the online journal of jordan e.

(October 14, 2002)
Can human skin release an onion scent when one eats tons and tons of those suckers?!? I think that is the case with me, as I am starting to smell like a Vadalia after the Zwiebeln Markt in Weimar and making zwiebeln kuchen today.
The festival in Weimar was great. It was a lot like the Bayfield Apple Fest - except with onions. The celebrated food there was zwiebeln kuchen, which is like an onion quiche, and faderweisse, a sweet wine made from the last grapes and barely fermened. It was a lot of fun and very delicioso. The city was also wonderful, though I nearly suffered severe frostbite and fatal hypothermia from the freezing weather.
On Sunday we had church (I understood maybe 15% of the sermon and it would have been more if I hadn't been getting all freakish about the upcoming communion - figuring out the communion process in any church makes me nervous; especially the communal cup ones...) and then Bible study where I led worship with the guitar. This was more nervewracking than the whole bread and wine thing this morning. My little concerto was pretty crappy (I played "Come, Now is the Time to Worship," "I Want to Know You" and "Heart of Worship"), but I wasn't there to perform, I was just another person giving praise to our God. I pray that God will give me skill and knowledge with this instrument to serve Him.
Speaking of serving God...Stefan is quite the servant. Every once and awhile, I get a little postcard in my mailbox with some encouraging Bible verse or biblical insight. I am so grateful that God has introduced me to him. His heart is fully after God - those are the type of people that I need to be around.
Stefan is the one who has also introduced me to the Bible study. Tonight the group went bowling. I somehow pulled out all the stops - I was like an animal on those lanes! Well, I only got a 138, but it was the high score for the night and I was rewarded with a candybar. If I joined a league could I take on another name like truck drivers do? Maybe I could be "Chicken Little" or "Lady Lovely Locks."

posted by Jordan @ 7:18 fm

(October 10, 2002)
Thanks to Frau Spät, our language refresher course teacher who is ill today, I am stretched out on my bed instead of in class right now. Yesterday we had our very first class after the big language placement test on Monday. The test was 90 multiple choice and a page of questions to answer, short paragraph style. I happened to place in the Mittlestuffe with Heidi, Lisa and Amber, which is a good thing.
In our class we all got acquainted and then spent time talking about educational systems around the world. Meanwhile, Meagan and Sarah's class was playing catch with an inflated globe and shouting out nouns. I felt like the children's book character, "Arthur" when their class is being drilled by Mr. Rathburn and they look across the hall to see the other class singing songs and eating cupcakes. But that's okay, I want to learn.
God has been more amazing, too. At Bible study on Sunday Alexa asked if anyone there knew how to play the guitar. I said that I could strum a few chords and she said, "Great, you can use mine! Come pick it up tomorrow!" God is so faithful, so generous and punctual. I was praying that He would provide a guitar for me here, but I didn't think He would act so quickly.

posted by Jordan @ 3:06 fm

(October 5, 2002)
What a night! Tonight I experienced my first real taste of German bars. The night began in the Strassenbahn where a drunk Russian man sat next to me. He continually violated my "bubble" with his face and breath - really, I could've gotten drunk off the vapors. He was quite the bugger, too. He made numerous attempts at getting our phone numbers and addresses, but Lisa had her wits about her and distracted him with some tricky dialogue. I, on the other hand, seemed to make matters worse because he found out I could speak a little Russian. He then used me for occasional translations (and I'd like to thank Professor Urban for my stunning, on-the-spot performance).
We finally got rid of him and went to a very old Kneipe and then to "Cheers," the American sports bar of Jena. It actually did live up to its title with a very American atmosphere and menu. Keeping with the American theme, I had a fruity little drink, which surprisingly made me very sleepy. Before I knew it, my state of tiredness had let some of the contents of my purse spill onto the floor. This caught the attention of the four guys next to us, who we proceeded to join in conversation for the rest of the night. One, Micheal, pressured me into giving him my beloved Ben and Jerry's ice cream button with a speech that went a little like this: "Lady, oh lady, I really like -a- that button. Will you to me give it? Lady, I like it."
The sharing of the button seemed to officially tie our groups together, so we went with them to J. Kinski's, a sort of dance joint. By that time, all of us were tired out and so a plan for departure was made. I, however, was determined to reclaim my precious button, the very pin that symbolizes all that is good and pure in the great United States. (Have you ever tried their "Makin' Whoopie Pie" ice cream? That is some good stuff.) Though I made some very worthy attempts at the button retrieval, he made me promise that he could have it forever and ever - and besides, every time I reached for it he would say, "Lady, no lady."
So, I left - minus one button.
While we were wating for the Strassenbahn we observed a very drunk man holding onto a tree for dear life. It was pretty funny watching him swing back and forth with his hands in a kung-fu grip on that limb. When we finally boarded the train, Meagan and I looked out to the tree for one final perfomance, but could not locate "Al the Alchie." It was then that we turned to see him sitting a few seats from us, dozing in a stupor. All was well until a few stops before austeigen when Al blew chunks all over. There was a sudden herd of people running in the opposite direction and an unsettling waft of puke air rising. When the man finally collected the energy to get off the train, the conductor opened his little window and shouted, "You forgot your barf!" Pretty funny stuff.
So, the night was fun. After all I saw, I just pray that God instills limits in me and keeps my values and morals strong.

