Amelia's Top Ten Reasons To Live Abroad

1. Two words: Passport stamps. Which, is harder as the darn EU gives just one for coming in and one for leaving. So I have been to the Netherlands twice, and have no stamp. I have entered Germany six times and have 3 stamps. I have been in the Reykjavik-Keflavik International airport for 45 minutes, and have a stamp (from Iceland in case no one realized that). 
2. So if you can't get stamps, other souvenirs. And not just the magnets and tote bags:
• I have a small lego man dressed in Lederhosen. 
• I have a hand carved lizard from the Australian outback. 
• I have a small, Dutch penchant about cheese, that has a hole in it so its on my key chain.
3. And the souvenirs that many people won't notice:
• I learned how to paint with a pallet knife in Germany. 
• German makeup is way better.
• I found a bunch of really cool (and mostly English) songs that have never made it to the US. 
4. Your Facebook albums and Instagram look way cooler. 
• Millions of photos of Dutch tulips?
• Selfies next to 1000 year old churches?
• Tagging locations such as "London Bridge", "Amsterdam Centraal Main Station", and "Duck Pond in Germany".
5. You appreciate the little things your wonderful Home has:
• Girl Scout Cookies
• Crunchy Cheetos
• Cash back at registers
• Free bathrooms
• Free wifi
• Free wifi
• Free ketchup at McDonalds
• Free wifi
6. You meet new friends. This one is pretty obvious, if you are even the slightest bit social. But what has been great for me is that I have met friends who are in similar situations as me, either learning German, are other au pairs, other Americans in Germany, or all of the above. And you meet people from all over the world, which has greatly enhanced my worldview (thank you Whitworth). Hearing stories from peoples lives in Spain, Poland, Sweden, Texas (it is its own country, come on) has not only added to my wanderlust, but has made me realize that we are all so different, but at the core, are really the same. My Dutch friend may of grown up riding a bike everywhere, and once (or twice) actually wore wooden shoes, but we both love weird humor, our host kids, and have many matching views on politics and life. My friend from Spain may have seen less snow than me in our lives, speak more languages than me, and actually sell her art for money, but we did unknowingly buy the exact same dress. Things I have learned that are (or seem to be) universal:
• McDonalds is cheap food on the run, that is easy to order in any language. 
• A cup of coffee (or other hot beverage) can start any conversation. 
• Just about everyone has seen at least one episode of Friends. 
• People associate Seattle with Twilight. (sadness). 
• Obama is seen as a cool dude (despite your political standings). 
• No matter how much people hate on America, saying we get into crap wars and have a horrible education system, everyone wants to visit. (Mainly New York, Miami, and Las Vegas. Although I believe I have convinced a number of foreigners to see San Francisco). 
7. Independence. Sure, living in dorms give you independence. And then moving into an apartment with friends, then moving into a house with friends, then moving into an apartment or house alone. All independence. But living on the other side of the world, where not only are your parents not around but they are sleeping as there is a 9 hour time difference. You may not do your own laundry, but you have to figure out how to get around by bus, train, car, bike. Pay bills in a new land and language. Its like early adult life, but explained in gibberish. 
8. Being alone. This can be good. Even for extroverts. But for introverts like me, its heaven. In Germany I have felt really alone, sometimes to the point of becoming slightly depressed. But then I reveled in it. I can walk through a crowd, and the idea that everyone around me doesn't know my background, or nationality is freeing. Before I could eavesdrop in German, riding trains or buses, or waiting for such transport, made me feel like I was on Mars (but with Germans). But it was kind of fun. It was a puzzle to get myself from point A to point B, and if need be to wander about in my fragmented German to ask for help. 
9. Learning a new language. Its odd. Its really weird, to wake up and realize I dreamt in German. Or when I throw a German word into an English sentence and don't realize it. Or when I immediately respond to someone in German, without the usual preceding English thought. Or when I realized I was able to eavesdrop. Or talk to strangers. Order food. Buy things off of German Amazon. Read the newspaper. And when I started to understand about 2% of Dutch, as its fairly similar to German (reading mind you, I can only speak one word, the word for thank you, and I understand about 0.2% of Dutch I hear being spoken). When I started to be able to pick out different languages in a crowd. Dutch, Spanish, French, Russian, and that one is a strong Bavarian accent.
10. And the number one reason to live abroad? So you don't regret not doing it. My sisters and I are often told we are so lucky to be able to travel. We are not lucky, we work hard to be able to live out our dreams. And so can anyone. If I can get myself to Germany on one summer of making milkshakes in Colfax, so can you. Go watch the movie Up for more inspiration. 

