Quiet Weekend

While I am starting to wind things down here in Germany, I am surprisingly sad to be leaving. It is just hitting me that, although there are millions of things (mostly friends and family!) that I am indescribably happy to be returning to, there is a lot that I will miss about this chapter of my life. For one, I have been able to travel to different countries and cultures just about every weekend, so I am bracing myself to be a little more settled and less adventurous upon returning to Nashville.

In preparation for that, I decided to have one final "quiet weekend". So I opted to housesit for my American friends in Bad Soden, a cute suburb of Frankfurt (and "babysit" their 17 year old, Matthias, aka just hang out with him and make sure he did not burn the house down...). It was a German holiday, so we had Thursday and Friday off school. I was thinking this would be a relaxing weekend, much like one I might spend in Nashville this fall.

And it was relaxing and refreshing. But, even with no plans, I still felt like it was such a cultural experience. I ended up going to a German BBQ and street festival with friends in Wald-Michelbach on Thursday night, experiencing cheering in German as I watched Matthias' soccer games, stumbling upon a cute festival in Bad Soden, and cruising around their adorable town in a friends convertible, soaking up the rare sunny day. It was just interesting to walk around and observe the people, architecture, and lifestyles in Germany. I loved people watching on train home tonight. And even as I FaceTimed my family to hear all about the beautiful wedding that I missed at home, the sky turned every shade of pink outside my window (pictured above). There are just so many little things to appreciate about abroad life, and though this year has had its ups and downs, I will certainly miss it.

xoxo