A Hike in the Sandstone Mountains

    9/14/23: One of the ways to get to Phil's apartment building from his sister's apartment building is by walking through a cemetery. A few of the headstones have a window that looks into the grave. Fortunately, you can only see the casket, and not the actual decomposing body. (I had a dream featuring these types of graves that night. :P) We walked through the cemetery to Phil's apartment for breakfast of toast, and filled our water bottles, and Phil made snacks for our hike in the countryside of Dresden. When looking up some of the pictures I took that day, Google named the area the Sandstone mountains, otherwise I don't know if I would consider it hiking in the mountains. It felt more like an area with steep hills, and cliffs. I looked it up to gather further information and found that they are also known as the Sandstone Highlands. The Sandstone Mountains overlook the Elbe Valley, and have the Elbe River going through the valley. The particular area I hiked in with Phil this day was a touristy area as it featured a castle bridge called the Bastei Bridge. Hundreds of years ago a castle also stood there and was known as the Neurathan Castle. People come to the area mostly for the bridge, but also for the views. The Sandstone Mountains are 3/4th in Southeastern Germany (The Dresden area) and 1/4th apart of the Czech Republic. The highest parts of the mountain range are located in a city confusingly named Saxon Switzerland in the Czech Republic, and are around 2,000 ft. The person who had named the city did so because it reminded him of his homeland. The particular area we hiked was at about 1000 ft. 

    To get to the countryside of Dresden you take a train. Once we had picked out some seats and had been in the train for a couple of minutes Phil fell asleep. This did make me nervous, as of course I wouldn't know where we were supposed to get off at to be able to wake him, but Phil woke up before we had driven past our destination. Notice that I hadn't been the one to fall asleep. :P. Once you get off the train, there a series of shops and of course biergartens. To get to the hiking trails you have to take a small ferry the couple of feet it takes to get to the other side of the river. There are various trails of different levels, but Phil and I settled for a shorter but not too simple of a trail for our hike. The hikers in front of me had been smoking cigarettes, which had decreased the amount of oxygen that my lungs were taking in at that moment even more. I wasn't too nervous about the hike, as I had hiked in the mountains in Colorado before. The stairs were steep as you can imagine, and at one point my lungs were screaming at me to take a break. What made it worse was the fact at some point Phil had taken the lead, and was taking way longer strides. It was hard to keep up with him. He reassured me that we had almost made it to the steepest part, and he was right. The trail became a little easier and less steep, and the incredible views made up for all those steep steps. To look out into the sandstone cliffs and Elbe Valley with the Elbe River flowing though. There are different stopping points where you can get different perspectives of the valley as you walk further on the paths. We stopped and had our snack in a less busy area of the trail, but equally as beautiful. To gaze upon the valley while eating cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and eating mozzarella sandwiches. (legit just bread, butter, some mozzarella cheese, and lettuce. :P.) Phil had made another type of sandwich too, but I don't remember what the ingredients were, and hadn't tried it. The whole hike was about 5 miles roundtrip. After our hike we sat down on a bench overlooking the river while waiting for the ferry. It was the same river we had sat and looked at the day before, just in a different place. I pointed out how the ferry had a German flag on it, and how I hadn't seen any German flags before then. We discussed how weird of a concept the pledge of allegiance actually is for school children and some of the other differences between Germany and the United States. We discussed the differences a lot during our conversations. Again there were geese by the shoreline of the river. We sat looking at the river for around 20 minutes before taking the ferry over. Before getting on the platform to wait for the train Phil and I ate authentic bratwurst for lunch. 