posted by Jordan @ 12:48 em

(October 2, 2002)
I'm feeling the first pangs of homesickness today after a rough one last night. Everybody was going to head to the bar, Grunowski, to meet Anja and Vanessa (the Germans that were at Concordia last year) for meringue night. Under most circumstances that would sound like tons of fun to me, but after praying a bit I felt like God wanted me to spend a quiet night with Him. However, after they had all gone, Lisa came to my door at 11:00pm. She wanted to go and needed someone to travel with, so dutifully, I went. I had to wait in the smoky, crowded bar until 2:00am, however. By that time, both Heidi and Lisa were perty schnockered and my eyes were about swelled shut from the pack of cigarettes they had smoked.
I did finally go to bed at 3:00am only to get up at 7:00 for insurance and bank appointments. Argh.
Between all of our errand running today we did eat breakfast with Anja and Vanessa at a really cool place. The building was extremely old - you can still see straw sticking out of the stucco walls. And the food was, of course, sehr lecker.
Lastly, a few of us went to an organ concert at the Stadtkirche, which was built in the 1450s. The music was very beautiful, but the best part was at the end when the crowd turned around to applaud the organist. The guy, who was a Meatloaf look-alike, received so much applause that he had three separate bowing sessions. I've never heard of an organ encore, but I thought I might experience one tonight.
I also accessed my email for the first time today. It was so nice to hear from people, thanks!
Hearing from people made me crave familiarity a bit, though. It would be so nice to sit down with a group of people that I am truly comfortable with. I'm sure that will come, but I am a bit afraid that I am only making a lot of acquaintances, nothing deeper...something to leave to God.

posted by Jordan @ 12:41 em

(September 29, 2002)
Have I mentioned that God is amazing? Today I just began to understand His great level of amazingness. After praying with people at church, my family and on my own about meeting Christians and finding a church, God has quickly answered my requests.
Yesterday we literally stumbled into the Marktplatz (the city courtyard) which was holding a city-wide outreach program, offering information on all of the churches in the area. This morning we headed back for the city-wide church service there, put on by many different groups. (I'd have to say the coolest part was communion time, where they passed around loaves of bread and bunches of grapes.)
Tonight topped it, though. One of the Americans happens to be rooming with a very strong Christian who invited Sarah and I to a Bible study. We were informed that it is led by Martha Moore, a woman from Florida! And what did we listen to in the car on the way there? Vineyard songs - the music from my church back home! The study was also great. It reminded my a lot of Timothy's Call back home with the singing, prayer and scriptural discussion. God has been confirming his presence repeatedly for me.
It's hard to believe that in just three days God has introduced me to many chruch options, a Christian staying with one of us and a Bible study. He is so faithful...I shouldn't have doubted the slightest.

posted by Jordan @ 4:11 fm

(September 28, 2002)
Home, sweet, home! At this very moment I am writing from my bed in Stauffenbergstr. 2A/32 complete with my lovely new duvet cover and stilles wasser. It was a tiring journey to this place, though. It was estimated that we pulled our luggage over one mile through the streets today.
Frau Bartsch (the landlady) assigned us rooms, but when I got to #32, no roomie was in sight. She has, however, set some of her things up for me to examine. From the looks of it, all signs point to a good roomie. A dog poster and tiger-skinned blankets are nothing to worry about, right? Then again, there is a poster of cherries sitting on a pile of ice...I think she stole it from the Super One deli, or something... I am also anxious to meet the other people staying in the three remaining bedrooms. I can only pray for God's hand in the process.

posted by Jordan @ 3:56 fm

(September 27, 2002)
What an exhausting day it has been. I am finally getting comfy-cozy in a youth hostile bed after non-stop travel for nearly seventeen hours. While one usually associates traveling with moderate exhaustion, today went beyond the standards as we are all physically wiped out. We had to manually lug our tons of luggage from train to train, up and down flights of stairs and through various stations. Feel the burn!
On the flip side, many Germans have been extremely friendly and helpful throughout our travels. PLUS, we saw Ed McMahon in the MSP airport. (He was headed to a Publishers' Clearing House party in L.A., no doubt.) Meagan got so excited that she began to unconsciously add "Mc" to the beginning of words. What can I say, there is just something magical about that man.
Now, as we make our way to our permanent residencies, I just want to ask for God's blessing. I pray that He'll place us with good roomies, protect us and introduce us to other Christians and a good church.

posted by Jordan @ 3:48 fm