simply homemaker

Hello, dear readers!

Here I am, at the end of week 1 of my first adventure: Germany! I’ve truly had a fantastic time immersing myself in the culture, history, natural beauty, and startup scene of Berlin. My friends and I have been trying out new restaurants every day, and I’m truly expanding my palette: from Syrian food, to Turkish, to Italian, to of course, German food. I’ve heard about this my whole life, but to try out the amazing Asian food scene, especially Northern Vietnamese food, in Berlin, has been special since I have not been able to find good Hanoian pho anywhere outside of Hanoi.

However, the way here wasn’t easy at all. As I was boarding the plane, the airline I was flying with pulled me off the plane because of a miscommunication in the system that denied my passport, when everything should have been completely good for me to go to Germany.

To be honest, it was a frustrating situation. I called my consulate, figured out a way forward, and texted a dear family asking if they could come pick me up from the airport. They said yes immediately and came pick me up and brought me home. That night, we had a sweet family dinner and they let me bake them a smores pie. The next morning, I had time to fix the kids some breakfast and build playdough snails with the youngest one. The dad, a pilot, got me on his buddy pass so I got to fly standby to Germany paying very little compared to the public airfare (love you Keny). What a blessing! The day before I left, even though I knew preparations have been underway for months, I didn’t feel like I was ready to say goodbye. That one extra day, despite being unplanned, was much needed. The goodbye felt so much more complete, and I was happy and content to get on another flight at last, not feeling like I did not want to leave Virginia.

I thought to myself a lot about the myriad of circumstances that happened in the past year, situations and life events that were so unplanned and somewhat unwelcome, but critical to my growth and the blessings that were on the other side. Without rejection, I would not have found sole contentment and satisfaction in Jesus. Without losing my job, I would not have found the courage to say yes to graduate school and travel the world as a result. Without each of the relationships that did not work out since I graduated college, I would not have learned humility, patience, forgiveness, and many things that have grown me to become more like Jesus. Just like I had to be turned away from my flight so I can go home and have the best time hugging my people, experiencing God’s grace through their kindness, and making snails with playdough, God carefully allowed things to happen in my life so I can know Him and love Him better.

I have truly learned to “count it all joy” for all happens for the good of those who love Him, for the glory of the One who is in control.

And I do think that things get sweeter with time, when the heart knows better the grace of the Lord like rivers in the desert. Today, my class and I took a day trip out to Dresden, a majestic and regal city in Germany full of art, royal palaces, horse carriages, and gelato. As I sat down on the balcony of an old castle, waiting for my delicious decaf cappuccino to arrive, I realized that this moment was much sweeter because it was harder for me to get to Berlin. That each fun and interesting thing I got to be a part of was not taken for granted because for a moment, I truly thought that I would spend the next two weeks in Virginia trying not to look on social media to see my friends’ posts and pictures about what they were doing in Berlin. I thank the Lord that each time I am tempted to take his gifts for granted, He gentle steers my heart toward humility and thankfulness.

What a great life lesson to learn: to be grateful.

One of the significant things I have been able to do here in Germany is visiting the Sachsenhausen concentration camp about an hour and a half ride outside of Berlin. I went with our class’ TA, Sophie, who is Jewish, and we spent two hours at the camp independently reading through the history of what had happened here and the stories of those who spent the last moments of their life in this camp. Among many things I learnt and felt, I am simply grateful and soberly reminded that God does not leave his children alone. Many Jewish prisoners exchanged Scriptures in the camp, reminding each other of “the land of milk and honey,” and that we shall love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength. The story told by Corrie ten Boom in The Hiding Place, a real-life account of Corrie and her family who sacrificed their lives for hiding Jews in their home, came alive to me. I realized that following the Lord’s command to love my neighbor as myself sometimes costs me a lot more than I am prepared to give, and I must joyfully give, for the one who gives must cheerfully do so.

Another special thing I was able to do was visiting an asparagus festival in Berlin! Trust me, that was my reaction too. Turns out asparagus is a real delicacy in Germany, the vegetable here is much larger, and it is white. German farmers harvest them in May, and serve them with mashed potatoes, butter, and chives. We went to the festival and got to enjoy many local vendors who sold food, jewelry, artisan products, gifts, and fresh juice. The line was too long for me to try the asparagus, but I am determined to find this asparagus and cook it one day.

Last but not least, I got to go see the Vienna Philharmonic in Berlin! It was hands down the best orchestra experience I’ve had. Since it was held at the Berlin Waldbuhne Ampitheater, we enjoyed the concert in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees and birds. The birds, there were probably hundreds of them, were as loud as the music, and I felt like a Snow White!

I also got a copy of the Chronicles of Narnia in Dussmann, a beautifully large German bookstore in Berlin, so that I can read the stories during my time here and say that I’ve gotten a special book in Berlin.

Well, that’s all, folks! I’m writing this blog sitting criss-cross apple sauce on the bus on my way back from Dresden. We might get French food tonight or Chinese noodles. Can’t go wrong with any food in Berlin. I love Tex Mex and can’t wait to eat tacos twice a week soon, but right now, French food sounds so good.

I hope you see the light in everything today and find a way to share your light with somebody else.

Below is my playdough snails 🙂 I try to be Smiley most days, but some days I am Big Mouth!

Love,

Tram