The final countdown: t-3 days.

I'd like to begin this post with a happy birthday to my dearest old pops. I always tell him he's old, but today it's particularly true! 
 
but let's get back to the countdown...
 
Things I've learned during my Fulbright year:
#10 - a lot about the English language
#9 - there is such a thing as too much free time
#8 - riding your bike in the snow can be dangerous
#7 - missing your last train isn't always a bad thing
#6 - how to not be the student
#5 - German
#4 - I am a Georgia girl
#3 - you're allowed to visit home on a year abroad

This is something that I would have completely denied 4 years ago when I was leaving for Switzerland. I was heading off to not live in Georgia for the first time in 10 years and, by God, I wasn't going to come back till it was over! 
 
And I didn't. I didn't see Georgia, my home, or my mom for 10 months.
 
When I left for Germany last August, I remember not knowing when I would see anyone, let alone the country again. This time it wasn't so much that I was convinced I had to stay abroad as it was I didn't know when I would have the money to come back. But I never thought I'd be getting ready for my second trip home at this point...
 

As luck would have it, I found myself with a little extra holiday cash and amazing deals on international flights a mere 6 weeks before the Christmas break. So, quite spontaneously, I booked a flight home for a week at Christmas and managed to keep the whole thing a surprise for my parents. 

In the weeks leading up to my Christmas return, I started to worry. Maybe going home was like cheating. I was resetting the living-abroad clock to zero and gaining an unfair advantage over my friends who could not make it home for the holiday. Not to mention, the first half year is always the hardest. Right around the midpoint you get that "ok, that was cool, glad I did it, but I'm ready to be done" feeling. And while that feeling was not nearly as prevalent this time around as it was in Zürich, I was worried that getting a taste of home-life would make me not want to come back to Germany. 
 
But after my week at home, visiting friends, spending time with family, I gladly packed up my suitcase and got back on the plane, ready to continue life in Forchheim. 

And I have not once regretting making that trip since. I think a quick visit for the holidays was exactly what I needed to get me motivated for the next 6 months. Plus, I will never be able to get the look on my mom's face when I popped out of the trunk out of my head - if anything, I'm glad I went just for being able to pull of the largest international Gauld-surprise in history!

So even though I'm super excited to be spending another year in Germany and at the end I'll be able to say I've lived abroad for 2 years, I have no doubt in my mind that my visit home will be the best thing I do all summer.