Hello All,
My journey started this past Thursday, when I was dropped off at the airport. The 3 hours I had to wait to fly to Philly were pure torture. I just wanted to get to Germany already! When I did get on that plane to Philly, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw how small the plane was. However, I took a deep breath, sucked it up, and...surprise. It wasn't all that bad.
Upon arriving in Philly, a woman wearing a Harley Davidson tshirt began to talk to me. I'd judged her before she even opened her mouth, but she was actually really nice. I learned that she was traveling to Italy to visit some relatives. She is American but her father is Italian and her mother is German. Interesting who you meet on your way somewhere...
While sitting in the waiting area at the aiport in Philly, I met a German couple with a cute little girl named Ana. The mother's name was Anke. Very weird, since I am close friends with a family that has a mother and child that have the same names. When I got on the plane I was supposed to be sitting next to a large man, but,as luck would have it, there was a whole row free somewhere! It was right behind the German couple with the cute little girl. So, I sat behind them, played with the girl for a while, then tried to sleep. I was laying down, across all 4 seats, and I still couldn't sleep. Talk about the princess and the pea!
When I arrived in Munich, Christine was there to greet me with a big hug, and a brezel. We also stopped off for some starbucks. I wanted iced something...wait what? Not in Germany. I had hot tea instead. We headed to her house and watched Sturm der Liebe, one of those ridiculous soap operas. Was amusing... then we picked up the boys from Kindergarten. I was so excited to see them. From there we headed to Allgaeu, a vacation from my vacation, so to speak. We stayed at a bed and breakfast there. The owners are farmers, so there were cows, chickens, bunnies, etc. It was very cool to see. The beds were comfortable, the view of the mountains was beautiful, and I fell in love with it from the start. It honestly looked unreal.
Today I accompanied the family while they went skiing. I don't ski---shocker---so I stayed at the bottom of the mountain and read and listened to music. Oh did I mention that when I tried to climb up a mini hill I fell on my ass 3 times? Talk about embarrassing. I didn't look anyone in the eye after that. Not that you should do that in Germany anyway---I think it's a sign that somebody wants something from you.
On the way back from Allgaeu we visited Christine's grandma, as there was a birthday party going on for her little cousin there. It was interesting to see more of the German family dynamics. I'm surprised to note that families are nearly the same everywhere. I mean, they all have their cultural differences...ie: German birthday parties involve cake and coffee at about 3---but the kidding around, the laughing, the hugs, the sharing of pictures...is basically universal.
And still, during all of thise, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do this coming year. I think I already know the answer: I have to study in Germany. Not Austria, but Germany. The country that I've fallen in love with.
Back in Augsburg. Time to do some unpacking.
Best, Molly
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