Heather left yesterday, on the 3:18 train to Berlin, where I unfortunately couldn't accompany her. By now she's cruising over the Atlantic, trying to adjust herself to the fact that her life will now proceed entirely auf Englisch.
And I sit here at my desk, still in my pajamas, trying to adjust myself to the fact that my life will now proceed entirely ohne Heather. (Well, gee, there's always IM. Whoop de do!)
Heather was my first friend in this little town. We both started in August last year at our respective institutions, both made plenty of noise about how the "adjustment period" was lonely and difficult and whatnot, and at the end of November, Those People In the Know decided to throw us a bone and inform each of us of the other's existence.
And so we survived the incredibly awkward phone call in which both of us were like Ohmigod I am so lonely here and I have to speak German all the time and I don't know anyone so would you please please PLEASE be my friend but we had to be politically correct and say things like "so... have you met a lot of people in town?" knowing full well there just aren't any young folk to have met. Eventually we just let it all hang out and decided to meet as soon as Heather came back from her trip home for Thanksgiving (during which time I was on pins and needles hoping that this nice disembodied voice would become a friend).
And luckily for my sanity, she did become a friend, one of those ultra-comfortable ones with whom you can be in the same room hanging out, without necessarily engaging in the same activity. There are the formulaic friends: Stammtisch, dinner invitations, structure and role-playing. And then there are the friends to whom you can say, "Mind if I check my e-mail quick?" or "I bought some pizza dough... we can bake it in your oven, right?" and the answer is simply mi casa es tu casa.
I really think we made the most of this place. We explored the joys of dubbed films, turned dinner and grocery shopping into a Social Event, searched for creative projects, shared our visitors with each other, and created our own excitement when it was lacking.
"I'm going to miss you" doesn't quite cover my feelings concerning life post-Heather. "What the hell am I going to do now?" is somewhat closer, but doesn't really fit the mood of this tribute. :-)
Good luck with the job search, "Heidi"! And welcome home!
4 comments:
(((gasp))) I feel your pain from here. I had a friend like that. We weren't strangers in a new town, but we were strangers in a whole new season of life- motherhood. And somehow she made the hard parts bearable. I didn't realize how crucial the moments with her until she was gone. People will tell you that friendship can continue and new ones will come along. But- it still sucks. And the town/season seems suddenly different forevermore.
Wish I had something more positive to say. We'll all have a grand time when you come home in a few months....does that help?
Amy
Oh yes, it helps a lot. I am already getting excited, even though it is still months away. :-)
Jess! Are you trying to make me teary? I think my eyes were red enough on the plane today. But thank you for that oh-so-wonderful tribute to me. Once I am not so jet-lagged and exhausted, I want to try to sum up my "Wittenberg experience" - and you will most definitely be a huge part of that. Probably a separate part, woohoo! Anyway, I miss you already and I haven't even been off the continent for 24 hours, yet. When can I come visit?! :)
Hi Heather, I am glad you made it home safely (it's just sad that "making it home safely" had to also involve "leaving"). No, my *primary* goal wasn't to make you cry... but it was a good year, and sometimes closure is tearful. *sniff* Looking forward to your Wittenberg wrap-up.
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