Life at Home

Two months ago, I returned home from Germany on the longest flight of my life. The plane ride was horrendous. There is really no way to rephrase that while still having an accurate statement. I knew that the best way to adapt to U.S. time was to stay awake as long as possible on the plane. It seemed as if time’s passing was slowed since I woke up at 5 in the morning and returned home at 5 pm yet with the time changes, there were many, many more than 12 hours between those two 5 O’clocks. Once in Houston, I was immediately thrust back into preparations for the first day of school in the fall semester. There were clothes to wash and bags and boxes to pack in order to move back into the dorms. It was a rush and there was no time to relax. In most ways I think this was a good thing. The adjustment back to life in College Station was not hard because there was no time to really sit and think. Looking back on this summer, it seems like a dream or another life that occasionally reaches over and bleeds into the one I live now. Occasionally I find myself responding to questions with “nein” or other little phrases I brought back with me. Sometimes I will see an old man help his wife into her jacket and I remember the grandfatherly German man who looked out for me on one of my train rides. I still remember the art, the food and the cobblestone streets. The churches and their stained glass windows are like nothing I will ever find here. I am still astonished at how young our country is while houses and buildings in Germany and Austria have stood for hundreds of years. It was a wonderful trip that brought me some of the most beautiful scenery and experiences I might ever have. For now, though, it is life as usual, studying hard to plan for a future that may or may not go according to plan. However, no matter what happens, I know I can adjust because I have proven myself before in a country far away from home.