Thank you, people of Hannover, for hosting us. It wasn’t easy in the beginning (two short years ago) but we’ve learned so much, done so many new things, and we’ll always think of our friends and our time here fondly.
I wish I could write this good-bye in German, but I’m not quite there yet. Vielen dank, Hannoverians, for listening to my broken German. What a shock that you actually understood me, and even better, that you wanted to understand me. Thank you for your patience—-may I be just as patient with every new English learner I meet.
I had no idea what a whole new world was waiting for me behind that language barrier. Thanks for opening the door wide when I so timidly began to knock.
It’s been exhausting saying good-bye to everyone, knowing that we can’t pop back over for a quick “hallo!“whenever we like. But I do hope we’ll be able to get back here.
I was reading Little House on the Prairie to my kids not long ago, and this passage from one of the last chapters (“Going Out”) really struck me:
“Then Pa hitched Pet and Patty to the wagon. Ma climbed to her place on the seat and held the lines. And suddenly Laura wanted to see the house again. She asked Pa please to let her look out. So he loosened the rope in the back of the wagon-cover, and that made a large round hole…
The snug log house looked just as it always had. It did not seem to know they were going away. Pa stood a moment in the doorway and looked all around inside; he looked at the bedstead and the fireplace and the glass windows. Then he closed the door carefully, leaving the latch-string out.”
Off to say some more good-byes. See you in America!
Emily Smith Pearce 
I am teary-eyed on your behalf… praying for you during this transition… maybe we will see you soon!
oh, thank you for sharing with me. I hope to see you soon, too! Our schedule is a little up in the air but I hopefully ….
I have resonated also with the parts of Little House on the Prairie (and others) that deal with their moves. Such a different time, and yet . . .much is the same. Reading your post made me sad all over again. But I love it. Thanks for writing. Alles gute!
Yeah, isn’t it cool how the written word allows us to connect our feelings to those of a little girl on the prairie so long ago? Thanks for sharing. Smiles!
It’s not hard to imagine what you are going through. The Little House passage is powerful. I have a feeling the Germany latch string will always be out for you.
Saying goodbye is so hard. The M-Js will miss you a lot and
Oops, pressed enter early on my log on details before I was ready! What I meant to say is that we’ll miss you a lot and I am feeling from you what it must be like to leave as we’ll be doing the same in a few months. I’ll miss those Sunday evening texts to arrange the train ride home on Monday, PTA meetings, conversations about language, running around the Maschsee etc. We hung around at school yesterday until the rain sent us home and everyone was gone, I’m glad the sun came out today 🙂 Enjoy your weekend, Catherine
I’m already feeling how much I’m going to miss you and our community in Hannover. Do stay in touch. Have a great vacation!
all the best for you and you familiy at your new place. i´m lucky that some art from hannover travelling with you. if you still stay for some days, i´ll like to spend some stickers of the alphascape project (www.alphascape.net) to you, else i´ll send them by mail.
auf wiedersehen!
Hi! So nice to hear from you. Yes, we’re very glad to have your Hannover art traveling with us as well. We’d love to have some stickers. I will email you where to send them. Vielen dank!
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