   We got on the train, and when we got back to Phil's neighborhood we went to the grocery store to pick up some of the ingredients needed for dinner that night. Phil had said I could grab something if I wanted. One of the things that grabbed my attention whenever in the grocery stores was the selection of juices. There were so many juices to choose from, and they all looked so good. I realized while looking at the labels that oh right....I don't know German, but was drawn to this blue colored juice. I was able to translate the fact it was agave juice, with possibly apple, and coconut water. I looked around at the other juices before just deciding to choose that one. (it was funny seeing all the German words on everything and my mind trying to pronounce the words in my head probably way wrong.) Phil and Anna both pointed out how the blue color of the juice was concerning, when that's exactly what had drawn me to it in the first place. (Definitely a difference in European and American perspective.) The United States definitely uses color as a draw to get people to buy things. On the walk back to Phil's apartment Phil asked about what words I knew in German and had me pronounce them. I knew hello, good morning, please, no, yes, and thank you, and pronounced them all correctly, and I guess that was pretty impressive even though it definitely wasn't. Knowing tons of words in Spanish is not helpful at all in Germany. Knowing how much of my ancestry is of German descent maybe I should have tried learning German instead, but also Spanish was probably way easier for me to learn when in school. 

    For dinner that night Anna made German Potato Salad, and Phil made grilled cheese. (Legit put thick slices of different flavored cheeses on the grill, and grilled them, no bread. This was no sandwich. :P) While preparing dinner two of Phil and Anna's friends from church were riding by on bikes and stopped by. They ate dinner with us when it was done and conversed about different things being sure to speak in English and include me in conversation. Quite a bit of the conversations I had with everyone in Germany involved me trying to figure out the specific American term they were trying to explain when describing something. One of their friends was an occupational therapist who had a client that she worked with who had Autism, so we had similar career paths. A lot of people in Germany are pretty fluent in English and learn it from a young age so it was easy for them to switch to using English around me.  

   After their friends had left and dinner was cleaned up, everyone decided to take an early night. I was more than happy to agree, to take some time to wind down for the night and relax. The cemetery was closed at night so we would have to walk a couple blocks extra to get to Phil's sister's apartment like we had done the night before, but there was another option. A moped. Phil and Anna's main mode of transportation around Dresden was bicycle, public transit, and moped. Apparently the term moped is used both in German and English. Phil first tried asking if I would rather walk or take the moped by calling it a scooter. When he explained that you sit on it, and don't stand on it, but it wasn't a motorcycle I answered with "moped" which Phil was shocked to know is what we call it in English as well. I was a little nervous of the idea, but being on the actual moped felt really secure, and I wasn't ever afraid of flying off. We put on our helmets and drove to the building, and it was so much fun. On the day I had arrived in Dresden Phil had talked about us riding bicycles around the city instead of walking. I gave the honest opinion that I hadn't ridden a bike in over ten years and wasn't sure if I would get easily winded or not. There are also a lot more people out on bicycles so factoring in not having other bikes crash into you, and sharing a very narrow road with cars when you're not used to it, didn't seem like the best plan, so we decided against it. 

  In the next blogpost which talks about 9/15 I went to Prague by myself. Both Phil and Anna had to work that particular day so I took a 2 hour bus ride and explored Prague on foot for the day once arriving, so look forward to that tomorrow or in the next few days. :) 

   

Breathtaking Views and Historical Architecture

  9/13  After sleeping in until 9am, I was ready to start my day. I had slept all the way through the night with no challenges. (I sometimes have a hard time falling asleep/staying asleep in new places, but that wasn't the case this night, or at any point of my trip which I am grateful for.) Phil and his wife, Anna set a bowl of assorted breads with assorted jams/spreads, and Phil made white breakfast sausages which he encouraged me to dip in sweet mustard, and I enjoyed it. Anna also made me a coffee. Phil was in between jobs so he had time to show me around during the day which I was grateful for. Anna had been home Monday and Tuesday recovering from a cold and taught from home that day (Wednesday). She works as an art teacher. After breakfast I got my stuff I needed ready for the day. Our first stop would be Dresden's Old Town, which had Dresden's fanciest/most historical buildings including the women's church, and Dresden Castle. 

    I kept finding it amazing how one of the biggest cities in Germany could be so quiet and peaceful. You would never find that in America's biggest cities. People would be talking louder, you would hear cars driving past and beeping their horns, as well as emergency vehicle sirens, but not here. Europe has less need for cars in general, and emergency vehicles are able to get places quickly without using their sirens for the most part. I suspect crime is more easily contained in cities with buildings not so spaced out, and maybe that's what keeps the crime rates lower as well. 

