I've known about Oktoberfest for quite some time. Whenever we would talk about Germany in school, it was one of the things mentioned as a "Culturally significant event." Having been here for a few weeks, in talking to people I've learned that Oktoberfest is about as significant to the German culture as Mardi Gras is to American culture. It's really big for the local ethnic populus but the rest of us spend the time laughing at the stupidity of it. I have no desire to go to Mardi Gras but Oktoberfest intrigued me for some reason and I must say, I enjoyed the time I spent there. All of about two hours. The rest of the trip, though, was the great part.

Tony Yoder and I met in the München main train station at about 0030 on saturday (just after midnight for those of you not on the 24-hr clock) and we began our journey to the campsite we had made reservations at for that night. As it happens we just missed the train there and the next one wouldn't be for another two hours. Wasting no time we made our way to a local restaurant to wait. Two hours later we got on the right train and twenty minutes later realized that the stop we were leaving was the one we wanted. The next train would be in three hours (0525) and by that time it wouldn't really be worth going to the campsite at all. We were mostly out of the city by this point so after trying to walk back to the previous station, we curled up in a hay field and woke with the sunrise. Luckily all of our belongings were still there and we began the trek back to the city to enjoy all of the festival that we could.

Oktoberfest is like Mardi Gras in that most of the party is centered in a very small part of the city. Having no idea where that part of the city was we wondered around asking people for directions and haphazardly ran into three other trainees and one really drunk Irish guy. As coincidence would have it, we met him again on sunday. After a few more times asking for directions, we finally made it onto the right train and to the festival grounds. It wasn't what I expected at all. It was a carnival, and nothing more. There were rides everywhere and strange people trying to get you to throw a ball at a stuffed mickey mouse. The population density was about three people per square yard and, having no place to put our packs, Tony and I were still carying ours. After two hours of fighting the crowd and somehow getting a bite to eat, we left and headed for Dachau.

It's about a twenty minute train ride there and after checking into our hotel and doing the concentration camp visit, we wandered around town for a bit. It felt amazing to not be carying a pack anymore. We met a couple of locals (one of whom is from South Carolina) and together we had an amazing evening NOT being in a huge crowd of people. It was nice to have a shower and a real bed that night and in the morning we left.

It was a short trip but a fun one, nonetheless. The best part, however, was the train ride there. I changed trains in Frankfurt, and, after sitting down, noticed the guy next to me was reading Fortune 500 in english. We started talking and I found out that he grew up north of Salina and for the past few years has been working in Wichita. The Germany office of his corporation needed some short term help so he voulenteered to come over. It's always nice to meet someone from home, even if you have no idea who they are. It's good to be reminded that it's a small world afterall.

David

It's been a while since I've written last and I do appologize. Not much has happened this week but I've still been too busy to write much...it's amazing the ironies of life. I've made a few new friends this week. One of them, Sebastion, is studying physics at the university and in two weeks he will finish his doctoral thesis and go to Stockholm to work for a Noble lauriate. He's writing his thesis on the effects of electrical and magnetic feilds on the electron re-uptake of highly charged ions in a storage ring. I don't have a clue what that means but it's been fun to discuss it with him anyway.

The simple physics haven't been all that nice to me this week, though. First of all, it's getting cold. I have no quarels with cold, in fact, I often prefer it to heat, but this is September! It's not supposed to be cold yet. Last Sunday I was also involved in my first bike wreck. It had been raining and the pavement was wet and in the process of jumping onto a curb, I lost control and ran into a light post. Injuries sustained: sore little finger. By far the largest physics problem I've had this week, however, involved gravity. Now don't get me wrong, I like gravity. I'm glad we have it. Sometimes I think, though, that a little less could be a good thing. I was in the warehouse on a ladder that wasn't very secure. It fell. It went one way, my feet slipped through and I went the other way, and there I was, hanging upside down. Fortunately, I was alone so no one saw me there. Injuries sustained: three small bruises on my right leg.

For all the quarles I've been having with physics this week, it's good to know that our God is bigger than all of that and he is here to protect me!

Health and Saftey
David

I just finished my first posing for the day and I'm making a second already. I didn't want to combine them because the topic and mood is completely different but bear with me....I need to rant for a bit. I don't know that my true frustration will be able to come through the text but I will try.

