Tulip Season, Bonfires, and Saying Goodbye to Winter (Finally!!)

Winter is FINALLY over. After months (roughly from November to early April) of cloudy skies, cold weather, and an average of one downpour a day in the northern region of Germany that I live in, it finally feels like summer is around the corner. The past few weeks in my town have been sunny and warm, with some even warm enough that my friends and I have been able to gather in one of our backyards, break out our bikinis and try to soak up some rays to counter the many months of vitamin D deficiency we have endured. 

With this warm weather comes a number of German traditions. One, that isn’t so much a tradition as it is an annual revival of all living things following winter, is the blooming of the tulips and tons of other flowers throughout the country. While people normally think of the Netherlands when they think about the elusive tulip season, Germany also has its own smaller version, from Tulpenhof Francken outside of Cologne to Tulipan in Berlin. I was super lucky and have gotten to experience both the tulip season within Germany, as well as in Holland, where I was able to visit the world-famous Keukenhof and walk among over 7 million flowers. 

The end of winter in Germany is also celebrated and symbolized on the day before Easter with massive bonfires across the country. These bonfires are both a religious symbol of light over darkness, as well as a symbol of the coming of spring and of renewal. I attended the bonfire with my friend Natalia, another American exchange student from a different program, and her host sister Emma. Natalia and I met through school, but she also happens to be my next door neighbor and family friends of my host family, which means that we spend a lot of time hanging out in a group of four--me and my host sister, and her and her host sister. 

The nearest and largest bonfire and bratwurst roast was only a ten minute walk from our house, up on a hill overlooking the entire town. When we made it to the top of the hill, not only was the fire blazing, but the sky was also ablaze with easter colors--pastel blue, baby yellow, and citrusy orange, all set behind green fields. There were already what seemed to be over 200 people surrounding the fire. As we walked to the line to get drinks and bratwurst and pommes, we were stopped over five times by people we knew from school, sports, or through our host families. That has truly been the best part of living in such a small town--you bump into the same people you know wherever you go so it truly feels like you are part of a community. As the sun went down and it was just the flames illuminating the faces of all of these people who I have known for such a short time but who feel like old friends, I realized the significance of the changing of the season: my time here in Germany is almost up. 

I am predicting that it will be even harder to leave Germany than it was to leave the United States, because this time when I leave behind the friends I have made and my amazing, sweet host family, I don’t know when I will have the opportunity to come back and visit. This thought makes me sad, but it also means that I have truly been able to find a home on the other side of the world through the CBYX Program. I am so grateful to have so much that I will have to leave behind, and I know that many of the people I’ve met and all of the experiences I’ve had will remain a huge part of my life beyond my departure in June.