Farewell Deggendorf

From Grad Dinner and Party

This is the time for lasts- one last pizza in Extra, one last time on campus, one last party at the HQ, one last Bayern game at First Floor, one last get together as an IM family. Saying goodbye to these people and this place is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

From Grad Dinner and Party

The grad dinner was reminiscent of the Last Supper- all of us sitting in a row of tables for one final dinner as a tight-knit family. As the night progressed, we made our way to the after-party at Relax and partied late into the night. At the end of an amazing night though, the goodbyes began.

From Grad Dinner and Party

The goodbyes will continue over the next three days as I say my final farewell to a city and a period of my life that surely can never be surpassed. These seven semesters will live in my heart forever. And when we all meet again throughout our lives, the moments we have shared together will provide happiness and a sense of comfort in that amazing time we all spent in the little town at the edge of the Bavarian forest.

From Grad Dinner and Party

I love you guys so much!

B004

From Deggendorf- Final Year

The biggest lecture room on campus has also played host to our intimidating final speeches in the first semester, various guest presentations and lots of exams over the past seven semesters. I always seem to find myself in the front row for those exams. But this time was different. Not just that I was near the back, but also because I was sitting there for my last exam at the FH. I finished my last exam with 30 minutes left in the exam time to sit and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. When time was finally called, the atmosphere in the room was light- as if we all felt the same relief in the lifting stress. The smiles my friends and I had as we handed in that exam were ones of pure joy.

Exams

From Deggendorf- Final Year

I know this feeling well now. The utter stress and nervousness that comes with exam time. With 2/5 of my exams done, the stress is beginning to recede. By tomorrow it will have nearly vanished. And when that stress finally makes its exit on Saturday- it will be because I have taken my final exam as a student here. Sure I still have a project and my thesis to finish… But the realization that my late-night study sessions and frustration at not understanding a simple theory have come to an end brings with it a great big sigh of relief. I didn’t have a clue how hard college in Germany was going to be. I am so proud of myself for sticking with it through all the failure and disappointment I encountered while I was adjusting to living abroad and studying in a way different from that I grew up practicing.

I persevered, and now it is paying off with my bachelor degree.

Free Derry

From Deggendorf- Final Year

Germans love their drinking…but they also love games. Combine the two and what do you get? Pub Quiz! Every Tuesday, a group of us (now known by our Pub Quiz name of Free Derry) drop whatever is in our busy lives and head to the Irish for a night of frustration and, occasionally, triumph. I say frustration because the 50 questions are anything but simple in most cases. And even more intimidating for me is that they are in German.

Always starting with a “Zitat frage”, the host is a peculiar man that wears a top hat and smokes in nearly every break. His choice of music for the 10th question in each set is dreadfully biased towards hard rock, but his Bavarian accent makes up for that on all fronts.  To top off the entertainment are the prizes to be won- drinks and more. Although Free Derry remains hopeful, we have yet to make it to a prize level. We have, however, hit rock bottom. But no amount of aggravation can dampen the part of the evening every starving student looks forward to with gleaming eyes- the penny pot. Guess the number of coins and they are yours. And we aren’t talking about actual pennies. In this pot are anything from 1 cent to 2 euro coins, and based on 50-70 people per week paying 1.5 Euros to get in…that can add up to a LOT of money.

Pub Quiz has become a tradition for us, and it is a tradition that will be dearly missed.

Christmas in Bavaria

From Deggendorf- Final Year

People dream of spending Christmas in Europe- and Bavaria in particular- but for me, it was more of a nightmare. Once the students (and therefore my friends) had left, Deggendorf seemed like a ghost town. As I walked through the town on Christmas day, it was just cold and lifeless. There were very few people out, and the Christmas market was boarded up and ready to be taken down until next year. I knew that spending a Christmas alone would be hard, but when I woke up to thick fog instead of snow, I realized just how much I was missing my usual Colorado Christmas.

After today, I will look back and realize that it was just another day. But the fact that I spent it alone says it all. I need family at Christmas- especially because it is the only holiday have been able t0 celebrate with them in the more recent years.

Deutsch

From Deggendorf- Final Year

I feel accomplished. Like this invisible thing that has been weighing me down has been lifted. Today, I spoke German. Not just spoke, but gave a full twenty minute speech. And I wasn’t nervous. Finally, with just a few months left in Germany, I have overcome my hesitation with speaking German. Of course, this speech was in a German course, so hopefully my newfound confidence will trickle into my everyday life. This feeling is good. This feeling is great. I hab’s g’macht!

Emotions

From Deggendorf- Final Year

I usually hide my emotions- but today I cried. And all it took was clicking “confirm” on my final airline ticket back to Denver from Munich. I can not believe that 7 semesters have gone by this fast. It all seems like a blur. I want to slow down time for my final two months here. I want to savor every moment- every second of every day.

We will be going to all parts of the globe. These times that we have had here will fade, memories will be lost, and new friends will be found. But I don’t want to give this all away. The people I have gotten to know here are some of the most incredible I have met, and they are some of my closest friends.

As I count down the days to graduation, I am also counting down to goodbyes.

Deggendorf Impressions 1

From Deggendorf- Final Year

Time Flies

From Deggendorf- Final Year

I walked my now all too familiar walk to the FH for the first day of classes yesterday. It was somewhat bittersweet. I graduate at the completion of this semester, so my days of walking that familiar walk are coming to an end. Deggendorf has become very small and intimate, but also still has that initial allure that has drawn me back time after time.

I know that years from now I will still remember that walk to the FH when I visit Deggendorf on just a regular tourist visa.

I will try to keep this blog up to date this semester just as I did for Japan one year ago. These are the times I never want to forget

Strength and Resilience

From DC/NYC/Camp 2008