What feels like the END is often the BEGINNING

ODE AN DIE DEUTSCHEN (with apologies to the non-German speakers in this group): 

Ich sitze gerade im Zug zurück nach Leipzig und lasse die letzten 15 Tage Revue passieren. Wie ich es euch ja schon in Georgia gesagt habe -- ihr seid eine unglaublich tolle Truppe, wie wir sie uns nicht besser hätten wünschen können. (To my students, good luck untangling the three pronouns and three verbs in that last clause.) Dasselbe gilt für eure Eltern. Wie ihr euch alle um unsere Kids gekümmert habt, als ob sie eure eigenen Geschwister bzw. Kinder wären, ist die Quintessenz eines gelungenen Schüleraustauschs. Egal ob Krankheit oder Heimweh, ihr habt alles ohne zu meckern gemeistert und allen Beteiligten zwei unvergessliche Wochen in Deutschland (und anderen Ländern, sogar Bayern!) ermöglicht. 

Stellvertretend für alle sei Max als Paradebeispiel genannt: Obwohl er den ersten Teil des Austauschs nicht mitmachen konnte und dann auch noch sein eigentlicher Partner absprang, war Max sofort auf Betriebstemperatur und begrüßte Martin, der ebenfalls "neu" war, wie einen lange verloren geglaubten alten Freund. Aber natürlich trifft das auch auf alle Anderen zu. Es gab keinen einzigen "Ausfall", was wirklich nicht die Norm ist. Jede*r Einzelne hat zu diesem tollen Erlebnis durch Humor, Flexibilität und großer Offenheit beigetragen. 

Ich liebe meinen Job an South, aber ihr habt es geschafft, dass ich meine Entscheidung, nicht in Deutschland zu unterrichten, zumindest hinterfragt habe (nicht nur wegen des leckeren Mittagessens, das mir das in unserer Dining Hall nun für immer vermiest hat). Ich hätte euch alle sehr gerne als meine Schüler*innen und wünschte, ihr könntet wenigstens zu unserer Abschlussfeier nächstes Jahr kommen, da ihr nun definitiv zu unserer South German Familie gehört und wir eigentlich alle zusammen euren Schulabschluss feiern sollten. Aber ich bin mir sicher, dass viele der hier geschlossenen Freundschaften auch so die Schulzeit überdauern werden.

Ich hoffe, ich habe euch in den letzten zwei Wochen nicht zu sehr mit meiner Fotografiererei genervt, und vielleicht freut ihr euch ja sogar, die Fotos in ein paar Jahren nochmal anzuschauen. Schickt uns ab und zu auch mal ein paar Fotos und Updates von euch.

Natürlich geht auch ein großes Dankeschön an eure Lehrerinnen, Frau Haschke, Frau Ammer und Frau Tümpel. Es war mir ein Vergnügen, mit euch zusammenzuarbeiten, und ich freue mich schon aufs nächste Mal.

VIELEN DANK FÜR ALLES und macht's gut! Ich werde euch vermissen. Aber erstmal sehen wir uns morgen in aller Herrgottsfrühe.

ODE TO THE AMERICANS: You're not too shabby either. 😉 

Just kidding. You've been awesome, too, but Frau Legall and I kind of knew that before we even left. What we didn't know back then was how well you all would match up with your partners. We also didn't know how well (or not so well) you would handle all the walking in Berlin, but you truly impressed us with your stamina and positive attitude. 

Marc Patterson once said, "The best education you will ever get is traveling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences." I wholeheartedly agree. Not only do you learn more about the world but also about yourself and others. (For example, before you marry someone, I strongly recommend you travel with that person first.)

Things I've learned about you on this trip: 

Kids who are rather quiet in class aren't nearly as quiet outside of class, and that's a good thing. 

You're 100% dependable and trustworthy. I've never seen a group that follows rules as well as you do (and in case you didn't follow one or two rules, at least you hid it well from us). 

You're fun(ny). I loved seeing you smile and hearing you laugh (Maddie! Sofia! -- although it was hard to hear others laugh when Hallie was laughing 😉). 

You're curious and willing to learn. Best example: the tour of the Bundestag. After having walked 12+ miles, you were exhausted. We were worried you might not have enough left in your tank to pay attention to the guide for 90 minutes at 8 PM. Yet, you made us proud by asking intelligent questions, responding to Eberhard's questions -- Mariana!), and reacting to his German-style jokes. But that wasn't the only example. Throughout the entire trip, you did what every teacher loves to see: taking advantage of any learning opportunity: ordering in a bakery, speaking to and with German first graders, walking around town or navigating public transportation by yourself, trying new foods, exploring historic sites, etc. 

You're resilient. Some of you fought through illness and homesickness and came out stronger for it. 

You're flexible. Even the best laid plans need to be adjusted when traveling. You always went with the flow and made the best of it. Speaking of flexibility, what I wrote about Max earlier can be said about Martin, too. Three months ago, he had no idea he would be traveling to Germany not once but twice this year! Yet he fit in right away as if he'd been part of the planning process since the beginning. Martin and Max were a match made in heaven, but all other pairs were also either perfect or at least as good as it gets: Jayden and Thalia (could their personalities be any more similar?), Sanjay and Marvin (despite their height difference), Maddie and Clara (still loving your coat, Clara!), Luana and Suvi (who showed resilience when it mattered), Ashley and Clara (who took in all the culture they could on both sides of the pond), Branden and Mariana... oops, I meant Branden and Emil (Sport verbindet), Jaseen and Ernst (Sport really verbindet!), Joey and Erik (who don't need a lot of words to communicate), Sofia and Milena (who were like little and big sister), Mariana and Lena (who smiled a lot, making me happy), Sabrina and Alma (who were both less outgoing than many others and maybe because of it enjoyed each other's company), and -- last but not least -- Hallie and Caro (who seemed to have an endless supply of energy and spirit). 

You're my kids. That's why I'll continue to love my job at South, despite what I said earlier about questioning my career choices. 

DANKE for a wonderful trip. I'll always cherish the memories (and the many, MANY pictures). Thank you also for your thoughtful blog entries.

And finally, ein großes Dankeschön to my partner in crime who did all the heavy lifting in organizing this trip, Frau Legall. After 8 years of working together, I think it's time to acknowledge that we're a pretty decent team. You do the work, I take the pictures. 😉

Bis morgen.