jill.musick

Up until the past 2 years, I never had a boyfriend or a best friend.  I had good friends, certainly, but never one person I would have called my “best friend forever.” Now, I am blessed with the most amazing boyfriend ever, and the best friend I could ever hope for.

Lane met me at the airport when I came back to Illinois on January 10. It was indescribably wonderful to actually be able to spend time with him, to hold his hand, and to see his smile with no pixelated Skype screens obscuring our vision of each other. He was only here a couple days, at which point I finally started unpacking and putting my life together.

Less than a week later, I drove up to Minnesota to see his home. We also went with a group of his friends (and brother) to the Sonshine music festival. Again, I treasured that time getting to know him through his relationships with his friends and family.

Shortly after getting back, my former roommate and best friend forever, Emily, started planning a trip here. It was a rather spur-of-the-moment trip when we realized we had a short window of time when the time frame would work for us both. So, for the past week, she visited my home here in Illinois.

We also drove up to Minnesota to see Lane and get a taste of life and fun on his farm. By a “taste” I mean that we learned how to shoot various guns, climbed around in a grain bin full of corn, drove a tractor, and got lost in a cornfield. All in 1 day.

  There is something wonderful and fulfilling about a visit from a friend from BFA, and something uniquely special about having not just any friend, but my best friend visit. I had seen her home last summer, and now she has seen my home. We have entered each other’s lives in 3 locations. Shared experiences are so helpful in deepening or strengthening a friendship. I am so grateful for Emily and her friendship! And I’m even more grateful for the way the 3 of our lives have intersected in both Germany and Minnesota.

Here are some of the signs I’ve seen in my own life that reveal to me that I am not yet settled. I’m getting there, though!

• Cars seem to move really slowly
• I have a hard time not speeding
• Road signs look different, so I have trouble follow obvious directions
• The thought of only being a 7.5 hour drive away from my boyfriend makes me intensely happy
• I still don’t have a house key
• I don’t own a pair of blue jeans… yet
• I have an old flip phone
• T9 texting is really slow for me
• Long conversations on the phone are now a happy part of life
• Sooner or later I’ll have to figure out how to deposit checks again
• A piece of bread I sliced myself just made me really happy
• High humidity counteracted the ease of running on flat ground
• I might have just unpacked my last suitcase, but I still don’t know where all my socks are.
• Packing, unpacking, and re-packing simultaneously seems to be the norm
• I voluntarily went clothes shopping – and actually bought stuff! And I still have more to buy!
• Though I don’t have a job, I don’t feel useless. God is my employer, and the work He has for me to do this coming school year may not be what others would call work.
• I’m talking really quickly as if I have 4 years of emotion to share all at once but I can’t put it into words
• I’m the one at the party with all the crazy stories, but those “crazy” stories were just my normal life up till now
• Hugs with certain people are more intense
• The goodbyes and hellos haven’t ended, but I accept them now as a beautiful part of the fabric of my life

The biggest reverse culture shock has been with driving. Since I’ve been back to the States several times in the last 4 years, most stuff is just the “other normal.” But I hadn’t been back since owning a car in Germany, so now all the road signs and wide roads with slow speed limits are throwing me off.

Right now, I’m enjoying the fact that I can actually settle in instead of living out a suitcase, feeling like a nomad. All my stuff is in one country, in one house. That feels good.

or… How Gustav Met his Demise.

If you’d like to trace the history of Gustav and his presence at BFA, here’s a synopsis (skip past the italics to get right to the good stuff):

When I arrived at BFA, I found this odd statue-man with a pretzel on his cap sitting outside the dumpster; I rescued him and put him outside my office. I found out later that some middle school students had won him in a game of bigger or better, but over the summer the school didn’t know what to do with the monstrosity so they decided to throw him away. After putting him outside my office, I decided to give him a name, so I put signs on him. Students made suggestions, then voted from a list. The name Gustav ze Brezel Boy won.

Gustav was very involved during his first year. I started using him for signage, and students started using his goblet as a coin holder. Gustav really got into the Christmas spirit that first year, gradually accumulating more as the season progressed.  The orchestra even had a spirit day with matching hats. He advertised the Christmas Concert, though I think Marit’s posters this year have been much more effective.

Gustav’s second year was just plain weird. He gained a straw hat and ate a grasshopper.  Gustav lightened up in his third year, celebrating my birthday. Some began to question his cleanliness. I defended him, feeling somewhat sorry for him. In the fourth year, he celebrated Emily’s birthday. This did not help his stance with the nurse’s office.

He has been a stable presence outside my office for 4 years now. Most are creeped out when they see his leering grin, but others have grown attached to him. When asked what I would do with him, I really did not know. Then Kristi had a suggestion that I really liked. I’ll let the pictures tell the story, but let me first say: If you have to leave something behind, destroying it in an epic way can be a way of making the most of what could otherwise be sad. Disclaimer: I wouldn’t recommend doing this with living things. Second disclaimer: These images are not for the faint of heart. 

Goodbye, Gustav! You made a great campfire! You were creepy in life and in death!

A while ago, my brother David sent me a package with specific opening instructions. When I finally had the box open, I found a little battle scene composed of cowboys & indians, policemen, and firemen. There was also a strange head made of an old, dried coconut; it contained a few more of the small figurines. The coconut was eventually named Marco, but that is irrelevant to this particular story.

On Monday, I was cleaning out my office when I found my plastic bag full of the little figurines. I had forgotten all about them. I couldn’t just throw away, but it wasn’t worth packing them. What to do? Prank someone else!

I went down to the faculty room and eventually created a battle scene on the table with the help of a few students and the history teacher, Elizabeth.  We came up with some pretty creative situations for our little warriors.

I suggested that the kids take the toys home to prank someone else, but they couldn’t think of a good idea at the time. Then Elizabeth got excited and said, “I’ll take them! I can use them for history class!” She’s going to create battle scenes as they learn about real battles from history! I hope it works! I’m glad the little guys have found a home.