This is what I call “The Team” in Berlin.  We are three Americans who have been here a range of 10 years (Mary, the one on the far left) to 2 years almost (me on the right).  Chelsea is in the middle.  Mary will get her own blog post in the near future and how we met is through contacts and experiences and location but Chelsea and I met through Mary.

Chelsea and I had heard about each other for a number of months before actually meeting. We had both been told that we would find the other one hilarious.  Mary was the one who told us both.  We met because Mary and Chelsea were talking about how they miss mac and cheese and decided to have a lesbian mac and cheese night and mostly invite Americans because yeah…mac and cheese.  Chelsea and her girlfriend Anna hosted us for the first, “Lez have dinner” meet up where Ana and I met a whole crew of amazing lesbian women about our age living in Berlin, all from different places….US, Serbia, England, Turkey…we’ve added others off and on and we met each month for a little while but the three of us have kept a tight friendship.  We have a text group called, “Team Meeting” and have team meetings which means we gather for hours one day, just the three of us, and check in and talk about deep things…no time limit.

Chelsea was a student when I met her but has graduated and has gotten a job in education here in Berlin, just where she wants to be. She is originally from Buffalo, New York but visits her mom in Florida when she goes “home.”  Chels plays soccer and has founded a company with her partner called Wax Wraps.  They may reusable cloth wraps enrobed in beeswax and they are amazing creations.  Lately, Chelsea has been making face masks and delivering them to her people while donating the money that people give her to Leave No One Behind (https://leavenoonebehind2020.org/).

Chelsea is a kind and generous person who thinks about her people and is so loyal. She has worked hard to be self aware and also to be the best person she can be here in Berlin. She is tied to her family, chosen and bio.  She shows up for her people.  Lately if she is on her bike and anywhere close to our place she makes it out of her way to stop by under our balcony to say hey from a distance.  It means so much to me that she would include her friends on her route.

She is one of the people that understands my homesickness and is willing to hear about it and not just write it off or tell me it will be ok. She is one of the first to say…”I get that and it will be better tomorrow.  We are here.”  I couldn’t imagine being ok in Berlin without the Team and Chels is essential in that. 🙂