I came, I saw, I spoke German

So here it is. The Final One. The day that I have known was coming for many, many months, but the day I have been avoiding thinking about, choosing instead to pretend that my year abroad will carry on forever. Today is my final day in Germany.

I really cannot believe it is over. I have so many emotions coursing through my 5ft 2inch body right now, I’m not really sure how to process them. Technically, I should be helping my parents pack, especially considering they have just driven 500 miles across three countries to pick me up, but writing a blog entry is much more fun, so I’ll leave them to it.

 This has hands down been the most incredible year of my life. Nine months ago I took a step into the unknown; I did something that terrified me, stepped on a plane bound for Deutschland, knowing that I would have to survive the next 9 months in a foreign country. But do you know what; I had a bloody amazing time doing it. From the people I have met, to the places I  have seen, to the experiences I have gained, the entire thing has been an adventure. True, it hasn’t always been easy. There have been quite a few tears. But there have also been tonnes of laughs, and the great times have outweighed the difficult patches ten to one. I am going back home armed with a wealth of experience and memories that I will look back on fondly for the rest of my life.

Thousands of students go abroad every year, so from the outside looking in it might seem that 9 months in a foreign country is not that big a deal. Let me tell you, it is a big deal. It teaches you an enormous amount about yourself; about what you are and are not capable of, about what you want from life. Strange as it may seem, being able to experience German culture first-hand in all its glory - its mish-mash of traditions, dialects and cultures has also taught me a huge amount about what it is to be British. I think now I will appreciate my own culture and my own home all the more. No matter what is waiting for us just around the corner, no one will ever be able to take that away from us.

Every time I think about the fact that I won’t be going back to school on Monday, that I won’t be able to pop to Heidelberg on a spare afternoon, that I won’t be able to just gorge on all the German cake I can lay my hands on without feeling guilty, I want to burst into loud, wailing sobs. I imagine it will take a few days to sink in. Perhaps at first it will feel like I’m popping home for a short time. But I suppose after a while, as I begin to unpack the boxes and stick the photos up on my wall, I will be forced to come to terms with the fact that Bensheim won’t be waiting for me anymore, that my students won’t be expecting me back in class, that my seat in the staff room will probably be filled by someone else. I will never forget Bensheim or the Karl Kübel Schule, though. My nine months in school and the small, quintessential German town that has become my second home have been absolutely fabulous and I will miss them more than words can say.

Though this particular chapter may be over, I think in reality the real adventure is only just beginning. I am definitely not done with Germany or with Bensheim, and I look forward to returning to this weird and wonderful country many times over the years to come, to re-live some of the memories, visit some of the lovely people I have been fortunate enough to meet and remind myself that taking a leap of faith into the unknown and throwing yourself into a new life can actually be one of the best decisions you ever make.  I feel that I can go back to England knowing that I achieved what I set out to do. I made the most of my time here, (hopefully) improved my German and can face next year and whatever may follow a little wiser than I was before.

Thank you to everyone that has read this over the past 9 months. I hope I haven’t bored you all too much with my waffle.

So, the Land of Hope and Glory awaits me. It is home time.

Over and out.

Emily