Today marks our first week here in Landstuhl… and our first week in quarantine. It’s hard to say beyond what our experience in our little apartment has been, but it has been good! One more week and we break free! Our time in quarantine has been spent adjusting to jet lag, playing an insane amount of Uno, reading, writing, binge-watching television shows, and gaming with friends back home.

We’ve been very well taken care of by my sponsors, new co-workers, and our friends here. They’ve brought us dinner, gone grocery shopping for us, gift baskets full of delicious treats, and have graciously answered my millions of questions and concerns.

Tristan’s mood as been much improved. He’s been able to game with his friends back home. A couple of his climbing couches from Peak Team have been texting with him as well, which he enjoys very much. He’s been dedicated to completing a new animation. While it bugs me he’s on the computer so much, I love seeing his excitement as he shows me the progress. It’s really quite something to see the details in which it takes to make it.

This weekend, I was able to video chat with my weekend night shift crew. It was lovely to be able to see their beautiful faces, and to give them the “grand tour” of our little apartment. When Tristan and I talk to our family and friends back home, we love to show them the little differences and nuances of our life (so far) here. Tristan loves showing off the 3-setting windows and doors. I love giving views of Nanstein Castle and sharing the ringing of the church bells.

This connection with Virginia has been valuable for both of us. Tristan being able to describe his experiences helps Tristan feel more excited about the life he will live here. I even heard him so that he likes it so far! I am so excited to see him discover his love of this world, as I know he will.

It has been delightful to take Lily for walks multiple times a day. Not only does it help to get out of the apartment, but we are able to get to know the neighborhood we’ll be in for the next few months. In our walks, we’ve found the local Edeka (a grocery market), lots of restaurants, the stadthalle, and we discovered that not only can we see Nanstein Castle on the hill during our walks, we can see it from our balcony as well! This seemed to excite me much more than Tristan, who said, “So what? The castles all look the same!” Imagine my eyes rolling far into the back of my head.

Our last week in quarantine should be productive. My goals for this week are to take the driver’s test so I can drive here, finish enrolling Tristan in school, and take the required COVID test on Day 10, among other things. Beginning Wednesday, Germany will be under a second hard lockdown due to the increasing COVID cases in the country. I’d still 100% rather spend it in Germany!