If home is where the heart is, I have about 4 homes

My heart is split between four different cities - Charlottesville, Bethlehem, Sarajevo, and Freiburg. I wish I could be everywhere at once! I'm excited to return home, but I know I'll miss Freiburg as soon as I leave, just as I already miss Sarajevo and am very much looking forward to going back to school.

Things I miss about my hometown:
- my family
- blue Gatorade. I have been craving blue Gatorade!
- free laundry
- a very large kitchen that magically refills with food (thanks Mom!)
- having a dishwasher
- homecooked meals
- work & my work families (and, you know, being able to replenish my bank account)
- Bodo's. The best bagel shop on earth.
- my familiar running trails
- my church

Things I miss about school/am excited to return to:
- my team
- the Goose!
- having my own kitchen (even though I'll have to do the work of grocery shopping and cooking and cleaning)
- a free gym
- my TEAM! I am so excited to see my running sisters again
- being able to speak English at all times (just for America in general)

Things I miss about Sarajevo:
- Cevapcici
- ice cream stands every 200m
- the copper alley
- the culture!
- cobblestone streets
- the stalls full of richly colored pashminas
- the history; as sad as it was, I like having my mind blown by how resilient these people are
- the hills; the only places to run are uphill, which is ridiculously painful, but my calves are so sculpted now!
- stone water fountains


Things I still love about Freiburg:
- being able to walk everywhere
- Doener
- the tram
- how environmentally conscious everyone is
- all of the delicious ice cream places (not as many as in Sarajevo, but still more than home!)
- the fresh strawberry stands
- Saladchen (salad and noodles!)
- the challenge of trying to hold my own in a different language, and the small triumphs when I am able to hold a full conversation in German
- everyone in my program
- roaming the town, just discovering new places every time I venture out
- the Munsterplatz & the market there
- Feierlings
- wurst
- Bächle
- not using a cellphone
- rooftop dinners
- bikes! bikes everywhere!
- Freiburger (a delicious hamburger restaurant!)
- the chocolate (Rittersport? yes please.)
- the bakeries

 

I had what was potentially my very last doener for dinner tonight. The day doener makes its way over to the U.S. will be a great day indeed. Last night a bunch of us had a cookout to celebrate the end of classes and ended up having an impromptu game of soccer, too! Naturally, my team won.

I've been reprimanded for not having enough pictures of my group, but don't worry, there will be some coming! We have our farewell dinner tomorrow night, so I'll gather up a few more group pictures for y'all.