Short Story

Studying abroad in Germany embarks Paul Welch on an adventure he will never forget. From the rigors and joys of learning a new language and set of friends to traveling in his free time, the experiences of the year both open his eyes and confirm his deepest held beliefs. The biggest adventure and reward of all, though, proves to be love. A month before classes start, Welch arrives in the Bavarian town of Erlangen to take an intensive language course at the Friedrich-Alexander Universitt. Here, he makes quick friends with many other students throughout Europe. One of with whom, Maria, he hits it off amazingly well. But just as he is about to ask her out, he learns that she is dating one of the other guys in the course, Tommy. Despite the odds against it, Luke has the conviction that he and Maria will have their chance together. Before everyone from the language course goes their separate ways, Maria invites Paul to come to Sardinia during his spring break to visit her and another friend from the course. He decides not to say anything to her at the time but makes a commitment to himself to follow through and go visit her in the spring. Paul moves on to Darmstadt, where he will be studying for the next year and slowly adapts to his new life. Months pass, friends are made, new adventures are had. While his zeal for visiting Maria has been tempered by the question of how a short visit can lead to something lasting, he follows through on the commitment to himself to go and visit her.