The Good
Germany was the first country on the race that I'd actually been to before! When I was seven years old, Mom and I stayed at a quaint little hotel in a town north of Berlin for about a month waiting to get our visas to the US. We were away from our relatives and the familiarity of being in China yet we hadn't quite made it to our final destination-reunion with Dad in San Francisco. We were transitory visitors who didn't really know anyone and didn't quite know what to do with our time. In the mornings, we'd eat soft boiled eggs with a sprinkle of salt in silver egg soldiers and take strolls around the neighborhood admiring the Grimm Brothers fairy tale setting. In the afternoons, my Mom would prep for our visa interview, and I'd sit by the window playing with Barbie dolls and legos. At night, we'd play cards and she'd beat me at Big Two over and over again until I cried. Mom loved Germany. She thought it was breathtaking. And every time we visit a new place, she'd always say, "this is great, but it's no Germany."Throughout our race in Munich and Bavaria, I was thinking of Mom and our Mother/Daughter month abroad in her favorite country in the world! It was a tough leg as we were very very lost in Munich but thinking about Mom kept me feeling positive!
The Bad
Okay, can we just talk about my horrendous singing for a sec? I'm notorious for sounding like a crow but when we saw that the roadblock called for some "wooing," I knew I had to do it as my last name is Wu! I had to honor our family name! Learning the song was not so bad but singing it was another story. I thought I could distract Jelani, Tyler, Jeff and anyone else unlucky enough to witness the sounds of pig slaughter by using flowery hand gestures. After my first try, I turned around and even took a bow hoping my showmanship would save me. No such luck. The ice cold bucket of water was shocking and it actually took me a few seconds to find the voice to scream. It was a Carrie at prom moment. Not Carrie Bradshaw. The Stephen King Carrie.
