurm," (I have an ear worm.) So I definitely learn little things every day, which end up helping me to gradually learn the language.
We're preparing for Jesse's 4th birthday, which, is on September 4th. Yes, it's his golden year! He's so excited about it and actually remembers when his birthday is if you ask him. Talya took the older two to get a present just from them for him so I'm home with Jesse. It's really funny actually because I slept in this morning and so when they were leaving I had just woken up and I heard Gideon yell at Talya "Mommy, are we getting Jesse the dinosaur suitcase?!" Talya had already gotten it a few days ago and told Giddy about it, but made him promise not to tell. So Talya responds "shut up! Be quiet, Gi!" and then Jesse pipes in "Mommy, can you get me the dinosaur suitcase for my birfday?" and she says "umm, we'll see." hahahahha it was soooo funny! Gideon can get loud when he needs something or wants to so when he yelled that about the suitcase, it was so funny because Talya was shushing him like she'd never done before.
Last night I went out with one of my friends, Sarah, for the second night of her birthday celebration, and her friend spoke to me in pretty good broken English. She asked me why I was in Berlin, and I told her and she was like "Wow, I wish I could do that. Just go to a foreign country for a year." And then I remembered how privileged I really should feel. I mean I'm not writing research papers or doing calculus problems every night like most people my age back home that are in college. I'm just hanging out in Berlin with my sister and niece and nephews, eating bratwurst, dancing at fun clubs, and learning German. It kinda reminded me to be more thankful, which I definitely don't do often enough.
I have met some new people my age-ish though, which is awesome. I went to a dinner at Monbijou park, right down from Talya's work. It was put on by her old church and there was a long line of tables connected with tons of food and drink on them. It reminded me of the big hall in Harry Potter, hahah. But it was really cool because I got to see some people that I'd met two years ago but hadn't seen since and I met some new ones. Unlike growing up in the States, where you pretty much have the same set of friends since elementary school, you definitely have to put yourself out there here. For me, at least. I can't just walk up to a group of people and have them know me and tell me things that they know will crack me up. Well, not yet, of course. But what I'm saying is, being new to the city, I literally have to just start up a conversation with people if I want to talk to them. Not everyone knows the crazy Shoups, like in Georgia. Well, some do but definitely not all. There's more people here of more nationalities and if I want to befriend people that I think look cool and nice, chances are I have to start talking to them myself. I'm just glad I'm pretty good at doing that or else I'd be miserable. But I really like doing it because unlike in Georgia, where everyone's pretty much from Georgia, when you meet people here, they could be from a totally different country, or part of Germany. They're not just from Ringgold, or Atlanta or even South Carolina. They're from Spain, Sweden, Great Britain, etc. It's just really cool to talk to people because you really never know their background.
I have been learning bits and pieces of German every day though. I learn new words like, for example, I learned Wednesday night that "ohrwurm" literally translates into "ear worm". If you have a song stuck in your had and you absolutely can not get it out, you say "Ich habe einen ohrwurm," (I have an ear worm.) So I definitely learn little things every day, which end up helping me to gradually learn the language.
We're preparing for Jesse's 4th birthday, which, is on September 4th. Yes, it's his golden year! He's so excited about it and actually remembers when his birthday is if you ask him. Talya took the older two to get a present just from them for him so I'm home with Jesse. It's really funny actually because I slept in this morning and so when they were leaving I had just woken up and I heard Gideon yell at Talya "Mommy, are we getting Jesse the dinosaur suitcase?!" Talya had already gotten it a few days ago and told Giddy about it, but made him promise not to tell. So Talya responds "shut up! Be quiet, Gi!" and then Jesse pipes in "Mommy, can you get me the dinosaur suitcase for my birfday?" and she says "umm, we'll see." hahahahha it was soooo funny! Gideon can get loud when he needs something or wants to so when he yelled that about the suitcase, it was so funny because Talya was shushing him like she'd never done before.
Last night I went out with one of my friends, Sarah, for the second night of her birthday celebration, and her friend spoke to me in pretty good broken English. She asked me why I was in Berlin, and I told her and she was like "Wow, I wish I could do that. Just go to a foreign country for a year." And then I remembered how privileged I really should feel. I mean I'm not writing research papers or doing calculus problems every night like most people my age back home that are in college. I'm just hanging out in Berlin with my sister and niece and nephews, eating bratwurst, dancing at fun clubs, and learning German. It kinda reminded me to be more thankful, which I definitely don't do often enough.
I have met some new people my age-ish though, which is awesome. I went to a dinner at Monbijou park, right down from Talya's work. It was put on by her old church and there was a long line of tables connected with tons of food and drink on them. It reminded me of the big hall in Harry Potter, hahah. But it was really cool because I got to see some people that I'd met two years ago but hadn't seen since and I met some new ones. Unlike growing up in the States, where you pretty much have the same set of friends since elementary school, you definitely have to put yourself out there here. For me, at least. I can't just walk up to a group of people and have them know me and tell me things that they know will crack me up. Well, not yet, of course. But what I'm saying is, being new to the city, I literally have to just start up a conversation with people if I want to talk to them. Not everyone knows the crazy Shoups, like in Georgia. Well, some do but definitely not all. There's more people here of more nationalities and if I want to befriend people that I think look cool and nice, chances are I have to start talking to them myself. I'm just glad I'm pretty good at doing that or else I'd be miserable. But I really like doing it because unlike in Georgia, where everyone's pretty much from Georgia, when you meet people here, they could be from a totally different country, or part of Germany. They're not just from Ringgold, or Atlanta or even South Carolina. They're from Spain, Sweden, Great Britain, etc. It's just really cool to talk to people because you really never know their background.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
So much in just one city
The past couple weeks have been filled with lots of walking, going in little shops, eating and enjoying Germany with more family. I've gone to stores and places in the city that I probably wouldn't have thought twice about going to if Lydia and Gretchen weren't here. I tried straight up Syrian food yesterday which was very interesting. The only foods I really recognized were the falafel and hummus. I got a platter of a variety of foods which included a yogurty type curry, couscous, some cilantro/herby salad, and a bunch of other delicacies that I'd never tasted before in my life. It wasn't my typical German lunch of bread and meat by far. It was very different but I enjoyed trying it because I'd never had food from Damascus before, so it was really cool.
