Munich

How wonderful it is to see family! I started off early Thursday, thinking incorrectly that if I took the 'elevator' down from the school it would be faster. But of course, whenever you are in a hurry, everything seems to take forever. This time, I had the elevator pick me up on the lower of the two upper levels (if that makes sense), with the elevator headed in the upward direction. But unfortunately for those who had just ridden the elevator upward... we headed back down. It seems that someone forgot to push the 4 button. So down we went. I laughed a little on the inside, thinking that I definitely got the better of this joke. I was going to the very bottom 1 level, and we made a stop at two. But then, as fate would have it, we started up again. I had forgotten to push the one button! At this point, the elevator was VERY crowded. Up we go, and more and more people seem to be crowding the elevator. 

We finally make it to the top, and the man who has been waiting for nearly a half hour because of our little button mix up finally makes it on. As we are going down, he accidentally starts to step off on the two level. Once he realizes that he's on the wrong floor, he gives a little curse (joder) and hops back on. My completely sometimes partially idiotic compatriots from the USA (whom, I might add are also in the twenty-somethings age range) think this is funny. It's like saying the name of male or female genetalia to a class of 15 year olds. They begin giggling, and repeating the word (which translates roughly to F***). Now, I might add, there are several other older people, and other people in general who don't find it funny to be screaming a bad word in a small and very cramped and very hot elevator. Especially when we are in a hurry. I just tried to look as Spanish... and non-American... as I could. It's probably the only time when I will try to deny myself my citizenship: when my fellow Americans are being complete knuckleheads. 

The rest of the afternoon passes without incident. I made it to the busstation, with minutes to spare, but good minutes they were. Once I finally arrived in Munich, I can't even describe the wonderful feeling of getting off the plane after 5 weeks and seeing someone you know. I ran over and gave them a hug. Maria, Sep and I chatted all the way back to the wonderfully cosy house, and then I kept them up for another hour, talking and chatting and sipping on Sep's refreshing citrus drinks. 

The next day, Maria and I had breakfast and took a tour of the booming metropolis of Maitenbeth. It took all of 15 minutes. We had lunch with Peter, Christa, Sylvia, Stephan, Christian, Timmy and Alyssa. When Tanya was done with school she met up with us and we headed to Wasserburg. It's a beautiful almost-island town, almost completely surrounded by the River Inn. We climbed up to a high vista and looked down... and then walked down through the old town. We had some great ice cream, and Maria introduced me to fresh whipped cream with gelato (dangerous).

Saturday morning, the Eisenauers (minus Michael, of course) and I headed to Munich again. We shopped, climbed to the top of a ridiculously high bell tower in an old church (it was incredibly packed with people who didn't understand which way to go around the tower, and so everyone was squished against the safety screen for at least a total of five minutes of the 50 foot tour around the top), and had some more gelato. I found a few gifts for the fam, and a cute vest for myself. I had gone shopping on the good graces and wishes of Tante Ana and Maria, who demanded that I find something nice in Munich :)

That night, my crazy cousins took me to a 30th birthday party. Stephan and Sylvia had asked me the day before if I thought I could handle a German birthday party. 'Of course!' I had told them. That morning, I hadn't even been hungover after schnapps and a few thick, amazingly delicious German beers. We got to the party, which served dinner along with the festivities, and I mentioned to Stephan, around midnight, that this wasn't so bad. 'Just wait till the older folks leave' he told me. 

At three thirty that morning, Stephan and Tanya walked home with me, thoroughly buzzed and happy. Those Germans can sure drink. And without releasing any gory details, let's just say that they drank me under the table. Literally.

But all in all, it was an amazing weekend. I had a very difficult time getting on the plane and leaving, especially after Maria and Sep dropped me off at the airport and waited to leave until I had gotten past security. A few tears rolled by... how am I supposed to do this next week with Russ? But I guess this is what life's lessons and learning to grow up are all about. At some point, you have to learn to say goodbye, only for a little while, and go do something completely on your own. Although, I think they next study abroad will be for a language other than Spanish... in two  years, I'll be back to Germany... finishing my German minor maybe? I mean heck, why not... pre-med students are in school for forever anyway.