You might drain your bank account. You might rip your favorite jeans. You might nearly throw up when trying a weird meatball recipe. You might nearly pee your pants as you don't have enough money for the bathroom. You may get lost and take the wrong train. You might stumble upon a castle. You might fall in love. You might find a candy better tasting than M&Ms. You may become addicted to sending postcards. You might become infected with the travel bug. 

But as my Grandpa once said, in referring to me moving to Germany, "This will be good. This will be good for you."

And at the end of the day.

Why not?

Tulips. Tulips. And more Flowers.

In realizing that I was only a three hour drive away from the famous Holland Tulips, my mother said, "you must go."

So I went. HA. Its that easy.

A trio of other au pairs and I first drove to Haarlem (of which the New York Harlem is named after). We saw some parade floats decorated in flowers.

 (Not shown, the tractor pulling the float, which was a New Holland!!!!) 

And then headed south, a quick twenty minute drive to the famous Keukerhof Gardens that house the majority of the Holland Tulips and sit right on the edge of the Tulip fields.

We decided to go to the slightly expensive gardens as the tulip fields were not all in bloom. It was the first weekend in May, and towards the end of an early blooming season. The gardens were well worth the visit.

Quick note, Holland, is simply a state name in The Netherlands. The country is not called, Holland. There is north and south Holland within The Netherlands. Its like calling the entire USA "Dakota". 

Within the gardens we found lots of flowers, and lots of photo opportunities.

There was a hedge maze.

A small petting zoo.

An orchid show.

And adorableness everywhere.

New Favorite German City

I spent Easter weekend with Boyfriend's family. His family lives just north of Berlin. As we were driving south, down to Dresden, where Boyfriend currently lives and studies. I mentioned that I think of Berlin as my favorite German city.

"Just wait." Boyfriend said, "You haven't seen Dresden yet."

I explained that I had. I had spent one week at the end of January 2009 in the smaller city of Dresden. It was bleeping cold. I was sick with an undiagnosed thyroid issue, and the most I remember from Dresden is falling asleep once I sat down in all the museums.

I remembered it as a grey, rich with history, freezing cold city.

We entered Dresden by car, and came down a hill that overlooked the city. The rooftops were shiny in the sunlight, the church spires tall, and there were blooming lilacs on every corner. I took as many blurry pictures from the car windows as my dying iPhone battery allowed.

View from Boyfriend's apartment.

The next day was a three hour cruise down the River Elbe, stopping and turning around at a grand palace partway down the river. The Elbe is now a resort area for Germany's rich and famous, and the old chateaus and palaces are cleaned up and stunning with vineyards and gardens.

 Oh look, just another castle. 

 The "Blue Wonder Bridge" an engineering miracle. 

Dresden was horribly bombed by the allied forces towards the end of WWII, and lost majority of its amazing architecture. During the war the city was a refugee center for women and children, and is where the Germans hid most of the valuable art. When the bombing began, many people fled to the large church, the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). The church was also destroyed. Rebuilt years later, the cross on top of the church was created and welded in Britain, and given as a gift to the city. While rebuilding the church, many of the same bricks were used. Which creates the patchwork architecture.

 Frauenkirche 

 Semperoper (Semper Opera House) 

 Zwinger, a palace in the city

 That was full of tourists (like me) I got trapped in an Italian travel group for a bit. 

Both of these buildings (the one in the back to the right is the Frauenkirche) are part of the Art Academy. The gold winged statue to the left is the goddess Nike, goddess of victory. Reminding everyone that art triumphs over all. 

