To Whom It May Concern

Hello, my loverly readers, I just thought that I'd take a few minutes to answer some regular questions about my life in Germany and what I've encountered so far.

With regards to the weather, yes, it is almost always gray. Grau, grau, grau immer ist der Himmel, lol. And it rains, a lot. Puddle stomping is inadvisable since to do so would mean drenched clothes at the very least. And I strongly suggest to keep away from the edge of the sidewalk, as German drivers have no qualms whatsoever in roaring down the gutter at full speed.

School. Oh, how to describe school... Well, I'm getting more used to it as time goes on. But I really despise taking German tests. I pretty much fail most my tests, even though I put all my effort into them. This is why we should all have an off/on switch for how much we care about something.

Oh, I have some rather interesting news to report. This Monday, as I was walking back from the bus, I stopped by the minimart in Saarmund. The automatic doors whoosed open and the welcoming smell of warm bread rushed out, warming the frigid air. Turning to the Gemuse and Obst section, I discovered, to my immense joy, green, fresh, crunchy apples. I hadn't had a green apple for three months now, so I bought two and ate one on the way home. The other I ate with peanut butter during dinner today. I've gotta say, those green apples were like wonderfully colorful beacons in my gray German world.

Sometimes there are little things like that. Tiny rays of encouragement, whether sent to us by design or by mere coincidence I know not. But when you feel alone, or as if the world is slowly backing away from you, those little tokens of light are so precious. I'm sure that you know about my share of ups and downs since I've gotten here, and I hope you know also that there's much more to come. It's not going to be easy, but then again, nothing ever is. So thanks for listening, this post is for you. Your friend, TGWTC