Auf Wiedersehen, Amerika!
The 35th CBYX/PPP Class (2018-19) in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on July 31st, prior to departure for Germany. I am front and center in the red skirt.
Last week we had a small get-together of friends and family, complete with a German-flag-themed cake, a celebratory banner, and the Voelker's baby, Poppy, who is already looking more grown up than me. Then, as Mom put it, my family left me in D.C. a few days ago, following a last-minute trip through Virginia to visit relatives and a brief day in the capital before having to say goodbye for a year.
Even though it felt like it'd go on forever, the wait is over and I am getting settled in to my new home in southern Germany. Since March I've known that I'd be spending a year abroad as a junior ambassador, but it's only starting to feel real as jet lag takes its toll on my body. We were given a few days to adjust to the location change before having to also switch into German, for which I'm grateful since the memory of the mental meltdown I had on my very first day in Germany two years ago is always in my mind.
Speaking of that trip (and that day), I began my year in Germany on an upbeat note thanks to Lufthansa. A little background: when my grandmother and I visited Germany in 2016, I was terrified to use my German in a real-life, real-consequences situation, especially since Grandma didn't speak any German and I hadn't been forced to use public transportation before. Uttering even the easiest words was a terrifying concept - so of course, my proud grandma told everyone I spoke German. The first German she spoke to was our flight attendant, a kind man with a huge smile and an easy laugh. All I did was order coffee and wine for us, honestly, but he was encouraging of my interest and abilities and heartily wished us a wonderful, safe trip.
I think about that exchange often, especially because of the extremely difficult transition I went through that afternoon as my brain was forced to buckle under the total language and cultural immersion. Sure enough, a similar exchange happened this time around, too, though this time I was just rusty, not horrified. After some casual exchanges while ordering water and such, the flight attendant (generously) told me that my German was very good, then repeated the sentiment to his coworker. It was at this point I realized why he was familiar - it was the same attendant from that first flight!
As one of my fellow PPP'ler observed, most of the time life does not provide a second chance for strangers to express gratitude to each other; you either tell someone up front how they made you feel or you live without closure. I am not only grateful for the two warm welcomes I've received from Christian, but also for the chance to thank him. When I told him about my memory, gratitude and current exchange fellowship, I think it's safe to say it made both of our days.
It also reminds me of the advice a previous exchange student gave to a group of us heading off to Dresden: aim to have one positive interaction a day in your foreign language. I think that this time I will hold myself to that idea and maybe even keep track. It seems that most of us fellows are planning to journal as well.
I am proud to serve as a representative of my country with the other 74 PPP'ler who have been chosen. The diversity of professions, geographic locations, ethnicities, social classes and life experiences within the group amazes me. The CBYX team did a wonderful job choosing a PPP class that represents the character and flavors of America quite well. It is an honor to experience this year with them.
After about two days of orientation in D.C. and another two in a beautiful, wooded compound of sorts in Budenheim (near Frankfurt), we have finally split up and arrived at our language school placements, either in Cologne/Köln, Saarbrücken or Radolfzell am Bodensee. Today was our language school orientation; we begin Monday with our language studies, not knowing yet in which level we've been placed. Already funny and charming host family and local stories have popped up, shared when we shared this morning what our first nights were like. Someone said that their host family's cat had its own seat at the breakfast table, another's family explained that there was an annual rubber duck race taking place today. What a time to be alive.
As for my living situation specifically, I am living with a lovely woman and her daughter, who is a few months older than me, in a fairly large dorf just outside of Radolfzell. They have a beautiful garden and have offered me an apartment in their basement, complete with a kitchenette and my own bathroom. I am truly lucky to have been offered such generous accommodations by strangers for these two months.
More to come. Auf Wiedersehen, America!
Cheesin' in the DC Botanical Gardens with Kathrine Stender (photo creds)