Hello, I'm Maren and I spent an unforgettable school year in the USA with EF in 1994/95. More specifically, I was in Center, Texas – far from any major city in the Texas countryside.
Spontaneously go on an adventure!
I had never thought about a school year abroad before – until an acquaintance told me about his plan to spend a school year in Australia. Luckily, it was still possible to spontaneously book a high school year through EF. This was particularly exciting at a time without smartphones and the Internet: A few weeks before departure, I received a piece of punched paper on which my host family's details were printed out on a dot matrix printer: Jones family in Center, Texas. I should have a host sister of the same age! The only other information about the family was “involved with military.” My joy was somewhat muted – I could already see heavily armed Texans in cowboy boots and it was difficult for me to imagine life there. That was the only information I had before I left – all I could do was get on the plane and embark on an adventure.
The first impression: Full of nice surprises
In Dallas I was greeted directly at the airport by my host parents and sister. They had made a big poster with my name on it. My host father was an impressive veteran, my host mother worked in an elementary school. My host mother always likes to tell the story of how they picked me up at the airport and then went to the car and suddenly realized in the parking lot that I was missing. When they looked around, I was still standing behind the glass doors of the airport building. I wasn't used to walking out of a building in Texas and walking into a 38° wall with 100% humidity! I finally managed to make it to the nearest air conditioner (in the car) and start my school year in Texas.
Incidentally, Center is not the center of a large city and is not in the middle of Texas – but is the geographical center of Shelby County in the far east of Texas in the “nowhere”. The family lived on a farm in a network of dirt roads far from any neighbors. The property was full of cows and there were many dogs in the house. The teenagers' main pastime was driving around on the dirt roads or shooting at Coke cans. I quickly got used to all of this.
Friends, family and the Texas spirit
I made friends quickly at school; I also did a lot of things with my host sister and also had a friend with whom I went to the prom. During these months my host family has truly become like a second family to me. From discussions about who would do the dishes or sort the socks to who would shuck corn and feed calves, everything soon became very familiar. Through the deep friendship with family and friends there, you grow to love the Texans, even if a lot of things are foreign: It's a given that everyone owns guns, walks around in a cowboy hat and boots (even at the prom) and drives a pick-up truck normal and likeable.
Farewell and the years after
Leaving was very difficult for me – both the separation from my boyfriend and leaving my family and pets. Even though contact slowly became less after my return to Germany, I always felt connected to Texas and the people there. At first I wrote letters and sent German chocolate at Christmas. Later I found my friends at the time via Facebook or email and kept in touch through them and always participated a little in their lives.
Warm reunion and unforgettable moments – 30 years later
This fall – exactly 30 years later; I now have three young children of my own – I decided to visit Texas again. I convinced my husband and kids to come with me and went back to Center, Texas for two weeks. The reunion was spectacular and everything I wanted it to be.
I had called my host parents, who are now in their 80s, occasionally over the last few years and knew that they still lived on the farm (albeit now without cattle). We met on our first evening in Texas to have dinner together. I got to know and appreciate my “host nephew”: my host sister’s son immediately got along well with my children. In the two weeks we were there, we went on trips – went to the zoo and cooked and played cards together.
Between nostalgia and new impressions
It was very funny to see my old room again, to recognize my host father's favorite mug – now with a few chipped ceramic edges – and to show my children the farm. The little memories that automatically come back: the path through the dirt roads (I found it again without navigation!). The places where you have to drive carefully on the driveway to avoid crashing your car. The bathroom door, which is a bit stuck. Where the cups or pots are in the kitchen.
We also visited my former boyfriend and got to know his current home. We went for a walk and learned a lot about Texas nature. We spent a wonderful family evening with his family (parents, sister, nephews and nieces) – as was so often the case back then. We exchanged memories from the past and laughed a lot.
A friend who I spent a lot of time with during my high school year and sometimes went to church on weekends has now taken me to church with her in her African American community. The gospel service was a great experience for all of us – in the middle of the church among all the dark-skinned believers there was a white family that was greeted tightly by every single parishioner and was warmly mentioned several times in the sermon.
“It’s still your home”
I was particularly touched when my host mother said: “When you come back later, don’t forget to bring your dirty laundry with you so you can wash it.” I thanked her for letting me use her washing machine for the whole family’s laundry. She said, “What do you mean? This is still your house – of course you can use the washing machine!”
When we said goodbye, we all promised each other that it wouldn't be so long until we saw each other again this time. Lastly, my host parents said, “It felt like you left just last week!”