  We took the public transit bus to the historical part of town. We first stopped at the Dresden Castle which was a former royal palace that held royal families for hundreds of years. There's a whole timeline painted as a mural of all the people who had been royalty there. There was also another palace-looking building that I later found out was called "The Zwinger" It would be cool to know the stories behind these buildings, but it was nice enough just looking at them. There was so much to look at. We did end up coming upon an English speaking tour that we would later find out was free that we could have joined. The tour guide also had seemed entertaining. 

    After looking around the palaces we went into a cathedral called Dresden Frauenkirche. It was filled with gold detailing and just so many more intricate details. Luckily we had come right before they had a mini organ concert so we came back to hear it. The organ being played had been saved during a World War II bombing. A lot of the historical buildings are blackened. This is due to the Dresden bombing during World War II. Parts of the buildings were reconstructed, but they left the blackened parts. There was a Memorial to commemorate the bombing in Dresden as well. Phil ended up falling asleep for a bit of the organ concert. It's crazy how loud/boisterous music can feel so calming. During parts of the trip Phil would comment on the tiredness he was feeling, and for the most part I surprisingly felt pretty good. Must have gotten hit with some secondhand jetlag. 

   We stopped at a tiny vendor after the concert for icecream which tasted like Culver's custard, and then were hoping to go up to the viewing tower on top of the ladies church, but it was closed that particular day for construction. The viewing tower let's you look out at all of Dresden from above. While walking to the next destination we came upon a tiny soup restaurant and took it outside to eat for lunch. Phil had to translate the menu of the three different soups and I had a curry soup with cauliflower rice, and Phil had a red lentil soup. The soup was delicious. It was nice over the few days giving each other updates on our lives and on Living Light in general and the people there and how they were doing, and just learning even more about each other. 

  After lunch we sat by the river and watched the geese nearby. Phil said how he never wants to live in a place without some sort of body of water to enjoy. (I know I'm am very grateful to live by Lake Michigan). After enjoying the weather and the calmness of the water we walked over a bridge to where the rich part of Dresden is. It gave off Los Angeles vibes. The rich part of Dresden has houses on bluffs overlooking the city. There is also a restaurant at the top of the bluffs where you can look down at Dresden while you eat. We took a tram to the top of the bluffs near the restaurant, where we looked out onto the city. On the way up to the top I asked the most important question "Why haven't I seen a German Shepherd yet?". Phil said that since most people in Dresden live in apartments that German Shepherds were more common in the countryside. I ended up seeing one later that day while we were walking down the street and excitedly pointed it out. 

    The view at the top of the bluffs was breathtaking as you could probably imagine. In the bluffs there was a park with trails which we walked on for a little bit. You could hear a stream running through which was also very calming. One thing that surprised me was the lack of wildlife I saw, even when I was hiking in Germany. I saw a squirrel, some fish, and geese but that was the extent.  Phil thought that maybe because we were in a major city that the animals might be scared off, but in the US wildlife is prevalent even in the more touristy areas like Rocky Mountain National Park. After the walk we took the tram back down the bluffs, and got on the public transit back towards Phil's apartment. Before getting back to the apartment we stopped at the grocery store for stuff for dinner that night before heading back. Anna had been done with work by that time. 

   Once back at the apartment I helped make German meatballs from Phil's grandmas recipe, while Phil made rice. We ate outside on the balcony again, all three of us while eating. The dish turned out really delicious and was filling. 

    After dinner was cleaned up we ended the night by watching "The Greatest Showman". Phil and Anna had never seen it before. They used a projector to project it onto their wall and we all sat on the couch together. Since Phil's sister lives in the same neighborhood as Phil as was out of town, Phil and Anna had asked her if I could stay in her room during the nights I was in Germany with her roommate so I could have more privacy and more room for my stuff. Also they wouldn't have to worry about waking me up too early when Anna got ready for work etc. Phil's sister agreed, and her roommate was really sweet as well. After finishing the movie Phil and I hauled my stuff over there for the night, and so ended my first full day of being in Germany. 

