Family Blog

Carmen will go to France for three months. Now the last preparations for the journey have started. Today Philip shows her how to start a blog - and voilà, here it is: Carmen's Blog.

This evening Carmen will try to phone with France. She is very excited.

It is not so easy to get our car into our gateway. And this week our car had a rendezvous with the post on the right side. I think we will wait some years before we will buy a new car...

Last Saturday Manuel and Philip had their first practical driving lesson. In the afternoon I went with them with our car to the next public training area. First Manuel started driving. We have no automatic gear so it was not so easy for him to start the car. Several times we hoped more than we cruised but Philip had the same problem. We were not the only beginners on the training area and as I remember I had also problems at my first driving lessen to start the car.

A special challenge was the first turn ,because I ait on the front seat and did not know if Manuel or Philip would get the curve correct. You know you can't do anything. I'm happy that I'm not a driving instructor - I would loose my nerves.

On Thursday Manuel and Philip will have their next practical driving lesson .

This morning we drove to Frankfurt to pick up Manuel. Yesterday we took Philip so we had some experience to find the right parking garage and the right gate. Nevertheless we have been very excited to see Manuel life again after nearly one year absence. And then he came with a big smile and we have been so happy to see him again.

He seems to be now half an American. He is not used to speak German and on way back to Gerlingen most the time he spoke English and we answered in German.

When we are at home again Philip just waked up. We went with Manuel through our house. It seems to be smaller now for him as one year before.

With over an hour delay Philip landed today in Frankfurt. We had to wait another hour till we saw him coming out in the arrival hall. He was one of the first of his machine and we were all happy to see and embrace him. He looks a little bit greater than one year before and has twice as much baggage as he left Germany.

Now we are waiting for Manuel's arrival which is scheduled for 6:55 AM what means we have to start at 4:30 in Gerlingen. Fortunately for us the flight will have a delay of 3 hours. Perhaps a result of the strike of the ground personal which started today...

Yesterday Philip left Lincoln together with his host family to go to Truckee, where there was the
gathering point of AFS. Then it was time to say goodbye and for both sides it was a teary farewell as Jeff wrote me. Especially Philips sister Elene was very sad.

From Truckee the entire AFS group boarded a bus for an overnight trip to Los Angeles. At about 16:30 o'clock Philip will leave California and has a flight of about 11 hours. Tomorrow we will go to Frankfurt to receive him. I guess he will be very tired from the journey and farewell.

Manuel will leave Wisconsin tomorrow. For him and his family it also will not be an easy farewell. Manuel will arrive Germany on Wednesday early in the morning.

We are waiting to embrace them and see them reunited...

Also Manuel had his graduation now as you can read in his blog. Unfortunately we have no pictures from this event but I think next week when he will back in Germany we will see some.

Philip will leave today his host family while Manuel has time till tomorrow to pack his bags. It is not so easy to get all the things from the last 11 months into the bag because space and weight is limited.

Here in Germany everybody is excited about the finals of the European Soccer Championship where Germany plays against Spain.

Next week Manuel and Philip will come back from their exchange year in the USA. We are very excited to welcome them back at home. How will they look like? Will they be the same as one year ago? Will they be more great and heavier?

I guess the last week will be hard for them and their host families. Time flies and shortly it is time to say goodbye. I can remember how hard my heart felt after the leave at the airport.

CUL8R...

Philip! Yesterday Philip had his graduation. On the Silver Grad Night Philip won a laptop and other things. And it was early in the morning when he went to bed.

School is now over for Philip and this event is the end of a successful and eventfully year. In the subjects Calculus, English and Comparative Politics he was the best in his class and he learned a lot about the American way of life.

School is also over for Manuel but he will have his graduation next week.

The streets here will be empty this evening – the European Soccer Championship has started yesterday and today Germany has its first match (against Poland).

Tomorrow it is Mother's Day and we wish all host Mums all the best. According to Wikipedia. Mother's Day is an invention of American women whereas here in Germany this day is celebrated since the twenties of the last century.

We will be absent tomorrow and go for a week to Mallorca. For Carmen it will be the first flight in her life. Our last common flight was 20 years ago (to Los Angelos). At the moment it rains at Mallorca although on average there are only 7 rainy days in May. I fear these 7 days will be the next week.