Tuesday, Lydia, Gretchen and I went on a historic tour of all the major Berlin sites. It included the famous Berlin boulevard, Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, parts of the Wall, where Hitler's bunker was (which, oddly enough is now just a parking lot with a sign that shows how it was laid out,) the Holocaust memorial and many others. It was really interesting to hear about what Berlin started out as, a fishing village. It then grew and grew into what is now the busy city it is today. It was amazing to hear about all the history that happened in this city alone. You read about World War II in history books and hear lectures about it in class, but to actually visit where some of the major events happened is pretty awesome. I mean, I saw Checkpoint Charlie, the place where the standoff of American and Soviet tanks nearly turned the Cold War into a hot one. I walked over where the Wall used to be, something that millions of people literally would've killed to be able to do. I've seen and learned about so many places and I learn something new pretty much every day. And the thing is, this is just ONE CITY. There's thousands of cities all over the world bursting with history that I have yet to learn about or see. Only being here for about 2 months now has already sparked an interest to travel more. I hope I can do that this year and throughout the rest of my life.
But on a different note, I start my German classes on September 3rd, I believe. I was going to do the night classes a few nights a week but a spot in the day ones opened up so now I'm going to go Montag bis Freitag (Monday through Friday. See, I'm already learning some Deutsch! :)) and from 8:30am to 1:00pm. It'll be a great fit being that I can get up with Talya and the kids and get into a normal routine. I'm excited and nervous, because Talya said that the day classes are more intense than the night ones. But I have nothing but time to learn right now, so I figure I might as well learn all I can.
I would appreciate a continuance of prayer for a good church in a good location, a small group, friends for me, and anything else you might want to talk to the Man upstairs about. :)
Oh, buddy I'm tired. I have a bar of Milka chocolate with caramel in the freezer so I think I'll enjoy some of that before I dream of cute European boys and doner kebaps. :)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
More Shoups in Germany :)
We've all been very excited for the arrival of my sister, Lydia, and her best friend, Gretchen (who is basically a Shoup as well). Yesterday, Talya and I dropped off the kids at school/kindergarten and then went to Tegel Airport to pick them up. We were so happy to see them and began catching up and laughing together immediately.
I love how no matter where you are, if you have people you love around you, it's home. I'm from small town Georgia and yet here, in the middle of Europe, with a small part of family with me, I'm as happy as can be. I don't know, I just love being with my family and being loud and turning German heads at our not so quiet laughter. It's been so much fun just within the past day to pick up where we left off and have that same bond, even though Talya and I haven't seen Lydia and Gretchen in like a year and a half.
Having them here has reminded me of one of my favorite hobbies, laughing. With a big family, we're always loud and having a million conversations at once. And hearing about L and G's stories from the their trip over here has been hilarious. It's just nice to have visitors and do fun things other than get up in the morning, take the kids to school, hang around and pick them up.
I just love being with my family, and being with them in Germany, even though it's only been a day, has proved that it doesn't matter where you are. It's who you're with that makes the difference.
I love how no matter where you are, if you have people you love around you, it's home. I'm from small town Georgia and yet here, in the middle of Europe, with a small part of family with me, I'm as happy as can be. I don't know, I just love being with my family and being loud and turning German heads at our not so quiet laughter. It's been so much fun just within the past day to pick up where we left off and have that same bond, even though Talya and I haven't seen Lydia and Gretchen in like a year and a half.
Having them here has reminded me of one of my favorite hobbies, laughing. With a big family, we're always loud and having a million conversations at once. And hearing about L and G's stories from the their trip over here has been hilarious. It's just nice to have visitors and do fun things other than get up in the morning, take the kids to school, hang around and pick them up.
I just love being with my family, and being with them in Germany, even though it's only been a day, has proved that it doesn't matter where you are. It's who you're with that makes the difference.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Blessings where you would least expect them
Today was interesting.
I went to pick up my niece, Reagan, from school with Gideon, who hasn't started school yet. I was supposed to be there at 12:40pm, being that, since it's the first week, they want the kids to ease into their usual routine. So, being a Shoup, I leave the house around 12:30 thinking "Oh, I have plenty of time. The school isn't that far away." Ha! I walk up to the school with Gi around 12:45 and there's some kids outside playing on the playground. We walk upstairs and stand in the hallway where her classroom is for a few minutes, until the principal of the school walks out of the secretary's office. She says something in German and I reply "Ich sprechen kein Deutsch" (I don't speak German). She replies "oh" and says something, which I took to be along the lines of "who are you here for? What are you doing?" and I say "I'm here for Reagan Burnett" and she says, again in German, something that I took for "she's downstairs/outside, not in the classroom." Then I say "Danke shon," thinking I understood what she meant. Then Gideon says, after she leaves, "she thought you were picking me up from school." So I'm thinking, 'well let's just go outside, Reagan must be playing or something."
So we walk downstairs and outside and I see kids playing and a couple women talking, who I assume to be parents/teachers or something. So I'm just walking around with Gideon and looking for Reagan/thinking "she better be out here." Then one of the teachers asks me something in German that sounded like "What do you need?/How can I help you?" I answer, in English, like I only know how to, "I'm here to get Reagan Burnett." Her reply was "Oh, Gott!" and mutters something in German and I here the word "English" so she obviously was like "crap, she's speaking English." So she asks some of the kids around her and the lady she's talking to if they speak English and they all just continue about their business and the other lady is like "no." I try to communicate, in some way, the fact that I was a little late today in picking Reagan up so I don't know where she is now. Her class is 3c and her name is Reagan Burnett. Oh, and I'm her aunt. I'm not kidnapping the kid. When I say "I'm her aunt" they look at each other and ask "mother?" (I forgot if it was mother or something else) and I say "no, aunt. Sister of the mother." And then they ask "au pair?" I reply "No, sister of the mutter (German word for mother.) I'm the aunt." And I point to Gideon and try to tie the fact that he's my nephew into the situation, but that didn't help at all. Finally, the other lady says "Oh! Schwester von Mutter." And I'm like yes! Schwester! Schwester! They get it now! They know I'm the sister of Talya! So they finally understand and I was like "thank you God!" hahaha. So they tell me, in broken but comprehensible English, that in five minutes she would be in room 304 when all the children go back into the school. I'm thinking "I've gotta learn German, and I've gotta learn it FAST! Or at least go look up all the phrases and words that I think I'm gonna need to know for picking kids up from school and whatnot."
