I keep running into little reminders of Texas everywhere I go. Perhaps they are signs that is about time for me to head back where I belong. This summer has been great, just not what I expected. I knew that working abroad would be a different experience from studying abroad, but I never imagined how completely opposite it would be. However, I'm glad that I took this internship opportunity. It took a courage that I did not even know I possessed to leave behind everything familiar at home and fly across the globe to a place where I knew nobody. Had I not taken this chance, I may have always wondered what it was like to live in Germany.
But the truth is, I feel like a fish out of water here. It's cold and rainy most days, and I just miss the summer weather I used to know, the beach, Mexican food, and my family and friends. Three months (or a quarter of a year really) is a long time to be in one place, when that place isn't home. The grass always seems greener on the other side, even though I know that it is much greener here than in the drought-ridden land I said goodbye to in May. And maybe when I'm back in Sealy sweating in the 100+ degree heat or stressed out of my mind at school in Fort Worth, I'll long for the lazy, grey days in Saarbrücken when I had few responsibilities. But right now, I simply desire to feel the warmth of the sun upon my face, to eat a Chilly Willy snow cone, and wear sandals and shorts again. Is that too much to ask for? Twelve days until I'm home. Let the countdown begin...
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| graffiti along the Saar River |
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| I'm not sure what is so Texan about pepperoni pizza, but they sell this in Ihr Platz |
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| it may be hard to find Dr. P on the East Coast, but it's here in Germany |
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| cowboy boots in Paris (France, not TX) |
“For a few precious moments… I am back in Old Texas, under a high sky, where all things are again possible and the wind blows free.” - Larry L. King
"A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner." –John Steinbeck
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