Auf Wiedersehen - Til We Meet Again

Jody-Anne Lawrence, Lifestyle Reporter

It was an intimate farewell between friends at the poolside of the residence of Robert MacMillan for German Ambassador Josef Beck and his wife, Gudrun, on Saturday, July 5.

It was a cosy setting filled with the friends they had made during their tenure on the island. Among them was Brazilian Ambassador Antonio Da Costa Silva, and the two had a friendly banter about their countries' upcoming encounter at the World Cup.

The night was organised by Robert MacMillan, Thalia Lyn and her husband, Michael. Of course, the last supper was provided by none other than Lyn. It consisted of tasty, juicy and spicy jerked pork and chicken, along with festival- a true Jamaican feast. This was accompanied by an open bar for guests to take full advantage of.

FAREWELL

The official proceedings was very short, with hosts MacMillan and Lyn publicly stating their official farewell. MacMillan took the microphone and gave a toast to all friends present and absent, as he commended Beck on his work and on visiting parts of the country that he himself had never been to. However, he would not say goodbye.

"It is not goodbye, but, as the Germans would say, 'auf wiedersehen' which means 'till we meet again'," MacMillan stated to the ambassador who had become his friend. Lyn was no less sentimental. The guest of honour, Ambassador Beck, thanked his hosts and described his parting as bittersweet. He was heading back to Washington, DC, where they will be closer to their daughters, but he loved Jamaica and the time felt too short.

"It felt like yesterday, that I arrived here in Jamaica, but yesterday our three years was up," noted the ambassador.

After the cutting of his farewell cake, the goodbyes continued on an individual note as the night wore on.

Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer