Alles hat ein Ende [All good things must come to an end]

Wow. I can't believe it's time for me to write a final blog post. I obviously didn't utilize this blog as much as I did last time. I think that's partially due to the fact that the longer I'm here, the less I feel I need to write about. But I also think that three years later we're getting even terser with how we share information online. I definitely used Instagram and Facebook a lot this time around, so I hope people were able to follow my adventures. Even my mom got a Facebook to keep up with me, so I don't know if I'll ever resurrect a blog like this again.

I'm not quite finished in Germany yet, but I will be back on American soil in 16 short days, so I figured I should write something now when I am actually able to find a little free time. It's well past 2:00 on a Friday night here, but I find myself wide awake and reflecting on these past 9 months. I've even created a playlist of all the songs that have been popular during this school year to help with my thinking...

Work

I have three days left teaching English at the Berufsbildungszentrum Schleswig in Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. I've already had my last lessons with 2 of the 8 classes I worked with this year, and I'm actually sadder than I anticipated. I connected with some classes more than others, which depended mostly on how much I was able to interact with them, but even my lesser favorites have left an impact on me. In my favorite class, the students shared what they thought of the year with me and they had very nice things to say.

The first half the year I was quite apathetic about my work at school. I enjoyed a lot of it, but the whole school system was a bit too different for me, and I remember thinking I could never work in a school here. I've changed my tune quite a bit. Although I don't ever see myself coming back to Germany to work as a teacher, I've grown to enjoy teaching English. The more I was able to work independently with the students, the more fun I had.

Probably the greatest lesson I learned here that I will take back with me is that I'm so much more conscious of my language. I have gotten quite good at changing my level of speech to best fit different audiences. And in general, I speak a little slower and more clearly. I'm also better at explaining what words or phrases mean. I hope to carry this skill into my next teaching job.

People

I have met some awesome people this year (from Germans to Americans to a collection of other nationalities). I was so lucky to live in two apartments with great roommates. I had the best mentor teacher ever, and the other teachers I worked with were all super flexible, kind, and fun to work with. I even made a few friends here that I know I will be friends with for many years to come. To top all that off, I reconnected with good friends from years past and strengthened those bonds.

The year abroad also allowed me to think about the relationships I have at home. Thanks to the world of technology we live in, it often felt like I hadn't left my friends and family at all. Of course it helps when you have so many friends and family members willing to come to Germany to visit you. And having your soon-to-be wife at your side (or at most 3 hours away) made home feel much closer.

Overall experience

I am so, so grateful for this Fulbright year. It's a dream I have had such a long time, and I honestly thought it was a long shot for a while. I love this country and this culture and these people more and more. Learning German and being in Germany has brought me so much happiness in my life that I can't imagine it that it will ever stop being one of the most important parts of my life. I met my fiancée in a German class and the most fulfilling work experience I've had was student teaching German in 2012. Who knew that signing up for German 1 in 2004 under the German name "Heiko" would lead to all of this?

I am proud of myself and what I've done with my two biggest passions: German and teaching. All throughout school I strived to be the best, and, if I'm being completely honest, I always felt not good enough. Smart enough to be in the company of the smartest, but I never felt the pride of being a valedictorian or getting some great scholarship or getting a super high ACT score. But I look back now and see what I have accomplished. I excelled with German and teaching throughout college, I studied abroad, and now there's this Fulbright grant. It's what I'm really, really good at. And the best part of it all is that it's also what I really, really love.

Moving on

I have a quick turn around now. I have less than two weeks in Montana before I jet off to Chicago for six weeks of training. The wedding bells will be ringing at the end of July and a few days later Alice and I will be residents of Chicago for at least two years. There's so much coming our way in the next few months, but I hope I don't too quickly forget the past nine months. If I do start forget, I can come back to this blog post to remind myself. It's been a blast, and although I'm not ready for it to end, I am ready for what's coming.

Thank you, Germany.