Final Days

After a glance at the calendar, I'm finally starting to realize that the end of my stay in Germany is near. Having only till the end of the week until I return to the US on Thursday, its beginning to feel as though my "days are numbered". On Tuesday, I have two exams to take for my courses I took, but then  my commitments are over. They shouldn't be too difficult, but considering that I spent the weekend in Finland rather than the Library, I'll have to study quite a lot tonight...but in all, they should be entirely manageable.

Once the exams are through, I'll be home free. Besides some procedural checkout items from the dorms...all that will remain is to pack up my items to return. I can already tell that is going to be interesting. When you're abroad for 45 days and have time to visit almost a dozen different places, its quite easy to accumulate quite a lot of souvenirs....thank goodness for Stockmann's export services to make it remotely possible.

Looking back on my time in Deutschland, I don't have a single regret. The time has been nice, giving ample time to learn and appreciate German culture without being long enough to miss my own Northern US homeland, Michigan. Actually, its hard to miss Michigan in a place like Finland, where one lady noticed the Michigan Tech luggage tag on my suitcase, and informed me that she was from Bloomfield Hills, MI and had a nephew studying at Tech...HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD. That was interesting for sure....but in places like Germany, its somewhat difficult to describe Michigan. Mainly I tell them that its in the far north by Canada...it works.

German Beer and Food have been nice. I'm not sure if I would enjoy them so much if they became a regular part of my diet, as they are remarkably simplistic in nature with not much flavor deviation. Also, the potatoes with every meal concept, while popular in the upper midwest where I come from, is extremely common here in Germany. Without mention, the German people have been very nice. In Hannover, they are said to have one of the most pure dialects in all of Germany, so I suppose where else could have been better to learn some Deutsch? Like my plans to return to Finland, I believe another visit to Germany is in order as well. From the thoroughness of the public transportation system to the beauty of their countryside, its a great country...which I'll miss when I return home. But, of course...a nice list of things which I've missed will be greeting me when I arrive in Houghton!