Gideon and I go back up stairs for a second time to get her in the midst of a bunch of kids screaming at each other in German as they're going back to class. As we turn the corner to go up the next flight, I see a tall, tan, pretty girl emerge out of them all. And it's Reagan. She has a "are you kidding me? I've been looking for you, you dumb aunt" look on her face. I was like "there you are!" Then I find out, once we go to her classroom that I have to come back to pick her up at 1:50, when lessons are over. I was, at first, like "are you kidding me? I went through all this crap just to have to wait another 45 minutes to get her?" But I think about it, and I realize that I'm glad I found her after all. She goes to her class and Gideon and I go eat croissants and I drink a latte at a nearby cafe until we have to pick her up.
So after I had my funny experience with non English-speaking teachers, as we're sitting outside of the cafe, Gideon all of the sudden looks at me, with a big wad of croissant in his mouth, and says "it's crazy that God is our dad." I thought he said "it's crazy that God is our god," so I was absolutely stunned for a few seconds. Then I said "What, Gi?" And he goes, "it's crazy that God is our Dad." And i just smiled probably the biggest grin I've had on my face all day and replied, "yeah Gi. It is crazy. Because even though our daddys here on earth fail us sometimes, our Heavenly Daddy will never fail us because He loves us so much." And he just looks at me like "really? That's cool."
Man, now I realize the point of Luke 18:16: "But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Gideon was obviously just so in awe in the fact that our Dad is really and truly God. You would probably never find an adult that would out of the blue, while doing something so monotonous as eating a butter croissant, say something as simple as "It's crazy that God is our Dad." For some reason those of us who are older than the age of six think that we're past that "awe stage" of faith. But Gideon showed me in the time span of 3 seconds that we still need to be in awe of simple facts like God is our Dad. God is still definitely something to be in awe of. And I'm thrilled that I had the privilege of seeing Him use little Gideon to show me that He has, does and will always definitely deserve to be in awe of. :)
I went to pick up my niece, Reagan, from school with Gideon, who hasn't started school yet. I was supposed to be there at 12:40pm, being that, since it's the first week, they want the kids to ease into their usual routine. So, being a Shoup, I leave the house around 12:30 thinking "Oh, I have plenty of time. The school isn't that far away." Ha! I walk up to the school with Gi around 12:45 and there's some kids outside playing on the playground. We walk upstairs and stand in the hallway where her classroom is for a few minutes, until the principal of the school walks out of the secretary's office. She says something in German and I reply "Ich sprechen kein Deutsch" (I don't speak German). She replies "oh" and says something, which I took to be along the lines of "who are you here for? What are you doing?" and I say "I'm here for Reagan Burnett" and she says, again in German, something that I took for "she's downstairs/outside, not in the classroom." Then I say "Danke shon," thinking I understood what she meant. Then Gideon says, after she leaves, "she thought you were picking me up from school." So I'm thinking, 'well let's just go outside, Reagan must be playing or something."
So we walk downstairs and outside and I see kids playing and a couple women talking, who I assume to be parents/teachers or something. So I'm just walking around with Gideon and looking for Reagan/thinking "she better be out here." Then one of the teachers asks me something in German that sounded like "What do you need?/How can I help you?" I answer, in English, like I only know how to, "I'm here to get Reagan Burnett." Her reply was "Oh, Gott!" and mutters something in German and I here the word "English" so she obviously was like "crap, she's speaking English." So she asks some of the kids around her and the lady she's talking to if they speak English and they all just continue about their business and the other lady is like "no." I try to communicate, in some way, the fact that I was a little late today in picking Reagan up so I don't know where she is now. Her class is 3c and her name is Reagan Burnett. Oh, and I'm her aunt. I'm not kidnapping the kid. When I say "I'm her aunt" they look at each other and ask "mother?" (I forgot if it was mother or something else) and I say "no, aunt. Sister of the mother." And then they ask "au pair?" I reply "No, sister of the mutter (German word for mother.) I'm the aunt." And I point to Gideon and try to tie the fact that he's my nephew into the situation, but that didn't help at all. Finally, the other lady says "Oh! Schwester von Mutter." And I'm like yes! Schwester! Schwester! They get it now! They know I'm the sister of Talya! So they finally understand and I was like "thank you God!" hahaha. So they tell me, in broken but comprehensible English, that in five minutes she would be in room 304 when all the children go back into the school. I'm thinking "I've gotta learn German, and I've gotta learn it FAST! Or at least go look up all the phrases and words that I think I'm gonna need to know for picking kids up from school and whatnot."
Gideon and I go back up stairs for a second time to get her in the midst of a bunch of kids screaming at each other in German as they're going back to class. As we turn the corner to go up the next flight, I see a tall, tan, pretty girl emerge out of them all. And it's Reagan. She has a "are you kidding me? I've been looking for you, you dumb aunt" look on her face. I was like "there you are!" Then I find out, once we go to her classroom that I have to come back to pick her up at 1:50, when lessons are over. I was, at first, like "are you kidding me? I went through all this crap just to have to wait another 45 minutes to get her?" But I think about it, and I realize that I'm glad I found her after all. She goes to her class and Gideon and I go eat croissants and I drink a latte at a nearby cafe until we have to pick her up.
So after I had my funny experience with non English-speaking teachers, as we're sitting outside of the cafe, Gideon all of the sudden looks at me, with a big wad of croissant in his mouth, and says "it's crazy that God is our dad." I thought he said "it's crazy that God is our god," so I was absolutely stunned for a few seconds. Then I said "What, Gi?" And he goes, "it's crazy that God is our Dad." And i just smiled probably the biggest grin I've had on my face all day and replied, "yeah Gi. It is crazy. Because even though our daddys here on earth fail us sometimes, our Heavenly Daddy will never fail us because He loves us so much." And he just looks at me like "really? That's cool."
