Gretta Gone Global

Christmas felt completely different this year, even though I spent it with some of the same people. My host family from Frankfurt was here for 10 days. A whole ten days.

I love them to death, and I am eternally grateful for their generosity over the year I lived with them, but this visit reminded just how much like family they really are. You know what I mean… right?

I mean, in high school I used to get so upset with my parents that I would yell and sob. Or I would get so embarrassed by them that I just wanted to disappear. That’s part of being a family too.

The only thing with a host family is that you don’t have the unconditional love that real families do.

Now that I’m on the topic…
The first half of a year I was so afraid to do something terribly wrong and get sent away for it that I could never relax. They were just volunteers so if they got fed up with me they would just have to say the word and I would be history. I had seen it happen to other people.
The second half of the year I was so used to them that I almost wanted to be move. Not really, but that was when the other side of being a family kicked in. The little things start to bother one. The excitement had worn off. In marriage you would say that the honey moon stage was over.

In hind sight:
I understand how terrible it is for children who are adopted, especially if they have seen it happen before. Or for young married couples. Never let an immediate escape clause be part of a relationship. It sets it up for failure. Just stick it out. It’s after the grace period/ honey moon stage and the tough second stage that the lasting relationship begins. That’s why my host fam was invited to visit me.

Then I was in the Land of Christmas. The first home of Christmas trees, Advent wreaths, and cookies. Where traditions hold strong, where candles are real and even electric lights on trees resemble their waxen forefathers. Where 1000 year old nativity sets are not so rare. Where Christmas is much more than just one day out of the year…

Well, this year Christmas snuck up on me. I was so busy with my classes, my business, and my travels that I didn’t even realize what day it was until… well, ’til now. And now it is 2010. Wow.

The Christmas tree at home, the pies and the extended work hours at the bakery should have gotten my attention, but I was just so tired after work that all I wanted was a long winter’s nap. I already had visions of sugar cookies dancing in my head.

I guess what I needed was a lighted Weinachts Markt, some ice skating, and more cookie baking (not selling) to get me in the mood. Next year. Or should I say, THIS year.

God Bless.
Merry Christmas Season.
And a very Happy New Year.

Oh, Dear…
I am terribly behind. I had seriously considered for a while giving up this blog, but due to popular demand I have begun again.
I have a lot to catch up on, but that will have to be another day.

Today is my first day of classes. I began my day with an 8am class, and then my next class is at 1. So inbetween I get to do fun things like get on my new, adorable, extremely portable notebook computer. It is so small that it could fit inside a three-ring binder. It is fun to walk around campus without anyone knowing that I have a computer in my bag. It makes me feel like James Bond…
Of course later this brake will be used to “study” but this week I can use it to get my life organized, and my blog. I hope you will have some spare time to read it. Enjoy!
And wish me luck on my newest venture on the road of life.

So we drove for hours, and hours, and hours, and finally arrived. There we walked for hours, and hours, to make up for all of the time driving. After the touring with my family I met my future friends: auf Wiedersehen Familie! Again more walking, but this time with a camera. Only an eight hour flight left…

Well, I decided I should explain.

I am going to Germany next month for a year-long exchange program.  It is called the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange and is organized by Nacel Open Door.  I will attend language school for two months and then move to a more permanent host family for the remaining ten months.  There I will probably attend some sort of school, whether their high school or a vocational school or such I do not know.  Then or shortly there after, I will begin an internship, which I do not yet know either.  That will come later, so you should definitely keep reading this blog every few weeks, just to know the latest news

I plan to return home some time June 2009.  Until then …

My cross country tour-de-family has gone well. My youngest relatives were very compliant and photogenic.

So much about my life has changed in the past month or so. I just hope that the best things remain.

The other day I was at a used book store. I couldn’t help but buy In the Beginning by Chaim Potok when I read the first few lines. They were very fitting for my current point in life. We’ll see how the rest of the book comes;-)