Goodbyes Are Never Easy

“Schreiben ist küssen mit dem kopf.”- Gut Gegen Nordwind

If I were to write a list of the things I will miss about Germany, I think I would title it, “The Never-ending List.” The people, the scenery, the way Germans spread a minimum of 2 centimeters of butter (or Nutella, or cheese…) on every piece of bread before eating it… I’ll even miss the things I don’t like about Germany, like how seemingly nobody has tried burritos before, or how Germans seem to drive faster than the speed of light. Germany has become home, and watching my exchange student friends go home one by one… reading on Facebook that they’re home safe, and thinking they’re no longer a train ride away, has been one of the hardest parts of exchange. When I left California, I had no idea who or what was waiting for me in Germany and I knew I would return to California’s presence in a year so it was ‘no biggie’ to leave, I was ready to experience the world. But I don’t know if I’m ready to remembrance California again. But that’s too bad for me because I don’t have choice.

Saturday was the district conference in Göttingen so all the exchange students still in Germany went down to the south of Lower Saxony where we all got together one last time as group. We sung two German songs at the conference for the Rotarians, gave speeches about our exchanges, and had one last night together. It’s weird to think how crazy we all are… but it’s a bond we have. We all individually decided to take a year away from ‘our’ lives and go to a country we’ve never been to, with people we’ve never met, and a language we didn’t speak, but it was still the best decision of all of our lives.

Sunday night I went out with my Rotary Club President (dankeschoen!!) and his lovely wife to dinner and to see the hilarious well-written play “Gut Gegen Nordwind” (“Love Virtually” in English). After seeing the play, I read the reviews about the English version, but I’m really curious as to how they could have been so outstanding because the play was based basically on German wordplays. If nothing else, it will be something to read when I get back.

This week was actually rather exciting, Tuesday was the ‘Sportfest’ at school (where of course my camera was acting up so I didn’t get any pictures out of it), and I got ice cream with an old friend on Wedneday and went rock climbing. Of course there are more details from these events, however; I should be getting back to packing my suitcase. I move to my fourth and final (surprise!) host-family on Sunday (no worries, I’m still on great terms with my 3rd family!), but before I do, I simply have to add, GERMANY IS UNDEFEATED IN THE EUROPEAN SOCCER CUP SO FAR AND PLAYS TONIGHT AGAINST GREECE! If the caps there don’t show it enough, I am beyond excited… not to mention I love how patriotic everyone in Germany has become since the start of the tournament!

“Writing is kissing with the mind.”- Love Virtually

Deutschland

It's odd living in a country where 1) pubic transportation actually works and 2) scarves are not JUST a fashion statement.

As of yesterday I have been here 4 weeks and tomorrow marks the day that exactly one month ago I left for Germany.

Today was one of three days I will spend in Rintlen at the Model United Nations Conference. Though students have been preparing for this for weeks, I found out on Tuesday and was invited to join the elite group of students because the conference takes place in English, just as the United Nations would. Today, after several hours of debate, China, India and Russia joined forces against Pakistan (my country) and Afghanistan to start the third World War. I really hope nobody in this group ever becomes a politician because despite all the fun we have had, everyone has horrible negotiating skills.

The past weekend all the exchange students got together for a fun weekend of swimming, ropes courses, dancing, eating, singing, and just getting to know each other. It's crazy how much Spanish I still speak despite having not used the language recently.

I'm finally getting all my classes sorted in school, though I still frequently get lost. It does not help that I have never been to an indoor school before. And here in Germany, it frequently rains harder than the water comes out of the shower.

I am also beginning to officially settle in with my own group of friends despite the language barrier. (Today, a friend of mine was trying to ask how I was getting home so he said "Angie, how are you getting fetched?" When I looked at him funny, he said "I mean.. how are you getting hooked up.. are you.. no no, are we hooking up?" It took me a moment to explain why what he said was so funny because I was laughing to hard.)

Overall, everything is fantastic though. :)