Man, now I realize the point of Luke 18:16: "But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Gideon was obviously just so in awe in the fact that our Dad is really and truly God. You would probably never find an adult that would out of the blue, while doing something so monotonous as eating a butter croissant, say something as simple as "It's crazy that God is our Dad." For some reason those of us who are older than the age of six think that we're past that "awe stage" of faith. But Gideon showed me in the time span of 3 seconds that we still need to be in awe of simple facts like God is our Dad. God is still definitely something to be in awe of. And I'm thrilled that I had the privilege of seeing Him use little Gideon to show me that He has, does and will always definitely deserve to be in awe of. :)
Monday, August 6, 2012
Back to routine
Today was the first day of school for the kids. Well, two out of three, at least. Reagan started 3rd grade at a new school which is walking distance from our house, Jesse started back to the normal pre-k/day care that he's gone to for almost two years. Then Gideon starts the big FIRST GRADE at Reagan's school a week from today! He's already said several times "I'm so excited to go to school." So that's a good sign. I'm also very ready to get into a daily routine and for my German classes to start so I can get in the groove of things for myself. I've never taken night classes, having gone to public school for most of my life. And my German classes are gonna be 6:15-9pm three nights a week starting in September so it'll be a little different to prepare my mind for learning at the time that I would be winding down in the States. But I'm excited. Hopefully I can meet other people that might be in the same new to the city boat as I am. I'm just really excited to start school. Hopefully it won't be too tough :/
My sister, Lydia, and her friend, Gretchen, are coming to stay for a while in about a week. That'll be really fun to have them to occupy my time before classes start. It's gonna be so much fun having more family in town. All of Talya's friends reply to her telling them of Lydia and Gretchen's soon arrival something along the lines of "how many sisters do you have?" and then I usually cut in and say "there's 5 girls and 3 boys in our family." But of course, being in Germany where three children is a big number, we get the crazy looks. Classic. We're used to that haha. But I'm really excited for them to come. I'll get to show them the city and take them to my favorite parts and hopefully practice some German when we're at restaurants and stuff.
Although I might have to warn them that, even though they're coming to Europe, the land of walking everywhere, we're still in the land of carbs aka Germany. My bike has become my best friend, needless to say. :)
My sister, Lydia, and her friend, Gretchen, are coming to stay for a while in about a week. That'll be really fun to have them to occupy my time before classes start. It's gonna be so much fun having more family in town. All of Talya's friends reply to her telling them of Lydia and Gretchen's soon arrival something along the lines of "how many sisters do you have?" and then I usually cut in and say "there's 5 girls and 3 boys in our family." But of course, being in Germany where three children is a big number, we get the crazy looks. Classic. We're used to that haha. But I'm really excited for them to come. I'll get to show them the city and take them to my favorite parts and hopefully practice some German when we're at restaurants and stuff.
Although I might have to warn them that, even though they're coming to Europe, the land of walking everywhere, we're still in the land of carbs aka Germany. My bike has become my best friend, needless to say. :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
"I just want to be someone who brightens up as many people's days as possible while I'm on this earth."
Today so far I've cleaned up a 6 year old's poopy underwear, made sure that that same 6 year old is drinking enough water because he has a little stomach bug, cleaning up the living room, and bumming around. But my day changed when I was cruising various videos on Youtube a few minutes ago and decided to search some Tim Tebow interviews. I saw one from ABC news where he was questioned on his faith, his transfer to the New York Jets and his personal life. At the end, he said "you know I just want to be someone who brightens up as many people's days as possible while I'm on this earth." And you could tell that that was honestly what he wants to do with his life. Not score the most touch downs or play for the coolest NFL teams, but he really, truly wants to just make people's lives a little better by coming in contact with him.
Having gone to Belize this summer, where people have so little and yet are so thankful, that interview made me think back to that mission trip and how it changed my perspective on life. Sure, having all the stuff that you think is important is nice at first, but then you realize that making a difference in the world for the better and letting your happiness in life make someone else happy is the most important thing. I don't know, I just thought that quote from Tim was really interesting because he's such a talented athlete and yet he isn't even really concerned about that part of his life.
Another reason why that spoke out to me is because, if you smile or show any sign of joy in Berlin, people look at you like you're crazy. Granted, Germany's history with wars and hardships hasn't exactly been anything to be happy about. But that's kinda why I like it here. In the US, everyone "looks" happy and says that life's great so you don't really know who's telling the truth and who's not. But here, if you are the least bit happy in your day to day life, you stand out. Imagine if I let the joy that comes from knowing the King of the universe be on display for everyone to see? Because I feel like when I am smiling or have a little pep in my step, it may not always be for the right reasons. But truly letting the love and the joy from the Lord shine through me and giving it free reign in my life rather than finding other things to be happy about would really make a difference in my life and those around me.
Having gone to Belize this summer, where people have so little and yet are so thankful, that interview made me think back to that mission trip and how it changed my perspective on life. Sure, having all the stuff that you think is important is nice at first, but then you realize that making a difference in the world for the better and letting your happiness in life make someone else happy is the most important thing. I don't know, I just thought that quote from Tim was really interesting because he's such a talented athlete and yet he isn't even really concerned about that part of his life.
Another reason why that spoke out to me is because, if you smile or show any sign of joy in Berlin, people look at you like you're crazy. Granted, Germany's history with wars and hardships hasn't exactly been anything to be happy about. But that's kinda why I like it here. In the US, everyone "looks" happy and says that life's great so you don't really know who's telling the truth and who's not. But here, if you are the least bit happy in your day to day life, you stand out. Imagine if I let the joy that comes from knowing the King of the universe be on display for everyone to see? Because I feel like when I am smiling or have a little pep in my step, it may not always be for the right reasons. But truly letting the love and the joy from the Lord shine through me and giving it free reign in my life rather than finding other things to be happy about would really make a difference in my life and those around me.
