It is a whimsical feeling when approaching your graduation day... I'm mess of emotions ranging from all sides of the spectrum: ecstatic, proud, nervous, and down right terrified! I would like to utilize this post to reflect on my past few years at school and also create some goals for the future. Luckily, with the help of my father, I have the opportunity to retain a secure job and the option to move-in with my "euro lover", as my friends and I have grown to call him.
In the fall of 2006, I piled into a luxurious Suburban with the Johnston family grasping only the hope of watching a lively football game at Kyle Field. I had never been to College Station, Texas before and had already decided it was a 'po-dunk' town with a small University. That day amongst the 80,000 screaming/ face-painted fans, world renowned marching band, and sea of gorgeous military boys... I found my temporary home. The past three years while completing my undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University were incredibly endearing. There is something about this town that makes one feel comfortable and welcomed. I was able to let go of my pretentious high school demeanor and shed my shell of cosmetics dependency. I found myself in College Station. I found a girl who could let her hair dry wild and crazy... and friends who liked me for who I am and urged me to try new exciting things.
I've always had a natural attraction to the German culture and language (though I would never pretend that I was any good at it). At school, one of my beloved German professors urged me to study abroad. So I did it. Twice!
The first summer I spent in Bonn, Germany was wild. With a great group of girls, I traveled every weekend to new and exciting destinations. We tested our minimal German language skills and laughed for countless hours at our accents. Through a familial connection, my friend Caitlin Troxclair invited me to visit Holler, Luxembourg... a small (TINY!) farming village in northern Luxembourg. We stayed at her family friend's farm house and visited every inch of the country. While walking down the main street in the town of Vianden, I imagined how happy my life could be in that country. And then I met the boy next door... Caitlin and I visited Luxembourg a second time because the first was so incredible. I had seen the steamy, cute farm boy from next door only out of the corner of my eye: bailing hay, milking a cow, and playing his tuba in the local parade for Luxemborg's National Day. Caitlin, our adorable new Luxembourgish girlfriends and myself spent the whole afternoon preparing for the holiday party that evening (Imagine 4th of July in a small town). We came to the neighboring village's crowded town hall building to celebrate amongst the people. I entered the front door and rounded to the right (somehow losing my companions) and there was Paul. He was standing at a bar table with a group of guys laughing, but when I walked in he became silent and our eyes met for what seemed like hours. We smiled at each other and he asked me to dance the traditional Luxembourgish folk dance. I couldn't get the feeling out of my head that he had been there waiting just for me. After we danced, we went outside for a walk and sat on a bench, talking in the twilight until dawn. It was the most amazing, idyllic night I had ever experienced.
The next day Caitlin and I rode silently on the train back to Germany. I had no expectation that I would ever see Paul again... thinking even that if I did it could never be as good as that night. Surprisingly, he drove all the way to Bonn the next week to visit me. He took me out to dinner and we walked along the Rhine river as the sun set. We continued to date for the remainder of my time in Germany, but unfortunately I had to go back to school in Texas for the fall. I honestly did not think we would continue to have a relationship (if it could even be considered one), though we found ourselves talking on the phone for hours every day; sharing stories from our pasts and sharing our hopes for the future. A city girl and a country boy surely don't have that much in common, but we simultaneously found each other's lives to be intriguing. He came to visit me in Texas where I fitted him for his first pair of cowboy boots and my Dad taught him to ski in the Rockies... and I got to spend a fantasy white Christmas that year with his family in Luxembourg.
And here we are... two years later. I believe it started as an infatuation with a foreigner, but over time and visits it has grown into love. I can't imagine my life without him. I am thankful that whilst in College Station I have had the opportunity to focus on my studies because my heart was clearly somewhere else. I even went to Germany again to study and work for 6 months which gave me the opportunity to spend more time with Paul and his family before deciding that I did, in fact, want to move to Luxembourg at the rebellious age of 21.
August 17th is the day it all begins...I'm moving in with Paul to a 400 year old, but recently renovated farm house... and I don't believe that I possess any unreal expectations. I worry about assimilating into the culture of Holler, Luxembourg and not making any true friends that really understand me. I worry that Paul and I realistically won't last forever. Thankfully my Aunt will only live about 2 hours away from me in case I need a friendly boost of confidence.
Cheers to risking it all... well almost. Enjoy this picture of Paul and me from a friend's wedding in Texas 2 weeks ago:
