20th August - last full day in Jemgum

Today was my last day in Jemgum - and as much as I hate leaving Mama and Papa - I am really looking forward to seeing Anne again.

I got a text at about 9am from Nina - she's in the area (visiting her Mum) - and was wanting to drop in - which was lovely.  I had time to get myself down to the bakery to pick up some cakes or pastries ready for her visit.....  When I got into Jemgum village though - the bakery was closed.  I wasn't sure if it too had closed permanently (as so many have - and moved to the new little shopping complex in "new Jemgum").  (I found out tonight that it is merely closed on Mondays).

So I walked on to Edeka -and the bakery there was a joke.  Great for bread - had plenty of choice - but not so much of the sweet stuff....  So I went into Edeka itself and figured I got get some bikkies and a frozen torte and I should still just about have time to let it thaw before Nina and the boys arrive.

When I discovered that the bakery was closed, I knew that I could go to Edeka - but I'd only been there once before (it's pretty new) and hadn't paid massive attention to exactly where it was - though I thought I knew, so I phoned Mama and left a message on her mobile - then set off.

On the way home she called back and let me know that there was a really good cake on the dining room table I could eat - so I said I'd swap my newly purchased frozen torte for the one already there - which worked out great because the one I bought really would not have been thawed in titme.

Mum and Dad phoned while I was setting the table outside so I was a little behind getting everything ready for my visitors.  Luckily the boys (Jan (4) and Noah (3) were happy to be kept occupied in Martja's sand box after they'd eaten their fill of cake and juice.

We had a nice visit but after a couple hours the boys were getting restless and had settled down and had started destroying things (nothing important - but just being young boys and 'sploring , so we said our goodbyes.  It was great to catch up since it's been a long time since we had a good natter - there was not a lot of chance at the wedding as we were at different tables.

After that I ha a nanna-nap because I knew it would be a late one tonight - our last evening.  I did write in Mama and Papa's guest book - got all weepy as usual.  I read through my old letters funny reading my crap German - but you could see an improvement over the months.

Well - didn't Flotja lead us on another merry dance this evening - I was sitting on the terrace when Mama suddenly cries out that she's seen Flotja and we all scrambled into action.  After much mayhem - and another bite for Papa we got him back into his original stall - and there he shall stay - next stop is the vets to get the big snip to see if that will settle him down!

After that we settled in on the terrace and again the wine was in deep trouble again and we stayed up very late talking.

I love the relationship I have with Mama - we talk about so many differnt things - philosophical things, stupid things - she is my Mama through and through - but she is also my friend - much the same as my sisters are more than 'just' sisters.

I often think that exchange relationships are inherantly different to most - the exchange experience - the brevity of it all, makes almost everyting so much more intense - so it stands to reason that relationships born through the exchange experience are also more intense. It's one of the reasons the pain of leaving when the exchange year is over is extreme - even more so than leaving long time friends and your family before you even left.  Goodbyes are always much harder when you don't know when you'll next be able to see that person/those people - but there are some goodbyes that wrench harder than others.

So this evening was long and wonderful and (for me) partly drunk (becoming a bit of a habit)!  But mostly it was wonderful.

Though I'm sure Mama and Papa will be glad (in one way) to get their house back to themselves.  Before I came back with them, they had just had their Chernobyl kids for 6 weeks - then packed up to go to Kiel for the wedding...  It will be nice for them to get back to their everyday routine, I'm sure...