Hello everyone :) Now I will randomly share some stories about things I've been up to lately. The day after the International Culture Fest, we went paintballing - a first for me. In Germany, it's quite expensive, costing around 50 to 60 Euros. Here, we played for three hours for only 15 Euros. It can be a bit painful when you get hit by a paintball, and the next day I had several bruises. But it was worth it, it's really a lot of fun. You wear a mask to protect your face, but at one point a paintball hit my mask and all the paint splattered through the airholes and under the mask - afterwards, I looked like someone had thrown a portion of spaghetti in my face. BeforeAfterThe day after paintball, I finally made it to the volleyball training at the university. I wanted to go since the beginning of the semester, but something always came up. I've never played volleyball in a club before, but the coach had told me it's not a problem. I also wanted to meet other people besides the international students. Two other German girls came along, but the locals still welcomed us warmly. I wasn't very good, but it was still fun. My forearms were burning from digging, and the next few days they were sore and bruised. Hopefully, it will get better with more practice. And then finally, I had a Skype date with three of my flatmates from Mainz. It was really nice, almost like sitting in our kitchen and chatting for hours instead of studying. It always makes me a bit homesick, but in the seven weeks that I've been here, I haven't really felt homesick. There is just too much good happening here :) And the exams... Yes, they do exist here, even though it may sound like I only have free time :D I've actually already had three midterms, and there are more coming up. It's a bit different here than in Germany; here, we have continuous assignments and smaller tests that, combined with the final exam in November, make up the final grade for the course. So far, everything has been going well, but until mid-October, I still have a test or assignment every week, and then I have to start studying for the final exams. So, I definitely have enough to do here :) Today, I attended a church service at Father's House Church. I'm not very religious, I do share Christian values, but believing in the Bible and the role of the church is a bit difficult for me. However, I do enjoy going to church occasionally in Germany as well. But a church service at Father's House Church is simply an experience. In a large hall, many white and colored people came together to celebrate, sing, and dance in their faith. A band played many Christian songs at the beginning, but not like ours with an organ and a few off-key voices. Guitar, drums, keyboard, everything was there, with several singers with great voices. It was really beautiful. Somehow, you can feel something when you stand in the crowd there. And then the pastor. A young guy in a leather jacket who delivered a lively, relatable, and humorous sermon. It makes church more tangible, closer, and more fun. There were also many young people, black, white, and colored. But also older people. People standing alone, with closed eyes and open arms. Or people simply embracing each other and sharing their faith. That's how I like church. That's how I understand church.
