Back home!

I went back to Germany.  I got home on Wednesday.  I am happy to be back in New Hampshire.

Last Thursday I flew to Hamburg ALL BY MYSELF.  I took a happy little sleeping pill and slept the entire way there.  :)  I don't usually get flights like that!  It was weird to take my trip because I was super excited to go back to see my friends, but really sad to be leaving my kids.  I spent the entire day kinda bi-polar about the entire event.  I felt so guilty for leaving Poozie ...she didn't really get that I was going to be gone for six days.  :(

Anyways...  I arrived in Germany and it was kinda fun to be back in a foreign country and have it be familiar.  :)  ...and as people shoved past me to get to the shorter customs line it was all just a little too familiar.  Oh yah...

I was also impressed that I could remember the little German that I had learned, especially because when I'm in the States it's near impossible for me to come up with any German words.  As soon as I got on the plane in Boston I heard German and without evening thinking I was able to announce I had the "fenster platz" (window seat).  I had some pretty good German sentences while I was there ...at one store I even asked for printer paper in German!  So there!

When we moved I really missed my friends.  Probably the only thing I missed! When I arrived, my two best Germany friends picked me up at the airport and we went to the mall ...just like we always did.  I got some cash from my German bank account and we ate lunch ...just like we always did.  Then we picked up kids from school ...just like we always did.  Except this time I didn't have any kids to pick up.  :(  It was sad seeing all the kids' old friends and having them ask where my kids were.  I would have loved to have let them come too ...Sierra is still a little irritated with me.  :(  

It was all the same, life went on without me ...as I guess I knew it would.  :)

It was a great trip and I think it helped me with some closure.  After being here in New Hampshire and having left "my normal"...  I thought I missed it.  Turns out I don't.  Sure, I will always miss my friends, but as for the day to day activities...  Nope.  Didn't miss it at all.  Didn't miss German food or German shopping or German restaurants or any of it ...and sure that might just be me deciding what I have is the best, but that's how I do it.  ;)

I didn't NOT like Germany.  I liked it fine.  I just like New Hampshire better.  :)  And I think I needed a trip back to help me realize I'm happier here.  It's a normal life here and way more long term ...and it just seems more real and useful.  Hmmmm....  I don't know if that really makes sense.  :)

AND for the record, Kelly and I made it to the fish market.  That entailed staying up all night long and showing up at the fishmarket when it opened on Sunday morning.  Lesson learned:  Try this in the summer when the fish market opens at 5:00AM...  the extra two hours of waiting for the winter opening time of 7:00AM was the longest two hours of my life!  :)  Thanks for being determined Kelly!  I wouldn't have made it without you!  :)

Hey Ingrid (German one), I have a box of German goodness headed your way!!  I say eww, you say yum!  :)