“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” –Marcus Annaeus Seneca
The eve of our departure is quickly approaching, and as always, there is just one more thing to be finished before we leave. Preparing months in advance sounds like a better idea with each day that passes. Our hotels have been booked, almost all of the gifts for our relatives have been gathered, and I’m giving the cats extra attention to try to make up for my upcoming four months leave of absence.
I’m finding it easier to look forward to this experience as my understanding of the initial part of the trip- sightseeing mit meine Mutti und Vatti- is filled in. I am most looking forward to meeting my relatives again, and I hope that we all get along well (and that we can understand each other!). My primary motivation for learning German has always been to bridge the language barrier between my relatives in Germany and America, so being able to talk to them is very important to me. Consequentially I’m most anxious about becoming a fluent speaker. But as Kyoko always says in Skip Beat, “Ganbatte!” (I’ll do my best!). Hopefully all of those German classes and watching Heide in German will pay off!
Here is a list of my personal goals which I hope are achieved by the time I return:
- Be fluent in German
- Get to know my German relatives
- Take pictures of the Blue Danube to send to Auntie
- Have Adrian (a friend I am traveling with) feel better:
-to feel less depressed/have a more positive outlook on life
-to not be as paranoid
-for him to be more self-reliant and confident
-for him to find something he likes to do
-for him to have learned more German
-for him to have made at least one new friend
- Make another close friend
- Mutti and I both catching a Mr. Mime (only available in Europe) and put a Taurus in a European gym (Taurus only spawn in North America)
- To have many new adventures
It’s setting the bar high but I think it will be worth it in the end. To sign off with another quote,
“We all make choices but in the end our choices make us.” -Andrew Ryan
I hope the choices I make in Europe will make me return as a better person.