Christmas come and gone. Germany was wonderful. Arrived friday to dresden to a smiling tabea – and I knew that we would have a good time. wandered around the city most of the afternoon having coffee, talking to strangers and just catching up. then we got to her house that night for dinner with her mom and dad. such nice folks – I had a great time trying to talk the bit of german that I knew and just trying to communicate. languages. so many times I feel so helpless with this language thing. ignorant in a way. but we smile, make hand gestures and get our points across. of course tabea played translator the whole weekend and Im sure she was tired of it. but she was great. her family treated me as one of their own and it was so nice to be with a family. I cant believe how good they treated me. my german family. late nights discussing everything from god to culture and everything in between. so nice. I miss being around them actually. we wandered around the woods by her house, walked the dog, and drank loads of tea. but it was so nice. probably a christmas that I wont soon forget - if ever. and I hope to see them again one day. I have so much fun hanging out with tabea and I always seem to learn so much from her. I think that is what we are here for. to learn from each other and enjoy the presence of our brothers and sisters. to live together. yes – I missed my family – but hopefully soon I will see them. until then – I am starting to realize that we have real family all over the place. . im gonna enjoy it. hope you had a merry christmas and that you remembered the reasons we are here.