Goodbyes are the worst thing ever. And that made Tuesday one of the worst days ever.
I woke up and felt awful because my stomach felt awful, because I knew I was leaving (and I was tired, since I only got 5.5 hours of sleep). I ate an Amerikaner (sugar cookie), but couldn't even eat a whole Bretzel for breakfast because I just didn't have an appetite. Elli didn't either, and even Lukas barely ate anything, which is very unusual for him! I managed to fit all of my stuff into something to take it all back to America.
We left for school, but first Julia said goodbye to me and then her dad, and I almost cried, but I managed to keep myself steady. Then, as we drove away from their house, the scenery (so lovely!) that I'd seen so many times passed by out my window and again almost made me tear up because I probably will never see it again.
At school we dropped off my luggage with the others in the one room off of the lobby and basically all of the Germans and Americans gathered in a random piece of hallway and more and more people joined as they arrived. Other students passed by laughing and joking as we all stood in almost silence, except for a few who were talking more. An American guy was one of the first to actually cry, but he then composed himself again. All of our hosts didn't want to go to class so they asked their teachers if they could just stay with us, and thankfully they all said yes. So we went into the Aula (lobby) and sat down in a giant circle, not knowing really what to do with ourselves. Miss Hall gave us a little football thing from the night before so we tossed that around until we got tired of it. Then somehow we got let in to the sound system and we all danced to "Anton aus Tyroll" and then a few to Cotton-eye-Joe. We gained a bit of an audience while we were dancing.
Then...parents started arriving and Herr Galneder told us to get our luggage and go out to the bus to say our goodbyes. As we were getting my luggage, Elli stated to cry a little bit, which made me start to tear up...
Out by the bus it was a crying mess. My host mom came over and said goodbye and gave me a hug, and I started to cry, and Elli kept giving me hugs and crying, which made me cry more. She said to me, "I didn't know this would be so hard!" Everyone was going around hugging everyone and crying, so I got hugs from Nici, Julian, Lea, Jacque, Sebbie, Ollie, and Maxi...and of course, so many from Elli. Everyone was crying and it was a mess. Our hosts didn't want us to leave so some of them followed us onto the bus for more hugs and tears and Than came on and said, "Elli, what are you doing on here?" She said, "I want to go with you!" Herr Galneder got on the bus and said, "Germans off, Americans on!" Finally we had to leave, waving out the bus windows at our teary, red-eyed German hosts with tears still in our own eyes. I looked back and saw Eric's teared face, and Ethan's, and Jake's, and Kaylee's, and everyones'. It didn't help our mood to hear, through Whatsapp that the Germans love so much, that Julian and Maxi were so wrecked about everyone leaving that they couldn't even take their test, so they just accepted a 6 (their lowest grade; basically an F) on it and walked out.
We then started taking out our food, and we all realized we were eating the last sandwiches our host moms would ever make us - I'm pretty sure they were all lovingly savored. Then Miss Hall handed out pretzels that the host moms had gotten for us all...our last Bayrische Bretzeln! We got pretzels when we first went into their school, and pretzels when we left. There was quite a bit of sniffling for a while. I ate a Kinder Überraschung.
The rest of the ride I looked at the pictures on Jake's phone and him and I and Kenny talked about all of the stuff about Germany that we were going to miss and how we'd get home, see the landscape, and think that "this is what it looks like in Germany..." We'll miss red roofs, roundabouts, yield signs, the nicer cars, learning a new culture, etc. etc. etc.
We reached the airport and we got through security a lot more easily than in the US - we didn't even have to take off our shoes - and then sat for about two hours or maybe more. So Cassandra and I wrote in our journals, everyone chatted, etc. Flight #1 was 3 hours and 40 minutes. It wasn't too bad. Then through the strange Icelandic airport and onto flight #2 - homeward bound. The flight took forever, and as we landed in New Jersey we all looked out and were so disappointed. We missed the red roofs...and well...everything.
We were all grumpy and tired and getting onto the bus was an interesting time of very testy people. We stopped for food (it started raining...of course), ate it, filled out a paper for Miss Hall to send in to GAPP, and then we all fell asleep. Miss Hall had to wake us all up to tell us that we were almost at the school. We got out to all of our family members excitedly waiting for us, and all they got were dazed and out of it teenagers trying to find their luggage and go home and sleep.
But, when I arrived home with my mom, sister, and brother-in-law (my dad had to work), I gave out their presents and showed my souvenirs and talked until 1 am...which was when I'd be awake in the morning for school in Germany.
But then I slept in my own bed, which did feel good, but it was too hot and humid and I missed Germany.
Traveling is great, except for all the pieces of your heart that are left behind with other people and their cultures.
