The Little Things...

There were some things that I really worried about before coming to a foreign country for so long. My biggest concern was not having a phone for 3 weeks. It's a sign of how addicted I am to my email, texts and internet that I spent so much time worrying over that, but it actually hasn't been a problem at all. There have been a few times that it would be really nice to Google something, but overall not having a phone hasn't bothered me.

It's the little things that I never even considered that catch me off-guard and remind me I'm not in the United States. Like when the printer gives an annoying printer error, but you have no idea how to fix it because it's in German. Or when you have to manually collate pages of prints because you can't figure out how to tell the copier to do it because, again, everything is in German. Or, the worst, feeling like a small child when you have no idea what a cashier is saying and finally just hold out a handful of money and hope he doesn't take it all (that's only happened a couple times). At work everyone speaks great English and they hardly ever speak German around us so it's not awkward at all. There are things that are different, like them laughing at us for eating chips for lunch, but overall it's not that different than working at home.

I was also really worried about being able to stay healthy while I'm here - both with eating right and working out. I was afraid there wouldn't be anything healthy on the menu, but most places do have healthy choices. The challenge is figuring out what things are to know whether they'll be good for me or not! I know that "salat" means salad and can go from there, so it's not too bad! I've enjoyed going to the grocery and trying to buy food that I've never seen before, relying on the calorie count on the back to know if it's a healthy choice.  Other than the cold weather, running here is awesome. There are trails everywhere. Saturday I did a long run along the Danube in the snow. I made it out 7 miles then was so cold I turned back, but toughed it out and did a couple loops near the hotel for 17 miles total. There is also a creek with a trail on both sides, so I've done a couple runs there. The trail goes under all the roads so there is no concern about traffic. It's really nice! I've definitely gained a little weight, but not too terrible I hope! So, most of my biggest worries turned out to be for nothing!