Wrapping it Up

Today is our last day in Duesseldorf. We get up early tomorrow morning, swing by and the get the bunnies who are staying in their house in a friends yard (we're leaving the house with the friends) and head to Frankfurt. We have to fly out of Frankfurt because bunnies can't fly out of Duesseldorf, only Frankfurt.

Maddie is really sad about leaving her school. When we left the house, she didn't even blink, but today is her last day at ISD and she is broken hearted. It's just a half day and then most of the first graders are headed to a park for a good-bye pizza picnic. Tonight we have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants with Cousins Torsten and Elke.

As I wrap up my time here in Germany, I am happy to go, but sad to leave friends. It doesn't seem real that there are people I have seen every day for two years that I may never see again. And as our friends prepare to leave for Shanghai, LA, Istanbul and beyond, I imagine the strange places where our paths may once again cross.

Since I can't help but think I could have handled this whole situation better, I keep hearing the words of Voris Johnson, Jr., echoing in my head, "What have we learned from this?" So here goes:

I've learned...

that I am not nearly as adaptable as I thought

that I am a much better mother and wife when I have more going on than being a mother and a wife

that large groups of small children are cute, but soon cause me to have a headache

that I really like ice in my beverages

that you can learn more about a country and a culture over a cup of coffee with someone from that culture than you can from any guidebook

that Walt Disney is right. It really is a small world after all. But rather than continue to stress how we're all the same, we need to learn about, understand and celebrate each other's differences.

that I would like to be Italian and live in Ireland.

that the idea of Unity in the Midst of Diversity is great when I want other people to be tolerant of my ideas, but I'm not very good at practicing it when I have to go to a church where I don't agree with the prevailing thoughts and beliefs.

that even when things are not going the way I want them to, I still have a ridiculously charmed life, full of people who love me. And the list of those people just keeps growing at a rate I certainly don't deserve.

that my husband is more patient that I would have imagined

that my child has the best life of any person I've ever met. She's smart and (generally) sweet. She will try just about anything. She has seen more of the world in the last two years than most people see in a lifetime. Not only has she been at a great school, but both years, she's had the best teachers the school has to offer. She can make a friend faster than it takes most of us to tie a shoe. And she continues to encounter adults and children in her life who love her and encourage her and make her feel good about herself. I can't think of anyone who has it any better.

So with this entry, I will close down the Anne Abroad blog at germanizing.blogspot. com

Be sure to tune in to Anne Abroad: The Sequel at www.londonizing.blogspot.com for the new adventures of the Russ/Lentz clan.