Arrival time at the AIB in Bonn: six in the morning. It’s closed until eight. Fantastic. Michael Hibbs and myself have two hefty packs filled with the stuff we’d been wearing and using for a week during our pre-program trips to Stockholm and Copenhagen. Surely there was a stench, but our trained noses had gotten used to it by our arrival.
It’s closed. Okay. We decided to take a cat nap in a park, not sure of the legality, and not sure how much we’d stand out. I don’t know if two kids toting backpacks and setting up hammocks in a public park describes the locals. Regardless, we slept. And it was a well deserved nap, although not nearly long enough. By 7:30 we were awake again, and packed. We returned to the AIB in hopes of the door being unlocked, but alas! It wasn’t. We were ready to cry. Our week previously had taken it’s toll on us. We’d been unprepared for everything Stockholm, Copenhagen, and the rest of Europe had to offer and there we were stranded outside of our school craving a long nap on anything softer than a park bench.
As we start toward our park encampment, we are called out to by someone from behind. And wouldn’t you know it, he lets us in! Although I promptly forgot his name, we thanked him profusely and immediately fell asleep on one of the many supremely comfortable couches. Finally, the routine had begun; we made it inside the AIB.
The next couple of weeks would require more adjustment but our host families made the adjustment bearable and actually enjoyable. My host mother arrived with an enormous smile. She stretched her arms out for a hug as if we were the prodigal sons returned. It was perhaps the warmest welcome from someone I didn’t know. She helped us load our bags, and drove us through Bonn for a quick tour. Along the way she told us she really just picked up English, about a year and a half ago. That says dedication to the kids she hosts. She emphasized how her and her husband worked hard to learn English not only for the students but for themselves as well. The students get something out of it, and so do the families.
Our home for the semester is fantastic. It’s nice, but it never overwhelmed. Cozy is the best word to describe the place. From pickup at the AIB, I felt at home. I was not nearly as nervous as I was initially.
Because we had just arrived, our host parents prepared a traditional German dinner for us. It was the simplest thing, but every part of the meal felt just right. We met one other student they were hosting for a month and us three immediately connected. Natalia, is her name. She was friendly and cordial right from the start. I really believe it’s my host parents’ desire to respect and care for other kids as if they were their own, that can bring people from multiple countries together. At the dinner table that night, there were two Americans, three Germans and one Grecian. The conversations we had were beautiful, profound, silly, sometimes meaningless but always wonderful.
First nights so often go terribly, but that night was absolutely one of the best first nights I have ever had. I can’t wait for the rest of the semester with this wonderful family.
By Nicholas Logsdon
