Growing roots

Who would have thought? It’s the beginning of June and if memory serves me right i’ve been in Dundalk/Ireland for a whole 8 months now – pretty much to the day. The last time I’ve been or rather stayed anywhere for this long was in Thailand, which was over 6 years ago!

So, yeah, as you can imagine its taken some adjusting and getting used to. The first few months I didn’t notice it so much because everything was still new and exciting, besides I was still within my ‘normal’ time frame. Then for the first quarter of this year I was distracted so to say with being involved in the mentoring of first Sara, Pablo, Marco and Jerome and later Ayuna (26, Russian), Kasia (29, Polish-German) and Nancy (23, French). But once that was finished the “daily routine” started to set in at work as well as at home. Which is of course where the real challenge began.

Looking back, the end of my probation clearly marked a change. It meant that I’d been here for 6 months, which was already longer than any other place i’d been at since Pattaya. It brought the mentoring of the New Hires to an end and my roommate moved out right around that same time. And just like that my old frenemy loneliness came a-knocking again.
Only for the first time in what may very well be – ever! I am not running from it, instead I am learning to face it and embrace it. It’s slow going and at times painful, but through the tears I can now see HIS face. The face of the One who surrounds me, leads me, holds me, molds me, guides me, LOVES me at all times and through all things.The One who’s been walking right be my side, holding my hand, having my back for the last 32 years. The One who never gives up on me and never seizes to amaze me.

The 18th anniversary of my baptism is coming up this week. Since i was too young at the time to clearly remember the day we ‘met’, i’ve taken to celebrating this day instead. 18 years. What a long long time. Through every mistake, misstep, detour, success, victory, progress, lesson learned, through pain and healing, sadness and joy, tears and laughter He’s been there.

At the moment He continues to amaze me with the gift of friends/ friendship. For someone who’s always made every effort to keep work and private life clearly separated, its strange to feel so close to my colleagues. For the first time they are not just colleagues and co-workers, but friends. And it’s not just a few individuals but rather (more or less) my whole team. Which was already amazing when the first five of us started out together in the fall. Naturally we were a bit cautious at first with every new group of New Hires and each time they ended up fitting right in. I mean, I more or less adopted Pablo, Marco and Jerome as my surrogate brothers from the get-go and the four girls were/are a great addition as well.

Sometimes, somedays I still find it hard to wrap my head around the idea, that there are actually a whole bunch of people here who truly seem to like me. You know me, I’ve always found it easy to love and care for and about people, I’m just not very used to the other side.

Enough couch-talk for today. Somehow I didn’t get around to having an actual family night last month, but pretty much every other weekend was already packed with Team-Night’s-Out (company sponsored social outing once a quarter), International Parties and now this weekend our annual Summer Party, that we simply didn’t get around to it. I had a few smaller dinners though, which were just as lovely

This year’s Summer Party, the PayPal “Gathering”, in honor of ‘the Gathering’ happening in Ireland this year, was held at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Celebrating the Irish Gathering in traditional Irish fashion so to say. Great place, good food , plenty of Guinness and the company wasn’t too bad either

Here are some pics to give you a little taste:

Summer Party ‘the Gathering’ DIASHOW ANZEIGEN ALLE HERUNTERLADEN

let me close (as always) with the lyrics of a song (extract of the song ‘The One’ by disciple):
Can you feel it when the heart starts beating?
Can you feel it when the body starts breathing?
No one's gonna face this fight alone
We bleed one for all, we bleed all for one
Can you feel it when the wall starts breaking?
Can you feel it when the heavens start shaking?
You won't ever face this fight alone
We bleed one for all, we bleed all for one
One heart, one Spirit, one Body
One flame, one fire that started
By one death, one life
One God we're praying to tonight
Look up you’re surrounded
You’re surrounded by The One

love,
hanna

P.S.: I’ve even planted some seeds in my balcony flower beds, hence the title of this post

of Easter and Family nights

It’s the first weekend in April and I am happy to report the sun is finally making a guest appearance here in Dundalk. About time, too. Right now I am sitting at home waiting for the first guests to arrive. It’s Family Night tonight. Although I have to say this one kinda took on a life of its own.

Anyways, the whole idea of the Family Nights started a couple of weeks ago.
Inspiration struck while talking to my room-mate, about how through the massive hiring happening at the company I work for, the town was filling up pretty quickly with young people from all over Europe. All of whom have been uprooted, separated from their home, friends and family and in most cases are out here on their own. Somehow this struck a chord with me, I mean, if there is one thing I do know a little about its being alone in a foreign city, country, with a foreign language. This is when I realized that I can actually do something about this. After all I have a place of my own that I am slowly turning into a home for me and for whoever else needs a place to belong – even if only for a little while. Obviously I can’t replace their friends & family, but I can make them feel welcome, wanted and accepted with an open home and a warm embrace, not to forget the occasional home cooked meal.
I can offer them a place where they can come as they are, no questions asked.

