Everyone's Connected to Germany

I didn't hear much about Germany before 2009. I had never been to Germany or known anyone close to me who had traveled there in recent years, but as I told people about my plans to move this spring, stories came out of the woodwork.

One person would say, "Oh, my family was stationed there when I was a kid." Another would say, "I was an exchange student there in college." Then I'd hear, "My uncle married a woman from Germany." And last, but not least, someone would add, "My ancestors were German. I'd love to trace back to where they lived."

While no one ever mentioned German roots to me before 2009, now I feel like nearly every person, or at least every family, has a connection to this great country. And while I found a few stories online about some women (military wives in particular) who did not like living in Germany and wanted to return to the States, every person I know who's been to, or lived in, Germany loved every minute of it and would love to go back again someday. It's just different enough to be exciting, but still similar enough to our US culture that it's not too scary.

Recently, I've even learned that some folks reading this blog have a special connection to Germany, which is why a friend sent them the link. So now I know there are people I've never met who read this blog and I'm glad it brings back good memories for them! I love the idea of making people smile as they remember their own adventures in Germany and the similar transition stories they experienced.