The Journey to Europe

      When I had originally written down all the flights I would have to take in Europe, it looked exhausting. Living it was another thing. In hindsight I could have probably cut down my number of flights by two, but I've learned. Going to both England and Germany in one trip in itself was a hard task too, especially when it's your first time going overseas in the first place. I definitely know that God was with me this trip. I didn't miss any of my eight flights, even though I came close once. I made it to Dresden despite the bus drivers not knowing any English. I never felt unsafe. No one tried to steal from me. An airport employee helped me at the Berlin airport when I didn't know what I was doing without even being asked, etc. 

       Back to the actual getting to Europe. I flew out of Chicago on the night of September 10th, and arrived in Switzerland the next morning. In Zurich I had a 6 hour layover, before flying to Bristol, England. I arrived in Bristol the night of September 11th, and had to stay overnight in the airport for my morning flight to Berlin. Before I got to Berlin I would have an hour and a half layover in Amsterdam. When I got to Switzerland is when the first burst of anxiety occurred. The anxiety of actually being almost 5,000 miles from home for the first time. The surrealness of being in Europe in the first place. The second burst of anxiety occurred while sitting in a booth at the airport coffee shop in England after traveling for 24 hours. I hadn't gotten that much sleep, and hadn't eaten the best so that played into this anxiety. I wondered if it would be better to just fly home, because over a week in Europe suddenly seemed insane. My thoughts were calmed by the fact that I would be seeing the friends I would be staying with the next day. That the bulk of the most stressful part was probably order. That I would feel much better once I got over my jetlag, ate properly, and slept well. The closed airport coffee shop is where other travelers staying overnight camped out. There wasn't really any other places to hang out before you dropped off your bag at the airport. The airport staff had went home so I had to wait until the next morning to check in for my flight. On the certain airline I was flying with, you could only start checking in 2 hours before the flight which felt unnerving. Before I learned this fact I stood in line behind two other people who were also flying to Amsterdam. We bonded on the fact that we didn't want to miss our flight and our vacation plans etc. We joked until eventually the airport staff checked our bags and we headed to security. It turns out when we got onto the plane that I was sat next to the lady who had stood in front of me in line. We excitedly greeted each other as we discussed our vacation plans further, at the beginning of the flight. Her final destination was Sierra Leone.

     And then I almost missed my flight to Berlin. Everything had been going well. The staff were even nice enough to let me cut the long line to get my passport checked due to my flight leaving within the next little over an hour. I went through the airport routine but then somehow had looped around back to the long line where I had originally began. I told the airport staff that I had somehow got turned around, and they let me cut the line again after finding out that my flight was literally leaving in the next 40 minutes. The guy checking passports noticed I had already got a stamp in my passport with that days date on it, and asked if I had already flown out of this airport today. I explained how I had gotten turned around and began booking it to my gate. It turns out I had gone through extra steps the first time that I hadn't needed to do, and would have been able to just find my gate. Time was running out, and I didn't think it would be possible to make it in time, but by some miracle I made it to my gate with like 15 minutes before take off and they let me on the plane. I arrived in Berlin the afternoon of 9/12. 

    I had originally planned to explore Berlin when I got there before taking a bus down to Dresden, but after having traveled so long I decided I would take one of the next buses to Dresden. All the Berlin attractions would be more than a half hour drive to get to as well. After calling my friend, Phil who I would be staying with we found that there would be buses leaving from the airport. I followed his instructions that the bus would be straight out the doors. (Another issue with my phone was that I didn't have any access to mobile data so could not access Google maps unless connected to public Wi-Fi. I had tried to download an E-sim card to be able to have data but it wasn't compatible with my phone. Since I didn't have any phone data, my friend Phil needed to purchase the bus ticket. To purchase the bus ticket it wanted to send a text confirmation and I couldn't get texts. The tickets luckily had a QR code that could be scanned when sent to my phone). I figured out where to go and started walking straight ahead, and that's when I saw a bus leaving that looked like the one I was meant to be on. I kept walking and saw that there was the same type of bus in the area it had driven away. I pulled up the ticket on my phone and showed one of the drivers. The driver spoke no English and talked in his native language. The other driver spoke broken English and I was able to figure out that the bus I had saw leaving was going to Dresden and that this one was not. Another bus pulled up and the driver pointed out that, that bus was going to Dresden. (I found out later in my trip that on the ticket it indicated the bus number.) I went up to that driver and he scanned my ticket and let me on. Since I hadn't known about the bus number thing, I don't know if this bus had been mine or the one that had driven away was, but I do know I did make it to Dresden. 

