On the plane headed back to Phoenix I wrote:

I have honestly been blessed this summer. For the past 24 hours I have been flooded with gifts and cards and hugs and kisses. While I am so excited to get home, I am not going to lie. I am really going to miss the Strother family. They have been so loving. Jen has become such a close friend and the kids are a source of such pride for me. I look forward to the day I return.

Wattenheim has been such a great home to me for the last 3 months. I will miss Nadine (the neighbor's horse) and the running path, Jagerhof and wine schorles, Ute and Jorg. Germany is a country full of flavor and freshness. A country where the local farmer is famous and medieval weapons are a favorite collectors item. A country where castle ruins are the backdrop to daily life, and where alcohol is the beverage of choice for any occasion. A county that always has room for one more festival and one more wurst. It is a country whose past is one to be exalted, shunned, and rememebered, and where modesty is a trait awarded at birth. It is where the environment and community are top priorities and the garden gnome reigns as king. For the past three months I have learned about a culture as well as myself. I have learned that patience can get you through just about everything. That I wouldn't be a traveler without email and that my family and friends are what keep the sparkle in my eye. I have learned that children say the craziest things, and yet their innocent comments can teach us so much. I have learned that trust is the key to life, and that no one can get through it alone. I am so happy I took this summer to breath air on the other side of the globe. I am so happy that I went out on a limb. And I am so happy to be on my way home.


Signing off from Germany,
beth o.