Started today off early, getting up and having breakfast and coffee around 6am. I read Psalm 33 and Romans 8, a favorite passage of mine, before helping Stefan check our ambulance for supplies, having one more cup of coffee with everyone, and then climbing on board with Rudy and Stefan to begin making rounds around the city. All we're waiting on now is a call. It feels odd to me to be working in an ambulance, especially considering my majors. Rudy is a quieter type, but he told me he wants to teach me some German. Let's hope I pick it up quickly.
Our first mission was a simple one: as a part of its service, the Red Cross transfers patients to the hospital for free if they are unable to drive themselves. We brought an elderly lady in for her check up and then brought her home. She was very friendly, and it was a simple task. Day one on the job is officially started! Looks like I'll be helping transport for most of the day, which is fine with me. I wasn't exactly hoping to help with CPR on day one. ;)
My team went out to eat together at a local restaurant (super good), and we didn't have to pay because Rudy had to leave on a mission in the middle of his meal a few weeks ago. I thought that was neat. Shortly thereafter we headed out on another mission that was exactly like the first. Picked up the patient, transferred them to their doctor, drove them back, and came home. The rest of the day was totally uneventful...unless you call watching How I Met Your Mother in German and reading school books eventful. ;) But really, I had a fantastic day. I got to know Markus and Chris and Michael a bit better (I have now listened to the song Auf Uns about 30 times thanks to Michael), made new friends (Rudy and Stefan make a great team, and I learned a few new German words and greetings), and went shopping for groceries...you see, I am to cook the team here breakfast in the morning, Southern style. Chocolate gravy, biscuits, eggs, bacon...I'm a smidgen nervous, but I think it's going to come together fantastically. I've missed Southern cooking, and so now Southern Austrians are going to see how Southern Americans eat.
A cool thing about working in a completely different culture is that there is always something to discuss with friends. Why does your culture work this way? Does everyone carry a gun in America? What does "bast" mean in German? How does this system work?
I am so glad I came to Jennersdorf. It is a city whose landscape and people (specifically here at the Rotes Kreuz) are very dear to my heart, and I am thankful.
I have just finished a pizza I made for myself, and I'm waiting on my Dad to call me on Skype. Haven't talked to him in quite a while. Also! For those of you who are interested, I'm stewing on a new Scarlequain blog post that I think will be of interest to a few of my readers: all about Realistic Romantics - a continuation of "romantic, Romantic, Romanticist."
Anyway, I'll write to you tomorrow and let you know how the breakfast and being on call again goes. I'm sure it'll be great!
Tschüss!
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