Horb has suited me well throughout the past 5 weeks. Five weeks? Has it really been that long? It seems as if just yesterday I had struggled getting my suitcase through the cobbled stones in Germany. Although Horb has been my world and home for my first weeks in Germany, and it actually makes me sad to say goodbye next Monday. I'm not only saying goodbye to this town which has provided me with a host of adventures, but I'm saying goodbye to my host family as well.
If I haven't already mentioned, my host family is more than I could have asked for. Although my host parents have two kids already grown up and out of the house, they have remained a caring and welcoming part of my German experience so far. The little jar of Nutella they leave out for me every morning, the daily reminders to bring a jacket or umbrella to school or even the special yogurt they buy because I've grown to like it are all testaments to how kind this family is. And what's more, when my host mom found that I would need to purchase bedding, kitchen ware and perhaps a warm coat or two for winter, she couldn't help but insist that I take extra bedding, silverware, plates, and her daughter's old snow jackets and warm clothes with me to Tuebingen. I had never thought a family would be so generous, and to a girl from California who can speak less German than a 5th grader. :]
Horb, however, has been it's own adventure, separate from that of my host family. I've learned so much already just by trial and error in this little town. I've learn how to ask for "a few slices of salami" and "a few slices of cheese" at the supermarket deli. I know how that when I recycle my cola bottle, I get a .25 cent pfand (reimbursement). I know that the bridge I pass over everyday stands over the Neckar River--a river that I have on more than one occasion thrown bread into to attract the local ducks.
I'm going to miss the daily Kaufland run at lunch time, and the ice cream parlor across the alley from my school. I'm going to miss the steep hillside that so often Israel and I have climbed on more than one adventure. I'm going to miss the little white tower and the red tower, along with the soccer field and the beer garden, where many a German family I have met and conversed with.
I've missed the bus completly in Horb and have had to hitch hike back to town. I've taken one too many Night Taxi buses when I arrived late to Horb on the train. I've stumbled onto Horb's annual fall festival and have been recognized for the picture of Chelsea and I that wound up in the local paper. And above all, no matter how much of Horb I have seen and visted, I still feel like I haven't seen it at all.
Tuebingen, on the other hand, is a lrage city, bustling with action from dawn until dusk....and then some. Their night life is as popular to the student body and the Neckar River and Tuebingen Castle is to the tourists. I will always have something to occupy my time and prevent boredom from sinking in. And yet, I almost look to Tuebingen with a weary eye. Will I still find the quite, lonely hillsides and crumbling walls that I have grown to love in Horb? Can I escape the busy college-lifestyle on a midday afternoon and wander about without having to worry about what bus station I need to stand on next?
While I will find myself well-adjusted in Tuebingen, I will always think fondly on my stay in Horb. My host family, for one, has offered a home-cooked meal whenever I want to take a bus to visit, and I most certainly will take that opportunity. I know Tuebingen will be just as rich in culture and life as Horb was, so I suppose this transition is more bitter sweet than anything.
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