I woke up and felt awful because my stomach felt awful, because I knew I was leaving (and I was tired, since I only got 5.5 hours of sleep). I ate an Amerikaner (sugar cookie), but couldn't even eat a whole Bretzel for breakfast because I just didn't have an appetite. Elli didn't either, and even Lukas barely ate anything, which is very unusual for him! I managed to fit all of my stuff into something to take it all back to America.
We left for school, but first Julia said goodbye to me and then her dad, and I almost cried, but I managed to keep myself steady. Then, as we drove away from their house, the scenery (so lovely!) that I'd seen so many times passed by out my window and again almost made me tear up because I probably will never see it again.
At school we dropped off my luggage with the others in the one room off of the lobby and basically all of the Germans and Americans gathered in a random piece of hallway and more and more people joined as they arrived. Other students passed by laughing and joking as we all stood in almost silence, except for a few who were talking more. An American guy was one of the first to actually cry, but he then composed himself again. All of our hosts didn't want to go to class so they asked their teachers if they could just stay with us, and thankfully they all said yes. So we went into the Aula (lobby) and sat down in a giant circle, not knowing really what to do with ourselves. Miss Hall gave us a little football thing from the night before so we tossed that around until we got tired of it. Then somehow we got let in to the sound system and we all danced to "Anton aus Tyroll" and then a few to Cotton-eye-Joe. We gained a bit of an audience while we were dancing.
Then...parents started arriving and Herr Galneder told us to get our luggage and go out to the bus to say our goodbyes. As we were getting my luggage, Elli stated to cry a little bit, which made me start to tear up...
Out by the bus it was a crying mess. My host mom came over and said goodbye and gave me a hug, and I started to cry, and Elli kept giving me hugs and crying, which made me cry more. She said to me, "I didn't know this would be so hard!" Everyone was going around hugging everyone and crying, so I got hugs from Nici, Julian, Lea, Jacque, Sebbie, Ollie, and Maxi...and of course, so many from Elli. Everyone was crying and it was a mess. Our hosts didn't want us to leave so some of them followed us onto the bus for more hugs and tears and Than came on and said, "Elli, what are you doing on here?" She said, "I want to go with you!" Herr Galneder got on the bus and said, "Germans off, Americans on!" Finally we had to leave, waving out the bus windows at our teary, red-eyed German hosts with tears still in our own eyes. I looked back and saw Eric's teared face, and Ethan's, and Jake's, and Kaylee's, and everyones'. It didn't help our mood to hear, through Whatsapp that the Germans love so much, that Julian and Maxi were so wrecked about everyone leaving that they couldn't even take their test, so they just accepted a 6 (their lowest grade; basically an F) on it and walked out.
We then started taking out our food, and we all realized we were eating the last sandwiches our host moms would ever make us - I'm pretty sure they were all lovingly savored. Then Miss Hall handed out pretzels that the host moms had gotten for us all...our last Bayrische Bretzeln! We got pretzels when we first went into their school, and pretzels when we left. There was quite a bit of sniffling for a while. I ate a Kinder Überraschung.
The rest of the ride I looked at the pictures on Jake's phone and him and I and Kenny talked about all of the stuff about Germany that we were going to miss and how we'd get home, see the landscape, and think that "this is what it looks like in Germany..." We'll miss red roofs, roundabouts, yield signs, the nicer cars, learning a new culture, etc. etc. etc.
We reached the airport and we got through security a lot more easily than in the US - we didn't even have to take off our shoes - and then sat for about two hours or maybe more. So Cassandra and I wrote in our journals, everyone chatted, etc. Flight #1 was 3 hours and 40 minutes. It wasn't too bad. Then through the strange Icelandic airport and onto flight #2 - homeward bound. The flight took forever, and as we landed in New Jersey we all looked out and were so disappointed. We missed the red roofs...and well...everything.
We were all grumpy and tired and getting onto the bus was an interesting time of very testy people. We stopped for food (it started raining...of course), ate it, filled out a paper for Miss Hall to send in to GAPP, and then we all fell asleep. Miss Hall had to wake us all up to tell us that we were almost at the school. We got out to all of our family members excitedly waiting for us, and all they got were dazed and out of it teenagers trying to find their luggage and go home and sleep.
But, when I arrived home with my mom, sister, and brother-in-law (my dad had to work), I gave out their presents and showed my souvenirs and talked until 1 am...which was when I'd be awake in the morning for school in Germany.
But then I slept in my own bed, which did feel good, but it was too hot and humid and I missed Germany.
Traveling is great, except for all the pieces of your heart that are left behind with other people and their cultures.
My last sandwich
My last Amerikaner
My last Bretzel (I had already eaten a part of it, that's why it looks funny)
Goodbye, Germany....I love you and your people, and someday I will get back if there is any possible way to do so!
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