Hello Friends,
Well, here it is folks: the last blog post. In my classic style, it’s pretty much the last possible minute (six weeks and three days after my arrival back to North America, and one day before I move to Vancouver and begin University) - but I salute and thank all of you who have valiantly continue to read. Although I am tempted to start writing about all my adventures since I got home, I will stick to a brief accounting of my last few weeks in Germany. Of course, my last bit of time in Germany was very bittersweet. It was hard coming in the first place and knowing that I was saying goodbye to my friends at home for a year, and certainly difficult on the way back, saying goodbye to all of my new friends for possibly the last time. It was also an exciting time though; I got a last bit of travelling in, and the last week of school was relaxed and fun in class as well as full of anticipation leading up to Friday - not only the last day of school, but also the arrival day of my “exchange sister” Emma. Because I had said that I wanted to see Aachen once more if possible (I had missed out on the Cathedral and some other sights when there for the Christmas Market), Manfred and Signe decided to take a weekend afternoon to see it. After a Rotary convention (at which I and an exchange friend from Mexico presented a speech that we had written to thank Rotary) and a good-bye party for my best exchange friend, I joined my host family once again for a trip down to the beautiful, vibrant University city and throne of power of the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. It was wild to see the town centre in the light of day, without the throngs of people and rows of market stalls. We took a city tour led by a student, who pointed out many interesting aspects of the city, including several wells and fountains with very creative sculptures (such as one with a collection of large metal puppets with moveable limbs and heads) and a hot spring that was much prized by Charlemagne for its supposed healing properties. To finish off, we finally gained entrance to the Cathedral, which was absolutely splendid. It was very different then any church I had visited in Europe, and I could easily have spent all day there. On the way back, Justus insisted in going into the Town Hall, or the “big house” as he called it. It’s sure neat to see the little ones taking an interest! The second last week of school, after having wrapped up the last exams, the french class went on the long-awaited field trip to Paris. What a crazy day! In order to make the trip affordable and simple, the school opted for a day-trip, skipping out on the need for a hotel. We met at the school at eleven at night, and headed off to Paris in a (thankfully quite comfortable) bus. It took until six in the morning to reach our destination, stopping once for a break in Belgium - where many of my female classmates changed into chic Paris-ready outfits, leaving me feeling a little bewildered and scruffy in my travel clothes. Upon arrival, we headed out into the city for a walking tour lead by our teachers; along the Seine, past the Eiffel tower, to the Notre Dame cathedral, and to the Louvre (where we stood in line and had forty minutes allotted to roam, which seemed insane (forty minutes in the Louvre????) but allowed me to appreciate two breathtaking Michelangelo sculptures and to practice my french a few times (with the Louvre staff, a rare type of Parisian happy to patiently wait for my bumbling french, and to answer in the same language) by pretending to be lost). By this time, the sun was high overhead and the sky a sharp blue, and emerging from the museum we were instantly sweltering. The next activity on the agenda was a boat tour, which brought us back along the Seine (the tour guide surely pointed out lots of points of interest, but I drowsed off almost instantly in the heat and awoke with difficulty close to the end). Then, we hiked up to the top of a lookout above the city, from which we could take charming pictures of the Eiffel tower and fend off hawkers waving the Eiffel tower shaped keychains sold by the hundreds at every street corner in Paris. From there, we took the metro down to the Arc de Triumph and were let loose in groups to wander the city, find lunch, and see what else we could get up to for the next five hours. My group of girls was fun to explore with - we found the most French looking café to dine at, did a bit of shopping on the Champs Elysées, strolled through some beautiful parks, and got ice cream three separate times. At eight o’clock, we met back up at the bus and headed off again, exhausted but relieved to be sitting down again. We arrived at three in the morning on Saturday, and I crawled into bed, not sleeping in as late as I had expected, since I had slept the whole drive, albeit with an awkwardly bent neck. That evening was the annual Straßenfest, which was fitting as I had attended the previous summer’s soon after my arrival, still jet-lagged. It was very nice and I was able to both chat with the adults and run around with the younger crowd, but I did retire relatively early. That Sunday was our last family trip - Manfred had found a neat play in an open-air theatre in a town above Düsseldorf, which was tiny and quaint, with beautiful old brick houses and shops and some lovely ice-cream parlours (yumm…). The play was Cinderella, and many of the actors were local children. All the costumes were home-made, and the atmosphere was lovely. I especially enjoyed it because it was quite fitting with the family tradition of watching the old “Sunday Fairytales” that ran on the Kika channel. Heading into my last week of school, I was determined to enjoy the little time remaining as a German high-school student. The Abitur (Graduation) class made the most of their last few days in the school by decorating according to their Abi theme (Abi-os Amigos), pulling pranks, and dressing up in different themed costumes every day. It was neat to watch their enthusiasm, and one day we were treated to a “fun day” run by the Abi students. The teachers were quite good sports when called up to participate in competitions, and the cardboard wall blocking off the “Mexican border” at the front of the school was met with great approval. I had two sleepovers with friends that week, as I was trying frantically to fit in enough time with everyone before I left. Because it was Marta’s last week home before she left to go camping, I also took her and a friend out to a Korean lunch in Düsseldorf, and we stuffed ourselves with delicious and exotic foods and explored the city a little before heading home. On Friday, after half day of school I finally met Emma, who had arrived while we were gone. It was wonderful to be part of welcoming her home, and it was such a treat to get to know her over the next few days. Saturday, I held a “goodbye Sylvia / welcome home Emma” party for my friends (mostly from school, as my exchange friends had almost all already gone home or were on holiday). We ate grilled meat, poutine and coleslaw with Newfoundland Molasses cake for dessert - my version of an authentic Canadian meal. Then, we played games and chatted until the wee hours. I received lots of presents and felt so blessed to have made so many good friends, who not only enjoyed hanging out with me but were also sad to see me go. On Sunday, we dropped Marta off so she could take the bus with the other campers - a funny thing, to say goodbye to her in this way, waving her off on her journey instead of the other way around. The next few days included many more visits with friends, a presentation to the Rotary club about my time in Germany, a fun birthday party of one of my closest school friends, and packing. My last evening was spent staying up late with Manfred, Signe, Emma, and friends, looking at a slideshow of pictures from my year that Manfred had put together, and opening gifts, which were extremely thoughtful - including a beautiful bag sewn for me by Signe and books and games about Germany. I didn’t sleep that night, and at six the next morning we were off, heading to Düsseldorf to catch the plane. Another round of bitter-sweet goodbyes, and I was gone. I thought I would cry on the way home, but I felt like I was in an emotional vacuum, feeling simply numb. In the Amsterdam airport I chatted with a young girl who was curious about my Rotary blazer and wanted to know about exchange, which was neat. I was proud to rave to her about my year, and she sounded quite inspired by the concept of an exchange. Then, upon boarding the next flight, I suddenly became restless. I was flooded with the realization that I had left my parents for 11 whole months - how could I have done that?? I needed to see them right then and there! Needless to say, I was very agitated and impatient all the way home - thank goodness for in-flight movies. On arrival and after finally having made it across the insanity of the Seattle airport to where my parents were, I flung myself into their arms. It didn’t matter that I was still in the US, not yet having stepped foot on my native country - I was home. Since arriving in North America, I have been talking constantly about Germany. I loved being there, and to my delight I have also loved being home, and am looking forward to going to University. Life certainly continues after exchange, and although I will always cherish the memories of my year in Germany, moving on feels good and right. So thank you all once again for travelling vicariously with me through this blog. I hope that you enjoyed the journey as much as I did. Auf wiedersehen! Sylvia
0 Comments
|