Guten Tag von Deutschland!

Hello from Germany! I am here safe and sound. I am not working today, due to bad weather, but I decided to come to work anyway. I have internet access here, so I thought I would write a quick update. My flight here was a little rough. I get motion sickness, and the turbulents were so bad on the descent into London that I threw up upon arrival, making it to the restroom only by the grace of God. Then I had to take a one hour bus drive to another airport in London, and I thew up on that as well. The next flight into Dusseldorf was not as bad, and I began to feel better. A woman named Suzie picked me up at the Dusseldorf airport, holding a decorative sign that said "Welcome in Germany Barbara Ashley." That was a heartfelt welcome indeed, and I am keeping the sign. We drove about 45 minutes to Straelen and came to Wasserstraelen, where I will work. The staff is very nice, and my boss is even nicer than he seemed in my interview last year. He took me to my dorm to drop off my suitcases, and then we bought a bike and some groceries. Apparently, the American interns who came before me did not take good care of their cars, scratching and denting them and even getting speeding tickets. Since the city pays for the internship, it said no more cars would be provided for the interns. As long as weather permits, riding my bike and walking will be just fine. So I went to bed at 8pm last night and woke up at 2pm this afternoon! I woke up a few times in between but could not function well enough to get out of bed! The weather is very bad here today, but a guy from my dorm drove me to Wasserstraelen, since I could not ride my bike in the rain. So far, I have met four dormmates, only one of whom speaks English. That might become frustrating at times, but it forces me to speak German, which is good. I am usually very shy with the language, but I have no choice but to speak German to them. I am the only intern here, which might get lonely, but I love meeting new people, and I plan to acclamate in time. The people I work with speak English by the way. So that is about it for now. I am excited about everything that lies ahead. I look forward to working with the classes, especially the swim lessons for children, getting to know everyone in this small town, and learning how to better speak and understand German. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and trust that you will remain in mine. Tschuss!