And so about 3 weeks ago without much further ado I invited the first few people over.
Even though only two guys, Marco and Jerome, from my first mentoring-group could actually make it, we still had lots of fun together – despite the fact that the pasta was a bit too al dente and that I forgot to set the timer on the garlic bread (apparently that’s the price you have to pay for charming company ).
Seriously though, halfway through the preparations I got so excited that for a moment there I was honestly doubting my ability to cook at all, that is, until I remembered that once upon a time I used to run a kitchen for 50+ people.

Funny thing though, at the end of the night after they had left, I realized I needed this just as much as they did. Isn’t it amazing how God can sometimes provide you with the things you need, even if (or maybe especially if) you never even knew you needed them to begin with?… AMAZING!!
I’m also beginning to understand why God created me with so much love in my heart. It may sound silly or seem trivial to some, but fact of the matter is that I simply love people. The more multi-and-cross-cultural the better. I love getting to know people, both as representatives of their families, cities, countries, cultures and customs, but also as individuals. To figure out what makes them tick, laugh, smile, sad, thoughtful…, to learn how they communicate and relate to me, to others…

Time to get a-cooking… I’ll continue this later or possibly tomorrow… 2 days later… sorry, never got back around to finishing this post, on Saturday night it was simply too late and last night I was busy getting the place cleaned up again – on 2 hours of sleep and after a 10-hour-shift at work.
All in all Saturday night was great fun. The number of guests had tripled since the first dinner and I found out that for a dinner party 8 people, possibly 1 or 2 more, is about as much as my little 2-bedroom-apartment can handle. But as we say in my family “There is always room for one more”, so if I ever do end up with more than 8-10 people, I will simply have to stick to making/serving finger food. :)

Did I mention that Saturdays dinner was simultaneously the end-of-probation-celebration for Andrei, Markus, Anika, Olga and me? Yep, as of April 1st we are officially out of probation and thus now full-time-open-ended employees of the Company. So weird. And so cool at the same time.
Since we wanted to celebrate this occasion and I had sorta planned my next family night for that weekend anyways, we figured why not simply combine the two. So we started with dinner at my place and then headed into town for some celebratory drinks at “the garden”. good times. (despite the lack of sleep, followed by and early start for work the next morning).

Seems like I’m doing this post in reverse chronological order. Easter weekend was my first visit in Germany for this year, I hadn’t been back since before Christmas. Even though it was a very short stay (Maundy Thursday til Tuesday after Easter), at least it was a wee bit longer than my last stay in Mainz.
It was so good to see my family again, especially since I managed to see every one of them this time. I also got to spent some time with my dear friend Anna, see my old church “Der Fels” again and do some shopping, stocking up on some of my favorite foods and hair/skin care products, etc… and just like that before I knew it I was back ‘home’ in Ireland.

Yes, it may still be a little bit weird at times, you know, having a home again after such a long time on the road, but it is nonetheless true, that I really have ‘arrived’ and am starting to grow some roots again, in this place, but even more so in and with the people around me. so good.

With Easter still on my mind I want to leave you with words from a song that remind me of what this holiday means to me.
“When I see You I see scars that are matching
  When I see You I see scars that are matching
  I know what I'm feeling
  You are feeling scars remaining through
  When I see You I see scars!”
(song: “Scars Remain” from the album “Scars Remain” by disciple – Galatians 6:17, Hebrews 4:14-15)

in His abounding love,
hanna

Legacy

Only one more week and it’ll be March already! I have to say that ever since we hit the floor back at the end of October, we’ve hit it running or rather the weeks and even months have simply been flying right passed me. To give you a quick recap, here’s a short overview of the highlights.
After the Dogs, the Next Big Thing was my dearly beloved ChristmasRockNight – which is always a highlight of any year I get to go, to some it may just be a concert/Rock Festival, to me it is sooo much more.It’s a time and place to recharge my batteries, meet God, meet friends old+new (and whether they know your name or not ), to rock ‘n’ roll and scream my heart +lungs out. I also love the CRN-service on Saturday mornings and the after party at the Uhlenspiegel (in official hangout of the bands after the shows) – as an added bonus I got to make a quick pit stop at home. Fun Fun.
This year’s – or rather last year’s- favorites were DISCIPLE, no surprise there, and CHILDREN 18:3.
I always love and enjoy disciple but I have to say I was really impressed to see how much ‘the kids’ (as I like to call them) had improved – not that they were bad or I didn't like them before, no, they simply got ‘even’ better, especially in terms of their message.
Next stop, one week later, the Company’s Festive Party at the Convention Center in Dublin. Very stylish, good food, great company, lot’s of fun. Here’s a small impression:
                       

And then I was smack in the middle of the holiday season. It was the first Christmas away from home in quite a while and my first ever Christmas alone. It was definitely a new experience. Thanks to a lovely surprise ‘letter’ from my sister, which turned out to be a big surprise Christmas parcel, put together by some dear friends+sister+mom and a nice long Skype-video-call with my family it turned out to be much better than anticipated. New Year’s Eve did not only ring in the New Year, but also brought one of my best friends and fellow traveller to visit. Together we had a fun& relaxing couple of days. It was good to talk, sing, laugh and pray together again.
  