Friday, July 27, 2012
the little things
So, as most of the world knows, tonight is the opening night of the Olympic games in London. And, being that my two nephews are in bed and my niece, Reagan, was gonna stay up, I began watching the opening ceremony with her. She then, said "I'm hungry. Do you want something?" and I said "Yeah, could you make me a peanut butter and honey sandwich?" and she said "sure, I'll be right back." Five minutes later, she comes into the living room with the cutest little setup on a tray: 2 glasses of ice water with straws, a tupperware box with 2 sandwiches in it and some extra peanut butter. She already is a greater server and clearly enjoys making other people comfortable through her service. It's so darn cute.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
the joys of being an aunt
One of the cutest and most entertaining things to do is to witness Gideon, who's 6, and Jesse, who's 3, interact. Their conversations are adorable. Jesse already looks up to him and so whenever he can learn something from Gideon, he jumps on the opportunity. He also tends to want to do exactly what Gideon does, which gets on Gi's nerves. The sibling dynamics are already pretty spelled out, even at their age. Reagan, being almost 9, usually ends up having to watch one of them or help out. And then the boys team up against her and get on her nerves. It's so cute to hear Reagan enlighten Gideon, or Gideon enlighten Jesse about things they didn't know. And the best part is when I tell Gideon that I know his friends from America. He just looks at me with a really puzzled look, and says "Eh? You know my friends from Amewika?" and then he quizzes me on who I do and don't know. Seeing the wheels start to turn in little kids' minds is an incredible thing to watch.
Monday, July 23, 2012
God is still restoring
When I heard about the shooting in Aurora, Colorado, I was so sad and couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose someone close to me so suddenly. I saw several facebook posts and heard people talking about it over the past few days, and the more details I knew, the sadder the story became.
I've never lost someone so close to me as suddenly as a gun shot, but I have lost a few through other ways. The pain I felt was real and took a long to time start the healing process. However, I can't even begin to imagine what the families and friends of the victims of the shooting must be feeling right now. When my uncle Ryan died, a little piece of my world crumbled and went away. It still doesn't feel real to know that he's in heaven rather than coaching football and teaching finance at Farragut High School in Farragut, TN. However, my family and I at least had a little bit of a warning because he was sick with pancreatitis for several weeks and had complications. But the families of the shooting victims didn't have ANY warning. They were slapped in the face at 1 am to the heart shattering news that their loved ones' lives had been taken in an extremely unfair and cruel way. That, like I said, is just plain unfair. It isn't, by any means, a gentle way to leave. It's mean and rotten. It frankly makes me very angry that James Holmes thought it was ok to just decide to take people's lives when all they wanted to do was have a little fun and see a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie.
But, nevertheless, God is STILL restoring His creation. Events like this make it very easy, at least for me, to doubt God's goodness and faithfulness. But, it also proves His might and glory. If God can take a world full of crap like this event and many others and turn it into a beautiful, pure masterpiece like what it was originally made for, then He's pretty awesome. As He's shown me personally that our weaknesses make Him greater, I think He's showing it to all of us in a way that we didn't exactly expect. He can take our sins and regrets and stuff and make us feel completely whole after it. And, in the same way, He can take awful events like this that have tainted and dirtied His creation and make something beautiful out of it.
I've never lost someone so close to me as suddenly as a gun shot, but I have lost a few through other ways. The pain I felt was real and took a long to time start the healing process. However, I can't even begin to imagine what the families and friends of the victims of the shooting must be feeling right now. When my uncle Ryan died, a little piece of my world crumbled and went away. It still doesn't feel real to know that he's in heaven rather than coaching football and teaching finance at Farragut High School in Farragut, TN. However, my family and I at least had a little bit of a warning because he was sick with pancreatitis for several weeks and had complications. But the families of the shooting victims didn't have ANY warning. They were slapped in the face at 1 am to the heart shattering news that their loved ones' lives had been taken in an extremely unfair and cruel way. That, like I said, is just plain unfair. It isn't, by any means, a gentle way to leave. It's mean and rotten. It frankly makes me very angry that James Holmes thought it was ok to just decide to take people's lives when all they wanted to do was have a little fun and see a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie.
But, nevertheless, God is STILL restoring His creation. Events like this make it very easy, at least for me, to doubt God's goodness and faithfulness. But, it also proves His might and glory. If God can take a world full of crap like this event and many others and turn it into a beautiful, pure masterpiece like what it was originally made for, then He's pretty awesome. As He's shown me personally that our weaknesses make Him greater, I think He's showing it to all of us in a way that we didn't exactly expect. He can take our sins and regrets and stuff and make us feel completely whole after it. And, in the same way, He can take awful events like this that have tainted and dirtied His creation and make something beautiful out of it.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Back to Berlin
And now we're back home, in Berlin. We all had a blast in Italy and soaked up as much vitamin D as possible. However, Talya and I were talking about yesterday how, unless the sun stays out for several days, our tans will have been in vain! haha but we had a great time on our Adriatic vacation.
I need to correct a mistake I made in my other blog post. We didn't stay on San Marco. We stayed on a little island called Lido. San Marco was the stop on Venice that we got off from our water bus to explore the city. So just clearing that up even though it really doesn't matter hahah.
I have come to realize that 2 boys under the age of 7 don't understand that when you get toys and stuff out, you're supposed to put that all back where it came from. It's really cute watching them make "fortresses" out of suitcases and pretend that there's good and bad guys, but when they're done playing, it's all just a mess hahah. I've been given many opportunities to practice my parenting skills, for when that time comes, so far in my year abroad. Let's just hope that practice pays off some day haha.
We're all very excited for our sister, Lydia, and her friend /practically our sister, Gretchen, to come visit on their way to moving to England next month. As my best friend, Prerana said, the Shoups are slowly but surely migrating to Europe. And, after getting the chance to spend vacation in Italy and eat the food that I've eaten and see the places I've seen, the rest of my family would be crazy to stay in the states. At least I think so. I love my family and friends in the States, but I just want to travel more and more after visiting a few countries this summer. I just feel like God didn't make the whole world for us to stay in one place. Granted people are called to be in different places, but until I feel like I should be in one place, I intend to explore and enjoy all the amazing places that are on this Earth.
