Hey, everyone! I'm sorry that this post is coming to you so late- I've been busy and a bit ill for the last couple of days. That being said, it's impossible not to appreciate the beauty of my current situation. I may be trapped inside with a nasty head cold, but I'm trapped inside in Germany. It's hard to stay grumpy when I meditate on that!
This week has been absolutely full of similar silver linings. It's incredible how quickly your mind can adapt to strange situations, if for no other reason than self-preservation. I have always been a creature of habit, and I'm not known for stepping out of my comfort zone. To my friends and family, I can seem like a pessimist, but I've always seen myself as more of a realist (is there a difference? Can someone call a philosopher?). The way I see it, I'd rather be prepared for the worst and surprised by anything better, than expect the best and deal with any disappointments that come my way. However, the last few weeks have taught me that while it may be logical to think "pessimistically/realistically" in some situations, it doesn't work well when you have no plan, no idea where you are, and no choice but to find a solution. Leaving a situation that would have been miserable, yet stable, for a situation that is wildly chaotic and unplanned, yet amazing, has been the best and most unlikely decision of my life (cue "The Hobbit" soundtrack)! There's so much I could write about, but there are four stories in particular that stand out to me from this last week of my adventure, and I'm going to share them with you!
The Best Last Day Ever
My last day in Nice was the first of the weeks' silver linings. I was taken in ever so generously by my lovely friend Christi, and we got to spend most of Monday exploring the city together! It's hard to believe that I was living so close by for two weeks, but I only got to spend a few hours there. It's an amazingly quirky city, full of things to see!
 |
| Thumb Statue…Why, you ask? I have no idea. |
We were lucky enough to eat lunch in a pub visited by none other than Snoop Dogg himself…
 |
| Slizzle was Hizzle |
Christi even got a free meal out of it, thanks to the friendly little green caterpillar on her sandwich!
 |
| Blurry due to copious amounts of laughter |
I got to taste some of the best gelato known to man...
 |
| Fenocchio's Gelato- mouthgasmic! |
And I even got a little dose of my favorite cruelty-free comforts!
The statues and city art were interesting to say the least, and we took full advantage of that fact!
 |
| I'm so scandalous |
 |
| We literally have no idea who this man was |
 |
| Naked glowing men? |
 |
| They even changed colors! |
We ended the night with some yummy drinks at the Caterpillar Pub (as it will henceforth be known), rocking out to an absolutely AMAZING 90's and early 2000's playlist.
The kindness and generosity of Christi and my other friends in Nice, combined with my excitement from getting to experience even a taste of something new and different, made my two weeks of misery feel totally worth it. Now, when I look back on my time in France, the first thing I think about is how happy I felt on my last day. The negativity that engulfed the majority of my stay there seems so much less important now. Before leaving home, I would have clung to those bad memories for dear life, using them as justification for staying in my rut and never taking chances. The Best Last Day Ever managed to completely skew my perspective for the better. Instead of feeling discouraged and heading right home, I felt more motivated than ever to go out and see the world, and I could not be more thankful for that!
"Ich spreche kein Deutsch!"
On Tuesday, I lugged my colossal suitcases to the bus station (of course with the invaluable help of the lovely Christi once again), and took off to the airport to fly to Germany. I was definitely nervous; I speak zero useful German (I can say "I lost my fried egg" and "I am a ball point pen" …don't ask…), and I was responsible for getting myself from the airport to one train station, and then from there to another (much bigger) train station, all without any means of communication with the friends I was meeting. Interestingly, the always-prepared-pessimist in me was (for once) unprepared for the confusion that would ensue. I ended up buying too many train tickets, getting lost in the platforms, and asking futilely for help from everyone I could find (believe it or not, no one at the Berlin Airport Train Station spoke English). Eventually, I got on a train, and just sat there hoping it was the right one. It wasn't. BUT, I figured it out anyway, got to where I needed to go, and found my friend with little trouble upon my arrival to Leipzig.
