So you think you can pack....

So you think you can pack...

I guess the blog felt a tad neglected this week…  Katie went home to Alabama, Jason went to China and I went too lonely.  Company leaving is not one of my favorite things here in Germany.  Each time a friend or family gives me that last hug before walking into the Stuttgart airport to return home, I feel a bit of a loss and a lot of homesick.  I am very fortunate to have such good Friends and family and they are what I miss most from across the ocean.  We are lucky that so many of them have been able to come visit us since we moved here-it has helped our transition!

As I pack today for our four week “tour de USA 2011” in which we will be hitting the East coast, West coast, Gulf coast and Alabama, that homesickness is crawling into my suitcase.  It is being replaced by a different emotion..  In reality, it should be 'fear' since I am flying alone on a 10 ½ hour flight with a 5 and 6 year old, since Jason will be joining us next weekend.   But it isn’t, that emotion is 'anxiety of packing'. What I have come to realize is that I have already acclimated in the last eight months to many things here in Germany and actually feel more like a tourist packing for our visit to my homeland.   

A few of my thoughts while packing…

• Since I have been wearing jeans and a sweater most days this week, how do I pack for 95 degrees with an average 88% humidity level?  I have easily acclimated to not sweating when I walk out the door.  Karina even asked, “Is it hot enough in the states to wear tank tops and shorts?”  I guess she is referring to all the cute ones we bought before moving here that still have the tags on them. ..

• How am I going to go to the grocery store without my bike?  I am going to miss my major means of transportation, especially making my daily trip to the market.  Well…maybe not my trips to the market, but I will miss being able to ride my bike most places.  However, I must say I will NOT complain about laundry or grocery shopping when I am back in the US.  I have learned the meaning of hard in both categories while living here.

a little grocery shopping

headed home from Market

dries quicker this way!

• How am I going to throw all of my trash in one bag?  I have come to appreciate the importance of separating our trash into FIVE categories and feel proud that I am personally contributing a wee bit to helping protect the environment. Even though it can be a pain in the butt some days after I realize I have thrown the coffee grounds in the wrong trash and have to dig them out!  I am afraid of the guilt I may feel when I throw all my items in one trashcan.

• And most importantly…how am I going to “get enough” of my family and friends to last me when we return to Germany.  I don’t think I will be able to accomplish that one.