With a Bang and a Whimper

I strolled to work last Monday with a comforting feeling of familiarity. Li buzzed the door open for me and I headed to Biohybrid Systems, stopping at Karin's room along the way to inquire about a spring-form (for my Abschiedskuchen). She greeted me and said I should speak with Yvonne, who scheduled an appointment later in the day to discuss my seminar. I then chatted with Erwin about his vacation and bragged to Christian about how I enjoyed a Zwetschkekuchen that weekend.


Within 15 minutes, I had spoken and exchanged smiles with half of the department. This subtle feat was perhaps the "X-factor" that made the summer so special. I had become a part of the community, not just at work, but also in the village. At the end of three months, I could recognize a friend in the Fußgängerzone or even Kirti, one of "those kids" always to be found at the soccer-cage.


It was a bittersweet moment to leave the Insitut for the last time. My colleagues gave me a special towel with Saarlandish dialect written on it (I will no longer trockne mich ab, sondern druggele mich ab) and an 1. FC Saarbrücken scarf (Auf geht's FC, Schwarz-Blau ale!). I will really miss those guys.

My last few days in Deutschland were spent blissfully on the Bodensee. Julius and I went on a 110 km bike tour from Friedrichshafen through Lindau (Bavaria), Bregens (Austria), and Romanshal (Switzerland), taking the ferry across the lake from Konstanz back home. I highly recommend anyone going on a bike-tour to take an in-shape buddy along - riding in the slip-stream is so refreshing! We stopped along the way for some swimming and getting lost.

It will take a while before I can decipher what this summer in Germany meant for me. I already know it has spurred on new hobbies (jogging, reading, casual drinking), introduced new career possibilities, and shown that while Germany is a country where I feel at home, I am capable of feeling home-sickness for the USA. The feeling of immense personal growth contradicts the feeling that time flew too fast.

So now I sit in Frankfurt, with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face, ready for an American reunification. Who knows what the future will bring - the way ahead is unknown, but ripe for discovery. One thing, however, is for sure:

I'll be back.

Day 100 in 'Schland - The Homestretch

My 100th day here has just begun. I'll kick it off by going back (a good soccer tactic) to last weekend when I visited the Verwandschaft in Ravensburg, home of the famous puzzle-maker and former home of my dad!

There's nothing like visiting relatives. I felt like the Kaiser being served self-pressed Spätzle and home-grown Apfelstrudel. It just keeps coming! My aunt would have been seriously depressed if I had turned down her offer for a bonus-scoop of ice cream.


But schwäbische Spezialitäten aside, I feel like I really connected with all of my relatives this summer. I grasped the importance and appreciation of my family this time around, which has been one of the many things the past few months have made tangible.

I went for a walk in the historic town for some much needed exercise. I didn't expect much to be going on - the renowned Rutenfest had taken place the weekend before. Climbing up a knoll to find a good view of the city, I started to hear the festive clang of drums. On top of the Berg was indeed a parade of townsfolk in traditional costume. Germany, you are quite the party-animal.

To blend in, I ordered a Maß, which is a liter of beer. I advise ordering such a beverage with extreme caution. It is quite dangerous...your wrist can be really sore after carrying that thing.

Knowing this, Germans train from a young age in preparation for their first Maße.


There are many pleasant memories behind me, and more to come. Work is tapering off and many colleagues are on vacation, leaving me time to assemble my cumulative test results. As it turns out, the pieces are falling into place and I am able to draw some nice conclusions. Still, there's a lot of work to be done - I guess I did have a productive summer at the Institut.

Coming up is a typical (read: kick-ass) German weekend in Saarbrücken. This consists of watching an 1. FC Saarbrücken soccer game, going to a Diskothek, and attending yet another Stadtfest in the city. The weekend after that will feature a Tour de Bodensee, the last adventure before my flight home.

100 days...what a freakin' long time.