   Once getting to Dresden the evening of 9/12 Phil met me at the main bus area, and we took the public transit to his apartment. Once we arrived we then walked to the grocery store near Phil and his wife's apartment for the food needed for dinner that night. (People in Europe in most places go to the grocery store most days due to just buying what they can easily carry on a walk or public transit.) Phil's wife made an amazing broccoli pasta dish for dinner which we ate out on the balcony. We also had Ben and Jerry's icecream for dessert. After dinner and cleanup everyone retreated early for the night. The apartment was super cute, I wish I would have gotten more pictures of it. A sectional couch with a ton of decorative throw pillows and blankets, a polka dot rug. Artwork on the walls, and plants everywhere. A small cute kitchen, and balcony. Magazines and books in the windowsill by the couch. A little stuffed bear by the decorative pillows. When Phil was setting up the couch for me to sleep on for the night he placed the bear down by the pillow so I could have a friend while I slept.

   And that is the story of my travels of just getting to Europe, and my first night there. 

Different Terms/Pronunciation Used in England vs. America

 United States                    England 

Diapers                               Nappies 

Shopping Cart                    Trolly

Elevator                             Lift

Sidewalk                            Pavement 

Takeout                            Take Away

Ground                                Floor 

Fries                                   Chips

Candy                                 Sweets 

Cookies                               Biscuits 

Bathroom                            Toilets 

9:30                                    Half Past 

Apartment                           Flat 

Garbage Can                      Bin/Rubbish

Parking Lot                        Car Park

Pants                                  Trousers 

Z                                          Zed

Chips                                  Crisps 

Elementary School             Primary School 

College                                University 

Sweater                               Jumper 

Vacation                              Holiday 

First Floor                          Ground Level 

The Movies                        The Cinema 

Bar                                         Pub 

Sick                                      ill/Poorly  

Math                                    Maths 

Comforter                            Duvet 

Soccer                                   Football 

Slippery                                Slippy 

Different Pronunciations 

Zebra            Zee-bruh (American)    Zeh-bruh (UK) 

Adidas          Uh-Dee-Dez (American)  Ah-Dee-Dahs (UK) 

Tomato           Tuh-May-Toe (American)  Tuh-Ma-Toe (UK) 

Aluminum    Uh-loo-min-num (American)    Al-loo-min-ium 

Differences Between the United States and Europe

 1) No Free Refills

    Probably one of the things I'd miss most from the US if I ever moved to Europe. Tap water costs money at restaurant, and if you want water, they assume you want sparkling water so you have to specify. 

2) Public Bathrooms Cost Money

    I was able to find free public bathrooms in England and at the various airports I went to in Europe, but in Prague I had to pay a little under a Euro to use the public bathroom there. Some of the bathrooms also needed codes typed in to be able to be unlocked. 

3) The Dogs are Really Well-Trained

     This might be more of a thing that I observed rather than being true, but a lot of the dogs I saw in Germany were seemingly very well-trained. The dogs would be off leash but stay close to their owners and follow behind them, and never run ahead. 

4) Grocery Shopping

   This is more related to Germany then the UK. In Germany they go grocery shopping most days. They usually use public transport or walk to the grocery stores, and only buy what they can carry home. They usually bring reusable bags and/or backpacks to the stores to be able to transport back home. The grocery bags cost money as well. 

5) Servers at Restaurants 

   Servers at restaurants only come around to your table around 2x per visit. They also don't expect you to tip them. They also never take your credit card with them, they bring a portable credit card reader to the table. 

6) Public Transportation

  The United States is built in such a way that you need to have a car to get around, due to the distance between places. In Europe everything is a lot closer together so you can walk or take public transit to most places. This allows you to be able to explore many more places in a shorter amount of time. Probably one of my favorite parts about Europe. For traveling further distances some people have bikes or mopeds.  (The steps in Germany were steeper than in the United States, so I would miscalculate how far I had to put my foot down and ended up stumbling like 5x.) 

