When we were picked up from the airport, I made lots of mental notes about how driving went down in Germany. I had lived in Brazil and in Sao Paulo, there aren't really rules to the road. Thankfully, Berlin has great, patient drivers and most of the driving rules are the same as the U.S.! But remember - always yield to bikers, especially on right turns!!!
I think we took three Ikea trips in our first two weeks so we could get our apartment feeling like home! We have our pictures on the wall, candles lit, and rugs on the floor. I love our apartment!!
Justin dedicated our home a few days after we arrived and I'm so grateful that it truly feels like a refuge and place where we're safe and can feel the Spirit.
We get to drive a cute, white car advertising Justin's team, Alba. Berlin has an amazing transportation system that we use as well.
One of the things Justin misses from America is drive thru's. Luckily there's a McDonald's drive thru by Ikea. Unfortunately, they only take cash, which we did not have. So we pulled around and he ran in to get us our German McDonald's favs.
Mine is the KitKat Passionfruit McFlurry. Passionfruit is something I had ALL the time in Brazil. I cried a little when I saw that it's a pretty common flavor in Germany. Mmm. It brought me back and tastes just as good to me.
Only 15% of Berlin's population have cars!
We live at a pretty busy city intersection, but our apartment is surrounded by a hotel which keeps the street noise out. It's quiet and has a pretty courtyard in the middle.
We figured we had to do a couple of touristy things before basketball picked up.
Berlin has more waterways than Venice, so we booked our river boat ride & got a better feel for the layout of the city.
Lots of history in this city! I also love the water. In Chicago, we kayaked and toured the Chicago River. In Memphis, we had a walking trail right by the Mississippi River. & now, we have our Berlin canals to explore.
During the week when we felt lonely we would say, "Just wait for Sunday." We were dying to meet our ward and new friends who would become family.
Sunday came and it was amazing! There's only one English ward in all of Berlin and it is so diverse! We have ward members from the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, and I'm sure more places that I'm missing.
But there is SO much love and acceptance there. All of us are in Berlin for different reasons and amounts of time. All of us have had different journeys in life. Yet, each person loves Jesus Christ and they come to Church to worship Him, lift one another, and refill their spiritual cup.
I've loved each Sunday. During the summer, I was a bit more of an introvert at church because I was super comfortable. I thought I knew everyone's situations and where I fit. Our first Sunday in Berlin, people reached out to Justin and I and haven't stopped since. It's contagious and I've felt so much happier as I've taken the more extroverted role of saying hi and starting conversations with strangers & friends alike.
*Today, I noticed a cute sister I hadn't met at the end of Relief Society. I introduced myself, and asked where she was from. As soon as she said Brazil and apologized for her English, we had a ten minute conversation in Portuguese and I couldn't have been happier. <3
We're wrapping up our seventh Sunday in Berlin. Our ward has been the best thing that could have happened since moving here. The Church is so amazing & it feels like home because of those connections and relationships.