Germany

Germany

DONOVAN: Our hosts were so generous! And fun to play with. Moritz, Max, Carl, Marie, Doris and Bettina, we will never forget you. We were treated to loads of baked pretzels and buns, weinerschnitzel and fresh spetzle, apfelschorle (apple juice with sparkling water), sweet treats and so much more. We explored a majestic castle, visited a special waterfall, took part in a Volksfest (like a carnival where they celebrate the Bavarian culture by wearing Lederhosen and drinking a lot of beer), toured the Mercedes Benz museum, played table tennis, hunted for Pokemon, the list goes on. But my favourite thing was getting to know the kids: Carl, Max (twins, both 13) and Marie (12). I sincerely hope to return someday to see you, and I wish all of you well in your schooling, sports and all your endeavours. Max and Carl, I hope you have fun with Pokemon, and that one day you Catch ‘Em All!  ;D  _—‘’—_

        <==O===>    

          ‘’—_—‘’

WESTON: Donovan pretty much said it all. It was great to meet you all and thank you all for everything that you have done!

SEAL: Tgahihalilsdaewzxcjjuagqhgih/auiga. SRY IT IS HRD T TYPE WIT MI  FLIPRS. DNOVN WIL TYPE FR MI NOW.  Hello from Germany.  I am so happy here.  I feel well loved by everybody, even the big dog Moritz.  There's a Pokemon like me!  We got to go on a water ride!  I like riding in the car with my friend Carl.

JEANY:  I’m struggling with not having control; not knowing how the roads work or being allowed to be the one to drive.  I feel helpless.  And yet I am observant and helpful to navigate how I can.  But I am helping too much.

Poor Dave.

He has to weather my stress-filled reactions.  Mistakes can mean added travel time, breaking rules, getting lost, or worse, death.

This is the autobahn, and you either go fast or get out of the way. Construction areas are frequent, and signs to merge into one lane sometimes don’t get spotted in time (like the moment we almost plowed into the mountainside rather than getting into the tunnel near Basel).  Slow exhale…

We can’t afford to use our phone service from Oregon, and finding free wifi that actually works for us is tricky, as is finding time and opportunity to purchase a SIM card when we’re travelling. So we load up our route on Google Maps and trust the GPS connection to take us the five hours from L’Abri to Bettina’s house in Filderstadt in Germany, south of Stuttgart.

…A backstory on Bettina: Bettina stayed with my family in Eugene for a short time in the Fall of 1985, and then I returned to stay with her family for a brief time the Summer of 1986. We’ve seen each other a couple of times since (1988 with my mom en route to Russia, 1995 with David on our week break from our British Theatre course in London with Faber Dechaine from U of Oregon), but had basically lost contact until this year. Bettina lives in the same house with her mother, three children and her dog, Moritz…

We don’t have much time to spend with them, so I feel like every moment will count and I don’t want to be late. We have given ourselves seven hours to make the journey and hope to stop somewhere quaint to eat the L’Abri lunches we helped to pack the day before. We are not disappointed—the small town of Wangen, with its covered bridge and sparkling river provides the perfect spot for a picnic. The food is fine, the apfelchorle is quenching and the water is so clear and inviting, I seriously consider going in.

We walk around the town and I use my German for the first time in a long time. I delight that I am understood and understand. Eventually, my fluidity breaks down and the older woman and I share a smattering of both English and German. She explains that the bakery has moved and we should really see the river, and—“oh let me take you to the church where I work to use the toilet”. We are grateful.  And it is a beautiful day!

We continue on through green hills and small towns-all with bell towers and red roofs and old-fashioned charm.

Later, on the autobahn, all this wonderful is forgotten as our map goes blank twelve kilometres before our exit. We are nearing Stuttgart, and traffic is not only fast and furious but heavy. David keeps asking where to turn and I don’t know.

J: We need wifi.

D: Should I get off here?

J: I don’t know…(the fear of getting lost for hours starts to wrap its fingers around my throat; I try to breathe deep and push the panic away) Ok, Sindelfingen. Yes, turn here. 

Oh God, what now. No phone communication and no map! We find our way, crossing several lanes, to a large mall, park, and go in to find wifi. Wifi is spotty, but we can eventually reload the map. Dave disappears to find a pen to write down directions in case we lose it again, and in the time he’s gone (far too long for my liking) I try to WhatsApp Bettina but the send feature is only blue for two seconds and we cannot get a connection long enough to communicate.  I feel sick that I cannot tell her where we are and that we will be late. My mind is scouring visions of thirty-one years ago and trying to recognize the neighbourhood from memory if I have to. 

I hate feeling this unprepared.

Dave returns and his phone not only has the map, but the female voice ready to guide each turn. It is still stressful, but we make it a half-hour late, but safe. 

Ahhhh.

Our time with Bettina is full of conversation, memories, new friends, sight-seeing and wonderful shared meals. Her twin boys, Carl und Max, are thirteen going on fourteen, and (just like with Cole and Adam at L’Abri) Donovan and Weston like them instantly and they have their own conversations.  They share a love for Pokemon Go, and we will spend the next three days hunting and capturing (and regulating) this passion.

I’m so grateful to reconnect with Bettina.  She is so sweet and generous.  Her eyes twinkle when she laughs and I see the sixteen year-old inside her.

Bettina’s twelve year-old daughter Marie is a gem. She is beautiful and is quick to help translate for us and for her Oma, Doris.  I recognize Doris from my first visit, and though her frame is more fragile, her warmth and character emanate and she is happy we have come.

I’m proud to share my children with Bettina and Doris, and we marvel at how well they get on.

This trip has been a series of receiving hospitality:

First Arann and family in St. John’s

Then Carlo and Alessandra in Italy

The staff and community at L’Abri

and now in Germany.

Bettina insists on picking up the bill for each meal, and generously splurges on any and every ride the children want to try at the local fair (Volksfest). At the festival, all around I see lederhosen and dwindle dresses and bier and fun! 

~Later, Bettina and I take alpha-male Moritz on a walk down the paths in the cabbage fields of Silmingen and I pour out my heart.

About my home,

my fears,

my hopes,

and my struggles.

She appreciates this and says so.

And I am choked by the beauty of the sunset, coupled with articulating the stirrings of my soul.

And I feel cared about

by a friend I rarely see

but hope to stay connected with

in the future.

When it’s time to go, we don’t want to.

I’m proud of David and the boys for learning so much German in such a short amount of time, and the farewells keep tumbling:

“Vielen Dank fur Alles!”

“Wiedersehen!”

“Tchuss!”

“Vis später!”

We are blessed.