Breaking Goodbyes

Well as I expected the semester is moving at as swift pace. It is unbelievable that I we've already just completed our weeklong mid-semester break that is placed closer to the end half of our study semester than to the beginning. For this break period I originally planned to visit Prague or Budapest or even Istanbul if it was possible, but those ideas changed to something more, calming. Before Elli came to visit me a few weeks before the break, I had already decided that seeing even more new places wasn't so important to me anymore. Instead I chose to visit my new family and friends back in Hessen. I wasn’t prepared to accept my move to Poland as a final goodbye, not yet. As the rest of the study group did the whole “travel Europe in seven days” bit, I hopped on a RyanAir 737 to Dortmund. With perfect timing, my plane arrived in the middle of Deutchebahn’s largest train strikes in history. The entire workers union of Deutschebahn was going on strike for an originally planned four days (later the striked lifted due to a lawsuit by DB). This strike left me without a train to Frankfurt. Luckily I have the best girlfriend ever and was picked up from the airport by car; Dortmund is located about three hours northwest of Frankfurt. The moment I landed in Germany I was hit by a wave of relief and happiness. Over the past few months in Poland I have built up some sort of negative energy, but all of that was left behind; it really is like Germany's become a new home. Once I arrived and saw Elli, I felt happier than I had I weeks.

The next day Elli and I took a bus to the city of Saarbrucken, which is situated very close to the border of France. This is where two of my close friends I met in Marburg are now living and doing their Studiumkollege. We spent the weekend having an excellent time and catching up on each other’s lives. That Sunday we bid farewells and I knew that this time was the last time in a long time that I will be able to meet up with them again. It was bitter sweet, but I left knowing that we will indeed see each other again, and I was very glad that I made the trip down. The remainder of the week was spent mostly back in Marburg at Elli's WG. One evening Elli planned to hold a Feuerzangebowle party. A Feuerzangebowle is a traditional hot wine drink done around the holiday season in Germany. It is very sweet and strong, making for quite a night with Elli’s friends from University. Rounding the end of my stay, we made our way back to Elli’s parents house in Frankfurt. Our last two days together was spent slow and simple. One day we went on a date to a science museum and grabbed dinner at a nice African restaurant and the next day was spent just staying at home, laying in bed, and spending time with her parents. It was those last 24 hours that were the hardest for Elli and I. We knew that this goodbye was coming but neither one of us were ready for it. All we could do was hold each other as tight as we could and not wanting to let go. Elli and I are going to continue to have a long distance relationship, and we look forward to this time next year when she comes to the United States.