Apparently, Ich bin verruckt.

Last week was pretty overwhelming. Preparing for Regionals, Priska's arrival... Is my home ready to receive her? More importantly, is my heart ready? I want her to feel loved and welcome and comfortable. Being thrust into this foreign environment, language, new home, strange people, and all. I consciously make an effort to make her feel comfortable and loved. I thought I knew how to love but realize it doesn't come from inside me. I find myself challenged to look to the Lord to show me how.

Needless to say, all is well. She is kind and smart and lovable. Her laugh in sweet, her English often inadequate. "I do not know in English the word, but in French 'herb'?" "Ah, yes. Spices. Of course." We get by. She has warmed up and we've become quite good friends. She tells me about her life in Switzerland. We've already been on many adventures. Shopping in Downtown, Pike's Place, riding the bus to Northgate, buying a table at IKEA, seeing the East side and Lake Washington, not to mention Regionals! (BTW we are not forcing her to do CrossFit or Zone, so don't worry family.) She loves Twilight and Taylor Swift, animals, the mountains, reading. We seem to be compatible in many ways. She says "Zurich is a big city, but much much smaller than Seattle!" I tell her Seattle is a "small" big city, and her eyes widen. It's so big! It's so big!

I kinda feel like a teenager. It's weird. So much giggling, teasing, talking about boys, dressing up. She tells me about her friends, I tell her about mine. It is quite pleasant. She takes care of me! "Kallista, eat your bread." "Kallista eat your chocolate!" "Kallista drink your tea" More More More. Companionship is so sweet. I've learned to say "the chair sits by the table" in German. "You're crazy!" she says. Ich bin verruckt.

Danke Danke.