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This old update as of  May 05, 2001

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at Burg Greifenstein Castle
at Burg Greifenstein Castle

Harry and Elsbeth Brassem
Harry and Elsbeth Brassem

Wilhelm
Arizona

Desert Botanical Garden
Desert Botanical Garden

with our friends Dave and Kathi
with our friends Dave and Kathi

Be it ever so humble....
Be it ever so humble....

Getting set up
Getting set up

Finally, our own kitchen!
Finally, our own kitchen!

2 computers?!?!
2 computers?!?!

Don't you just love our mural?
Don't you just love our mural?

Journey program at Newberg Friends Church

Raising support at the local church
Raising support at the local church

Learning about cultural awareness
Learning about cultural awareness

Figuring out how to get a visa
Figuring out how to get a visa

Going through customs and imigration is not always easy
Going through customs and imigration is not always easy

On this page ...

Just before we left Germany Wilhelm and I visited a castle that was built in the 1200's. Part of the castle had been restored and we ate in the restaurant with our friends the Brassems. Harry and Elsbeth found a German class and Trudi joined them just a few weeks before we left. It was fun to get to know them even if it was for a short time.

We have arrived in Oregon as of February 18th! We spent a wonderful 2 days visiting friends in Phoenix, AZ on our way to Oregon. Wilhelm didn't "get his fill" of cacti but he saw a lot. He said he could have spent all day there not just a few hours. Trudi was rewarded with an Arabian Horse show. We have never laughed so hard in all our lives and our friends Kathi and Dave were WONDERFUL hosts.

Since we landed in Portland we've "hit the ground running" as it were. We are the interim Journey coordinators. The Journey is a simulated trip to the mission field. In just 5 hours participants go through a series of steps that take them from their "comfort zone" to a new world - one that they train for, where they are the foreigner and apply cross-cultural skills that they may have never thought of before. It's an exciting program, extremely "hands on" and FUN! Trudi has participated before, helped out but never run one before so there is a fairly high learning curve. There is one in Newberg, Oregon at the Friends church in conjunction with George Fox College on April 7th. We don't have pictures for this yet but we'll try to get some. We will be traveling to Billings, Montana to help out with a Journey there on April 28th. Pray that both of these programs go well and people will be more open to where God might lead them.

Each time there is a Journey program run there are lots of props and materials to be returned to the office and we need to sort through it. Our office is just outside the conference room which has this huge mural on it showing the History of Gods Word from eternity past.

We celebrated Christmas with Trudi's family a bit late, but Mom Hunt put up the tree again and we even had a Turkey dinner.

We were able to find a house to live in and friends who were moving and downsizing helped to furnish the house with "cast off furniture". Wilhelm enjoyed trying out the crock pot slow cooker that Mom wasn't using and made a great tasting soup! We are blessed with a TV with built in VCR, stereo system and a couple of recliner chairs.

Our time in the States is pretty packed but we are still making arrangements to see friends and supporters. Time is going by fast. Sorry it's taken so long to get this update on the page.



An article by Wilhelm,     Culture shock in the US?

Very often people ask me how I like life in the States. For me, this is a difficult question to answer. I have a lot of good experiences, I meet a lot of nice people and in general, I like it here.
But there are some things, which are 'strange' or 'different' to me and also things, I don't like at all.

Just a few examples:

1. Whenever I run into Americans they tell me, what terrible drivers we Germans tend to be - driving fast and reckless. It may be true that Germans in general drive faster than most Americans do, but frankly: the way Americans drive scares me to death. First of all, it is not true that Americans drive slowly. On a certain road, which I have to take frequently, the speed limit is 55 mph - something between 90 and 100 km/h.
If I go 55 mph there EVERYONE passes me. But what scares me most is the fact, that at this speed, they still drive bumper to bumper. Generally speaking, I find the way Americans drive much more aggressive than what I am used to.
I have always liked to drive and I am not afraid of going fast, but on the long term this could make me reduce my driving quite a bit. Another aspect in this is that the traffic signs are differently designed and placed, which always has me looking for information in the wrong place and thus getting lost.

2. Eating habits are different too. It really is a fast food society. People don't seem to care much about meal times, they will eat almost any time, it just has to be fast. To have a family around the table and taking a meal together seems to happen only occasionally.
Of course the food is different too. What strikes me most is, that you only find soft and spongy bread. And a lot of foods are trimmed to low fat or fat free, but there is sweet stuff being eaten all the time and all over the place. - To me, that seems to be a contradiction, but that may be my own opinion.

3. Work is different too. "Work" and "career" seem to be the most worshipped "Gods" of America along with possessions, luxuries, and....   People work long hours and even overtime. Stores are open all the time, even on Sundays, which, in my opinion, must mean very inconvenient work hours for the employees.
On the other hand it seems to take more time to get certain things accomplished. I have had people talking about a big "project" on which they are working, thinking by myself: "I could do that in an hour or two."
Another thing is, how dressed up people go to work - at least those who don't expect to get dirty -, while it seems acceptable to go to church in jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. (Maybe not in all churches, but I have seen it in several different churches).

I don't think, I am in real culture shock here since I have had cross-cultural experiences before and I have been around Americans for a while. But as you can see, there are 'strange' things and sometimes they get on my nerves, and of course, this list is not complete. - So please be patient with me, if my reaction is not, what you expected it to be. :)




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