The title of my blog entry today is in honor of my friend Jesse. He posts a meme on facebook often that simply states "When something goes wrong in your life, just yell, "Plot Twist" and move on." I don't say that to mean that something has actually gone wrong, just not the way I thought it would. Not a foreign concept to me of late, but I thought of this immediately based on something that happened yesterday.
I was making some of the final preparations for my move today. One of the stops I had to make was to the transit authority. The rail system is set up into zones (like a dart board). The innermost zone is A, outside the "Ring" line (two trains running opposite directions essentially in a large circle/ellipse around the city) is zone B, and Zone C is mostly rural areas that run up to about 15-20 miles from the center of the city. Where I was going to live was past zone C and you would have to purchase an "ABC" ticket "plus one county." Zone C is surrounded by a number of these different counties and you can only use that ticket in the one county you pick.
Since I still have two weeks left on my monthly pass, I went in to see if I could swap it for a the other ticket (hoping they would give me credit for what I had left) and then sell me the correct type. They said they couldn't do that. Essentially what they told me was that if I were to move out there, my current ticket would be useless and I would have to sell it to someone or lose the nearly 40 Euros (over $50!) still remaining on it. Then, I would still have to buy the other ticket for 127 Euros (about $170!). Not great options, unfortunately.
I was also looking at the map of where I would be living in that town. It's not too far from the train station, but there is no quick or easy way to get there. In fact, walking it would take quite a while, or by bike would still be a good ride. In the winter (coming up soon), it would be challenging... So I was left with a choice, do I try to make it work even though I really couldn't afford all the extra expense, or should I go with another plan? The other thing I had to take into consideration was the amount of time I would have to spend on the train everyday (plus walking to the station). Also, what if there was a problem somewhere along the line or what would happen if I missed my train? It would be another hour before I could catch another.
So I asked some brothers what they thought of the situation and everyone seemed to agree that it would not make sense. A few weeks ago, a lady that I met at the library and who has been visiting our church with some regularity told me that a family member might have a room for rent near Alexanderplatz (one of my favorite places in the city), which is also very centrally located. So, after I had prayed about it, I called them on the room and by the grace of God, was able to go look at it right away.
The room was really nice, and had a bed, dresser, place to hang clothes and a shelf. It's a good sized room, very clean and tidy. Also, got to get to know my flatmates a little better too and I was very pleased with everything I saw. I was also offered an extremely reasonable rate on the room and had just enough to move in. Took some time during the evening to get more advice and to see how God would answer a specific prayer. By 9 p.m., I contacted them to say I was interested. I did also warn them that I wanted to move in today, which they were fine with.
Financially, it would cost me about 30 Euros a month more to live there than if I lived outside the city. Based on the amount of time I would save, my ability to be flexible and to potentially get to an interview or to a job, the consensus was that it was worth the extra 1 Euro per day.
So, a dear brother was kind enough to help me move my stuff in his van to the new place. It was quick and so easy and my new flatmates even helped carry stuff up. I have shared before how much I love going to this area of town and I am so encouraged to actually be able to live there! The apartment is on the 11th floor (that's right eleventh!), I actually have a view out my window and the TV tower is so close, I feel like I could almost touch it. Wow, I'm so blown away that God has allowed me to move here, I'm so excited about this place and my new flatmates (including two cats which also seem pretty cool.)
Once I was done with moving stuff in, I was able to still make my tutoring class and head to the library to hang out with the Lewises and see some kids come in for Halloween.
On that topic... Halloween is just starting to catch on here. There were a few kids that came by the library tonight for candy, but we also had someone throw an egg at the window, too. Hm. One of the things I really used to love about Germany was that it was more traditional and less commercialized. Apparently there are a lot of foreign companies encouraging the same kind of commercialism that I saw in the US. I've gotta be honest, I don't think it's making Germany better. In some ways, it kind of makes me sad, actually. At least I have always enjoyed Halloween and there's really not much anyone can do to turn back the hands of time at this point, so I'll just chalk this up to a taste of home.
And now, it's 9pm and I should probably head home and get some things unpacked. It's been a good, but kind of long day, and I am sure I will sleep well tonight. Can't wait to get back to my new place! Have a safe and happy Halloween, all!!
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