Home Again

I never really did finish my blog, so I guess now is a good time. That last Friday I ended up going into the city to see off Jess and Christine. They were leaving from Frankfurt on Saturday morning. I met up with Jakob and Paul and we waited with them and Christine's host family before they left. We exchanged some tears and goodbyes. It was sad :-( After seeing them off we went to a Kiosk and bought some beers. We went to the park on the Rhine and drank the night away. It was freezing! When we all though we were going to freeze to death we walked to a restaurant and had some beer there. We were all feeling pretty good I must say! Then we decided to take the Bahn to Barbarossaplatz to get McDonald's but we ended up on the wrong one and went to Aachnerstrasse. We picked up a cab there and went back to Barbarossaplatz, and from there we decided to call it a night. I had to say goodbye to Paul there because he was leaving the next day too. That was really sad. I went home that night, and the next day I got stuff ready to leave and I watched some soccer with my family. My host dad made Gyros and Lauren came over to eat cuz her host mom sucked and left her that weekend. We hung out with my family and drank mulled wine. We had a great time. When Lauren left I went out with my host brother Timo, his girlfriend Mascha, and my host sister Yvonne. I realized that in all these months of blogging I never told you my host families names. My host dad was Udo, my host mom was Iris, and I had another host brother named Stefano too. So there you have it! That's their names! Anyways, I went out with the three of them, and we met up with Jakob. We went to a Koelsch bar in Heumarkt first. It was so cute! I wish I would have known about it sooner! After that we went to a cuba bar in Zulpicherplatz and hung out the rest of the night. After lots of beer and some tequila I was having a great night. Jakob had his first tequila ever! I said goodbye to him that night, which was sad also. I hate all these goodbyes. We had such a fun night. I really wish I could go back and savor this night with my host siblings...we really had a blast. I love them all so much! I was looking at the pictures today and just missing them all. Sunday I was really depressed. I just didn't want to leave. The reality had really set in. I went to the mall with Yvonne, but I just kept thinking about how it was all over. I really had a miserable Sunday. I spent the rest of the night packing. Monday I went into the city and did the rest of my Christmas shopping. I found the Harley store after much searching, and then went to the Christmas markets in Neumarkt and the Dom. I also walked through Altermarkt and Heumarkt, but the place was just packed with tourists. I went home that night and hung out with the family the rest of the time. We all watched movies and I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep so I stayed up and watched Enemy of the State in German with Timo until late. I really didn't get any sleep that night. Tuesday morning I mostly spent crying. I was so depressed. I was sort of excited to come home and see everyone but mostly I was just depressed. I sobbed when Yvonne went to work. I sobbed when Stefano went to school. I sobbed when I pet the dogs. I sobbed when I had to say goodbye to Timo. I sobbed when I had to say goodbye to Iris. I sobbed when Udo dropped me off at the bahn. I just cried a lot. I really couldn't stop. The people on the bahn must have thought I was crazy because I had these big orange suitcases and I was just crying like a crazy person. When I was waiting for the train, a lady came up to me and asked me in German if I could help her friend find a luggage trolley at the airport, she was from Sri Lanka and only spoke English. Luckily for her I am American and speak English quite well. I helped her friend get her luggage on the train. It turns out her name was Sister Helen and she was a Sri Lankan nun on her way home from a year long mission in Germany and the UK. I helped her find a trolley when we got to Frankfurt and together we tried to find the check in counters in the Frankfurt airport. We got lost twice and took an elevator to baggage claim by accident. Eventually we found our way and she blessed me :-) She was so sweet. I finally made it to my gate, and boarded the flight. The flight was long and miserable. Relatively smooth but almost 10 hours due to high winds. When I finally got to Philly my knees were killing me. I got my bags and immediately turned on the cell phone that hadn't seen service since August 19th. I proceeded to receive around 800 messages which I deleted without even reading. It wasn't worth it. The guy in Customs turned out to be a Pittsburgher and he waved me right on through after a couple of cracks about how Philly is the shitty side of PA. The next flight went really smoothly, and I made it home in time to find my mom, dad, and bobby waiting for me. I was really excited to see them and I couldn't help but go pulling out presents in the airport. When I got home, I was eating pierogies within 15 minutes, and drinking German beer. I tried on my Dirndl for Kathi, and since I got home 2 weeks ago I don't think I've shut up once about my trip to Germany. I'm lucky to live in an age where I can talk to people and see their faces on my computer. I was able to see my host sister and host mom the day before Christmas Eve on skype, and Yvonne even brought the dogs in to see me. I've talked to Stefano and Mascha in facebook and Timo in e-mail. I really loved my family and I really hope we can stay in touch. I don't plan on staying away from Cologne for too long though. As soon as I can find a job there, I'm out! I really miss the city. Over the course of 4 months I felt something there that I've only ever felt in Pittsburgh. Cologne is definitely a place that I can consider home. The people there and the vibe, it's unreal. It's just like here. They have their songs and their sports and they're so damn proud. It's really something I can relate to. And I loved speaking German everyday. I love German so much - transferring to W&J and continuing with it was the best decision I ever made. After 3 years of not taking it, I figured that I'd never speak it again. I'm so glad that's not the case...I enjoy it so much. Truly, learning this language has given me the opportunity to enjoy the best 4 months of my life. How many 22 year olds have had the experiences I have? I'm so lucky! Oktoberfest, the Berlin Wall anniversary, Greece, Japan, 11/11, NFL in London, Thermal baths in Budapest, seeing Paris...these are the coolest things I've ever done. Hell, just one of those things is usually cooler than what most people have done in their entire lives! I just feel so lucky to have been able to experience those things. I know that I was given a great opportunity and I used it to my advantage. I took away much more than I thought I could. My original plan was to see Oktoberfest, Amsterdam, and Paris. My original plan was to pick 3 things that I had to do, because doing more was unrealistic. Instead I got to go to Oktoberfest, Amsterdam, Berlin twice, Paris, London, Athens, Mykonos, Vienna, and Budapest. That's CRAZZZZY! Not to mention starting my trip in Prague! Unbelievable. All the while I made 14 new American friends, got to know my amazing host family, and made friends with other Germans as well. It was fantastic. What a crazy new outlook I have on life. 4 months later and I'm surely a new person. I've grown up, absolutely, but I've also learned the good and bad in my own country and in others. I've learned to live independently, without relying on my boyfriend to bring me diet pepsi's and happy meals while I wait on rich jewelry customers. I lived without my family for the first time in my life. 4 months surrounded by a country and people who I didn't know. I feel pretty badass I must say. And I'd do it again Spring Semester if I had the money! Now I just have to work on readjusting to life back home...it's definitely been an adjustment. It seems like everything is different at work. I'm driving all over the place again and not walking anywhere. I'm getting used to having a boyfriend again and hanging out with him all the time. It's not easy. It's still a process. I miss my life overseas though. I really want to make it happen again soon.