7) Bathrooms 

   The bathroom stalls in bathrooms usually have full doors so you have more privacy then in United States bathrooms. 

8) Country Flags

   You see American flags everywhere in the United States, whereas there isn't many around in European countries, and are more rare to see. 

9) Roads are Narrower 

In Europe there might be two lanes max. 

10) Lots of Different Cultures and Languages

Since Europe is smaller and things are closer together you don't have to travel very far to be in a place with a completely different language and culture. 

11) Alcohol and Smoking more Culturally Significant

I know alcohol is a big thing in America, but it seemed even moreso in Europe. Also another thing I noticed was that a lot more people smoke cigarettes in Europe, whereas way less Americans do nowadays. In the Zurich airport there were designated smoking lounges, and advertisements for cigarettes. At German grocery stores there are buttons at the check-out counter with various different brands of cigarettes. You press the button of which cigarettes you want to purchase, and the cashier gets it for you to include in your purchase.

12) Recycling is Much More Important/Litter

In the German grocery stores they have a place where you can place your plastic/glass bottles in exchange for Euros. This encourages people to recycle for incentive. The streets of Dresden also didn't have much litter, even with almost no public trashcans. 

13) Europeans Get More Vacation Days/Sick Days

 In Germany law employers are required to give their employees 21+ days for vacation, whereas in the United States you're lucky if you get two weeks total. Europeans also are more lenient about sick days. In the United States you might feel guilty if you take off for more than one day from being sick. 

14) The Tap Water in Europe Tastes Better

I filled my water bottle right from the sink while in Europe, and it tasted good, like bottled water quality. 

15) Europe Major Cities Are More Peaceful than Major US Cities

In Dresden and Prague everything just seemed quieter and more peaceful especially in Dresden. This is partially due to having less cars, and emergency vehicles not using sirens as much. Emergency vehicles don't often need to use sirens in order to get to places faster, they can usually get to where they need within a few minutes. This also makes the cities feel safer. 

16) Europe Felt Safer than the United States 

I traveled through European airports and through Prague alone, and I never really felt unsafe, whereas in the United States especially in major cities you definitely have more strange/unsafe feeling encounters. 

17) Europe Has Higher Taxes

  In Germany they have to pay 45% of their income to the government, but they also have a lower cost of living compared to the US, and don't have to pay for their healthcare. They also get paid less for the same career path in Europe then they would in the US. It might work out to us paying equal amounts as them through different means but I am unsure. 

18) Americans and Guns

   Some of the Europeans I encountered brought up guns when I told them I was from America. It does seem crazy that America has so many more shootings, and people can impulsively use guns when they're angry, but I don't know enough about the topic to form an opinion. 

19) More Variety of Juices

  At the German grocery store I noticed that their was a huge variety of juices whereas there wasn't a large variety of soda. The juices were also cheaper compared to in the United States. 

20) Lots of Intricate Old Buildings 

  In the United States usually the state capitol buildings and some cathedrals are the fanciest that the US gets with it's architecture, whereas Europe has buildings that are over hundreds of years old, and very detailed. 

21) Different Measurement System

Europe uses military time to tell time as well as different types of measurements like celsius for temperature, and kilometers to measure distance. 

To Whoever Wants to Read (Thoughts and Life Updates)

  (Part 1)    It keeps getting more and more clear as time goes on that I should be getting paid more at my job. This job is not very sustainable, especially with the high cost of living. Not only that, but my job can be very emotionally/spiritually/physically exhausting, but that is not reflected in the amount we get paid. People who stay long-term at my job are there because they value the job itself, not for the paycheck. Many of my coworkers actually have had to get 2nd jobs to be able to afford the cost of living. 

    I'm basically breaking even. Making as much as my costs. Thankfully having money in my savings for the months I overspend, which has been happening more than I'd like at the moment. It doesn't seem fair that a job like mine would pay so little. One that actually changes the trajectory of children's lives. We teach kids how to communicate effectively, as well as other meaningful life skills. You go into work and there are multiple kids screaming and crying. Dealing with 40 minute tantrums. You deal with changing poop blowouts more often then you'd like. You have to chase after the kids who run out of the room. It's dealing with behaviors. Sometimes being bitten, and scratched, or having your hair pulled. Being spit on or hit or kicked. Dealing with being thrown up on, or coughed on, or getting a cough that lingers for weeks. 