I need to correct a mistake I made in my other blog post. We didn't stay on San Marco. We stayed on a little island called Lido. San Marco was the stop on Venice that we got off from our water bus to explore the city. So just clearing that up even though it really doesn't matter hahah.
I have come to realize that 2 boys under the age of 7 don't understand that when you get toys and stuff out, you're supposed to put that all back where it came from. It's really cute watching them make "fortresses" out of suitcases and pretend that there's good and bad guys, but when they're done playing, it's all just a mess hahah. I've been given many opportunities to practice my parenting skills, for when that time comes, so far in my year abroad. Let's just hope that practice pays off some day haha.
We're all very excited for our sister, Lydia, and her friend /practically our sister, Gretchen, to come visit on their way to moving to England next month. As my best friend, Prerana said, the Shoups are slowly but surely migrating to Europe. And, after getting the chance to spend vacation in Italy and eat the food that I've eaten and see the places I've seen, the rest of my family would be crazy to stay in the states. At least I think so. I love my family and friends in the States, but I just want to travel more and more after visiting a few countries this summer. I just feel like God didn't make the whole world for us to stay in one place. Granted people are called to be in different places, but until I feel like I should be in one place, I intend to explore and enjoy all the amazing places that are on this Earth.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Italia
Greetings from San Marco, Italy! I'm currently on this little island that's off the coast of Venice. It's sooo pretty here and I never want to go back to cold Berlin. Well, at least for now I don't ;)
The people here are so sweet and funny and they actually smile at my crazy nephews and niece, unlike the Germans. It's good to get away from the city and to enjoy some good ole Adriatic Sea and legitmate gelato. Oh yeah, which brings me to the amazing taste of greal gelato, that looks more like whipped cream instead of hard ice cream. It's sooo good and we eat it pretty often. Talya and I have some working out to do when we get back to the Germany, needless to say :)
Our internet is still down in Berlin, because the Germans don't know how to be snappy with things, but it's kinda nice not having access to facebook all the time. It actually forces me to pick up a book.
I've been thinking a lot lately about how I miss my Belize mission team. There has been many times in which I wish I could just text one of my teammates and tell them all the funny stuff that's happened to me so far. I just miss them all and tons of memories from our trip have come back into my mind pretty frequently.
Well, my time limit of 30 minutes is almost up so I gotta go! Keep us in your prayers in terms of finding a good church, and me finding productive things to do once summer is over and whatever else you'd like to pray for.
See ya later! :) <3
The people here are so sweet and funny and they actually smile at my crazy nephews and niece, unlike the Germans. It's good to get away from the city and to enjoy some good ole Adriatic Sea and legitmate gelato. Oh yeah, which brings me to the amazing taste of greal gelato, that looks more like whipped cream instead of hard ice cream. It's sooo good and we eat it pretty often. Talya and I have some working out to do when we get back to the Germany, needless to say :)
Our internet is still down in Berlin, because the Germans don't know how to be snappy with things, but it's kinda nice not having access to facebook all the time. It actually forces me to pick up a book.
I've been thinking a lot lately about how I miss my Belize mission team. There has been many times in which I wish I could just text one of my teammates and tell them all the funny stuff that's happened to me so far. I just miss them all and tons of memories from our trip have come back into my mind pretty frequently.
Well, my time limit of 30 minutes is almost up so I gotta go! Keep us in your prayers in terms of finding a good church, and me finding productive things to do once summer is over and whatever else you'd like to pray for.
See ya later! :) <3
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Just stuff
Hello! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but that's what happens when the people you're supposed to call about getting your internet fixed don't answer the phone...But anyways, I've been super busy watching, bathing, feeding and picking the kids up from school for the past several days. Good thing is, I'm going to Italy in three days!!!! I'm sooo excited and can't wait to see the Mediterranean sea for the first time. You can count on lots and lots of pictures from Talya and myself :)
I am loving Berlin but I think I'll like it a lot better once I figure out what I'll be doing for the majority of the time that I'm here. I'm going to start language school in September I think, so that will take up a lot of my time. And then Dinah, one of my sister's good friends here said that I should look into volunteering at hospitals or something since I want to go into the medical field. So hopefully that will be an option too.
The weather here is driving me crazy! It's hot and sunny one minute then the next minute it's 50 degrees, windy and rainy! Not ok! I can see now why the Germans strip down to nothing the second any warm, sunny weather comes out from behind the too familiar overcast clouds.
Spending so much time with the kids has been very informative and entertaining. I learned that Gideon, the six year old should really be an actor or model because he can be so dramatic and can legitimately break dance, hahaha. They all just come out with the funniest things when you least expect it. Sometimes I find myself asking, "Did they really just say that? Because that's pretty dang funny."
Well, that's all for now because I have yummy strawberries and pancakes calling my name so auf wiedersehen! :)
I am loving Berlin but I think I'll like it a lot better once I figure out what I'll be doing for the majority of the time that I'm here. I'm going to start language school in September I think, so that will take up a lot of my time. And then Dinah, one of my sister's good friends here said that I should look into volunteering at hospitals or something since I want to go into the medical field. So hopefully that will be an option too.
The weather here is driving me crazy! It's hot and sunny one minute then the next minute it's 50 degrees, windy and rainy! Not ok! I can see now why the Germans strip down to nothing the second any warm, sunny weather comes out from behind the too familiar overcast clouds.
Spending so much time with the kids has been very informative and entertaining. I learned that Gideon, the six year old should really be an actor or model because he can be so dramatic and can legitimately break dance, hahaha. They all just come out with the funniest things when you least expect it. Sometimes I find myself asking, "Did they really just say that? Because that's pretty dang funny."
Well, that's all for now because I have yummy strawberries and pancakes calling my name so auf wiedersehen! :)
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The latest
Gah, I'm flat tired. Being an aunt to three kids who need to get out of the house at least once a day to let their energy out is exhausting. I told Talya yesterday on the way to the pizza place after we left the pool that we were at for like 6 hours that my goal was to wear them out but I got worn out too. I better have parenting down pat when I have kids because I use a lot of parenting skills to them on a day to day basis. I figure it's good practice though, so that when I do have kids, I know how to handle them. Well, for the most part.
