Here's my update for the next 6 months ;)
We are approaching 2 years of being in Germany! Some days I feel like we've lived here forever, and other days it feels as though the time has flown by. We don't really know when we will be moving or where we will be moving, but 3 years tends to be the norm for most ex-pats. If that holds true, we could be moving in a year, which seems crazy to me! I really like Germany, I don't have many bad things to say about this country or Europe in general. I do miss the USA though, it's my home and what I've known for the first 30 years of my life. Luckily I grew up in an "International" family with my dad being from Chile. So I've always appreciated other cultures and I'm thrilled that my kids are growing up the same way. I find it so funny that Anna has lived in Germany longer than she lived in the US and Drew has about a year to go before that holds true to him as well. They really don't remember living in the US. Anna especially. They love it here and we really realized that when we were in the US and Drew was counting down the days until we were heading back to Germany. For them, this truly is home, and that's all I can hope for. As long as my kids are happy, I'm happy. I don't know what the future will hold for us, where we will be living and when the changes will happen, but I'm so thankful for this opportunity to experience a life in another country. It may not always be easy, but if you ever have the chance to do it, DO IT! You may find a place where you want to live forever, or you may have a new appreciation for your "home", but you will definitely learn a lot about yourself and your family and even your friends. This is definitely an experience that will never be forgotten! If we move back to the US and never live overseas again, at least we were fortunate enough to do it once in our lives...if this is just a stepping stone to more ex-pat assignments, then we will embrace that as well (although I do have some limits!).
We just spent almost a month in the USA visiting family. I never feel like I have enough time to do all that I want to do, or see everyone I want to see, or eat everything I want to eat ;). We had fun though and we look forward to doing it again this summer.
For now, Drew is in school at the Munich International School. We couldn't be happier about the school and the teachers and families there. Drew has learned so much and continues to amaze us with the things he's learning. He's developed quite the British accent and picked up some new words, since he has 2 British teachers and many friends from England.
Anna is still at home with me, but in September she will join the Busy Bees International Preschool where Drew attended last year. She will probably only go 2-3 days a week, even though it is a full time preschool. We will see how she does and go from there. I know she will love it though, she is definitely a "busy bee"!
The good-bye's to our ex-pat friends never gets any easier. We just had to say good-bye to some friends moving to Beijing China! They are great friends and we will miss them so much. Drew and Hannah were quite the pair and Drew is already asking when he can see her again and wants to Skype with her :). As the months go on we hear of people getting ready to move home or to somewhere new for their next adventure, but then we also welcome new families to the area. It's very bittersweet and something you can never get used to.
In March we will have some friends from Minnesota visiting us for the first time, so we are very excited about that! Then in May, Rick's parents will be here for 2 weeks and we will be taking them to Disneyland Paris for their first time. In July we'll be heading to the US for a few weeks, then my parents are hoping to visit us again for Christmas :). I'm sure we'll plan some small trips in between to see the places we have yet to visit in Europe. The UK and Amsterdam are on the top of my list right now!
Until next time...whenever that will be...Auf Wiedersehen!
