Day 58 - On my way home

It is 8pm here in Seattle. Jonathan dropped me off at the airport, and even helped me get my boxed bike in the right place.  Danke Schön! And now I wait with the rest of these travelers to board the plane, fall asleep & wake in New York.

"Final thoughts?" asked Jonathan as we reached the airport. "I think I'm ready." was my reply. 

It's always hard to end a vacation. And, this one was a perfect mix of excitement and relaxation. I had certainly begun to transition my brain towards school and work again, but sitting on the beach or looking out at a vista of mountains has a way of keeping my focus here, not there.

Evelyn came down to say good morning and I reminded her that I had to pack to leave for home today. "Oh, that means it's been a week already?" Yep, a week went by, just like that. And 8 weeks went by, just like that! 

I spent the morning re-organizing my gear. The biggest challenge was to get my bike packed into a box. I knew this day was comming, but didn't want to deal with it...not only because my vacation was over, but mostly because I had to take the pedals off my bike. Have you ever had to take pedals off your bike? It is both confusing and difficult. They make a special tool for such a job, a pedal wrench! 😉 Well, I didn't have one. On top of that, the "lefty-loosy, righty-tighty" rule does not apply. Therefore, my brain and arm muscles were both working overtime. It finally worked, and I rejoiced! 🤗 All told, it took about an hour to dismantle, pack & secure my bike. I'll share pictures sometime tomorrow.

The afternoon gave me the opportunity to visit Evelyn's school, a German immersion school. It was fun to see the classrooms & talk with the teachers. From there we drove to Golden Gardens Beach on Puget Sound. There was a gathering for a birthday party with many of the families from the German school. I thoroughly enjoyed some conversation in both German and English about education, politics, culture, and, of course, the beautiful day and the beautiful weather.

I really could not have asked for a better transition between vacation and my few weeks of preparation to teach German and US Government.

So, yes, I'm ready. I'm ready to sleep. I'm ready to fill my fridge again. I'm ready to check my mail and make sure my bills are paid for August. I'm ready to see what my classroom looks like and learn what I have to do to get it ready for school. I'm ready to see my friends again at school & church. I'm ready to be home.

I'm also ready to see what I can see out my window on the plane.  I wonder whom I'll meet along this last leg! 😊

#Lessonslearned #PeopleVisited #PeopleMet