Enter 2013!
In the second week of January my new flat mate moved in, she was starting work in the same company the following Monday. Her name is Rosa Maria, from Madrid, Spain. As it later turned out the New Hires for my department started in the same Induction class as Rosa.
It was around that time that my team leader approached me with the question of whether I would be willing to assist our Specialist in mentoring the New Hires. Now, more than 5 weeks later, Sara (Italian, who joined us from a different department), Pablo (Spanish), Jerome (French) and Marco (Italian) have all just successfully completed their mentoring/nesting period. And even though especially the first two weeks were very exhausting, I absolutely loved it. I had forgotten how much I enjoy mentoring (with a pinch of teaching). I remember back at Deutsche Bahn I would always get the trainees to do side-by-sides with me, whenever they had their ‘practical experience’ weeks.
Well, it seems I must have done a halfway decent job and/or gotten some good feedback, because I was asked to mentor the next group of New Hires as well and because they noticed that I showed an interest in this, I was invited to participate in a special training seminar ‘Train the Mentor' this coming Monday and Tuesday.
WOW! I love my work! Despite the occasional stomach turning website . GOD IS GOOD!!!

On a more somber note.
A dear old friend, Paul Stern, went home this week. While I am saddened by the loss, I take comfort in knowing that he has already reached his final goal & home. At the same time it gives me food for thought.
Those of you who knew Pastor Paul, know that he is leaving behind one powerful legacy. A true Man of God, who touched hundreds and thousands of people’s lives and yet never sought any glory or gratitude. I know he touched my life. I am grateful to have known him and am humbled and inspired by his humility, his kindness towards everyone he met, his love for God + His kingdom + His word. His faith in the impossible possibilities of and with our Almighty Father. Seeing how many people he touched in life and now even in his passing, makes me stop for a minute and forces me to take stock.
What would my legacy be? What would I leave behind? Is this what I want to be remembered by and for? If not, then what can I do to change that?… These are some of the questions I have been mulling over the last couple of days. It is encouraging to know that with our God it is never too late to start again.

Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”
Luke 11:35-36

Until we meet again-
love, hanna

P.S.: I also added some more lyrics in 'Inspiring lyrics & songs'

A Night at the Dogs

I tried to take pictures/ vids of the dogs as well...unfortunately you couldnt really tell what you were looking at on the pic. :) - the distance was to great or the dogs too small... anyway it was lots of fun

training-mentoring-nesting

I received my 1-month-pin today. Just kidding.
I have been here a whole month though, going on 5 weeks already . The first 3 weeks at the hotel were grand (btw I can highly recommend the Crowne Plaza here in Dundalk – I enjoyed every minute of my stay there), but it’s only now that I’m living in my own place that I’ve started to actually settle in.
It’s been so long since I had a place on my own I forgot all the minor details (and sometimes not so minor) that go into keeping a place. The first time the letting agent showed me the place I was pretty overwhelmed – after spending almost a decade in cramped little rooms which I usually had to share with at least one other person – having a whole 2-bedroom apartment all to myself seems like sheer luxury.
I’m looking into finding a flat mate (roomie) nonetheless, both for the company and also to make it a bit more cost-effective. I have to say though, that despite the work that still needs to be done ergo lots and lots of trips to Penneys (Primark), Heatons, Dunnes,… I really like the place and I cant wait to make it more homey…
Work is going well. I passed my certification last week with 93% – one stupid mistake, I should know by now to read the instructions properly…
This week, me and my teammates are officially “live” on the floor. Luckily we are not expected to meet any stats yet, we’re in what they call the “nesting” period. Hence the title of this post.
The first two weeks were training. Week 3 was split mornings – training, afternoons- mentoring/ side-by-side which means we were out on the floor with a specialist or 2nd level agent, working some cases together. In the beginning it was only cold cases to sort of get a feel for the different tools (software programs) and later on we moved onto live cases. So now we are on our own, luckily we never have to look far for a more senior agent as in our department they are right down there on the floor with us.
The 12-hour-days take some getting used to again, but at least the shuttle bus they run in the mornings and evenings provides door-to-door service. very convenient.
Last weekend we had a first pub-night-out. I’d had a few pints at the hotel bar before, but hadn’t had a chance for a proper pub night. Incidentally it was almost a complete team night. At least all of us who started on the same day, in the same New Hire class. That is Anika from Halle, Markus from Bad Nenndorf, near Hannover, Olga from Russia (although she’s been living in Ireland for many years already) and Andrej from Belarus (he’s also been here for a number of years already).
Saturday Markus, Till- Markus’ friend and I went to see the new Bond movie –
007 Skyfall. Absolutely loved it!! But then again, I do love the franchise.

"Irish Flag"

 
Tomorrow night I will get to experience another Irish tradition for the first time.
“A Night at the Dogs”.
It’s a KYT (Know Your Teammate)-thing from work. But very cool nevertheless. I’ve been to a horse race before – Royal Ascot last year, but I’ve never been to a Greyhound race before. I hope I get to take some good pictures. Ought to be fun. You’ll get a full report. promise.
Enough for today. I do hope your having a great week and wish you all the best with
lots of love,
hanna

the Morning after :)