Let go. Let God.

Sometimes, it isn’t clear what my best yes is. There is so much to do, so much to see, so much to experience. I can’t possibly do everything, but there is definitely time to do everything I need to, and God is the only one who knows what that is. Thank goodness He is in charge.

Monday was a day of rest. I did a whole lot of nothing for the majority of the day. I read, I studied, I laid around doing nothing. It was a much needed day of relaxation and rejuvenation. My host mom, Annette, was even kind enough to bring me a snack and allow me to be lazy.

Monday evening I went to the opera with my host mom, Annette and older sister, Pia. We saw the Magic Flute by Mozart. I have wanted to see an opera for so long, and I couldn’t have planned a better experience. The opera hall was gorgeous, and the set was all computer animated. This created a very exciting and engaging show. The characters would appear through doors behind the blank white set and would act along with the computer animation. The music was great and the experience was incomparable.

Saturday, I went to a car Museum with Amy, Sarah and Jess (EMU Classmates) and with Sarah and Jess’ host dad. The museum was in a building where trains would come in and deliver cars. The old platform numbers were still on the walls. My friends’ host dad, Franz, knew a lot about the history of the building and the cars (I believe his son worked there) and explained it all to us as we walked through. I have a ton of pictures, but I will share a few for you here.

Saturday was Japanese day in Düsseldorf. If I am correct, I think Düsseldorf has the highest Japanese population in Germany (Google says I'm right.). There were all sorts of different booths and performances around town that were related to the Japanese culture. There also were a lot of people there in Manga costumes. It was so crowded that it was hard to walk around. It was even more difficult because it was raining and we had to avoid umbrellas.

That night there were fireworks over the Rhine River. People everywhere speaking German mixed with beautiful fireworks and a beautiful city was an incredible reminder of how blessed I am to be here.

Sunday, I was planning on going to the movies with my EMU classmates to see Pitch Perfect 2. I am sure it was fun, but my host mom invited me to go for a bike ride with her and Nora, my younger sister. I decided this was my best yes and went. It definitely was the best yes I could have given. I know the movie would have been fun, but this bike ride was beautiful.

Living in the city isn’t for me, but Düsseldorf is home for now, and it is the best place I could be for city living. The public transportation is relatively clean and is safe and easy to use. I actually have learned to enjoy my half hour trip home on the tram. It gives me a chance to see all sorts of different parts of Düsseldorf.

I live in a part of Düsseldorf called Gerresheim. It is outside of the crazy city life and is relatively calm and quiet. Our bike ride went through this quaint part of town and into the forest. We rode through beautiful scenery and were surrounded by trees and some much needed fresh air. We went to a “Wild Animal Park” where we saw all sorts of fun critters including deer, goats, weasels, wild cats, wild boars, etc. The deer there know no boundaries and would come right up to us so we could feed them. My host mom told me that the park is typically for small children, but she is a small child at heart. I think my program coordinator did a perfect job of placing me with this family. On the way home we collected flowers to make syrup out of. It rained a little bit, but it was warm so it ended up being perfect. Every day I am grateful to be in such a beautiful country, and I am reminded how beautiful this world of ours is.