Home sweet home!
It has been a long time that I went home to Germany. So it was time to get home again and so I had booked flights from Oslo to Dusseldorf on Monday 14th of March and back Dusseldorf-Oslo the monday after.
I thought I'd have a lot of time to relax, do things here and there for which I never find time in Oslo. But it all turned out that I didn't even find 5 minutes to sit in my room doing nothing. The whole week was packed with activities, meeting people, doing things here and there...However, it was all things I nevertheless did with great pleasure.
Monday 14/03:
My parents had just pruned and trimed the trees and other plants around the house. So right after arrival at home I helped my parents in the garden, getting it ready for the spring to come.
And the same evening I just had to go to the jazz-dance training where I regularly used to go and practice when I still lived at home. I miss it so much so every time I actually happen to be at home, I have to pay the group a visit :-)
Tuesday 15/03:
The day was actually dominated by accompanying my mum to an appointment in Bonn. However, the was traditional: volleyball training with the group I usually played on tuesdays. And of course it was followed as so often with the meeting of our group of regulars for a beer/drink and a little snack - "Stammtisch" eben :-)
Wednesday 16/03:
Today I planned to visit my grandmother which I also havn't seen for a while. Since my mum wanted to meet someone in my grandmother's area, I went together with my mum.
Later we went together to come friend's of our family. It's an elderly couple which are always there for us, so caring and kind of a second "grandparents" or lets rather say like an aunt and uncle :-) I always drop in at their place before I go to the nearby hairdresser. And yes, cutting my hair was really necessary... and it simply costs to much in Norway.
The evening was really the best part of this day! I went to Bad Honnef to meet Moritz :-) He had left Oslo right before Christmas and had moved back to Bad Honnef, our university town to continue his studies. As Bad Honnef isn't far away from Meckenheim, we decided to meet tonight and it was like the times in Oslo. As it had become a little tradition we planned to cook something nice together. So when I arrived we first went to Aldi (Aldi = good quality and value for money = welcome back home!) to get the ingredients. On the menu: pasta with a spinach-cream sauce, fried chicken and a little salad.
I think it was somewhat until 1 a.m. that we were just sitting in his living room talking, talking, talking and talking. So much had happened to both of us the last three months that we had to bring each other up to date again. I really enjoyed this evening and it was so nice to see Moritz again.
Furthermore it was pretty funny and likewise strange to drive again through Bad Honnef after a pretty long time that I graduated. Bad Honnef had never been far away from my hometown and it's even just around the corner of where my grandmother lives, but there are so many memories related to this little place.
Another person that I also don't see anymore very often is actually my brother. Since he moved out from my parent's place a couple of years ago, I don't meet him anymore every time I'm home. Due to the fact that he actually urgently needed something from home, I decided to meet him at work, at his office in the REWE head quarter in Cologne. We went out for lunch together which was really nice. I really enjoyed seeing where he spends his days... and as I know my brother he was a little bit proud that he could show me his work place :-)
In the afternoon I went out for an ice-cream with Antje, a neighbour of mine. We are not really close friends, but I actually think that she's a nice girl and at former times we used to walk to school together and do here and there some other things together. So it was really a pleasure catching up with her. And sometimes I think it's a petty that our ways go into so different directions.
Also on every thursday's programme: jazz-dance training! I just have to go there, I like it so much and I cannot resist. And of course, I'm always welcome :-)
However, after dancing, the day wasn't over yet. After the training I still went to my father's new house. His time at the NATO in Brussels will we over by the end of 2011 and he will move back to Germany, finally moving together with his wife Andrea. So they recently rented a new house in Bonn where they will live together when he'll be back in November. I took the opportunity to visit them and inspect their new home. I'm happy for them that they found something they like and that fits to them. They just moved in so there were still some things to do, to finish, to set up etc, but that will be worked on in the next weeks. I stayed over at their place and enjoyed a great breakfast the next morning before heading back home to Meckenheim.
Friday 18/03:
As I had mentioned in a previous post, I would take my mum to the movies to see "The King's Speech". When I went there with friends in Oslo, I knew this was a film as my mum likes it. So during the day we went to Bonn to the cinema. And indeed, my mum loved it. Being in Bonn, though, I couldn't avoid dropping into my favourite shop Esprit. As usual: "I don't wanna buy anything. I just wanna have a look. Just a look!"... which once again turned out to be shopping, i.e. me walking out of the shop with a bag in my hand and some money less on my bank account... Well, in this case I didn't lower my bank balance since I still had a gift voucher from Christmas, which - since bought in Germany with Euros on it - couldn't be redeemed in Norway. So it was a great occasion to use this voucher on this lovely elegant cotton dress with a new belt and a scarf :-)
... "I just wanna have a look! No shopping!"...
In the evening I met up with two friends of mine from jazz-dance. We went out for dinner in Bonn and enjoyed the evening. Also we had to catch up with a lot and it was so nice to see Miriam and Swenja again.
Saturday 19/03:
The shopping continued! But no clothes shopping, a stroll through the drug store "dm-markt" was on the programme. I think most of the Germans living here in Oslo miss this store. It is so well equipped and with regards to Norwegian prices it doesn't cost anything. My suitcase wasn't too full for this week, so I filled it up with two bags from dm-markt full of shampoos, shower-gels, bodylotions and all kinds of other useful stuff :-)
At around noon my step-sister Lisa came over with her boyfriend. It was her birthday which we celebrated together with some nice lunch.
In the afternoon I went over to these friend's of ours who I mentioned before. One always can go there and enjoy some hot chocolate and a cake :-)
Sunday 20/03:
I left Meckenheim already today. In the afternoon my mum drove me to my friend Sarah in Neuss. She had just moved in Neuss and I was eager to see her new flat. Since my flight on monday was leaving from Dusseldorf airport and Neuss being part of the Dusseldorf area, I combined my departure with a visit of Sarah who had come already so many times to Norway now.
I saw Sarah last time on our common skiing trip to Geilo end of January, so it was time again for a lot of chatting and girls-talk :-) We went out for dinner and were still talking a lot while lying in bed, before we finally fell asleep.
Monday 21/03:
We both got up pretty early, Sarah because she had to go to work and I because I had to catch my flight. We did take our time, though, to have some good breakfast before we left the house.
At around 08:30 a.m. I said goodbye to Sarah and made my way to the airport and back to Oslo.
It is always good to be home - wherever home is... in Norway, in Germany, in Italy... :-)
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