We went to a church tonight called Every Nation. It was good but it'll be better once I know more people there, and can speak more German. They have dinner after every service and it's free if you're there for the first time, so that was sweet. Being a Shoup, I always love a free meal :) Pray that God leads Talya, the kids and I to the right church in the right place at the right time. Being a member of a church family helps in so many ways. It helps when you just need to talk to someone, when you need a babysitter, and whatever else. Just keep that in your thoughts and prayers.
We went to a church tonight called Every Nation. It was good but it'll be better once I know more people there, and can speak more German. They have dinner after every service and it's free if you're there for the first time, so that was sweet. Being a Shoup, I always love a free meal :) Pray that God leads Talya, the kids and I to the right church in the right place at the right time. Being a member of a church family helps in so many ways. It helps when you just need to talk to someone, when you need a babysitter, and whatever else. Just keep that in your thoughts and prayers.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Day #5
I forgot how much I missed the cafes and little bakeries that you can literally sit at all day. Today, Talya, Reagan and I were out and about and made a few pit stops at a sandwich shop and a cafe. I told Talya I could just drink lattes and sit with the summer breeze on my face allllll day :) But unfortunately, we had stuff to do so we couldn't stay much longer.
I had chocolate musli (cereal) yesterday and today for breakfast and forgot how much I missed it too! Man, Germany knows how to do it. Real chocolate chunks in the cereal is sooo good instead of fake sugar that's common in the states. Little things like that and the yummy pre-made sandwiches remind me how much I love the food here. So easily accessible and really cheap.
After we ate dinner last night at The 'Bird, an American steakhouse, we went to a park nearby and met some friends that we saw at the restaurant there. I could see on the other side of the fence inclosing the playground that groups of people were playing some sort of sport so I walked over to get a closer look and they were playing ultimate frisbee. My cross country friends would have had a cow if they saw that, being that we always played ultimate before like every practice and meet :) But anyways, I think I'm gonna try to get connected with a team or just a group that gets together to play and meet new people. It looked really fun and hey! Where a sport is being played, there's bound to be cute European boys playing it...yes please!
Well, I think I'll go for a little mid afternoon nap until we go to the pool with the boys when they get back from school. Talya and Reagan told me about this really cool water park-like place not too far from their apartment so I'm excited to check it out! So, guten tag! :)
I had chocolate musli (cereal) yesterday and today for breakfast and forgot how much I missed it too! Man, Germany knows how to do it. Real chocolate chunks in the cereal is sooo good instead of fake sugar that's common in the states. Little things like that and the yummy pre-made sandwiches remind me how much I love the food here. So easily accessible and really cheap.
After we ate dinner last night at The 'Bird, an American steakhouse, we went to a park nearby and met some friends that we saw at the restaurant there. I could see on the other side of the fence inclosing the playground that groups of people were playing some sort of sport so I walked over to get a closer look and they were playing ultimate frisbee. My cross country friends would have had a cow if they saw that, being that we always played ultimate before like every practice and meet :) But anyways, I think I'm gonna try to get connected with a team or just a group that gets together to play and meet new people. It looked really fun and hey! Where a sport is being played, there's bound to be cute European boys playing it...yes please!
Well, I think I'll go for a little mid afternoon nap until we go to the pool with the boys when they get back from school. Talya and Reagan told me about this really cool water park-like place not too far from their apartment so I'm excited to check it out! So, guten tag! :)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day 2 in Berlin
Hello again! I'm soooo tired from jet lag still but if I take a nap, I'll sleep all day. I might just "rest my eyes for a bit." ;)
Today we went out in the city. We took a boat ride on the Spree river and saw some really cool buildings and passed by Museum Island and the Germany parliament building, the Reichstag. It was so cool to be back in parts of the city that I remember being in when I was here two years ago.
And by the way, everything here is soooo cheap! The clothes are cheap, well at the flea market we went to yesterday they were, the food and drink are cheap. It's awesome! You can afford to do fun stuff and eat out everyday because it's really affordable. And that's one of the things I love about the city. So easy to do fun activities and go around the city because the transportation is super easily accessed and not expensive and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to experience Berlin. I want people to come visit soon so I can take them places and give them the satisfaction of eating a whole pizza and not feeling fat because it's so thin and light, hahaha.
Well, off to relax before dinner. Jet lag, go awayyyy!
Today we went out in the city. We took a boat ride on the Spree river and saw some really cool buildings and passed by Museum Island and the Germany parliament building, the Reichstag. It was so cool to be back in parts of the city that I remember being in when I was here two years ago.
And by the way, everything here is soooo cheap! The clothes are cheap, well at the flea market we went to yesterday they were, the food and drink are cheap. It's awesome! You can afford to do fun stuff and eat out everyday because it's really affordable. And that's one of the things I love about the city. So easy to do fun activities and go around the city because the transportation is super easily accessed and not expensive and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to experience Berlin. I want people to come visit soon so I can take them places and give them the satisfaction of eating a whole pizza and not feeling fat because it's so thin and light, hahaha.
Well, off to relax before dinner. Jet lag, go awayyyy!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
And I'm here! :)
I landed in Berlin, Germany today at the Tegel Airport around noon. I thankfully got both of my checked bags from the baggage claim without any trouble. I'm oh so tired though. I've never been able to sleep in a desk or airplane seat or anything that isn't a comfortable couch or a bed. I knew I should've just brought some Benedryl to knock myself out for several hours! But oh well, too late now.