   I should get paid more for the fact that I have a strong immune system, and somehow have gotten a respiratory infection, bronchitis, etc within months of each other. I now have to make payments on over $1000 of medical bills from just this year, along with rent that was increased by $25 per month this year, student loans, groceries, gas, etc. I am currently working on getting a promotion this month, and the next few weeks and hopefully it will make a difference. 

   All that said, I do really like what I do at work. It's very rewarding, even after all of the things listed above happen. It is usually very worth it, to see how far my clients have come in MASSIVE ways, and knowing my work with them had a part in it. I thank God that he gave me the gift to do this job well. I'm blessed to be able to have this job at all, and be able to support myself in the first place without other financial help. I am thankful for a savings account as stated above to lean back on.  

(Part 2): This past week my doctor refused to fill a prescription for a medication I've been taking for almost 6 years now. I sent an order to get it refilled a few days before I'd run out, thinking they would refill it like they always did. Nope. It wasn't safe to take this medication and another medication I've been taking for the same amount of years due to interference???? Apparently it could have lead to a rare condition that can cause things like hallucinations. Thankfully I had not experienced anything like that while taking the two medications together. But it also made me think about why my doctor had put me on both in the first place if there was a chance of it causing that. The medication that they refused to refill was at the lowest dose thankfully, but it would still cause me to go off of a medication cold turkey, which also didn't sit right with me. It's been over a week of not taking this medication, and nothing to drastic has happened thankfully, besides a large amount of fatigue. The past week, besides nights I have commitments I've layed down after work only to wake up at 10pm or 11pm, stay up for a few hours, and then fall back asleep for the night. No insomnia whatsoever from sleeping too much, and when I do fall asleep it's been a super deep sleep, like I have been knocked out. I'm thankful to have one less medication to take everyday, but man has this fatigue been annoying. I've been dealing with a lot of fatigue in general these past couple of months, and I think it's also due to the medications themselves. I definitely know that I'm on too high of a dose, but will wait a few months before I get it adjusted. 

   I'm thankful they made me cold turkey this specific medication instead of the other one. The other one is a higher dose and would have definitely had a lot of unwanted side effects for going cold turkey. If you miss a dose for 2 days, the withdrawals are very unpleasant. 

   I guess this is just a post to say, the world can be really unfair man. Some of the people who work the hardest are getting paid a low income wage. In typing this I know I am blessed to even live in a first world country, and not live in a third world country. Third world countries make up most of the world, and they don't get paid nearly anything for all the hard work they do just to stay alive. So if anything isn't fair, I guess it's that. I don't blame my doctors as I know the body is more complex than we'll ever know, and each person needs a different medication or dose that works for their body, and sometimes that's hard to find, and you have to go through some trial and error, which isn't great, but helps keeps your body functioning. 

   All this to also say that I have been doing relatively great this past year. I've been tired, but I've also been blessed with so many great friendships and memories, and other lovely things because of God. I thank God for the opportunities and lessons he has taught me through this job that I'll be able to apply later in life. I thank him for the gift of patience and empathy that he has sown into my life to be able to endure this job field in the first place. Thank you God for entrusting me with these children's lives, even in the times I don't lean on your strength. 

California Travel Recommendations (LA area)

    California has been one of my favorite states that I've traveled to so far, if not "the" favorite. Starting off with my favorite place I have ever visited in California.

      Crystal Cove State Park (Newport Beach, CA) (Visited December, 2018)

     Crystal Cove feels other-wordly. It makes you feel as if you are no longer in the US, and have instead stumbled upon a private island. Crystal Cove is right on the ocean, and has cottages that line the bluffs. These restored cottages are from the 1920's and you can rent them out and stay directly on the oceanfront. By some sort of luck and prayer, I got to stay in two different cottages with friends after our AirBNB got canceled last minute. You fell asleep to the sounds of the ocean, and walked out on the deck to look out at the ocean or view the sunrise. It was December when we visited, so unfortunately it was too cold to swim, but it was magical anyway, and I hope to stay at one of the cottages again someday. 

