I’ve written a few posts on my feelings through this move already. (Here and here.) Things are clearer now–we are definitely moving to Detroit, Michigan–but we still don’t have an exact date. On the 12th I drove down to Stuttgart to supervise the movers the next morning. I also managed to deregister us (in Germany you are registered at a specific address with the government), and also to close one of our bank accounts. As I drove away from that beautiful city, I couldn’t help but cry.

My last glimpse (for who knows how long) of Königstrasse. The main street of Stuttgart.

I don’t want to live in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere. It’s so BFE. The trains are regional, which means it takes forever to get anywhere, the nearest airport has barely any flights and is an hour away. The stores close at 18:30 (the grocery store closes at 20:00, scandalous!). It’s pretty countryside, I’ll give it that. But I also feel that if we stayed here we would be stuck in limbo the entire time. It would feel temporary. I wouldn’t be comfortable settling down because I know it would just change in a few years.

I don’t mind that feeling. We aren’t planning on staying in Detroit for more than five to ten years either, but I just want to be in a place that I know I can put some roots down. Even if I’ll move those roots.

Detroit was the lesser of two evils for us. It’s not our ideal destination, but it also affords us so many American privileges that we don’t get here in Germany.

Both places have their pros and cons. I love both countries; at times I hate both countries. I pride myself on being an expat (though my German could use some improvement, that’s for sure). All I hope is that I can bring what I’ve learned here and apply it in the States, so that I can have a happy medium of both worlds. I live by moderation, so wherever I am I will find it.