"Home"

It’s hard to believe I am back in Germany already. I knew two weeks would go by fast, but I really feel like I blinked, and it was time to leave America already.

Our journey to America was lengthy, but we didn’t run into any problems. We even made seat reservations on the train since we had our big suitcases, a lesson we learned from our first day travelling through Germany, and it made things way easier.

When we arrived in Philly, both of our families were waiting for us. I almost felt like they were all a big mirage. Probably because I was so exhausted from my day’s worth of travelling. Then we all went out for a late dinner. I didn’t realize how much I missed American food. Home never tasted so sweet. I couldn’t even sleep that night, I was so excited to be back! It was partly from jet lag, and also separation anxiety from my fiancé. Separation anxiety is real!

Spending the holidays home was exactly what I needed. I think even Alex needed it, too. It was really nice to see my grandparents on Christmas, along with my other relatives. Of course, I was able to meet my best friends for hibachi, the one meal we can all agree on. I also had a quick lunch with them. While I wish I saw them more, two weeks was hardly enough time to squeeze quality time with everyone.

Alex and I made a special trip to New Brunswick and saw some of our friends from college, and that made me miss school. Maybe not going to class so much, but I missed my old lifestyle and friends. We caught up on everything, and Alex and I slept in our friend’s dorm room. It was kind of nice re-experiencing dorm life. Seeing all these blasts from the past brought back memories, so I was really overdosing on nostalgia that night. As cheesy as it sounds, New Brunswick hadn’t changed one bit, but I had. I feel like I’ve grown so much since Rutgers, what with moving to another country, assistant teaching, and getting engaged. It was strange being back in such an urban city, especially living in the safest and most rural town you could possibly imagine. I couldn’t believe I used to call New Brunswick my home at one point because so much in my life had transformed in such a short period of time. I had become so accustomed to my new lifestyle.

I think the best part of my trip was being home and spending time with my parents and brother. I really missed them more than I could say, and it was the longest I had ever been away from them. I made sure to spend most of my days with them.

I even spent New Year’s Eve with my brother, his girlfriend, Alex, and a few of our other friends. Spending the night in Atlantic City turned out to be a great night. That being said, it became blatantly obvious to me that night that German beer and the trains are far more superior to anything offered in America. Miller Lite simply made me want to vomit, and the NJ Transit conductor made an announcement that the side cars are not an appropriate place to vomit. That’s being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Classy.

The worst part about being home was knowing that it had an expiration date… saying goodbye to my family was a daunting moment that I was dreading the entire time. It was Jimmy’s birthday, and the only thing that put my mind at ease was knowing that I’d see them in March for their German visit and that’s all I thought about on the way back “home.”

When we finally got back and settled in last night, we decided to hook up the Wii and watch The Sixth Sense on it. Two things: 1) We blew a fuse plugging in the system, and 2) you cannot watch DVDs on the Wii! I think we were the only people who didn’t know that…

After we blew the fuse, we had to ask the Meyers where the fuse box was. Mind you, we were in our fleecy pajamas using our smartphones for light. Not to mention, we were not a pretty sight since it was 9pm and we had been travelling for too many sleepless hours. After we rang the doorbell several times, it finally dawned on us that it didn’t work since we blew a fuse. Once we did things the old fashioned way and knocked on the door, Frau Meyer came out and showed us where to find the fuse box. Hero.

We were both up early for school this morning. Time certainly doesn’t wait for anyone.