Back from Germany

I have spent the last week and a bit in Germany, first in the South near Lake Constance and latterly with D in Stuttgart. I was helping out with a children's camp run by a friend's church out there. You know when you have a really challenging, formative period and it is difficult to put it all down in a blog post...erm...well here we go. Things I learnt on this trip:

1) I can do stuff even when I don't think I can.
I didn't know anyone at the camp for the first four days and my German is a little on the rusty side. I was without D for the longest time since we've been married. I spent the whole week working hard in the kitchen without knowing the German word for cucumber (it is 'Gurke' in case you ever need it). And yet this trip proved that I could do stuff that is hard, live to tell the tale, help lovely folks and learn a lot about myself in the process. It seems to me that every time we push ourselves to achieve something new or hard or different we grow just a wee bit. It's always better to move forwards than stagnate.
2) 'Uberfall' is the German word for 'Hold Up'
OK, so there's this mad German camp tradition that in the middle of the night masked invaders arrive to try and steal the camp flag. The campers have to defend it by any means. In my books this sort of event is totally terrifying; the kids absolutely loved it!
3) You can eat your own bodyweight in Nutella in a week.
I've proved it.
4) I can follow a morning Bible study in German.
Just about!
5) I can last a whole week using just my small backpack.
Again, just about!
6) Americans are the most prudish race on earth.
While in Cologne last year D and I went to our first German spa. In Germany, let it be noted, one does not wear one's swimwear. While it all felt rather awkward at first, I decided to adopt the 'when in Rome approach'. Similarly on this trip we visited a wonderful spa in Stuttgart and chilled out all day. The same 'au naturale' rules applied in our hotel spa but the poor American visitors were utterly freaked by this European state of affairs, insisting on wearing their 'Badeanzug'. All rather funny actually!
7) Bobbing apples is a game I am good at.
I don't think I've done it since I was a Guide but I was joint winner of the bobbing apple competition where you had to eat two slices of apple from rather yucky water and then run round a tree in the dark. Bet you didn't do that this week!

It was a very interesting time all in. It helped me rethink my priorities (a process that we should always indulge in from time to time) and I really enjoyed helping everyone. I think I made a difference to people's workload and that was always my hope.

We got back yesterday. Today has been a slow day of work bits and pieces. Some writing, some reading, lots of inbox sorting (yuck!). I now have a few days of writing to go. Hoping to get a number of projects finished over the coming days. Also into another week of Rushfit. After a week of just some games, a brief run (the hottest I have ever had...ever) and some swimming, I am looking forward to getting back to tough training again.

So, I'm off to read, do some Rushfit and try to work out what I can throw together for dinner.
CSW