Farewell, Cologne

I must sound like a broken record, but the time has been flying by. It seems like just yesterday I was flying over to begin my year-abroad and already I am commenting on events from my 8th week here.

My time in Cologne came to an end as we finished off the month of September, marking 8 weeks since my arrival in Germany. The last week of the immersion course was filled with silent reflections of the time spent together, the information learned, and the prospects for the future. When I joined the class , we were about 12 students strong, full of energy and conversation.  As of the last week we were down to 7, and although we were closer than before, it made for a tough 'good-bye;' after getting to know each other more personally, the thought that all of us would soon be in different cities, meeting new people, seemed absurd. It was a tough pill to swallow. One of the things that I really appreciated about my specific class was the fact that every student came from a different country (with the one exception that Iraq was represented twice); we had the US, Mexico, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, and Georgia represented (and during the fourth week you could say Spain and Turkey were both represented). This always created a great dialogue in class about customs back home and helped me 'see' the world just by being in Germany. On Friday, the last day of the program, we had a pot luck celebration of our accomplishments over the past two months. Every student brought a food typical from their homeland. I had considered making a gumbo, but didn't have the time to shop and cook, so I settled for cooking red beans and rice. Synthia, from Indonesia, cooked fried rice and brought spiced tomatoes. Madiha, from Pakistan, prepared a spiced, baked chicken with mild yogurt on the side. Alan, from Mexico, prepared a fresh sweet potato spread. Husam, from Iraq, cooked a traditional lentil soup which is normally served during Ramadan. To describe which food was my favorite would be impossible. Never before had I been able to sample such an array of traditional , freshly cooked meals from all over the world. The red beans and rice went over well too, but by the end of the picnic everybody was going back for seconds and thirds for ALL of the foods. I brought my Tony's along too, and it went over well. To finish the picnic, our teacher, Frau Exner, served her freshly baked cheesecake. It goes without saying that she is German, and a great representative food for her would be a pastry! I thought I was full before I learned of the cheesecake, but upon being served a slice I quickly found room in my stomach. It was delicious!

After the feast we exchanged memories and stories from the time spent together in Cologne. Frau Exner presented each of us with a card in which she wrote down a personal memory. We then spent the next 30 or so minutes trading the cards with each other writing stories and memories. It was a nice gesture and continues to be a memento from my time in Cologne. We parted ways in the class, but we still stay in good contact with each other. There is the possibility that we might be able to meet up again at some point in time this year. I look forward to this opportunity.

Synthia, Alan, myself, Frau Exner, Madiha, Saad, Husam, and Shorena

With the conclusion of my immersion program came the end of my time with my host family. When I first arrived, I wasn't allowed to clean my own dishes, unset the dishwasher, or perform other chores--that was left to the mom or son. It felt very out of place not being self sufficient or part of the team. Over time, and with my continual efforts to 'sneak' into the kitchen to unset the dishwasher, came more individualism and mutual respect. Towards the end of my stay I was doing all the dishes after dinner, unsetting the dishwasher, and usually setting the table too. We never had an outright conversation about who was to do what, but I tried to show my appreciation through the little things. During the last three weeks with my family, the idea that I would soon move out seemed to weigh heavier on me, as well as the others. Over dinner, the conversations became longer, more interesting, and more involved. The small talk picked up during the day too. Upon reflection, it seemed like I was recognizing what I would soon be missing, and I attempted to create every opportunity I could to savor the moment.

The last night with my host family was spent on a Tuesday night. The next morning I would be heading to Bonn with all of my luggage, by myself. My host mother, Frau Birgit, asked that I supply the menu for my last night, and she would cook it, even leaving work early if that's what it took. Of course I didn't want to infringe, and luckily my favorite dish (although 'favorite' is used lightly as I enjoyed every single meal at the house) was a potato casserole with pork. It seemed like an easy request to make. Tuesday night was spent with Frau Birgit, Herr Klaus, and their daughter Lena. Unfortunately Jannik, the son, and arguably my closest relationship in the whole family, was in Holland. But I appreciated the gesture of seeing Lena--she doesn't live at home anymore but came back home to see me off (she also came in town to see me 'in' on my first day). She had always been very helpful and patient with me in conversation, understanding that my German would take some time. We ate over the family dinner table with red wine, tossed salad, and homemade apple juice. At the conclusion of the meal, Frau Birgit went into the kitchen quickly as I began to unset the table, but soon I realized the meal wasn't over. She came in holding a homemade, perfectly constructed, tiramisu cake with freshly ground cinnamon on top. I was blown away...it might have been the best tiramisu cake I had even eaten. The dinner ended up lasting about 2.5 hours and during the whole meal we held conversation. We talked about my time in Cologne, differences with US culture, and so much more. It was a huge confidence booster, because I specifically remember on my first meal with the family I tried to stay as quiet as possible, fearing that my German was inadequate or that what I had to say was too elementary, but now, 8 weeks later, I was able to dabble in conversations from a wide spectrum of topics....and my German was actually pretty good now! They were quick to tell me this too, noting that my German had drastically improved since 8 weeks before.

There are only so many ways to repay kindness, and the task of repaying or recognizing 8 weeks of helpfulness, friendliness, home-cooked meals....well, I had my work cut out for me. I wrote the family a letter thanking them for all of their help, and I put that in a bouquet of flowers which I gave to Frau Birgit, but of course there wasn't any way to really thank them sufficiently.

My night with the family concluded with a train ride with Lena back into the city. It was just the two of us in the train, but we spoke in German for nearly the entire 30 minutes into the city center. She was heading back to her apartment and I was heading to meet Alan to spend an hour or two walking around our favorite parts of the city. Lena and I parted ways with a hug and a promise to stay in touch! I met up with Alan and we walked around the Cologne Cathedral and over the Rhine river, just reminiscing about our time in Cologne with the program. Both of us were in disbelief that the time had passed so quickly and that, 12 hours later, we would both be bound for our new homes.

View of the Cologne Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge, by night

I couldn't have asked for much more out of my stay in Cologne. I made some fantastic friends, laughed a lot, learned a lot, and have no regrets looking back. My first trip to Europe, my first encounter with German culture, was shaped by my time in Cologne. I enjoyed every second of it! Now it's on to the next adventure in Bonn!