After 27 hours or so I safely arrived in Springfield, Missouri and was picked up by 3 generations of my family over here. My luggage didnt make it though…
Waking up on Sunday was just great, the countryside is beautiful here, everything is green, trees, grass (!), fields and the houses are mostly very beautifully made out of wood, stone, hidden between the trees, no fences and gates around so everything looks laaarge and endless. It is a very peaceful surrounding and a wonderful place to live, if you have a family or lots of outdoor interests. Reminds me a lot of Bucks County in Pennsylvania along the Delaware (?) river, near New York City. Houses and cars are left open here at any time, even when leaving for the day. I am here at the right time of the year, later on it will be too hot and no more nice and green. Altough I seem to be the only one liking the wonderful temperature they have here. Everyone puts on the a/c, but thats as American as ice in every even cold drink.
Voluntarily I went to Sunday church, after I was told that is different to all other churches. It was! They leave out all the old and ancient religious parts and worship god in a present way. A band with organ and guitar was playing, we were singing and clapping and shaking our buds to the rhythms, the text was thrown upon the wall through an overhead projector. Most of the people were families with young kids. Later on, after the singing and the Mothers Day prayers, there were four moms on stage, answering questions and telling very intimate stories about problems they have or had with their kids. Everyone in this church seems to know each other very well and they have obviously no problems in making their problems public. While the adults where discussing the problems, the kids went out for a separate program. Lots of times they do that at McDonalds!!! If thats what it needs to sit down and hear and learn about god, thats worth it.
After that we went to see a graduation. It was like seen on television before, only, with these oldfashioned hats and dresses, 270 students got their bachelor degrees and certificates. In the afternoon and evening we went to be with the family, sitting outside in the garden most of the time, me enjoying SUMMER temperature.
Monday-shopping day. I wanted to go to the big shopping outlet malls. Instead we went into Wal-Mart. And stayed. And shopped. For 2,5 hours! Got wonderful hiking boots for only 19 USD and lots of things I really wanted, all cheap. No comparison with our Hamburg Wal-Mart, specially service-wise. That cut down the outlet-time, since the kids had to be picked up from school. So much for my shopping here, which is good.
Somehow didnt have much time until leaving home again for K’s school choir concert. Went with the whole family, including the Polish grandparents and the German grandmother.
Afterwards all of us went out for dinner at one of the several different fast-food restaurants (nice ones).
Day over, in bed again after midnight. By the way: no time to think about or cure any jetlag…
Tuesday, spelunking day!!!
One of the main events I came here for. Got up at 5.30, were on the road and ready with 10 alltogether in front of the cave after driving over to the next state, Arkansas, hiking through the forest, at 9am. Came out of the Fitten cave at 2pm. I hope the photos will turn out because what I have experienced there is hard to describe in (english) words, for me. There are about 5.500 caves in Missouri, about 2.000 in Arkansas, those are bigger. Some are state owned, some privately. Ours was state owned and only one group a day would get a permit. The wet entrance we were getting out of at the end, was only open May 15 to August 15. So we were the first ones to get in this year. Derek is a very experienced caver and has been in this cave about 15 times already. The others had all been caving before as well. Well, as I wrote, I can hardly describe it, and none of you will have done this, for sure. At some points at the beginning, I felt I wont or cannot do it, like letting me fall down 5m. It reminded me a lot of glaciers, only that we were with someone, who knew the way out. Clothes were not to be worn again, except for further caving (thats why I bought new and cheap boots, which perfectly did it). The whole trip, with helmet and light on it, gloves, was just awsome and totally exciting. I crawled on my kneepads, as well as totally flat on the ground due to low ceilings. Went along steep and deeep edges, over muddy ground, passing little bats. The final was phenomenal. The wet entrance, which we used as exit, was hiking through a washed out, curving stream with crystal clear pools, meaning to become totally wet up to the belly, in ice cold water (but the body was easily heated up again by doing the cavin workout). Made it out, including not forgetting the right numbers for the lock to open the door (locked, so that no people without permit would get in), we stayed in the forest for 2 more hours.
Being home, no rest. Telling the daystories and off we went again, this time for M’s concert in school, again, with the whole family, including the above. And again, with dinner at another great restaurant, which I dont know how to call, since fast-food has a bad touch and we sat down and had good food, but it was a bright restaurant on the street.
Upcoming events: Tomorrow we will go canoeing, Thursday with the first sunlight D. and I will go up on old Indian settlement plateaus around and search for ancient arrowheads. Later after the kids will be out of school we will all go up to Fort Osage. All means in an RV ( the Americans have short forms for everything. This is a Recreational Van), borrowed from neighbours. Fort Osage is a real fort, with some further wooden buildings around and large wonderful surroundings where there will be a flintknapping event, a knap-in. Making arrowheads, selling them, sell other stuff, campfire, hundreds of people, do the Huga Luga…. Will keep you posted.
Well, for 3 days I already got to see lots of new things in my life, thanks to this wonderful relative family. And for the upcoming 4 days there will be much more to come, still.
