Countdown to Tübingen

turning 22 in germany is kind of a big deal in that you have now been drinking legally for six years

It is a beautiful day in Germany. Enjoy that sentence. It won’t be written often. But the sun is out, it is a mild 60 degrees (16 Celsius), and, just like every week, it is Lazy Sunday. Everything moves a little slower, shops don’t open, and people stay home to observe the Sabbath because – even for those who could care less about commandment #6 – a day without work is still a good deal.

It’s been a long week. One thing you start to sense about Germans when you start hanging out with them is their intense desire to live life… Stay out late, hop parties, clubs, and bars until 3 or 4, then wake up early to start your day right. The astonishing amount of vacation time and holidays that Germans are given off is a lot less shocking when you realize that those are the only days that people sleep around here. Throw on top of the night life some construction work during the day in getting your campus house to a desirable state, and on top of that the fact that this all happens in your second language, and you may start to get a sense of what campus ministry work is like at Unterwegs.

Tomorrow is a holiday for Germany. Much like Americans celebrate Labor Day by doing no labor, Germans celebrate Pentecost – the day the disciples began to spread the Gospel – by staying home and sleeping. Not Unterwegs, though. Tomorrow we are hosting part three in a series of cookouts that we have hosted on every religious holiday in the last five weeks. With the word about Unterwegs spreading and the popularity of our four-square court multiplying, we are expecting a turnout of students hungry for brats and the King’s square.

One of the biggest differences between raising support full time and being a campus minister full time is the amount of free time one has for things like exercise, personal reflection, and – among other things – sleeping. Also among those “other things” is blogging.

There is no coffee house subculture in Germany that I have found so far, and the lack of cozy caffeine-enhanced atmosphere with the familiar sing-song whine of the espresso machine in the background has made it nearly impossible to come up with clever things to type into the abyssal Internet void. Simply put, there is no replacement for Mighty Joe Espresso in Tübingen.

Next week should see a slight cessation in busily buzzing about, though. The students at the university here are on break for a week – long enough to send out some postcards, write an email newsletter, make a video or two, and update the blog (for real next time). In the meantime, check out my last sermon from Tuckerfirst above.

before it was just a wall. now it's a wall with a logo on it.

Today is my one-week anniversary of living in Germany! Here’s what’s happened.

• Language school started. I have homework for the first time in two years. The relaxed atmosphere and bottomless coffee belie a difficult and intensive curriculum of grammar, vocabulary, and reading for comprehension.
• I got a bike. It’s like a car – better than a car in Tübingen, only a little more susceptible to the weather. It’s been ten years since I’ve ridden a bicycle seriously, and I crashed on the second bike commute, accordingly.
• Started the job. I’m already in charge of house decor (of which you get a little taste in the pic above) and the student website, and I’m looking for ways to get involved in student activities. As a non-student, there are a lot more dead ends than there are opportunities. The student weight-room is a no-go, still looking for the right soccer games to join, and bar trivia is a little difficult when the focus is German soccer trivia.
• Getting into the party culture. Nobody here has serious hobbies because nobody needs to fill extra time – there is always a party going on – and you’re invited! Tonight there is a party being thrown by the student government, simply because it is Thursday. There are parties for every type of person – even people who don’t like parties. There is no excuse not to either have or be at a party in Tübingen. Friday night doesn’t stop until Saturday at noon. And that’s where relationships are made.
• Looking for an apartment. Living out of your suitcase can be fun… for a while. But it is difficult to keep track of what you wore yesterday and the day before when everything you own is tucked tightly into two Samsonites. Chandler and I are hoping to find a place to live in the next two weeks.

And that’s the news from Tübingen, one week in.

buddy passes mean business - if enough seats are available

Here is my first post made from Tübingen! The flight over went off without a hitch, and I was greeted at the airport by Stef and the exchange students. The weather is beautiful over here, 60 and not a cloud in the sky, in an odd juxtapose to the tornado warnings that I left behind in Atlanta.

Now that the work of raising support has subsided – temporarily – the work of being a campus minister begins. Tonight is Cafe English, when German students come to practice their Americanized English, and I – held upright after an overnight flight only by the chemical magic of caffeine – am helping.

On top of that, my responsibilities for the ministry this week include:

• Create a student website. I’m thinking something green to match our basement.
• Come up with – using exchange student input – decor for the basement.

Come to think of it, those two tasks could be combined into one design project. Ideas?

bubba cathy's wardrobe goes to narnia. seriously. i'm not joking.

It’s my last full day in the States, and I’m taking the entire thing to run errands and revisit some old favorite places with Shalynn (who got her final grades today – and is now officially graduated). It’s a bittersweet experience to say “so long for now” to so many people and familiar places. But one of the joys of going through all of one’s belongings is the opportunity to hash through memories of the stuff you didn’t remember you had…

Like the picture above that I found tucked away in my camera’s memory card… During my time raising support (this first time), Chandler invited us to go tour Bubba Cathy’s house. Bubba Cathy – to whom Chandler is connected through family – is royalty in the kingdom-fief of selling chicken sandwiches, and his house reflects his princely state. There is a wardrobe in the front foyer with a door in the back that opens to a winding staircase painted with coats and jackets that, as you ascend, turns into a winter scene. The staircase opens at the top into a secret room in the attic with a lamppost in the middle, ala The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. To say that Bubba enjoyed the book is probably an understatement.

Also, in trying to gather all my electronic property together, I found all the skits I had ever written during my time at CCF. Enjoy these quotes…

Tatum: Whoa there, you Catless Cowboy. Just a second. You’ve just lost perspective, my friend. Sure. You are a loser. No one really likes you. Your gaunt and menacing demeanor is somewhat off putting to those around the ministry. No. I take that back. It is very off putting. If I were your cat, I would be glad to be eaten by a panda.

Chris: Thank you, Head Coach Tyler. I’d like to recognize our Most Improved Player of the Year, Little Timmy. Little Timmy came into this season not knowing the difference between right field and left field, but by the end of the season, we had determined that this wasn’t so much a baseball problem, but was more his incapacity to tell his left from his right period. So thank you, Little Timmy. Didn’t really improve this year, but we gotta give you something. We hope that by next year you will have stopped trying to pick your nose with your glove hand while your glove is on. Coach Braden?

And the best title for a skit ever?

This Week’s Forecast as Presented by Chris Coleman Dressed in a Bunny Suit