I have arrived, Hallo Berlin.

Oh my goodness.  The past few days have been crazy.  Today was my first full day in Berlin and I can already tell I'm going to love it here.  The blogging world is a bit new to me so please hang with me.  I will start with day one-- Travel day.  Traveling to Berlin on my own was such an adventure.  I was so nervous about not being able to navigate through the big airports (especially foreign ones) and going through customs.  I always feel like I'm doing something illegal that I don't know about or will be framed and not know it and be arrested, haha.  I guess I've watched too much Locked up Abroad. Years of listening to dad's "don't trust anyone" speeches probably don't help either.  Before my first flight from Huntsville to Chicago dad waited with me until my flight started boarding.  Then with a final wave I was off!  I was a bit teary-eyed from leaving my family at the airport and when leaving the gate I was just praying that the Lord would somehow direct me and get me to Germany safely when suddenly the stewardess walked up and asked if I felt uncomfortable sitting in the Exit row... haha I had to explain that I was confident in my ability to help in the case of an emergency, and hoped that she didn't think that that was why I had been crying, haha.  After that moment, the Lord started placing people in my path who helped me my entire way to Germany.  I don't know why I ever doubt that he can't do things.  On my first flight 2 army men were so helpful in my last minuted attempt to keep my carry-on.  I thought I was going to have to check my bag last minute because it wouldn't fit, once again I think the tears were deceiving because they stood up quickly and said that they would make it fit and helped me shove my bag into the overhead bin while crushing their own.  They reminded me of my friend Drew Bailey, and I started to feel okay, thinking I'm not on my own and that a lot of people are willing to help.  I'm so thankful for our military for so many reasons, but that day it was for their simple act of kindness.  Well it turns out I have no pride wanting to follow directions or needing to find my way on my own in airports because when I got to Chicago I asked about 7 different airport workers how to get to Terminal M (the international terminal) and I learned that it was in a separate building and I had to go out of the airport and take a tram to get there.  I finally got there and had to go through security again to enter the international area.  I waited in a long line, went through and started walking to my new gate.  I had a 4 hour layover in Chicago and so I just planned on getting dinner at the airport once I got to my gate, only to find out there is no food in the international terminal.  It was a tragic moment for me realizing that I wasn't going to eat chick-fa-la for my last American meal like I thought I would in my head.  So I sat and ate the pretzel bread and sesame sticks/almonds that Morgan brought me at the airport...  thank goodness!  My next flight was 8 hours to Copenhagen, Denmark.  Everyone in the boarding area looked Scandinavian and beautiful, so I was a little intimidated as to who I would be sitting by.  There were also a lot of couples waiting who were not shy and showed a lot of PDA... I think thats more common in Europe.  Anyways I just knew that I would be sitting next to one of the couples.  When we finally boarded I got to my seat and saw that I was indeed sitting next to a young couple.  I thought for sure I was doomed.  So I sat said hello to see if they spoke English and they did.  I noticed that they were not overly flirty but still really sweet and so I calmed a little.  Right before take off the girl sitting next to me asked where my final destination was and if I had ever flow internationally before. (I must've looked like a newb).  After talking with her for a few minutes I learned that the Lord had seated me right next to a missionary and is wife who were working at a Baptist church in Norway. Praise the Lord.  I'm so grateful for those 8 hours!  She told me a lot about their ministry, what to expect in Europe, and how to survive an international flight.  She told me that the dinner & wine served on the plane was complimentary, which was huge, because otherwise I wouldn't have ordered any and would've gone hungry.  She told me to get up and walk and drink a lot of water through the night because it usually helps her with jet lag and then her and her husband walked with me through customs (which I was so worried about) and to my gate the next day because theirs was just 2 over from me.  Her husband gave me his card, to e-mail him about international churches that he knows people at in Berlin.  What a sweet gift it was to meet Jennifer and Brandon. It was a simple reminder to me how strong the bond of Christ is. I felt like I was leaving two friends in the Denmark airport.  My last flight to Berlin was only an hour long, and I fell asleep praying that my baggage would make it to Berlin and that I would make it through customs without getting lost.  I got of the plane and saw my bags being being taken from the plane, another silent prayer of thanks.  I got my bags.. which were very large and dragged them up and elevator and realized that I was by the exit exactly where I was supposed to meet my coordinator who was picking me up.  I started to panic because I never went through customs and I was thinking Oh man, I'm going to enter this place and get caught without my passport being stamped and me in SOO much trouble.  Well, not even two minutes after arriving my coordinator found me and told me that no such stamp was needed.  Going through customs in Denmark was enough.  Pheww.  He drove me about 15 minutes into Kleinmachnow, Brandenberg which is where I will be living.  I love my flat, house mom, and roommate Krissy.  I'm so grateful that the 4 other girls and I got here safely, and for all of the little blessings along the way.  Today was my first day at the school and wandering around Zahlendorf (our suburb of Berlin) with Krissy, and it was so much fun! I think the jet lag contributes some to our laughing... but I think we probably looked like two of the happiest/lost/giggly girls in town today.  We've quickly found that when you don't know how to speak the language, read the bus signs, stay out of the bike path, or go grocery shopping, it's best to simply laugh, and we do that well!! Guten Nacht!