TEXAS TYPE
Each generation, there is a general nervousness among parents about unleashing offspring into the world.
Did we correct them enough? Did we correct them too much? Did we encourage them enough? Are they too spoiled? Will they remember to do their laundry for an entire semester when they go to college?
We just returned from Germany where we got a glimpse of our young man of the world, Esten, who is about two-thirds through a 10-month Rotary International Student Exchange program in Fehmarn, Germany. And we think he may make it.
We communicated with each of his three host families and were pleased to hear our 18-year-old Esten is a good kid across the world, as he was here.
It was strange having not seen the boy in six months. Since he was born, we had never been away from him more than a week (for camp) and he was always a permanent fixture in our household—until he wasn’t.
He looked to have grown about another inch and had let his hair grow long, perhaps getting me back for when I used the clippers on his hair as a young lad.
The time apart wasn’t lost on our youngest, Will, two years Esten’s younger and who served as instant playmate for the older son as soon as he was born. Big brother used to drag him around the playroom by the leg before he was able to walk.
Will missed his brother as much as his parents missed their son. He teared up when we spotted Esten and broke down when he hugged him.
No dry eyes at that family reunion.
Northern Germany wasn’t the best weather-wise, but we didn’t notice much as we were glad to be with our son again. I thought how fortunate we were after exchange students for decades only communicated by letters, while we are able to see him and speak to him regularly by video chat.
We happened to be there as he gave his presentation about Fredericksburg to his host Rotary Club, Oldenburg in Holstein.
He gave his talk in German and had a slide show, pointing out the founding of our town by Germans in the 1840s with nods to Herr Meusebach, Admiral Chester Nimitz, President Lyndon B. Johnson and Waylon and Willie singing about Luckenbach.
Esten also talked about our family’s ancestry and history in publishing. He also talked about the cool things he did at Fredericks-burg High School, such as band, videography and the rocket engineering program, and we all shared a laugh at his video of his team’s rocket experiment which did not quite hit its flight goal. (Hey, they learned from it anyway.)
It was amazing to hear him communicate, make jokes, have a grown-up conversation, even though Christine, Will and I were in the dark about much of it.
We had the pleasure of having dinner or tea with all his host families, incredible people. One man does maintenance on energy producing wind turbines, another is a seventh-generation farmer who works 1,000 hectares, and the other has a boat engine repair shop.
We went to the beach areas on the island. On a clear day, one can see Denmark from the northern shore (alas, our day was not clear).
We had fun visiting coffee shops in his small town of Burg auf Fehmarn and also in the city of Hamburg, where we stayed a few days. And the boy lived in Fredericksburg long enough to know to order beers for his family at a meal.
Most folks around here who offered travel tips about where to visit had southern Germany on the mind, though we stayed north as we had only one week. Still it was a wonderful trip to see our son.
Once his school year is done, Esten will travel with 40 or 50 other exchange students to about seven countries in Europe. That’s the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s just neat watching kids grow up, bumps and all.
Kids don’t come with instruction manuals. And though the boy still has a lot of life to live, we joked with each other and said, “Well, I guess we didn’t mess him up too badly.”
He is surviving, thriving, learning and growing. There’s nothing more rewarding for a parent to see.
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