We have an unbelievably high plan for 2021. It will probably go as follows: … let’s see what’s coming and how it starts. Our plan? As always, there is none, but at least we don’t have a goal (which we have to achieve) for that. And if you don’t have a goal, you can’t get lost. It has something positive too …
We have now left our past in Germany noticeably far behind us emotionally and have not yet forged any long-term plans for the future (we don’t even have short-term plans, best ideas, and wishes). But we can say for ourselves that we have not regretted the step of emigrating up to the present moment. Rather, we are even convinced that the restrictions due to the pandemic in Germany would have burdened us even more.
Now, at the beginning of the year, everything is a bit crazy here. The pandemic still has the whole world (and our tranquil Texas) under control, which is felt by various restrictions. But we have more or less got used to the rules and measures and are making the most of them. You have to get something good out of even the most stupid situation; then it doesn’t look so dramatic anymore. For example, working from home and remote learning saves an incredible amount of driving time and fuel money! And the noticeably lower road traffic is also a boon for the environment (apart from the fact that traffic jams are now rather rare).
Political developments and events in D.C. move us, and let us await the coming weeks with excitement. But basically, we are quite optimistic and continue to believe unshakably in this great country!
There will certainly be new challenges this year as well, which will astonish us once and astonish us another time. But one thing is certain – it will be exciting again for us.
After Celina has not seen her school from the inside for almost a year, she slowly begins to meet her school friends in private. She had found it a little difficult for a long time and hoped for the schools’ unreserved reopening. In this environment, it is of course, easier to get in touch with the other teenagers. But since the spring semester 2021 will only take place remotely for them, there is nothing to avoid contact in the private area. Lo and behold, it actually works. She received numerous congratulations on her “Sweet 16” birthday during the online class. Incidentally, this birthday is of paramount importance here, as the teenagers can drive from this day. It is roughly comparable to the youth consecration in Germany. In this country, huge parties are often celebrated, and teenagers are showered with generous gifts. Unfortunately, this was not possible this year, so we made the day a little more contemplative.
But there are some things that we would wish for this year and hopefully will come true. First and foremost is ending this pandemic and ending the restrictions (as most people would like) to come with it.
We hope that working and learning on-site will be possible again. We want art, culture, and sport to come to life again and that social contacts can take place. We hope you can fly from Austin to Germany and back again without restrictions (without quarantine). We would be happy if our parents could visit us and see our life here with their own eyes. We hope that the economy will pick up speed again and that local businesses will be able to reopen fully so that Austin’s pulsating life will come back to life.
But in the end, we will see how it works out. But one thing is certain for us – we are looking forward to another year here (and when the hairdressers open again, then we will look neat again).