Wittenberg English ministry provides a very nice three room flat for me to live in. It is about three blocks from the Old City but close to all the places I am involved with. The building is from the early 1900’s and just oozes with character. I haven’t met everyone in the building but the ones I have met are very friendly.
The front of my apartment building. Built in the early 1900’s.
I have one big room, a small kitch
en, and a bathroom with shower. The big room has the desk, bed, table, chair and wardrobe. This is the room I live in. In addition, I have what I call a one-butt kitchen and a bathroom that does have a shower (hooray)! The room is quiet, the bed is comfortable, and, I have everything that I need (except for internet and a clothes washer).
I take my wash to a laundry (there is no laundromats) so it gets a bit expensive but they do a wonderful job. Since I am here for 12 weeks I just could not bring myself to do the wash in my tiny bathroom sink. It is worth it to have these folks do it.
I do my own grocery shopping and I try to cook what I can. I have a two burner stove and no oven and no microwave. I have to make do with kitchen utensils, but so far it works to flip a fried egg with a wooden spoon if that tells you what it is like.
The courtyard view of my windows.
I find that grocery shopping is no problem. I can read enough German to figure out the instructions and I also can then read labels to at least know what I am buying. My only truly dumb purchase was frozen lasagna. What was I thinking that I could bake it in a toaster over. Oh well, one learns.
My landlords are
wonderful people who are active in the Town Church. The apartment is very quiet and has a nice garden. Even in the very hot weather, the thick walls kept the apartment cool, and, I was surprised that I had very few mosquitoes (there are no screens on the windows).
The garden.
I, of course, ride my bike everywhere. The route to my office is very nice and peaceful. If I walk, I cut through the park and walk by the lake that used to be a part of the moat. I walk in the walking path and ride my bike in the biking path so I manage to stay where I need to be. It is a delightful bike ride or walk and just oozes with history.
My life here is very simple and I like it that way. I have to go to inconvenient places to use the internet. I have a TV that is only in German so I don’t watch it very much and even my radio is all in German. It helps me with the language but I actually find that I prefer the quiet. I have had the opportunity to do a great deal of reading, reflecting, praying and writing. I hardly recognize what a ringing phone means. This is good.
More to come…………
Another view of my street.
My street. Huebner Strasse.
The wardrobe. One view of my one room.
My kitchen.
Another view of the bathroom.
- One view of the bathroom.
My table. My window. A view of the kitchen from my one room.
