Augsburg Then Home
On a northbound train heading to Augsburg. It’s 7:54 a.m. as
I write this, I’ve just left Pasing after riding the SBahn from Starnberg, and
in about 30 minutes we’ll be disembarking in Augsburg. Today is a free day for
me. I’m heading back to Minnesota tomorrow to be with Tricia for her medical
procedures at the Mayo Clinic beginning Monday, so today is a bit of a nothing day
sandwiched between my last day of school prior to October break and my flight
back home. Tricia and I were supposed to be traveling around Germany together
this week before all the shit hit the fan, so I figured I’d treat myself to a
little mini-vacation day of sightseeing in Bavaria to slightly make up for it.
I’m going to check out the city of Augsburg during the morning, but my real
reason for going there is to see if I can score a ticket to the Augsburg FC
versus Bayern Munich soccer match that’s happening this afternoon. I have a
feeling it will be a tough ticket, but I’m going to give it a shot. Worst thing
happens, I don’t get in but I soak up the atmosphere and take in the game at a
nearby pub.
It’s still hard to get over the fact that I’m living my life
in Germany, in the heart of Europe. On days like today I pinch myself a little because hopping a train and getting out into the countryside of this
beautiful country is so fun and so easy. I definitely still feel like a
tourist, but am blessed that I can have these experiences any weekend of the
month if I so choose. A pastry on my train car table, a coffee in my hand, and
the farm fields and villages of Bavaria zooming past out my window. Not a bad
way to spend a Saturday morning.
These past two weeks of work, after returning back to Munich
were a bit of a whirlwind. We had conferences both weeks, and along with
getting back into the swing of things but still having to plan for subs the
week after October Break, I was pretty swamped. And, of course, there’s always
the ridiculous home internet issue looming in the background, but that’s
another story for another time. Two weeks ago we had nothing but cold
rain, but this past week was a glorious autumn one in Starnberg. The leaves are
starting to turn and there’s just that slight nip in the air that turns to warm
sunshine later in the day. It was a fabulous week. I took advantage of the
conditions as much as I could, in particular Tuesday when I took a long bike
ride north through Leutstetten, eventually to Gauting then back to Starnberg
along the Wurm River. It was a fantastic ride, as usual around here quite
varied in terrain, sometimes paved roads, sometimes gravel, sometimes trails
more suited for a rugged mountain bike. I was a little ambitious in my plan
because by the time I returned home it was almost pitch black. I treated myself
afterwards to a hearty German meal and beers at my favorite Bavarian restaurant
in Starnberg, Gasthof in der Au. Roast pork, gravy, dumplings, a salad, and two
helles beers. Perfect end to the evening.
Good friends are being formed here, too, which is great.
There’s this thing about working at an international school, where most of us
are coming from somewhere else so most of us don’t have families or friendship
groups already formed here. That’s especially true for the group of “newbies” that came to MIS
this fall like me. We’ve become very tight. Not a weekend goes by where there aren't multiple invitations to do multiple things. We’re all hanging together,
enjoying our time and getting closer by the week. It’s really fun. Last weekend
Maddy and Joe, a young couple from the southeast U.S. had a bunch of us over to
their place for a night of drinks, food, and Cards Against Humanity. It was
quite a night. If you know anything about that game, you know it’s kind of hard
to play and not let your guard down, not let your true self shine through. It’s
a raunchy game, but a perfect way to break the ice and, best of all, really get
people laughing. Hans, a science teacher from Australia and I, teamed up. We
almost won but were no match for Barbara and Sarah who always seems to have the
best, raunchiest, most inappropriate cards.
Of course these past two weeks have been really stressful,
too, with Tricia in a holding pattern just waiting for her treatment. Her
spirits are up after getting more information and feeling like there’s a
strategy and plan for dealing with the tumor. But, it’s still extremely
difficult, and it feels like our lives are emotionally on hold until after next
week. It’s hard to think about or talk about anything beyond those days. Our
lives are frozen, to a point. I’ll get home around 5:00 in the afternoon Sunday
(tomorrow) then Tricia and I will immediately drive to Rochester where we’ll
check into a hotel and get ready for the three days of clinic visits. After
that, all things having gone well, Tricia and I can hopefully enjoy some day
together and begin to move on toward the next phase of living with a cancer
diagnosis. What comes next for us? For me? That’s still up for debate as, like
I said, we’ve really been unable to plan for life after radiation. We’ll talk,
keep options open, and make a plan as the weeks go along.
As I’m writing now, the train is taking me back to Munich. The day was a good one. I enjoyed Augsburg and successfully scored some tickets to the soccer match – front row to be exact! Augsburg scored in the first or second minute, then Bayern controlled play for much of the game after that, scoring two goals of their own. But in the end, Augsburg got a tying goal in the 90th minute, deadlocking the game in a 2-2 tie. You’d have thought, however, by the team’s and fans' reactions, that Augsburg had actually won the game. For them I guess getting a point off Bayern is reason to celebrate!
Back to Starnberg, then home to Minnesota. See ya!
Safe travels, prayers for Tricia!
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