Still not a lot to report from the relaxed days in Wesseling as there have been no further parrot incidents or other cases of mild to moderate dental torture. The events of last Friday night are worth a mention however. I had been invited and then sufficiently urged to attend a small church group for people of college age and decided to go because I should not miss opportunities to meet with people since there in lies my passion. The host of said group is a friend of Cathrin and so I received what I hoped were top notch directions to the place. Cathrin had plans to go off to a ballet/song and dance/God knows what performance so I would have to venture the treacherous streets of Bonn and Bad Godesburg by my lonesome. I assumed it wouldn't pose a problem as I have braved the likes of Plovdiv only weeks ago and was right in my thinking apart from the final element.

I arrived to the area where the host's apartment is only to discover that he didn't live where I was told. This area used to house the U.S. and other international embassies and there are rows and rows of apartment buildings. Each apartment was of a grandiose size with big windows, curtains drawn as if to say come on in the sauce is steaming hot. I was told building ten was the meal ticket but in building ten the last name of Perrin (the host's name I did know) was not listed as a resident. I then proceeded for the sake of ignorance and a refreshing walk to check all of the surrounding buildings. Every time I saw a bit of a huddled congregation through those massive windows the excitement was peaked only to find that no Perrin existed therein. One thing one notices when wandering about in the evening in a sparcely lit area is that residents do not appreciate your presence. Men and woman returning to their home gaze at you with the "please don't ravage me" look and no amount of smiles seem to remedy their fear. Woman with their children preparing for a nice stroll suddenly grab the children and start heading back inside. When I had arrived the weather had been of the "Singin in the Rain" type with light drizzle but later on it was more along the lines of "wetter than a mermaid's wet bits." After about the 40th building I decided that the name of Perrin had been smitten from the scene and that a dry towel was in order. I had also begun to realize that I was on my second or third time around in some buildings as most looked the same. I found out later that I was only two or three buildings away from success and a jolly evening but would have missed out on the fearful gazes and the memorization of family names in the general area.

Tomorrow I'm off to Poland feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness. Here I have stayed in Wesseling where 8 months ago my journey really began and enjoyed again incredible hospitality and care from my friends. I will return here before my flight to Phoenix and again afterwards so in that I am comforted. My family in Poland now awaits me and I'm in hope that I shall see my first real snow of this venture there. As with the Brazilians all those months ago there will be plenty of visitors at their house to meet and countless moments to enjoy with the family. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to return to these places after so long and share the joy of this journey once more with the incredible people I have built friendships with. In case you never got to see the pictures in the last post look again and I added links at the end for those who didn't see the pics.