Some Pictures of Hamm

This park was near the exchange school in Hamm. My first exchange was in my second year at Rigby High in 1990 and 1991.

The year began in a tough way. My father's colon cancer returned, which should not have surprised me. He had been in remission for five years, and suddenly, it started to hurt him when we drove in the truck on some of the dirt roads on the farm.

At that time, my dad also became highly sensitive to smells, especially cooked food. He had difficulty eating, and he was quite sick that summer. His doctor told him not to worry. It was probably just a "bug."

They found the cancer had returned soon after that, but that was after some exploratory surgery they did in the fall of '90.

I remember taking the German teacher to Jackson, Wyoming in September or early October of 1990. We attempted to return home by taking the steeper route on the Idaho side of the Tetons, and I lost the transmission in my red Taurus.

My first clue, that my dad was not well, was when I called to see if there was a car or older pick-up truck I could use to get to work. I wanted to use it, while we had the transmission repaired on our Taurus. Dad knew what was happening to him at that time, and I could tell he worried about things, but I was still "clueless." When he seemed so overwhelmed at that time, I should have known what was happening.

We bought a van and didn't redo the transmission on the Taurus. It was a mistake in one way: I could have had the work done for a minimum amount of the cost, and that would have been better than buying a new car at a time, when we were making double house payments, but you only learn lessons like that after the fact. It's part of the human condition.

My student's name is Donovan Davis, one of my former Rigby High exchange students. He took this picture of the school we visited all those years ago in Germany.

Donavon was with me on the second exchange I did in '93.

The experience in Hamm saw many changes in my own life. Before I took my American students from Rigby High on the first exchange I did in Hamm in 1990, my father passed away. His cancer returned. He battled it for a few months, and then he was gone. That tragedy for me changed my life. I was never the same after that. It's what happens when you lose a parent, regardless how old they are or how old you are. It's not an easy thing to experience.

That was a difficult trip in 1990, but my students were great. During the next trip in the summer of '93, my paternal grandmother was in a near fatal accident. Her brain stem injury made life miserable for her during the next four or five years. I was in Germany on a second exchange with Hamm, and the last time I had talked to her was just after our flight from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake City. There was a horrible storm, and my grandmother felt something bad was going to happen that year. She cried when I talked to her on the phone. I assured her I would visit her when I returned from Germany, and she seemed alright with that. She'd asked me to visit her before my trip for at least a month before our departure.

After my grandmother's accident, she stopped breathing and her heart stopped beating. The family was upset that I wasn't there, so they pressured medical authorities to revive my grandmother. That was a mistake, but like I explained, everyone wanted to avoid having that tragedy happen while I was in Germany, so far away from home. My grandmother suffered for four years or more before her passing.

Ann's mom passed away in '97. She died of Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is horrific. Ann spent a lot of time on the road during the time the Germans were staying with us in Idaho Falls. My mistake was having Ann and Kristin go with me. Ann's mom was not well, and after being in Germany only about a week, she passed away.

That ordeal was even worse, because there was no closure for my daughter. I should have sent Kristin home with Ann for the funeral, but I didn't do it. I thought everything would be alright, but it wasn't.

For me, I have fond memories of being in Germany with my students, but the exchange I did so many years ago was a burden for my family, emotionally and financially.

I forget the tough parts when I see the passion my former students have for the language and the culture, and most importantly, they want to return to Hamm to see things we experienced there. To rediscover the things we found there.

That makes me feel that all was worth it, in spite of the toll that those exchanges took on my own family. Besides, if I had a passport and ticket right now, I would be on my way to Germany right now. I miss a real Brat. I miss Pommes Fritz with Mayo. I miss the Doppel XXL Ritter bars, and yes, like Donavon, I miss the Magnum Gold, although I also liked the Doppel Doppel as well.