Auf wiedersehen, Germany

It’s been four great months, living in Germany, but finally the time has come to move on. I have learnt about the beer, seen amazing street art, eaten all kinds of German things, climbed dragon filled mountains, met a lot of great people and even had a brief run in with the police.

The people were really what made it however. I came to Germany to spend time with my girlfriend, who was the only German person I knew in the country. And that is the thing about relationships. When you get into them, you not only get a new person in your life, you end up with a whole bunch of new people to meet and befriend. From family gatherings to birthday parties, from flea markets to university tours, I have had just an amazing time with all the new folk I met, despite my tremendous inability to speak the language.

Particular thanks have to go to Vera’s sister, who introduced me to currywurst and Kolsch, and largely managed to outdrink me at every party we went to. Also her godmother, who put me up in Berlin for three nights having only met me once, and put a new chocolate on my pillow every night. Seriously, that was awesome.

Then of course there are all the people she lives with, who by proxy, had to put up with me being here for four months. All six of them were friendly, welcoming, and generally nice to be around. Nora introduced me to a complex world of philosophy, and student food in Bonn. Joaquin and I went on a culinary adventure through German and English food, with the odd detour to India and Mexico. Marlet introduced me to her, now sadly deceased, VW van, and the joys of hamster sitting. The list goes on. We went swimming in lakes, I learnt how to lose graciously at both table football and international football. Happy times.

Travel, for me, is an opportunity to experience new cultures and meet new people, see new things and perhaps learn a bit about myself on the way. In that regard, the four months in Germany has been a sterling success, and I am now ready for the next phase of the trip, that being a year in New Zealand. Next time you hear from me, it’ll be from a whole new country. Until then.. be happy!