For most of this week I've been in the warehouse "controlling" (making sure they're not broken and that they include the proper things) school bags. Before I started I laughed at the irony that maybe it was the school children and not the bags that would need to be controlled. Now that I've actually done some controlling I realize that it's the people who donate the bags that really need to be controlled. How, praytell, will a bag full of incomplete, broken, second-hand toys help a child in africa get through school? Or perhaps four pairs of jeans with holes in the knees and frayed hems? I remember hearing from my Aunt Shirley of the time she and her husband spent in misssions work in Haiti how it felt to receive used tea bags from the "caring" people in America. Is it perhaps that charitable giving is not so much a means of helping people in need as it is a way for western society to assuage the guilt we have of controlling over 80% of the world's resources. Or, perhaps, is it a way for us to unload all of our trash that is still too "good" to throw out and giving it to needy children is a way to feel good about getting rid of it. Have we no thoughts of the people receiving our "gifts" (I enjoy the irony the the german word "gift" translates to "poision" in english) and what they need and what they're reaction to what they get might be? Are we really trying to help needy people or are we simply smoothing over our own conscience? Paper and pencils aren't that expensive. Is it to much to ask that you don't send crayons half an inch long or pencils so short it's hard to hold them? Is it too much to ask that you send any school supplies at all!?

I must be honest, there are some very well put together school bags in the mix. It shows that there are some people who spent some time and money to include not only what was on the required list of contents but also many other optional things. It is bags like these that help to keep my faith in western civilization from being destroyed completely. These bags are less than 2% of the bags we receive.

Well...I feel better now, somewhat. Go on now, read my second posting, it's much more cheerful.
David

I enjoy pondering scientific theories that I have no real knowledge of. One of my favorite is Einstein's theory that the rate of time isn't constant. These past two weeks have been nothing but proof of that. Last sunday after attending church and eating lunch with Marcos (a 30 something guy who lives nearby and rents space in the warehouse) I had to hurry back to my flat to change and go to Bernd and Ziggy's for their international student gathering. I showed up late but no one really cared. It was an evening of fun interaction with students from all over the world, many of whom aren't Christian. The university here in Giessen has a large physics department and many of them were working on their pHd's in physics. They do a lot of work with the physics department at Kansas State and so I quickly learned to describe where I live in relation to Manhattan instead of Wichita. I didn't know the K-State phys. dept was that large but apparently it is. I got back late from that and was more than ready for bed.

The first half of this week, the heads of GAiN USA and Canada were here so monday night was spent running errands for Klaus (the head of GAiN Germany) and Zaiga (his secretary). I learned this part of town and it's respective stores quite well that evening and my legs are still sore from all the bicycling I did :)

Tuesday evening was my first German class at the Volkshochschule. It meets every tuesday and thursday evenings until sometime in December. So far I really like the prof. and I think he'll make it a fun class. Everyone (I think) in the class knows english and more than once he had to chide us to speak only deutch. It'll be a hard class but I think it will be well worth it.

Tonight I have a bible study with some of the local youth. I don't understand any of what we discuss but they all speak english so every once in a while they will fill me in and ask my oppinion. It's not all that spiritually fulfilling for me but the interaction with my age group is!

It seems like only yesterday when I was sitting in my room with nothing to do watching the hours drag by. Einstein really got this one right but in a way far simpler than he thought.

God truly is good to us!
David

I have often heard the old addage that says, "Those who God will destroy, He first must make proud." This week I have found out that the exact opposite is even more true. Those who God will build up, He first must break. I appoligize for the last post, it was a little different from the normal reporting of life here but perhaps I'm appologizing because it's a little closer to the truth than I really enjoy sharing. This first month has been very difficult. When I read that God will never make us bear more than we can handle, I now read it that he may let us get very close. This first month has been very close. God IS good, however, and before it was more than I could bear he has began relieving my burden. The lament of the faithful really does get answered.

Last wednesday I attended a bible study of several college age singles in the area. I didn't understand much of what we talked about but it was really good to be in the presence of good Christian friends. Today I enrolled in a German class that meets every tuesday and thursday nights that starts next week. This sunday I have been invited in the afternoon to an international student gathering at the home of one of our staff members. I won't say that I am incredibally busy yet but my free time is finally coming to a manageable level. I have gotten used to having hours to lay on my bed and listen to music and now that this time is disappearing I think I actually might miss it somewhat. It's very good to be making new friends and finding activities though. God truly is good.

Some of you have left me comments and to this point I haven't really bothered to respond very well. I would ask, however, that if you leave me a comment, please sign your name to it so I know who to respond to. Some of you are quite good at that and some....well....aren't. So here goes:

I don't know the prices of fuel exactly. GAiN paid for all of that so I never really paid attention to price. I think that diesel is around 1€/liter (around US$4/gal) but I don't know the price of 'benzin' because I've never had to buy any.

The food is....well....I cook everything myself so I really haven't experienced German food other than breakfast which consists mainly of processed meats and soft cheases. Neither of which I am a big fan of. Mainly what I eat with other people is good although most of the restaurants I've gone to are either Italian or what they call Mexican.

The german...well...isn't yet but my classes start on tuesday.

I haven't made any cultural faux pas yet (that I know of). The office that I work in has a lot of foreigners working in it so people are pretty forgiving and if I have done something really stupid, they haven't said anything which is unfortunate but unavoidable.

That's all for now folks. I guess the one main thing I have learned this week that I can share with you is don't give up. This too shall pass.

David