As of Today, we have been in Germany for about 5 months.
What I expected when we got here was almost an instant community. I thought that since pretty much everyone was far from family, people would get the homesickness. The fear, the everything. As I've said before, being OCONUS is an amazing opportunity, but also one that is scary as all get out. I figured that people would be so welcoming, that we would be able to make friends, etc.
To a degree, we experienced that. Our sponsors were gracious and amazing. They introduced us to our city, offered their apartment, phone, car, whatever we needed to get settled. Unfortunately for us, they also ETS'd soon after our arrival.
It's been a little more tough, but we've been surprised by every turn by people coming out of the woodwork. We're slowly making our little family here again. I forgot that it took me well over a year at Bragg to forge a community...and that it took 2 to make our family there.
Here, I've relied more on social networking. It has definitely helped me keep in touch with friends and family. It also came with a downside for me.
Pregnancy/Birth Announcements.
They can be SO hard to read. It feels as though each announcement says to me "What's wrong with you? Person X already has 2 kids and they're just a year older than you.". Even though I know it's completely bonkers, I feel like somewhere out there is a pool of available babies, and that I am continually missing my chance. That these people are taking MY potential babies.
Like I said, I know this is not the case. It has gotten much better with time and prayer and so much else. This truly has been a year of growth. More on that later.
For the more practical update: We have completed our first rounds of testing with Dr.W. C is fine, but it looks as though I have symptoms resembling PCOS(Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), but no official diagnosis for it just yet. Dr. W recommended we start Clomid to help me ovulate earlier and hopefully produce better quality eggs. We were all set to start this month, but found at the baseline ultrasound that I had a 1.25" cyst on the right ovary. Since Clomid stimulates your hormones/ovaries, it is highly recommended to not take it if you have a cyst as it will encourage it to grow larger and potentially do some major damage.
So the first medicated cycle was a bust. We will try again next month, with hopefully better results.
Now that all that's out-Bologna was amazing! Recap to come hopefully this week. Though, classes have started now as well so it may be a bit. Here's to being more intentional with the time I have!
2 comments:
That was my experience with Hawaii too we loved it but OCONUS is hard on the friends front. I figured 99.99% of the people there didn't know anyone and were in the same boat as us. But, it took us like 2 1/2 years to really make friends aaaaaaand then we moved. haha
Social media can be quite a double edged sword: Keeping us in contact with loved ones across the globe, while allowing for the temptation to compare our lives to others. I've certainly had my own personal "What is wrong with you? Why can't you meet someone, fall in love, and start a family?" moments of my own. Just as I know my time will come, I trust that God has a wonderful plan for you, Cody, and your family. That may not make it any easier for the moment, and I fully believe it is healthy to acknowledge our feelings. Y'all are in my prayers. I have recently seen God bless those who have waited a long time through struggles similar to yours, so I have faith in God. I wish I had the perfect words, but nonetheless know that I am praying for you and wishing you all the best!
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