Shopping is a GREAT Stress Reliever

Just a little update... I'm not sure if I told everyone before or not, but I will be on every Tuesday from 1pm-4pm Central time. PLEASE hop on and skype me! I would LOVE to hear from everyone!!!!

So this past weekend was pretty chill. I didn't do a whole lot. I woke up on Saturday morning, made breakfast for one other girl and myself, and then went back to Trier. I had a pretty stressful week last week, so shopping was great. I went into fitting room after fitting room and I had one goal in mind- I really wanted to get a nice looking black shirt. And I found one! I also found some really cute earrings to match! It was great and amazing and a ton of other adjectives. Shopping was quite really what the doctor ordered.

Aside from shopping in Trier I also did more touristy things. I didn't get the chance to do a whole lot the first time I was there because we were on a time schedule... trying to catch trains can make things even more stressful, but not this time. This time I went with Amy who has a car and it's a lot faster and you run on your own time!

The last time I was in Trier I only went to see the Dom. This time in Trier I saw the Dom, some baths, gardens that would be beautiful if it were all green, and tons of other sights. Baths sound really dumb, but they weren't. We got to go in them and walk around. There were tons of underground tunnels for us to walk through and everything. Also it was a gorgeous day! It had to be pretty close to 60 degrees with the sun shining and calm winds. Can you say perfect day for some relaxing?

As some of you may know, I was getting pretty tired of being here. It has been a lot of the same thing and I felt as if I could be doing the same things at home, but there I'd have the people who love me all around me. After beginning this blog and looking outside to another beautiful day I'm realizing that maybe I'm not finished just yet. The glorious weather makes doing more things capable and more easily handled. Actually I just walked outside with my iPod playing and closed my eyes. The song (Right Round) I first heard last year about this time when the weather was getting nice again. It made me think I was back at Ames walking across campus. Yes I'm thousands of miles away from Ames... but I've discovered that just those little things help me out a bit. My day is brighter and I'm remembering that not everyone gets to do what I'm doing now... why in the world would I start complaining?

On that note- my lunch break is over and I need to go out and work with some kids. Some kids who like me are not all in a place they know. Kids who, like me, don't have both of their parents with them all the time. And kids who are well just kids and miss things just like I do, but those kids look forward to the other girls and me coming in each day. It's crazy how attached you get to them and how much they really do lift our spirits. Kids are so full of hope I don't know where they get it. I know that these boys and girls here have seen more things than most in the US. They've heard more horrific stories (not usually intentionally) than most kids in the US, but they still manage it. I can't imagine being in their shoes worrying about my parents 24/7. That's who I'm here for- that's the rewarding part to all the "hard times". That's what I'll live for.

Sorry there aren't any pictures right now... I forgot to upload them off my camera. I'll get them posted on here and facebook tomorrow! Be sure to check back!