    Joshua Tree National Park (Visited December, 2018) 

       On the same trip we went to Crystal Cove, we also decided to visit Joshua Tree National Park. We were originally going to go to Sequoia National Park (a place with giant trees). However, since it was December some parts of the park were icy I guess. Even though it doesn't seem like much, I am so glad we chose to go to Joshua Tree. It seems to be one of the hidden gems among those who live in California. On the outside it seems like a desert with freaky looking trees. But it was so much more.  It was even worth the 4 hour trip there and back to Newport Beach where we were staying. There were trails up cliffs, and views where you could see for miles. It was breathtaking. It was also fun just climbing on the rocks at the park. Apparently the sunset is pretty mystical, as well as the star-gazing. We left before it got dark. 

      Los Angeles, CA 

    Los Angeles will get it's own header as I visited a multitude of places when I went in 2018, and again in 2019. With it suggestions of where to go and where not to. 

        - The Getty: The Getty is a huge art museum in LA. It overlooks the city, and had an amazing sunset view. If you're not a fan of looking at art, I wouldn't suggest going. In our group of 4, two of the others really liked looking at art pieces. Me and one of my other friends did not so it felt a little boring after awhile. 

        -Hollywood: I would say for visiting actual Hollywood, you could just visit it once and be satisfied. I would recommend going on a bus tour that points out all the different celebrity houses and stories, etc. Hollywood isn't a magical as depicted, and actually kind of run down but I think it's definitely worth visiting. Getting your picture with a few of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and visiting some of the shops on Sunset Boulevard. Sunset Boulevard is a long stretch, so be sure to know which area the specific star you are looking for is. The walk of fame itself isn't too magical either, its more like a stretch of fancy sidewalk than anything. I enjoyed visiting the Guitar Center, and Amoeba Music Store in Hollywood. I only had around 10 minutes to explore Amoeba because of a tight time schedule so I would definitely like to spend more time in there if I ever go back. A fun food place we went to in Hollywood was The Griddle Cafe. The Griddle Cafe had an assortment of different flavored pancakes that were as big as pizzas. (Definitely order orange juice when having breakfast in California, there's not a lot that is better than fresh California orange juice.) 

      -Santa Monica Pier: Santa Monica is another one time is enough type of deal. You can basically go see all of the things in one visit to the pier. It's still fun to visit though. The pier has souvenir shops, caricature artists, an arcade, some carnival games, and rides including a Ferris Wheel. When I went in 2019 we went on the ferris wheel which looks out onto the ocean, and went to one of the restaurants with outdoor seating. I ate clam chowder soup in a bread bowl while looking out at the ocean. 

       -The Venice Boardwalk: The Venice Boardwalk is a highly recommend. It is lined with shops and restaurants, but also has tables with people selling handmade goods. You basically never know what you'll see. Which is both terrifying and exciting. 

  -Topanga Canyon: This is technically located in Topanga California, but it's close enough to Los Angeles. Topanga Canyon State Park has miles of different hiking trails, some trails that go along the ocean. I had wanted to go on one of the trails that went along the ocean, but we couldn't find one. I would definitely like to go back if I visit the area again. It seems like another local gem that is less touristy. 

  -Little Tokyo: Little Tokyo is a cute little place to visit. It's a block of Los Angeles lined with Japanese themed stores and restaurants, and boba tea places. 

    -Bronson Canyon/Caves: The Bronson caves are man-made caves, that were made specifically for the filming of the Batman movies. It's fun to walk through but there isn't much too it. Being in the canyon is very scenic, and you can look off and see the Hollywood sign in the distance. While there though there was loose gravel and sounds of falling rock which was unnerving. 

  Other fun things to do while in LA include: visiting one of the malls, and looking at the strange clothing pieces, and visiting Wanderlust Creamery. Wanderlust Creamery has icecream flavors from all around the world. While in a Los Angeles mall you can dress like a feather duster. 

    I would like to come back to California to visit other cities as well especially San Diego at some point, and San Francisco. If you ever visit Southern California, I hope this inspires you, and you can enjoy some of the things I have.