What I did on my vacation

I have just returned from my fifth visit to my homeland of Germany since immigrating to the U.S. eleven years ago. It always amazes me how easily I can slip back and forth between two languages (three if you count my dialect) and two cultures. Here in Pennsylvania, people often address me with, "You have an accent. Where are you from?" In Germany, however, people say, "You don't have an [American] accent!"
Not much has changed in Germany since my visit last year, except for one thing: flags. Never before have I seen flags flying from cars and houses in Germany. The World Cup, however, spurred an enthusiasm for national pride that must have been intoxicating. Personally, I wanted to avoid the hoopla of the World Cup and opted to travel when it was over. My county seat of Kaiserslautern was one of the sites of World Cup and the crowds must have been incredible. Unfortunately, my visit fell right in the middle of yet another heat wave (the most recent one was in 2003). I wanted to attend my father's 80th birthday and therefore did not have much influence on the date. The upside was that I saw people I had not seen in decades. During the first week, I was not able to do any sightseeing in temperatures of almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but spent the evenings with friends. Most memorable was a get-together with school friends I had not seen in 32 years. It was most amazing that we were able to throw together a mini-reunion in less than two hours. Other friends arranged their quarterly meeting during my visit. I am very happy that I seem to bring people together who would not meet otherwise. It is gratifying that I have not been forgotten in my hometown.