In the midst of my anxiety at the airport and train stations, I caught myself thinking differently than I usually do; when I end up in a confusing situation or feel flustered in any way, my first instinct is to jump right to thinking of every bad thing that could happen so that I can prepare myself. However, this time, I found myself thinking things like "you'll figure it out," "take a deep breath," and "this time tomorrow you'll be waking up safe with your friends." And guess what? I was right. It worked. I was able to fight off tears and total panic in a scary and difficult situation, which is something I historically have been pretty much incapable of. I found my friends, and they got me safely to my temporary home here. As if that isn't amazing enough, I discovered what might be the tastiest creation known to man: the Smarties McFlurry.
 |
| If I was a dessert, this is what I'd be. |
Now, I won't lie to you and tell you that I wasn't scared out of my mind. I definitely can't say that my mind didn't try to go to its familiar dark places- I absolutely felt the strain as I fought to stay level headed. What's important, though, is that it was my inner optimist who won the fight within me that day. My refusal to give in to the fear in "preparation" for the worst that was yet to come allowed me to do what I needed to do to get through the situation. As someone who has battled crippling panic and anxiety for the better portion of her life, I can't even begin to explain how empowering it is to know I'm capable of that. There truly is no better feeling.
Mistelbach, Molasses, and the Most Unforgettable Birthday
On the train to Leipzig to meet my friends, I happened to look down at my phone and catch a glimpse of the date: September 16th. "Holy ****," I gasped, startling several unsuspecting fellow passengers. I had managed to completely forget that my 22nd birthday was two days away. Of course, being the amazing and generous people that they are, my friends (old and new) promised me that we'd do something special. I assured them that I really was just happy to be here. I mean, look at this place!
 |
| Bahnhofstrasse, Mistelbach, Germany |
 |
| Look how cute!! |
 |
| More of Bahnhofstrasse |
 |
| The garden |
 |
| Mistelbach |
 |
| Mistelbach |
I was given a place to stay in this little slice of heaven free of charge, and I'm surrounded by amazing company. What more could I possibly ask for?
Of course, when my birthday came around, my wonderful friends went above and beyond even more so than they already had. I spent the day with Pia (my hostess), Dorothee (Pia's friend), Andrew (my friend from home) and Zach (Andrew's friend). I thought it would be fun to make chocolate chip cookies- I'd get a comforting taste of home, and they'd get to try a new treat! Chocolate chip cookies are simple enough, right?
Wrong.
I completely overestimated the similarity between German and American grocery stores and ingredients. We ended up Macgyver-ing pretty much the entire recipe.
Difference #1: No chocolate chips. To improvise, I bought a huge bar of baking chocolate, and we cathartically chopped it up into tiny chunks with kitchen knives.
 |
| Poor, brutalized chocolate :( |
Difference #2: No vanilla extract. They had some kind of vanilla essence, but it most definitely wasn't the same. We used it anyway.
Difference #3- and this is the real kicker- No brown sugar. My friends had no clue what I was even talking about when I described it to them! We called grocery store after grocery store trying to find it, but to no avail. Eventually, when all hope of cookies seemed lost, I remembered a blog post I had seen about making your own brown sugar out of plain granulated sugar and molasses. I had never done it before, but we had no other options, so we called around until we found a store that carried molasses, drove all the way into town to get it, and we made our own brown sugar.
Much to my dismay, I added way too much molasses, which made for very sticky and molasses-y cookies. BUT (this is a silver lining story, after all), the texture of the cookies was absolutely perfect, the chocolate melted beautifully, and we even added some Smarties for a special Hayley-esque twist. They definitely didn't taste like I expected, but my friends and I enjoyed them nonetheless.
 |
| Our Molasses Monstrosity Cookies |
In the evening, we went into Bayreuth for dinner. We had planned on going to a certain Italian restaurant, but (of course) my birthday happened to fall on the one week this year that the restaurant was closed! No matter, though- we quickly found another restaurant and we had an amazing meal, complete with free dessert shooters and a happy restaurant dog to keep us company!
 |
| My little birthday dessert |
 |
| Goa, our little friend, waiting for Zach to toss a rock for him to fetch |
After dinner, we met up with some of Pia's friends at a local Mexican-style bar. About 3 drinks later, Pia and I decided to go with them to a club- something I pretty much NEVER do- and we had such a blast that I didn't have time to take many pictures! The sole photograph from the night may present more questions than it gives answers, but I'll leave the blanks for your imagination to fill in!
 |
| Daniel, me, and a bigass dinosaur |
Overall, my 22nd birthday was strange, exciting, alcohol-filled, and yet completely unforgettable. I met some wonderful people, stepped way out of my comfort zone, and had an absolute blast doing it!