The part of Berlin, Pankow, where my sister has lived for two years now is so much nicer than Schoneberg, where she lived temporarily when she first got here. I know that well because I lived in Schoneberg with her and her two boys at the beginning of her move here, when she was figuring out where she and the rest of her family would be permanently living. Pankow is very family friendly and has lots of fun shops and markets and parks. Well those are pretty much all over the city but it's just really enjoyable here. I'm really excited to start language school in August or September. I just hope I don't get a gross Germany accent, jk ;)
Gosh, as I'm writing this, I'm about to fall asleep. After being awake for about 24 hours plus feeling the strong effects of jet lag, I'm EXHAUSTED. But soon I'll be used to the different time and move into my new life here in Germany! :)
The part of Berlin, Pankow, where my sister has lived for two years now is so much nicer than Schoneberg, where she lived temporarily when she first got here. I know that well because I lived in Schoneberg with her and her two boys at the beginning of her move here, when she was figuring out where she and the rest of her family would be permanently living. Pankow is very family friendly and has lots of fun shops and markets and parks. Well those are pretty much all over the city but it's just really enjoyable here. I'm really excited to start language school in August or September. I just hope I don't get a gross Germany accent, jk ;)
Gosh, as I'm writing this, I'm about to fall asleep. After being awake for about 24 hours plus feeling the strong effects of jet lag, I'm EXHAUSTED. But soon I'll be used to the different time and move into my new life here in Germany! :)
Friday, June 29, 2012
A day with my mom
Today is the last day I get to spend with my mom before I leave for Germany. She's sleeping right now because she works nights, but when she gets up we're gonna go eat and watch the new Madea movie. Yes, the new Madea movie. We find her very hilarious.
It's going to be enormously bittersweet as we both recognize the fact that I, her youngest child, am going off into the world to explore, find my independent side, be with family, and see what God has for me outside of the US. She has been a mother longer than she hasn't (over33 years to be exact), so this whole not having anyone living under her roof anymore thing will be devastating at first. But then she'll soon come to realize that it's kind of great that out of eight children, none will still be home. They'll all be living somewhere else, being independent in some sort of way. She always says parenting doesn't end just because they don't live with her anymore, because they tend to call pretty often. But other than the occasional few phone calls a week, she won't have anyone left to tell them to "text me when you get there," or "love you. Be safe and drive CAREFULLY!" It'll be the first time in a while that she finally has a chance to focus on herself and see what she needs rather than what her kids need.
Please pray that the transition into this new life of having no children left at home goes smoothly. I'm not mom but I can see and she's told me many times that she loves doing what she does, being a mother to "eight great kids." I mean, if you know my mom, then you know that she would be a mom forever if she could. Even though she hasn't been perfect in her profession, she's pretty dang close. She has the best motherly, gentle touch around and guess what? My mom could beat your mom any day! hahahaha :)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Saying goodbye to North Shore
Tonight is my last chance to hang out with my awesome youth group from North Shore Fellowship. We're going to watch Batman Begins, but I'm probably going to be talking and cherishing the time I have with my group instead of actually watching the movie. :)
When I first moved to North GA/Chattanooga, I was so stoked to get out of small town Dublin, GA where everyone knew all my older siblings and called me "little shoup." I couldn't wait to start my own legacy and make my own story. It's a good thing that going to new churches and meeting new people is kinda my thing because that's what I had to do a lot of when I first got here. I experimented with several different churches and youth groups to see which one was the best fit for me. My mom and I finally settled on North Shore Fellowship in Chattanooga mainly because one of her best friends went there and enjoyed it. I soon began to love the church. The pastors were incredible teachers and we made lots of new friends. The youth group was bigger than my old one so it took a little getting used to. I found myself still trying to fit in to the group as a whole as the year progressed, but soon enough I connected with a few friends that are very dear to my heart.
This trip to Belize taught us all that busy schedules, social networking sites, and how many times we get invited to get togethers and parties, in the end, doesn't matter one bit. What does matter is appreciating all of the simple things in life like playing soccer with kids we haven't met until a day ago, or visiting a class of 8th graders in a different country and sharing a little about our lives in the US, or worshiping Jesus Christ despite the fact that we have no idea what everyone else is singing because we don't speak Spanish. That's what we learned.
I think everyone could use a visit to a third world country at least once in their lives. It definitely puts things in perspective and teaches you that nothing in the world is more important than having a relationship with Jesus. Not how many Facebook notifications you have, not the size of house you live in, not the brand of clothes you wear. Jesus just wants you to know Him as intimately as He knows you, and He could care less about all that fluff that you think is so important.
I'm truly going to miss my group, especially as I've actually gotten to know them so recently and wish that I could have more time to get to know them better. But God has opened up an opportunity for me to get to know other people in other parts of the world, not just the Americas. I hope I get some visitors from NSF over the next year so I can show them what real chocolate tastes like :)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Nervous, scared, excited and joyous all wrapped into one.
Well today I finally realized that I have less than three days until I leave the country for a year, the longest I've not been in the US. I've always wanted to travel and see the world outside of my protected, southern home. And now that I finally have that opportunity just days away, it's finally hitting me. It's time to say goodbye to the comforting touch of my mom I have always been able to count on when I feel like crap, a short drive to Chick Fil A to get a chicken cool wrap with ranch, and people that I can go talk to whenever I need to. But the good thing is that I'll be living with Talya, my oldest sibling who has been more like a mother to me ever since I can remember. Without her I don't think my family would've gotten through my mom's cancer. I've always been able to talk to her about anything and she is always up for making a chocolate cake at the most random time of the day. I'm also very excited to spend more time with her three children, Reagan, Gideon, and Jesse. When they moved to Germany I was devastated because my family had always been just minutes away from their house and so we could see them pretty much whenever. But since they made Europe their home, that all changed. So now that I'm taking the not-so-common road out of high school, I'll be able to spend more time with my niece and nephews and that makes me very happy.
Going to Germany doesn't mean just packing up and doing something to occupy my time for the first year out of school. It means so much more to me. It means spending time with these gorgeous kids and making up for lost time in watching them grow into strong, people that take joy in the simple things. I can't wait to see them for the first time in over a year. I also can't wait to see their mommy who has done an incredible job of raising them...well, at least so far ;) The dynamic duo of Shoup child #1 and #8 is BACK, people! :)
Going to Germany doesn't mean just packing up and doing something to occupy my time for the first year out of school. It means so much more to me. It means spending time with these gorgeous kids and making up for lost time in watching them grow into strong, people that take joy in the simple things. I can't wait to see them for the first time in over a year. I also can't wait to see their mommy who has done an incredible job of raising them...well, at least so far ;) The dynamic duo of Shoup child #1 and #8 is BACK, people! :)
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