The End

Going Home

All good things come to an end, and tomorrow this experience does, too.  We leave Munich by train to Zurich where we will spend the night, then on Saturday the 27th we will travel on three airplanes, arriving in Portland about 10:30 PM.

So, we are closing this Blog with some reflections about our six months here.

-First of all, we don't think either one of us expected this experience to be as good as it has been.  We arrived excited, a bit nervous, and not sure of what to really expect.  We have came to love and appreciate Munich for its culture, location, history, food, and yes, the beer and beer gardens!  Also, we realize that a primary reason that this time has been so special for us are the connections we have made - the Sisters and Chris, our fellow volunteer, at the Soup Kitchen; friends at Peace Church, particularly Liz and John; and Bruce and Barbara, Munich transplants from California whom we met through a mutual friend.  Saying good-bye to all of them was difficult, but we have been blessed to have known them and hope that the relationships can be renewed in the future.

-We've realized how important culture is to the way we live.  The big differences in cultures are obvious, but it is the small day-to-day ones that really impact your life - food, customs, humor, expectations, courtesy.  We have a much greater appreciation of what foreign exchange students go through in their year abroad - and we had the advantage of at least having each other for support!

-Language has been very difficult, but also easy at the same time, because most Germans speak a good amount of English or are even very fluent.  Gary has studied German for years and understands a great deal both verbally and in written material, and without his expertise, we would have had a much harder time.  However, we came to realize how important pronunciation is, which seems obvious, until you make what appears to be a very small mispronunciation error or place the accent on the wrong syllable, and the person you are talking to has absolutely no idea what you are talking about!

-Living in a small apartment (650 sq. ft.) has been a unique experience and taught us that we really don't need a huge space to live comfortably.  This is a good lesson to remember when we think about our next move which will probably be to a condo in Portland some time in the future.  Living in this apartment has also taught us that we are not quite ready for that move yet, so we will return to our house and acreage in Battle Ground with renewed enthusiasm and a plan to stay for several more years.

-Our American presidential election has come up frequently in talking with Germans and other Europeans, and they are generally shocked that the race between Obama and Romney is close, as they are very happy with Obama.  In fact, there was a recent article in the Munich paper that reported that if the election were held here in Germany, Obama would receive 82% and Romney 11%.  Also, they can not understand why Americans are opposed to universal health care and stricter gun laws.  Good question.

-Food safety doesn't seem to be a concern or something one thinks about when buying food.  Apparently there is confidence that the government has the regulations and inspections for food handling in place to keep it safe.  Eggs are never refrigerated before sale, cheese is many times made from raw unpasturized milk, genetically modified foods are labled, milk products are routinely irradiated and thus not refrigerated, etc.  In the six months we have been here we have seen no evidence based on what we see in the stores or talking to friends of salmonella or other sickness due to food, nor has there been a food recall for contamination.

The weather is telling us it is time to go home.  We leave tomorrow morning, and it is supposed to snow tomorrow night - definitely a sign!  It has been cloudy and cold the last three days, but today the sun came out and was warm enough for our last walk to the English Garden and our last beer and pretzel at the Chinese Tower.

We have appreciated all the feedback from family and friends about this Blog.  It has been good for us to put it together, and it will be a nice memory to document this wonderful experience.

Auf Weidersehen!