Arrival In Germany - July 26th

So after weeks of preparation (well make that days of preparation….) and weeks of anticipation, I finally arrived in Deutschland. I flew Lufthansa from Washington D.C. Dulles direct into Frankfurt. Boarding the plane was a bit interesting since the plane was not at the gate. From the gate we had to board the big Dulles shuttle buses that then drove us to our airplane that was out on the jetway. It was a bit odd, but I guess as efficient as they could make it with all the terminal construction going on.
The flight itself was painless since the seat next to me was empty. I definitely had plenty of room to spread out and make myself comfortable for the 7 something hour flight. I had my first chance to speak German on the flight, and I successfully ordered red wine with my chicken dinner and even coffee afterward. I was very proud of myself. J The flight attendant then saw that I was reading Harry Potter and proceeded to ask me about it in German. That’s where things got tricky. My German only got me so far, and I had to slip into English for the rest of the conversation. Oh well, not too bad for my first interaction.
When we arrived in Frankfurt we disembarked from the plane on the jet way and then boarded buses that took us to the terminal. My luggage arrived intact, on time, and with no damage….I was very happy. Before leaving D.C., I had told my host family what I would be wearing and the terminal in which I would arrive since they were generous enough to pick me up at the airport. As soon as I exited the secured area, it took about 20 seconds for a woman and her mother to ask me if I was Herr Scholz. I said yes of course and quickly exchanged introductions. The daughter, Sonja, and mother, Petra, were incredibly nice, warm, and welcoming. I knew instantly that the next few weeks would be great.
It took us a while to find Sonja’s car since the Frankfurt airport parking lot is gigantic, but we finally made it and we were off to Mainz. The drive was only about 25 minutes and the scenery was beautiful. I was told the sun was shining for the first time in several days, so I couldn’t have asked for a better day to arrive. We arrived at Sonja’s parents’ home, which is in an 18 story high condominium complex just south of Mainz and adjacent to the Rhein River. The building is also adjacent to the Volks Park and the neighborhood is very well kept. Sonja’s parents, Werner and Petra, live on the 11th floor with views of both central Mainz, the Rhein, and the neighboring hills, which are covered, by the way, with vineyards. The views were incredible to take in especially since the day was so sunny. We definitely spent the first 30 minutes on the balcony as well as looking through all the other windows. The room I am staying in looks directly out onto Mainz, and I can see the Mainzer Dom, the bridge to Wiesbaden, and countless other great buildings. Simply incredible.
As you may or may not have guessed, my host family consists of Werner and Petra Drost and their two daughters, Sonja and Jutta. Werner is a retired Germany navy officer and Petra still works as a florist a few times a week here in Mainz. Both of their children live about 15 minutes away in neighboring towns and have families of their own now. After breakfast Werner and I went to downtown Mainz and he graciously showed me a few of the sights and helped me purchase my first weekly bus pass: very exciting. Mainz is a truly beautiful city with many quaint shops and streets with plenty to see. I definitely have a lot to explore over the next few weeks. Once we returned home I allowed myself only a quick half hour nap, but my body wasn’t even ready for that. I was such a mixture of emotions: excitement, nervousness, homesickness, anticipation, etc., that my body was completely confused. I could not even sleep though I was utterly tired.
After my less than successful nap, I came out of my room and found that there was another guest staying at the Drost home. A Frenchman, who is a friend of the family, has been staying over for the past two weeks while he teaches a German course to French students in Mainz. His name is also Robert, and we had a good chat that afternoon about America, France, and Germany. His son lives in Alsace and I will definitely have to look him and his family up when I get a chance to travel in France. That night I crashed out very early after dinner around 9pm and slept straight through the night.