The moment I was most nervous about was nearing. I was terrified to meet my host family and terrified of what they would think of me. I was an older student, not the typical 18- to 20-something-year-old. My own daughter would be 18 in August. My palms were clammy. The air was hot. I struggled with my suitcase that only rolled forward or backward. I wasn’t feeling well either. Along the way I had developed a cold. While in Frankfurt, I had discovered that German Apotheken were nothing like the apothecaries in the United States. They have a very sterile feel to them. The pharmacists themselves wore white doctor’s coats. I walked around not understanding any of the labeling.
This was kind of a culture shock. My mom helped me find a picture of a German cold medicine I could show the pharmacist because my German was not the best and their English was limited. There were many places that I went to where there were people who spoke English, but not everywhere. I also attempted to speak German. I found that I learn quickly when forced to. I finally found a medication and paid in Euros–another new phenomena for me. Change is used more often in Germany. One dollar, two dollars, even four dollars are coins. By the end of the trip, I had tons of one- and two-cent coins in my purse.
I tried to quell the exhaustion from my cold as I chatted outside a coffee shop with the other students. One by one our host families began to arrive. One student, a girl from Wisconsin, was picked up by her host parents. They were young and excited to meet her. I sipped my coffee chatting with a student from Taiwan who had been studying in Australia. Then I heard my name. It was time to meet my host family. I saw an older man with a nice disposition standing next to one of the coordinators. In my nervousness, I forgot to grab my bags. The coordinator introduced him as Heinrich Schultz. He was friendly and spoke a little bit of English. He asked me where my bags were and I blushed realizing I had not grabbed them. As I made my way back to Heinrich, I noticed one of the other students, Maddi, a philosophy major from Wisconsin, standing with him.
I felt great relief when I realized that there would be two of us staying with them and her German was much more advanced than mine. This would be perfect; she could help me understand when it was difficult for me. We followed Heinrich to a cute, blue compact car where he helped us get our bags into the trunk. I sat in the front trying to figure out what to talk about. Our host family lived in a small suburb of Kassel called Obervellmar. It was crisp and clean. The roads were well taken care of and the houses were different cottage and village-type homes, each one with its own unique garden. I was in love. I noticed as we drove to the Schultz’s home that the cars were smaller. Gas is much more expensive in Germany and it was much more cost effective to drive a smaller car.
We pulled in front of a cute, almost beige stucco-like house. There was another small white car in the hilly driveway. Heinrich helped us get our bags out of his car and we followed onto the small front porch. There was the most adorable white and brown cat lounging in the sun. We greeted him warmly as he rubbed his head against our hands. Heinrich opened the door and we were greeted by his wife, Beate. She was enthusiastic and friendly, a tall woman with blonde hair. She ushered us in asking how our trip was, her English a little better than Heinrich’s. I did my best to speak German to them, it was very basic, but they understood what I was trying to say—most of the time.
They showed us to our rooms. I stayed in their daughter Theresia’s room, where there was a desk, twin bed, a harp, and a large wardrobe. The window was open allowing a cool breeze to filter through the room. I set my stuff down near the wardrobe noticing that there was a book about Kassel, a bag of chips, and a chocolate bar on the bed. How thoughtful! The book was really neat because it showed local attractions and history of Kassel and was written in German. On the desk, Beate had set up sparkling water, a glass, and a cute vase of flowers from the garden. I felt so welcomed!
I went to the living room to have drinks and get to know the family I would live with for the next month. There was a large fish tank in the room with a forty-year-old catfish. I ended up greeting him every morning as he seemed to enjoy it. They showed us their large backyard; they had a garden of herbs and vegetables. They had three cherry trees, each planted with the birth of their children. There was a raspberry bush as well as a small pond with a water lily floating in the center. As a horticulturist, I was in heaven. This was a beautiful yard. Beyond the yard were fields of wheat with paths for walking or bike riding.
We took some time to unpack our bags while Beate finished dinner. She would not allow me to help her with anything. It gave her pleasure to take care of us. It was comforting. I don’t remember what we had for dinner that first night, but it was delicious. We chatted, getting to know each other. Heinrich was a retired IT worker who had a love of history and Beate was a doctor specializing in holistic medicine. These two very kind people, and especially their two daughters, became like family to me. To my relief, my age was a moot point.
