The Solo Frau

It's been one week since Jon left for his 3-week exercise in southern Germany, but I've managed to keep very busy and feel I will gain new independence by doing the small tasks of daily living abroad on my own. This is something I haven't felt in a while, considering Jon and I have spent so much time together since we've been married. Of course this togetherness was very much needed, considering the distance we spent apart over the course of our dating and engagement. When I first heard about his 3 week stint away from me, I thought how awful it was that we have to go through this when we've only been married 6 months. But then I realized how many of the friends I've made here who recently had their husbands deploy for 8 months. Note to self - don't complain about Jon only being gone 3 weeks, because it could be much worse! Of course my time will come to go through a long deployment separation as well, but luckily, this it if not now and 3 weeks will be a piece of cake.

The worries I had about being apart were not because I thought I would miss him too much, but because it's a different feeling to be on your own in a foreign country with no car and support system of co-workers or family nearby. I have been pleasantly surprised at how wonderful my friends have been and realized for the first time, what an incredible support system I do indeed have over here. And the driving predicament, that is something I aspire to overcome - to drive standard. A friend will be helping to teach me to drive Jon's car this week, and hopefully by the time he gets back, I'll be good to do, that is if I don't completely burn out his clutch. Already I've left my black marks all over the roads on base from my last lesson. Why does the whole clutch and gas balance thing have to be so difficult?

This past week has felt like the good 'ole college days when I would hang with the girls 24/7 with little responsibility. It was nice to have so much quality time with friends who also have husbands away and go to the gym, hiking in the woods, visiting the thermal bath, going to dinner together and even have sleepovers. I must admit I didn't get too much work done or my German homework completed, but it sure did make the week go by quickly and was a ton of fun! Last Tuesday was my first time to visit the famous thermal baths in Wiesbaden, which are spas that were built in here during the Roman times due to the natural hot springs in this area. The particular spa we visited was the Kaiser-Friedrich Bath or Roman-Irish bath. The artistic furnishings, paintings, reliefs and ornaments of the building remind me of the luxurious and magnificent buildings in ancient Greek and Roman times. The baths are thought to provide an oasis for recuperation and relaxation and even treatment for rheumatic illnesses. The spa is complete with a Stone Steam bath, Russian Steam bath, Finnish Sauna, Solarium, pools and hot tubs in varying temperatures. It was a amazing! Other than the first few minutes being extremely awkward, as you have to be completely naked when entering the spa, I got over that quickly when I realized every other spa-goer was about 30 years older than me. Luckily, I went on a ladies only day, so I didn't have to deal with the shock of naked old men. By the end, I felt so liberated to be walking around naked, knowing that it's completely normal to everyone else and to have the most relaxing evening I've experienced in a long time.

The other highlight of my week was a Halloween Party on Saturday night. My friend, Nancy, who I went with was going as Tinkerbell, so I decided to go as Peter Pan. The outfit was definitely thrown together at the last minute and some thought I looked more gangsta than fairytale, but hey, at least I dressed up. It was a really fun night full of dancing and even karaoke. It was so incredibly fun and I was so glad I was able to celebrate Halloween, even though my partner in crime was missing.

As for getting around, I've been pedaling my way all around town to go to church three times a week, the commissary, etc. Although my bike sure is pretty, the single-speed back-pedal-brake beauty sure is difficult when needing to climb hills. One thing's for sure, I am getting some good leg workouts! Today I have dedicated the afternoon to do my German homework for my class tonight. I am determined to at least be able to say a complete paragraph before I leave this country!

Happy Monday everyone!