I've been up to quite a bit- a trip to Ireland, a couple days up north around Paderborn to see my dear Peter and Traudel again, and all of the small prep things that come with a big move. In my head, I was picturing my final weekend here being a big vacation, time to meander about and think and soak up the German-ness of it all, all the time in the world for friends, and so on. It is never like that though. But it's still good.
Ireland was a bit of a shock. I felt like since I was traveling, I shouldn't have been able to read or aptly communicate, and my first day around Ireland I was relatively shy and completely bewildered by the cheeriness of the customer service everywhere. I mean, I paid for a coffee and the transaction went something like this:
"2,50 dear"
i give her exactly 2,50
"brilliant! thank you, enjoy!"
I mean, what the hell is that?! I am more accustomed to feeling like I'm in the way and in the wrong when I pay. But all of a sudden in Ireland I'm brilliant?! Pssaahhhhh howdoievendealwiththat?! And then I remembered, oh yeah, this happens and it's pleasant. How lovely.
People keep asking me if it is bittersweet to be leaving. It's not really. What makes a place isn't all the beer, chocolate, landscapes... it's the people. And though I'll miss all of the other goodies one finds in Germany, the only thing that makes this move bittersweet are the people I've come to know and love this year.
Marius, Anja, Micha, Nadja, Bettina, Janine, Ginny, Shane, Braulio, Carola, Peter and Traudel... you all in different ways made my year in Germany an absolute success, and it's been a privilege to know you this year. Truly.
But that's why we have technology. No one is really ever that far away.
Oh gosh, I have to go de-register myself from Mainz before the Bürgeramt closes in an hour! Crap! That's all for now. What a random post.
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