I'm back! Been long enough since my last post I think, so I should get everyone up to speed while I have the time to do it. I think I was in Berlin when I left off? That was nearly...2 months ago (oops). Here goes nothing!
So soon after Berlin, Bruce's little brother David came to visit. He would be with us for about 2 weeks, and we tried to make it as full and fun as we could! The first trip out was Heidelberg for the lighting of the castle (fireworks) show. We hadn't been before, but based on the Google search images that came up, we were expecting something pretty fantastic! After a delicious lunch at the Bootshaus , we walked into town through the shopping streets where we passed by endless bachelorette and bachelor parties selling their wares for meager amounts (presumably for the honeymoon or wedding costs, but more realistically for the copious drinking involved that evening). We found a spot on the bridge with a great view of the castle and waited for the show to begin. The bridge was moving a bit more than I would have liked...but the lack of police there telling people to get off the bridge had me assuming that it wasn't to a dangerous point yet...? We survived it at any rate. The show unfortunately was nothing to write home about. A few fireworks over the castle, and a bunch over the bridge next to ours, but overall a bit underwhelming. I don't want to discourage people from going though- Heidelberg is a gorgeous place whether or not there are lackluster fireworks shows happening!
After showing Davy around town we grabbed the train back to Mannheim and stayed in my apartment for the night. The next few days were a whirlwind of checking out Ktown, brunches, parties, and Davy meeting a lot of our friends! We let him relax some too, don't worry. There were plenty of boys nights with Fifa and beer to keep him happy (and Bruce for sure).
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| Brunch in Molschbach with the crew |
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| Saarbrucken |
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| Bro pic |
His first weekend here there was a festival in Kaiserslautern which promoted the integration with students and adults with special needs. We went with Tina, Rainer, and some of their friends, not realizing that Rainer was a celebrity in that group, going up on stage and giving a speech! We felt super special. Also when a group of "sleepwalkers" came and napped on us during the intermission... I'll save that story for people to ask about later. Many of the acts involved a collaboration with programs for those with special needs and some other amazingly talented musicians, dancers, and artists. It was great! I loved seeing this side of the community, which is usually kept hidden unfortunately. Now that we know Max (Tina and Rainer's son), this event was particularly special for us all.
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| A french acting troupe about people escaping from an old-people's home |
During the next week, Bruce had to work (Silly jobs...), so Davy and I took some day trips out and about! We grabbed the train to Trier one day as a last minute trip and walked (A LOT) around the city. The cathedrals and other historic sites were beautiful. It was a wonderful way to spend the day.
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| bubble man! |
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| light for Grandad |
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| Into the Roman Bath ruin caverns |
[Musical interlude to segue across multiple days that I forget what we did...nothing to see here!]
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Next big adventure is a camping trip to the Black Forest! After doing some research, we found a campsite in a small town called Enzklösterle (Say that 10 times fast..). Armed with a rental car and a tent, we drove down and set up camp in a gorgeous valley (click here for our camp site!)
Commence photo album instead of you having to read my rambling monologue-
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| wooden pathway through the forrest |
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| Tall tornado structure |
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| giant slide- YES I DID IT! |
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| Strasbourg stop over on the way home |
A great trip, with perfect weather! I can't wait to go back to the black forest again soon to camp before the weather changes.
Fast forward, Davy finishes up his trip, and heads back to Korea, while Bruce and I travel to the States for my family reunion up in Scituate Massachusetts. Flying into JFK, we stay a night with my cousin Carmen, and her family (Thank you so much again for your hospitality!!), then into NYC to meet with my cousin Amanda, to take the train to Cheshire where my grandparents met us and brought us to their house to stay another night, and THEN driving 3 hours to the family reunion house. Crazy adventure, but it couldn't have worked out better!
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| Red Sox game |
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| Blueberry picking |
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| Arabic feast night |
I could write for ages about how wonderful it was to be in a house full of Saads for a week. I was able to give real hugs as opposed to just through email and text! We caught up with all sorts of cousins and friends in the area, and just enjoyed each other's company. I couldn't ask for a more amazing, supportive, and fun group of people to call my family <3
[More music...not going to cry...not going to cry...]
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The night we got back to DE from the reunion, Bruce and I got all dressed up and attended my big sister, Sarah's wedding reception at Greenville Country Club. It was such incredible timing that I could make her special day, and she looked so happy the whole time! I was able to catch up with a lot of old Tatnall friends who I hadn't seen in ages!
The rest of the post I'll leave you again to peruse photos <3
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| Ice cream party |
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| Philly Trip |
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| Edward's Face-sized slices of pizza |
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| Korean War Memorial- Philly |
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| South Street- Philly |
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| Mum can I please go to DC with you?? |
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| Twins in DC |
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| Weekend market in DC |
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| Is it a real monkey? |
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| Korean lunch <3 |
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| Georgetown |
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| Last dinner at Chef's Haven in Hockessin |
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| Chef's Haven |
As you can tell, I stayed pretty busy at home. I'm so glad I was able to extend my stay with the family, as it allowed me to be there when the Schmiedels stayed with us for a week! We tried to give them a trip to remember, going to several cities they hadn't seen before, and also showing them the exciting places in DE (of which there are...some...). I loved being home. Although looking back, it felt more like I was visiting home more than ever. Of course that doesn't mean I didn't feel comfortable or welcomed! I just felt that I was on a vacation from Germany, where I was looking forward to getting back and starting fresh. I finished my contract with MIS and am now on a hunt for a new job. Unfortunately my little hospital adventure took place during prime hiring time for schools and full time teaching positions, but I've not lost all hope. I'm taking over the city, resume and tutoring flyers in hand, ready to teach any student (of any age) who is ready to learn (or not ready...I'm not picky).
Not only does the fall bring a new school year, it brings the wine and beer festivals in abundance. Nearly every weekend this month we are headed to another beautiful town where a carnival and endless beer tents are set up to cover hundreds of lederhosen-donning folk. I will try and be better about keeping this blog up to date as those festivals begin!
Until next time xox
German of the post
"Wird Lehren für Sushi"
"Will Teach for Sushi"