The Show Must Go On (Even if it's Raining Sideways)
Over the weekend, Pia and I went with her mother to the village where her grandparents live to see her grandfather in a community play. Although I was unsure of what to expect, I was definitely shocked when I realized that the play would be taking place outside, despite the fact that it was absolutely pouring with rain. "Are people really going to sit outside and get drenched for this?" I asked Pia in disbelief. "Oh, yes- this is the most exciting thing that has happened in this village in years!" And with that, we donned our ponchos, opened our umbrellas, and found our soaking wet seats.
 |
| Pia and I smiling through the rain |
I was doing alright for the first hour or so, but eventually I became a bit agitated. The play was in German, so I had no idea what was going on, and I was absolutely soaked to the bone. About halfway through, I started to wonder if I'd be able to last much longer, but then I had a sort of revelation; as I looked around me, trying to find someone as annoyed as I was to empathize with, I noticed how truly excited everyone was to be there watching their friends and family perform in this little village play. They didn't care about the rain. They had all worked so hard to make this event possible, there was no way they were going to let the weather dampen their spirits (I'm so punny). Here, in this soaking wet little German town, I witnessed authentic and sincere solidarity, and to me, that is cool beyond words. To make things even better, the actors ended the play with a literal bang- fireworks! My favorite!
 |
| A shot of the stage |
Culture Shock 2.0: German Edition
- Kinder Eggs: These little goodies are banned in the US because they are considered a "choking hazard" (survival of the fittest? Darwinism? No? Okay…). I just had to indulge on a few because, you know, I like to live dangerously.
- Chinese food in Germany is absolutely nothing like Chinese food in California. It wasn't bad, but it definitely didn't satisfy my cravings. For example, the German-Chinese version of an egg roll was more like Chinese chicken salad stuffed inside of a thick pastry- think Chinese Hot Pocket.
 |
| German-Chinese Egg Roll |
- The town of Bayreuth, which is the biggest town near where I've been staying, is the home of composer Richard Wagner. There are tons of multicolored mini Richard Wagners all around town, enigmatically conducting at passersby!
 |
| A Mini-Wagner |
- Drivers here are MUCH better than in France. Seriously. AND, Germans are also completely aware of how insane French drivers are. It's not just me, I promise!
- If you meet a group of four guys anywhere in Germany, at least one of them will be named Tobias, and the other three will be named Florian.
- If you don't like house music/EDM, avoid clubbing in Germany. It's all they play. And it isn't just modern hits either- the club we went to blasted some super-groovy remixes of hits like "Ice Ice Baby" and "Walking on Sunshine." Needless to say, my first time clubbing here was likely also my last.
- NOT EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH. Consider that myth officially busted. That being said, those who do speak it typically speak incredibly well, and much to my delight, many Germans enjoy having an opportunity to speak English with a native speaker!
- German speed detectors smile at you when you're going the proper speed limit. So cute!
 |
| German Speed Detector |
- The Autobahn is not the terrifying speedway I imagined it would be. People definitely drive fast, but not unsafely so. It truly is a wonderful thing when you're trying to get somewhere in a hurry!
What's Next?
A few nights ago, over delicious homemade chocolate cake, my friend Pia asked me, "how can you be happy?" I was caught off guard by this question- no one has really ever asked me this before. It took me a while to formulate an answer, but what I eventually came up with was this: the last few weeks have shown me that I'm the happiest when I do things I never thought I could or would do. Therefore, to stay happy, I have to keep doing those things: taking risks, saying yes to opportunities, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, getting a bit scared. These are the things that have led to the greatest happiness and sense of fulfillment I've ever experienced.
I read a quote from Princess Wilhelmine Margravine of Bayreuth Newcastle (I'll talk about that trip in my next post) which perfectly sums up this sentiment: "I am like a blind person who is gradually learning to see and beginning to perceive things in quite a different way. Everything here has a leaning towards greatness." It is in that spirit that I take the next step on my journey, and begin to travel solo. I'm hoping to visit Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo on my own within the next couple of weeks before meeting up with Christi in the UK for two final weeks of travel. Traveling alone is something I never, ever thought I would do, and that's exactly why I'm doing it.
Here's to a safe, eye opening, positive, and life changing journey! I promise to try my hardest to post more diligently. As always, friends, thank you for reading and for your good thoughts. Talk to you soon!
Hugs from Germany,
Hayley
No comments:
Post a Comment