20 Comments

  1. Annie
    January 11, 2011 @ 8:55 pm

    I’m first of all very happy for you to get home and be with your girl (reading the comment above made me kind of go “awww” ๐Ÿ™‚ ).

    I definitely didn’t know you were heading home for good(ish) though! Enjoy it and enjoy it for me too! You too @Sally!

    I’ll be there in the summer and not only get to enjoy all the things I’ve missed for the last year but also get to introduce my Italian boyfriend to all the oh-so-typical American things that he can’t wait to see! Yay!

    Have a safe and comfy flight (as best you can!).

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 9:43 pm

      Thanks Annie. I will be back for a month, so not really “for good”, just taking advantage of the larger amount of German vacation. Has your boyfriend ever been to the US?
      Flight will be dealt with with drugs.

      • Annie
        January 13, 2011 @ 8:11 pm

        Gotcha, guess I misunderstood! Glad that you are getting to take a “vacation” home! ๐Ÿ™‚ BF hasn’t been to the U.S. so I’m very excited about taking him this summer!!

  2. Kristen Deem
    January 11, 2011 @ 7:39 pm

    I loved your list. I lived in Denmark for less than a year when I was a teenager – and loved every minute of it, but it was amazing all the things I loved about coming home, too. ~sigh, wish I could live in another country for awhile again. This made me smile. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 9:43 pm

      Thanks for the comment. What part of Denmark were you in?

  3. Ali
    January 11, 2011 @ 5:40 pm

    Sounds like a good list of things to do when you’re back in the States. I’m not sure about buying beer at 2am though. Your girlfriend must feel very lucky ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 8:01 pm

      2am is the best time to go to the grocery store. Noone there to judge your buying habits.
      And yes, I have the best girlfriend in the world. I am so lucky to have her in my life.

    • Jeremy B
      January 12, 2011 @ 12:19 am

      I have a question – why isn’t pie on this list? ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Andrew
        January 12, 2011 @ 7:37 pm

        Wow. Good point, I did miss pie.

  4. Sally
    January 11, 2011 @ 5:21 pm

    Yay! Salty popcorn! I’m heading home next week for a month & I’m so excited. I’ll be sure to eat plenty of movie theater popcorn & fat-free cookies!

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 8:00 pm

      Woot.. Looking forward to the “Unbravegirl unbravely goes home” posts.

  5. Eurotrip Tips
    January 11, 2011 @ 5:18 pm

    That’s a great list of things to go back to ๐Ÿ™‚ Sometimes it’s the little things that make us miss home.

    You’re lucky to not have any regrets. I do: http://www.eurotriptips.com/?p=1758

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 7:59 pm

      Regrets aren’t so fun, but at least you can learn from them.

  6. Veteran Military Wife at Life Lessons of a Military Wife
    January 11, 2011 @ 5:15 pm

    Very interesting! I think I did almost everything on your list…I just went back after being gone for 2-1/2 years! I’d love to hear if your musings are as similar as mine…or different

    http://lifelessonsmilitarywife.blogspot.com/2011/01/things-that-struck-me-coming-back-to-us.html

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 7:56 pm

      I love your list of musings. I have been back and forth on other trips to Europe and noticed a lot of what you mention. One that I noticed that you didn’t have was language. I mean that you can overhear people all over the place. It also struck me how weird local accents in the US can be. I had been away for only a year on a different trip and spent time with non-American English speakers. Coming home, I couldn’t understand some people anymore.

      I’m sure I’ll do a Musings post when I get there. We can compare then.

      • Veteran Military Wife at Life Lessons of a Military Wife
        January 14, 2011 @ 2:48 pm

        Ha! I didn’t even think of the language thing, but you’re right…it’s weird walking by and “hearing AND understanding” every word of these conservations….although I was in the DC area, so I heard some Spanish, Polish and even Italian just while walking around…

  7. Jill - Jack and Jill Travel The World
    January 11, 2011 @ 5:09 pm

    This post is so not helping my homesickness right now.

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 7:49 pm

      Awww. Just look at all the beautiful things around you and remember that it is cold and rainy where I am.

  8. Jeremy B
    January 11, 2011 @ 10:10 am

    I think this a great post about remembering what we enjoy about our lives, culture, and identity. Some of these things may seem a bit silly to put on the list but in a way, it helps us keep a part of our identity as to who we are and where we came from. However long you are in Germany, you should always miss things or remember what you liked about where you are from because it makes us who we are and gives a sense of comfort and keeps us grounded. For you, this is really important that you don’t spend so much time trying to assimilate where you are that you forget where you come from.

    So excited to hear that you are coming to TBEX! I guess I will see you in June! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Andrew
      January 11, 2011 @ 7:48 pm

      Love the comment. Especially the use of “grounded”. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Assimilate is not what I’m doing I hope. I hope acclimatize ends up being more true.
      Yes, TBEX is going to be great fun. Looking forward to meet you too.