So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye…

Well, our bags are packed (full of way too much chocolate) and it's time to say goodbye. Joel and I went for our last run this morning and then I spent the day packing and taking a last walk through the city we’ve lived in for the last 6 ½ weeks. I realized that I’ve never been gone this long from Colorado in the 26 years that we’ve lived there. It’s been a great experience, but now I’m ready to go home. When we first arrived, autumn had just begun, and now we’re well on our way to winter. This is how I know that a significant amount of time has passed--on our first day, the courtyard outside our hotel looked like this. 

And this is what the courtyard looked like 6 weeks later.

Here are some other ways I know I’ve been here for a considerable amount of time:

• My German has progressed enough that this week I made it through a two-hour dinner with a German friend speaking only German. I’m still far from fluent, however, as was abundantly clear when we went to see a version of The Magic Flute on Monday that had a lot of narration. I was only able to follow the gist of it because I knew the story already and was basically useless as a translator for Joel.  
  
  
  
• I’ve been around long enough that I’ve started to blend in. Evidence? The nice frau in front of me in line at the grocery store today, who assumed I was German and started talking to me. Fortunately, it was the kind of talking that only required a smile and a laugh, and an occasional “Genau” (“exactly”--Germans use this word in almost every conversation). After 6 weeks of being forced to preplan what I might need to say at a store or a restaurant, I won’t be surprised if I start making conversation with perfect strangers when I’m home, just because I can. 
•  I said goodbye today to the exceptionally clean Isar river and realized there were no leaves left on any of the trees. In just 2 months, I saw them through from green leaves to their raucous bursts of color to the barren branch phase. It is beautiful in a different way now, with branches like black lace reflected on the water. 
  
• I now think it is normal to see lots of people smoking on the streets. I don’t know if there really are more smokers, or if I just see more of them because I’m primarily a pedestrian here and people can’t smoke in indoor public places like restaurants, stores and trains. I will NOT miss this.
• I also think it’s normal that people strictly obey the walk/don’t walk signs at crosswalks—Germans aso very obedient. This sign reminds people that it’s important to set an example for the children.
  
• And it’s also normal to stand on the right side of an escalator and leave the left side open for people who prefer to walk on an escalator. The Germans are very efficient about this.
• I’ve learned to expect potatoes of some sort at every meal. However I rarely eat potatoes at home and can’t wait to be reunited with my Nutribullet and start having my green smoothies again for breakfast. And I am overjoyed to be able to cook in a real kitchen again very soon, where cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family will be a delight.

 After so many huge changes during the summer, it was nice to think of our room at the Residence Inn as our home and we were able to settle in and let the dust accumulate in the corners of our minds, so to speak. I know the city and the transportation system and when I come back, it will feel like visiting an old friend, which is just how it should feel when you’ve lived somewhere this long. We have just 3 more weeks before we will be able to move in to our new house and finally begin the next phase of this empty-nest life. Bring it on, baby.