Meine Klein Welt

Look Out Austria!

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Well, the roads will never be the same. Yesterday I received my Austrian driver’s license in the mail. It’s kind of a fun thing to have. It makes me feel like I really live here. Plus, my picture turned out really cute. Now I kind of want to show it to everyone. 🙂


You can pray for us on Friday as it will be my first time driving a school van full of kids. We are headed to Budapest, Hungary for a basketball game. Fortunately, I’m not in charge of reading the map, but driving in Hungary will be a whole new experience!

The Bridge at Andau

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The first year I was in Austria, my friend Jean came over for a visit. She had a meeting in Budapest and picked me up on the way. Admittedly, I am a terrible history student, so I really had no idea of Hungary’s past other than the fact that it used to be under communist rule. When we went into the city of Budapest, I remember telling Jean that it felt like there was a heaviness in the air. Kind of a feeling of oppression.

Today I finished reading the book The Bridge at Andau by James Michener. While it’s not a complete history of Hungary, it is the story of what happened to Hungary under Russian rule. The book tells the story of the Hungarian revolution/uprising in November 1956 and the subsequent exodus of a large number of Hungarian refugees into Austria. The story is told from the viewpoint of several composite characters. These are characters that Michener created from the dozens of interviews he did with Hungarian refugees who crossed the bridge at Andau.

I can’t wait to go back to Budapest now. I feel like I will see the city in an entirely different light. I have a better understanding of what the country and her people have gone through and an amazing respect for them because of it. I also want to go to Andau, Austria which is just an hour and a half away. They have rebuilt the bridge, created a monument to the refugees, and built an open air museum in the city.

If you are planning on traveling to Budapest, I highly recommend reading this book. Just a warning, though, it made me cry on the U-Bahn more than once. So if you’re going to read it in public, bring some tissue.

Arnold Apples

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A few weeks ago when I went to the grocery store, I was greeted by this display of “Arnold Apples.” I laughed out loud. The sign says:

Arnold – Der Apfel aus der Heimat Arnold Schwarzeneggers
Arnold – The power apple from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s home country

The packaging is quite descriptive:

Healthy and strong

“Arnold” the Incomparable

This apple grows and ripens at the foot of the Austrian Alps in Styria with its fertile soil and unique microclimate of warm days and cool nights. Lovingly tended by skilled and dedicated fruit growers in their small and medium-sized orchards it is a rich natural source of health, strength, and flavor.

The cashier giggled at me when I brought several of these apples to the checkout. I just couldn’t resist. Being from California, I had to buy a few. Of course, I bought one for our business manager who is also from California. He was equally amused.

The packaging is in German and English, so maybe this means that Arnold Apples are headed your way soon!

I Learn Something New Everyday

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One of my favorite podcasts is Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Today while listening to a new tip, I learned that “Internet” and “Web” should be capitalized, but “website” should not. It actually makes perfect sense when you think that the Internet is a specific place and that Web is simply another name for it. Website, however, is a common noun. Of course, as with most grammar issues, there is some disagreement, but I think I’ll trust Grammar Girl. That’s my new fact for today!

Making People Feel Like They Matter

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Yesterday I went to a memorial service for Danny Davis. As people shared memories of Danny, there was one phrase that I heard over and over, “Danny made me feel like I mattered.” What a great legacy to leave! It made me reflect on my own interactions with people. So often I rush through conversations, or listen half-heartedly, or interrupt with my own drama – even when I know that someone is struggling. How many times have I missed opportunities to love someone well because I was being selfish? How many times have I missed opportunities to make someone feel like they matter because I was in a hurry? This is my new goal. Knowing how selfish I am, this is going to be a tall order, but I think it’s a goal worth setting.