What will I miss??

After five years of living in Germany we are leaving for a year in the United States.  I am finding this move more emotionally charged than I had expected.  Transition seems always to bring unwanted changes, so to help myself with this phase of life I have been considering what I have come to enjoy about living in Germany; those experiences I will miss.

 Here is my list in random order:

1.  Seasonal changes:  glory of Autumn, colors and brisk air, shortened days;  snows of winter with the gloom, dark days, and cold; beauty of spring, first snowdrops, then daffodils, then tulips, plus the greenish tinge of the forest-which suddenly changes to a green carpet, songs of birds and longer days; warmth and green of summer, along with late sunsets and the promise of lovely after-dinner walks.

2.  Christmas markets:  charm, magic and quaintness of each individual market in Alsace and  Germany.  Just a bit like walking into a fairy tale, but more fun.

3.  Trying to speak a second (third?) language.  ( I also hate this!).

4.  Random Fests with wurst, pommes and music, always serendipitous.

5.  Eating at restaurants owned and operated by a family, not a corporation.  The same is true of shopping in single-owner shops.  Relationships we've forged with those who run them, in spite of language difficulties.

6.  Seeing the Alps from the hills in the area.  The glory of the Alps always brings me to tears.

7.  Walks in the woods, delighting in daily changes.  Also, seeing the cows, goats, horses, pigs, and sheep throughout the year.

8.  Visiting other parts of Europe in the time it would take to get to Las Vegas from our home in Orange County.

9.  Rubbing shoulders with my students, getting to know more about their lives, building relationships.

10.  Friends who are German, Canadian, Dutch, French, and British.  We have become more multicultural than I had realized, appreciating the differences which spice our lives.  And sanding off some of my more judgmental corners!

11. Recycling German style.  Everything in its place!  And a bin for every type of trash.  I thought this would be a major headache, but, instead,  it has become a pleasant challenge.

12.  The train which runs three times on Sunday and is easily viewed from our dining room.

13.  The Blumenplatz where flowers can be picked from March through October.  Tulips, gladiolas, peonies, sunflowers all available in their season to be picked and enjoyed.

14.  The daily struggles of living in a culture and language not my own.  Those struggles have given me courage to face problems in a more positive way.