We are in Berlin!

We arrived in Berlin after a long flight from Salt Lake.  The young girl at the gate gave us better seats so we had more leg room.  We were met by Elder and Sister Williams from bountiful Utah.  The drive from the airport to the Hotel where we stayed was an E ticket ride.  The narrow streets, the big van we were in and Elder Williams aggressive and jerky driving and Sis Williams navigation nearly got us killed (so it seemed).  We had dinner in a nice German restaurant and went to bed.  We couldn't sleep right away, then fell asleep ans slept through the alarm.  We awoke at 8:10 am and were being picked up for church at 8:30 am.  We barely made it.  Later we went to Maur Platz, a big field where part of the Berlin Wall had stood.  We quietly dedicated our mission to the Lord.  We had lunch with the Williams and went back to the Hotel to rest.  We met with the Monson's that night and finally were able to meet with President Pimental and his wife.  They had been away at a conference.  The next morning we had breakfast with the Pimental's and then got our assignment, Tiergarten, Berlin.  We went to our temporary apartment where we will stay until the middle of December.  It is in the Zalendorf suburb of Berlin.

We have been here almost 1 week now and love it.  We take the S ban and bus to the youth center every day.  It takes about 1 hour and 15 miutes without too much traffic or waiting.  We love the youth center.  The young adults are amazing.  The Nelsons, the people we are replacing are great.  Tomorrow they are going to show us how all the public transportation works.  On tuesday, we will ride bikes around the city learning where the best places to shop are.  Part of our assignment is to cook 2 days a week for the young adults.  We will buy the Nelson's bikes from them when they leave.  Our permanent apartment is right across the street from the Youth Center.  It will be nice to be that close.

Every day we walk around our neighborhood. The German is starting to get better, but we have a long way to go before we understandfully and can speak properly.  Most people speak a little English and we can figure out what we need to know.  Food is different, things are not as sweet.  Our apartment is very small so we go to the store almost every day to get something.  The washer is interesting, it takes 2 hours to wash 1 batch of clothes.  You have to manually open and close the washing drum.  We have no dryer here but will have one in our permanent place. Jet lag is still a problem.  We are wide awake at midnight and have trouble getting up in the morning.  They say to be out in the sun everyday but there is no sun.  It is cloudy and cold, about 35 to 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) every day.  I am wearing boots, sweaters, scarves, coats, gloves every where.  So is Dan.