So here I am, sitting at Susanne and Uwe Deuke's dining room table at 10:43pm. Tomorrow morning at 4:30am, Susanne and I are getting up to head to the airport. And then my 13 month adventure will be over.
No more dinners with Verena and Steffi, no more student prayer group, no more bar nights, no more walking around Salzburg, no more visiting Christine and Ingo, no more visits to Munich & to Uwe and Susanne, no more taking the train. There will be no more Milka Mousse Schokolade, no more Fußgängerzonen, no more gelato, no more Mezzo Mix, no Tempo Taschentücher, or Til Schweiger Plakate. I will no longer hear "Anschluss in Richtung: Kommunalfriedhof. Birkensiedlung. Parsch. Hellbrunn. Sankt Leonhard. I won't be welcomed by Deutsche Bahn or Öbb to Freisslang or Rrrrrrosenheim.That's it. That's all she wrote.
But the memories I have from this year are going to stay with me for the rest of my life. During my time here I visited all of my host families several times, traveled to 8 countries on two continents, and learned how to understand Austrian dialect. I dealt with difficult classes, loneliness, and sickness. But I also had the most amazing time of my life.
And there are amazing people I have to thank for that:
Steffi Jobst: you welcomed me into the prayer group and invited me to have lunch and coffee with your group right away. You don't know how happy and welcome that made me feel. You are such a wonderful person and I look forward to staying in touch and coming to visit you very soon. And Franz: You made me feel so welcome, too :) You and Steffi make the perfect couple.
Verena: You and I got close pretty fast. You are just such a sweetheart. We have so much in common and I feel like I can share my deepest emotions with you. I will miss you dearly.
Tobi: You were my first University friend. I'm so glad I went on the trip to Vienna and met you. You were so kind and helpful. It's through you that I met Verena.
Tina & Astrid: My future BG girls: I am so glad we were able to meet this year. You girls are so much fun to be around. Thanks to both of you for hosting me for a few nights. I look forward to seeing you in Bowling Green!
Kerstin: Thank you for picking me up at the train station in Salzburg, for coming to visit me often, for allowing me to come with you to visit your family in Abu Dhabi, and for being an all-around good friend. I am so glad we met in Canada three years ago. It was definitely fate. I am sure we will keep in touch and get together again soon :)
Christine: How many times have you picked me up from airports and train stations? How many times have you and Ingo allowed me to stay at your house or partake in some family event? You are so genuine, so kind, and the life of the party. I hope that there will be many movie nights together in our future. Not to mention skype dates. I need a good "Christine laugh" once in a while.
Susanne: You won't ever read this, but I will say it anyway. Thank you for acting as a host family this year. I so appreciated being able to turn to you and your family when I needed a place to stay or a kind word. Before getting to know you better I thought you were such a "typical German." But you don't fit all of my stereotypes anymore...
Frauke: I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for me. For taking me to Germany 2x, for letting me stay with you at Christmas ;-)
and last, but not least:
Angi: Thank you for picking me up in Tübingen, for being so kind and helping me through those first difficult days. I had a full year ahead of me and I was scared, but you let me deal with my anxiety and I did pull through. You are such a fun person to be with, and I look forward to seeing you again next summer.
Love, Molly
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