Last week in Europe

The days are flying by. In less than a week we will be on our way to Seattle and probably have arrived in Seattle in a week from now. Still I have to cancel the newspaper, electricity, water and phone ... - not even talking about the income tax from the last two years I wanted to finish by Friday.

Never the less despite all this work I am enjoying the last days in Kiel. I am on my own clearing the flat and think about the great time I had in Kiel. I started my studies in Oceanography here in September 1996 - 13 Years full of experiences, uncounted parties, a diploma, a PhD, a marriage and 3 kids later I finally leave Kiel again. Though I must admit that there have been years in between I spent more time on board of research ships on the Atlantic Ocean and traveling with my backpack distant continents than actually studying. It really is time now to get out of here and get to know the world. Not regarding traveling, having done that a lot, but regarding living and getting to know another country and culture in detail again. Somehow similar to the exchange year I spent in New Zealand. Time will tell how we fit into the American culture, which habits will become family habits - which part of that culture will find a permanent place in our family culture.
It feels like the time in Kiel is already over and Seattle time did not start yet - thus a time like between Christmas and New Year: the old year is over, though the new one did not start yet. In German we would say "zwischen den Jahren" in between the years to those days.

Maybe the feeling that a part of me already left Germany is because Saturday we had our last and biggest farewell party. A lot of relatives and old friends came, all generations a whole day long, 50 adults and 20 kids, with an age range from a half year to 80+. It was a great day that we will remember for a long time! It was a long potluck brunch/BBQ that started at 11am and ended after sunset. There was marvelous salads, deserts, fish, bread, sausages, steaks and much more... thanks all for bringing so many delicious thins along. Thanks to all who made this such a wonderful good bye for us by joining. Since I did not manage to make any photos - if you took some during that day, please send us a few. (The following three were taken by my father-in-law.) Water fights with a hose, reading tent, painted faces and bodies, soccer, drawing, eating sweets ... every kid was very tired by the end of the day. Theda and Jonte were still tired from the last days and overwhelmed, that they left totally exhausted early with their grandparents.