Die letzten Tage

Guess who is exhausted.

Guess who said goodbye to her students and coworkers from Tuesday to today.

Guess who is frantically packing and wrapping things up at the end of this week.

Yeah, that'd be me.

Apologies that I haven't been updating, especially when I have so much about which to write.  But, given the emotional and mental stress I've been under, I know I shouldn't recall events until things have calmed down a bit, at the expense of missing out on recording thoughts as they are felt.  Suffice to say, my time as a teaching assistant at the Grundschule Klein Hehlen was generally wonderful, and there will be a small ache in my heart that I won't see most of these people/children again, even when I do come back sometime in the vague future.

I do want to acknowledge Frau Doehrmann at this moment, since saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things to do; she is someone I genuinely respect and admire, and it was always a pleasure working with such a kind and intelligent woman.  She is part of the reason why I worked so well with 2a, and because of her I was able to develop my teaching skills and lesson planning.  She is a good teacher, but she is also a good person.  That left a permanent impression on me.

It sounds cheesy, I know, and perhaps it is the residual emotional gunk from yesterday's goodbye.  But, it's my blog, and I'll get sentimental if I want to.

There are many things to record, among them being: teaching 3c and 4a alone; breakfast with my landlords and their children; Tag der Niedersachsen and the Americans; Tuesday's classes with 3b and 2a; Wednesday's goodbyes and the assembly; and coffee with Elisabeth and Silke.  This may have to wait until I'm back in the States.

This post sounds rather melancholy, and in truth it is, for the most part.  But, it's also a simple statement that though goodbyes are hard, the reason why they're so hard in this particular situation speaks volumes about this year.  And it must have been damn special for me to feel this much sorrow about leaving.

Ein Platz im Grünen mit vielen Bäumen,
viel Raum zum Spielen, Toben und Träumen.
Hier treff' ich meine Freunde und wir lernen was für's Leben,
mit Kopf und Herz und Hand vom Nehmen und vom Geben.
Das tun wir hier zusammen in Klein Hehlen.