Third Base

Aaaaannnd, we're back! Welcome to procrastination central. I can't believe that April is already dwindling away, baseball season is in full swing, Kentucky Derby Day is fast approaching, and our last post was over one month ago. Yikes! Where did the time go?

As you can rightfully presume, Steve and I have been extremely busy the past couple of months. I spent the better part of February and March bouncing around the eastern half of the United States while Steve labored in the archives in Freiburg and conducted interesting interviews with former anti-nuclear activists in the Rhine region:

The "Ladies' Night" Group in Carrboro, North Carolina
(I also would have included a picture of one of Steve's research documents, but I am worried about German copy right laws.)

Just three days after we both returned to Munich, my brother and his good buddy, Chris, paid us a week-long visit during their college spring break:

Chris and My Brother, Michael
(Outside the Neue Rathaus in Munich, Germany)

Then, the day after they left, Steve and I took a two week trip to Berlin for two conferences, his research, and to visit friends:

Brandenburg Gate at Night
(Berlin, Germany)

Friends from UNC and Fulbright
(At a Kneipe in Berlin, Germany)

Immediately following, we ventured on a one week vacation to Krakow and Katowice for a little fun over the Easter holiday weekend:

St. Mary's Basilica
(Krakow, Poland)

"Where are all of the entertaining posts on all of our crazy adventures," you ask.

"Hopefully, coming..." I answer, with all of my memories thoughtfully churning through my mind, but also feeling slightly overwhelmed. Where to begin? In honor of the Red Sox, I will resume my blog posts by beginning with a baseball analogy.

After a long, gray Munich winter, my trip to the States was wonderful! Traveling to Miami, Louisville, Carrboro, Chicago, and New York, I got to catch up with so many of my amazing friends and family members. It was great being reconnected with so many fantastic communities. I was also blessed with gorgeous 70 degree sunny weather everywhere I passed through; and, in so many ways, my trip was absolutely rejuvenating.

As you can imagine, everyone had questions about what it is like living in Germany. Sitting over tea or a glass or two of wine while discussing my time abroad, the first question every asked was something along the lines of, "Do you have any friends in Munich?"

At first I was a little offended by this question. But, after giving it some thought, it seemed completely fair and the answer is more complex than I originally imagined.

In short, Steve and I do have a few friends in Munich. Are they German? Yes and no.

Steve is connected to the Rachel Carson Center through the LMU in Munich. Through this institute, we have met other Americans conducting doctoral research here in Munich (and their wonderful spouses). However, sadly, most of them have traveled back to the United States. (Thanks a lot, Andy and Whitney.) We have also met people through my language classes and other various outlets.

Yet, making German friends in Germany is extremely complicated. In general, at first meeting, Germans seem very cold and standoffish. They are generally scared and taken aback by "fake", bubbly American personalities. To Germans, a friend is someone you can trust and tend to know very well.

For example (here's where baseball...or dating...comes into play), getting to know my German tandem partner, Jana, was like starting a long-term relationship. "First base" or our first few "dates" consisted of meeting at a bar or restaurant for tea or a beer. As time went by and we got to know each other a little better, we moved to "second base," play dates at the park and walks around each of our neighborhoods. Months into our relationship, Jana invited me over to her house for a beer. This was a huge step!

Now, after almost half a year of going to bat, Jana and I invite each other over for dinner and sincerely enjoy spending time together. We are rounding third and I think we are becoming true friends.