Reflections after one year abroad

Last Friday, July 31st marked the one year anniversary of when I arrived in Germany. I can't believe how quickly it went... as they say, time flies when you are having fun :) While reflecting on this past year, I started to think about all the things that I miss about the US... but I also realized there are many things that I enjoy about living in Germany too. So I just thought I would share my reflections with you...

What I miss about the States

• Our family and friends!!!
• English as the native language… well, at least it is for most people in the US.
• Playing soccer… we hoped to find a team here, but it never panned out unfortunately.
• Teaching… with the limited number of English-speaking schools, it looks like I won’t have my own classroom again until we come back.
• Target… actually, I miss shopping in general. Everything is so expensive here that I rarely go shopping… I’m definitely missing out on some retail therapy J
• DVR and HD television
• Not having to constantly figure out the currency conversion
• Going to baseball games
• PF Changs, Jamba Juice, Chipotle, Slurpees, Panda Express… I’ll stop there as the list of all of the different places I miss could go on and on….
• Being near the ocean in San Diego
• Not having to rely on email and Facebook as the primary means of communication
• People who wear deodorant
• Just being in the good old US of A!

What I like about living in Germany

• Getting to spend more time with Daniel… finally!
• Being able to travel all over Europe and beyond
• All the friends we’ve made here
• Living in a different culture and gaining a more global outlook
• The Autobahn… driving as fast as you want can be really fun J
• Not having a cell phone… seriously, I really like not having one. As for Daniel, he’s quite addicted to his CrackBerry.
• Gelato stands everywhere
• Developing an appreciation for good wine and beer
• The many interesting running routes here in Frankfurt… which definitely helped me achieve my life goal of running a marathon.
• The chance to coach soccer in Europe… see below for more details!

So while we definitely miss living in the US, we are also trying to make the most of our time here in Germany. So far, so good I think! As for the coaching, I do have some exciting news... I am serving as the Junior Varsity Girls soccer coach at the Frankfurt International School this coming fall! It's a great school nearby... I substituted there frequently this past school year. Although I have done very little coaching before, I think this is going to be an awesome experience for me, especially since I will also be assisting with the Varsity team. Plus, we will be traveling with the teams around Europe in order to play different international schools, including Munich, Brussels, Paris, and Zurich.

Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there... in addition to coaching at FIS, I will also be serving as the assistant coach to the U-15 Girls ODP Europe team! ODP stands for Olympic Development Program, which is a program that provides high-level training for youth soccer players around the nation. In fact, I played on the South Texas State ODP team back in middle and high school. The ODP Europe program works with American youth living abroad, so largely military kids. Needless to say, coaching for the program is a fantastic opportunity as well.

I am thrilled to have the chance to coach both soccer teams... especially since it will probably open up more doors when we come back to the States, and I am very likely to continue to pursue coaching in the future. With both teams on the agenda, it is definitely going to be a soccer-filled fall, but I am very excited!

I think that is all for right now.... but come back soon because I have plenty more trips to blog about, and I hope to have those posts up shortly! Until then...