The Exchange Year’s Return to Ordinary Life

Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war

This flow traces how Joachim(Jocki) uses ordinary activities in Wyoming to live beside, rather than directly through, grief.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Life Away A Life Away from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". A Life Away New Surroundings Joachim(Jocki) lives outside Laramie with a host family and attends a high school with its own airstrip.

A Life Away from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". A Life Away New Surroundings Joachim(Jocki) lives outside Laramie with a host family and attends a high school with its own airstrip.

A Life Away New Surroundings Joachim(Jocki) lives outside Laramie with a host family and attends a high school with its own airstrip. His daily world is open prairie, school buses, and planned activities. Different Expectations The distance from Schleswig frees him from being known as the director’s son or a child of the psychiatric hospital. He can begin again through routine.

The Brother’s Death The Brother’s Death from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". The Brother’s Death News Hermann tells Joachim(Jocki) that Martin has died in a collision.

The Brother’s Death from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". The Brother’s Death News Hermann tells Joachim(Jocki) that Martin has died in a collision.

The Brother’s Death News Hermann tells Joachim(Jocki) that Martin has died in a collision. The narrator struggles to translate the sentence into English for his host family. An Abrupt Break The death interrupts the exchange year but does not bring him fully home emotionally. He returns to Schleswig for the funeral and then chooses to leave again.

Yellowstone Without Wonder Yellowstone Without Wonder from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". Yellowstone Without Wonder A Planned Trip The exchange family leaves for Yellowstone National Park because Joachim(Jocki)’s flight cannot be arranged…

Yellowstone Without Wonder from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". Yellowstone Without Wonder A Planned Trip The exchange family leaves for Yellowstone National Park because Joachim(Jocki)’s flight cannot be arranged…

Yellowstone Without Wonder A Planned Trip The exchange family leaves for Yellowstone National Park because Joachim(Jocki)’s flight cannot be arranged immediately. He sees bison and geysers during long car journeys. Grief in the Landscape The scenery feels more desolate than beautiful. The grandeur cannot reach him while he remains suspended between the news and the funeral.

Returning to Wyoming Returning to Wyoming from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". Returning to Wyoming A Chosen Distance Joachim(Jocki) goes back to his host family although he knows his parents are suffering.

Returning to Wyoming from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". Returning to Wyoming A Chosen Distance Joachim(Jocki) goes back to his host family although he knows his parents are suffering.

Returning to Wyoming A Chosen Distance Joachim(Jocki) goes back to his host family although he knows his parents are suffering. His father asks whether he might stay, but the son insists on returning. Unspoken Need The choice protects him from the full force of family grief. He does not yet have words for why distance feels necessary.

A Stronger Body A Stronger Body from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". A Stronger Body Activities Accumulate Joachim(Jocki) plays basketball, rides horses, shovels snow, and travels with his host parents.

A Stronger Body from "Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war". A Stronger Body Activities Accumulate Joachim(Jocki) plays basketball, rides horses, shovels snow, and travels with his host parents.

A Stronger Body Activities Accumulate Joachim(Jocki) plays basketball, rides horses, shovels snow, and travels with his host parents. He gains weight, strength, and fluent English. Uneven Recovery These achievements do not mean grief has been resolved. They show that life can continue around an absence the narrator is still refusing to face.

The first months in Laramie

Several weeks after his arrival

Before the funeral, while awaiting his flight

Two weeks after the funeral

At the end of the exchange year