It is amazing how time seems to fly by when we’re having fun.
My time in Germany is almost over, I’ve made many friends, more than I’ve could ever have imagined.
After some false steps and slow beginnings, the people from the Symphonieorchester Lubbecke started to relax in my presence, and in the end, prepared a farewell party to me that was so nice and cute that it brought tears to my eyes.
It’s hard to imagine we’ve shared music and concerts only during a year, such little ime, but I got to really know each one of them. Difficult probes, naipe problems, silent signals exchanged over our notenstanders.
Each had their own characteristics. A bass player was always trying to speak Spanish with me. There was another who always complimented me on my clothes, regardless of how crazy and shabby I was.
Curiosity about my country and me was quite transparent in the questions posed to me. Dinner in the Griechesrestaurant. The girls in th Blasergruppe. The voice of experience in the first violin Rosa.
Hans Klein was always with a smile and a greeting to my host family.
My liebeling Friedmann who suffered my company in the Bratschestand.
And the last, but not less important, Herr Gisbert Muller, who not only gave me rides to our probes but was like a father, grandfather and Santa claus figure all roled into one neat package. He was a teacher, a mentor, and a endless fountain of knowledge und Deutschkentnisse.
He and his lovely wife not only showed me what really is Deutschland, but took me into their family and granted me a singular view of a very different land and costumes.
Herr Hans Hermann Gruber also welcomed me with a gentle smile and a calm acceptance for my (often loud) mistakes.
I’ve come to realize is that what makes a good orchestra is the spirit and handling of der Herr Dirigent, and our Symphonieorchester Lubbecke is a good example of good music resulting of hard work.
Thanks for everything. You guys truly made my year here in Germany worthwhile.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Germany cried when I left.
Except for the Nordsee storms we saw last winter all over Norddeutschland, the storm that greeted my train on the way to Magburg (lohn) was without precedents. That’s probably where the Deutsch saying comes: Donner wetter.
Blitz Donner gewittered and water. Lots of water. My last days in Rahden were slowly dripping away, accompanied by nervous bellyaches sleepless nights.
I was ready to go up some walls and dance a Macarena in the ceiling. Two days cleaning my bathroom and mein Zimmer will leave a mark on anyone’s psque.
I had to erase all traces of my existence from this place.
I’ve called my mom a couple of times, the last was only 40 minutes before I’ve left home. Which, in the end, wasn’t my home at all.
I’ve collected my money in the bank and walked slowly by the streets which were a kind of sanctuary for a whole year. But it’s over now.
I gave away a couple of my things to Frau Lippe (Housekeeper). The soccer T-shirts, one went to Frau Lippe’s son and one (surprise, surprise) Sophia kept for herself.
I can’t sleep. I barely eat. Whenever I eat, food feels like lead in my stomach.
I took the books back to the library in Espelkamp. One more place to say goodbye.
I’ve said goodbye to Miranda Hughes after staying at her house for Thursday and Friday. Saturday I went to Bielefeld for my test. I remember it was the first day that the thermometer registered 22 C at 7:30 am in my whole stay in Germany. The sky was blue, and so was the color of my dress.
After days, weeks ,even months suffering near freezing temperatures, and finally we had a bright sunny day like the ones I was going to see again soon back home.
I took the test, and one of the girls who also took the test brought champagne. We shared sips with the Polish girls, Iolanda included – she studied with me in the Preparatory Course.
We exchanged emails and made false promises of keeping in touch.
After several days I was able to speak with Herr Muller on Wednesday. He was in Holidays in Winterberg in Saarland. Christa went ahead to attend a conference in Frankfurt, and took both my suitcases early Mittwoch.
It is amazing the amount of junk you can gather in one single year. And how do you fold and pack a year of your existence in only two suitcases?
The dreams, deceptions, gifts received and prepared to others. Memories which are indescribable in words. Maybe the only effective way is the old technique taught by my aunt Neide: throw everything inside, sit onto the suitcase and pray for the zipper to close.
I wrote a letter to Christa and I will give it to hear with a card. I hope she understand and forgives my failings.
Freitag: after only three hours of barely slept through nights and a very bad case of nervous diarrhea very early in the morning, I’ve finally felt I was going to have a good day.
I closed my account in der Deutschkasse. Dried the floor in my bathroom. Said goodbye to Frau Lepp. My first friend ever in Germany came over with her mom and we chatted a little.
The kids left with Christoph to go to Projekttag and said only “Tchuss”.
And that was it.
With these words my year in Germany was over. No tears or overly emotional goodbyes.
“Ah, you’re going? Uh? Nice, did you see my jacket?”
I went to the backdoor neighbour, a lovely elderly lady to say my goodbyes and she was much warmer. I even got gifts, some sweets for my journey.
She was astonished as, when I first got there, I knew no single word in German. Now we could talk and both could understand each other.
I also said goodbye to Bella. The Dog. She will probably miss me more than the rest.
Guess what I will miss: Early in the morning, I h ad to walk the dog and we went to a field in the back of the city. I remember clearly the smell of fresh worked soil.
Herr und Frau Müller came bye to collect me, and the only one there to say goodbye to me was the neighbour.
Go figure it out.
Frau Müller said that the couple from Minden that I´ve met in the Ball asked about me and wished me a good trip. They saw me once for a couple of hours and still remembered to say Goodbye.
You gotta love to be so highly regarded.
And here I am now, in the ICE to Bensheim. In half an hour I will be back to where it all started, sleeping in the office of Christa´s friend, between Books and Computers. A year is past, and I´ve changed a lot. I do not know what the future may hold, but I hope that many adventures are yet to come.
I look throught the windon and I´m surprised to realise that I´m going to miss this place. Everyone was a little bit special.
But none more than a lovely couple who dances the night away for decades, whose image of dancing foxtrot and valse in a beautiful blue dress will always be in my mind.
I just hope to find someone who wishes to dance with me ... for the next 40 years like they found each other.