 View of the Old City from the top of a church 

Just another street. 

Wednesday Boyfriend took me to the Grossergarten (the translation is simply, Big Garden) a huge park with a lot to offer. We had a picnic next to a kiddie train that ran around the entire park. 

Then started exploring. The flowers were blooming, ducks quacking, and more people than I realized were stuck in the nineties and rollerblading everywhere.

And as German custom has it, you turn a corner and there is a palace. 

Which had just been a simple summer home for some German king.

In true European Romantic fashion the sun began to set, and everything was beautiful and perfect. 

I spent all Thursday wandering the city. Going through the old buildings and palaces that I remember touring with my university. Then I headed to the new city, primarily the Kunstpassage, or art walk. I had a map, and directions, but wandered down one street and up another before seeing anything. Then I saw a man with a fanny pack and a large camera and followed him. The passage was between the two streets, in a courtyard. And was one of my favorite sites in the entire city. 

The buildings had been designed with cool facades. The buildings themselves housed apartments, and cute cafes and artsy shops. I loved it.

It happened to be garbage day on that Thursday. And the air smelled like warm cheese and old paper. I wandered the streets, covered with graffiti that was poignant and expected; a silhouette of Audrey Hepburn, a mouse eating a cat. 

I passed young men slurping ice cream cones as their frayed MC Hammer pants swayed in the breeze. An old woman grumbled as she shifted through a newspaper her pumpkin orange hair slightly greying. Artists shove cards depicting their pottery or felt necklaces into your hands, and they soon litter the sidewalk, reminiscent of Las Vegas. The tram stopped too soon. The beer garden started selling fish sandwiches at noon. Children hid in the lilacs, squealing.

Dresden had captured my heart. It had the sensibility of Frankfurt, the art of Berlin, and the chill West Coast vibe of San Francisco. 

Party in the DE

It has been awhile. And now I am using time on the train, and the fact that I decided to take my computer this weekend, to catch up on blog posts. First off, I will touch on a few subjects that are quite in the past. And I am sorry about that. But hopefully, by the time this train makes it to Essen (about an hour) I will have a good amount written (but not posted, as there is no Internet on this train, but the details of train travel will come later).

One of the number one things that Americans, and really the rest of the world, associates with Germany is Oktoberfest. And really, the Germans just like to party. The weekend before Lent begins, known in America as Mardi Gras, summed up this party experience. To the rest of the world, its called Carnival (Karnival). I traveled to Düsseldorf and Köln (Cologne)to partake in the partying before the 40 days and 40 nights fast began.

I was told that to “fit in” during Karnival, one must wear a costume. Finding a costume on a budget, in a foreign country, was going to prove difficult. So I looked at my wardrobe, and make the realistic choice, a cowgirl. I had jeans, I had lace up brown boots, I had a denim button down shirt. I could braid my hair, and find a cowboy hat. In strolling through the Dutch version of Target, I found small red, white, and blue pinwheels, that I fixed to bobby pins and added to my braided hair. I splurged a bit, and bought supplies for a real Karnival mask, mainly glitter glue, feathers, and well the mask.

Once adorned in Red, White, and Blue Cowgirl Pride, I set out to the party. Elin was dressed as a 50’s Rockabilly girl, and Myrthe as Robin Hood. We first wandered the streets of Düsseldorf, saw the day time party that included great deals on cocktails, full families dressed up in matching costumes, and delicious crepes. After finding four Waldos having a beer, and seeing boys dressed in cat costumes climb trees, we hopped the train to where the real party was supposed to happen, Köln.

Our group then a bunch of strangers dressed up in quite the elaborate costumes

Düsseldorf and Köln have a rivalry, and each has their own city song. One must not sing on song in the rival city. And the only Karnival song we knew was “Viva Kölnia”.

It was dark by the time we arrived in the great city, and we first holed up in the only place one can find free Wifi in Germany, Starbucks. Even the baristas were dressed up.

We were meeting other au pairs and friends from around the country who had planned to be in the city that weekend. After a few minutes of waiting, our group of three, two Dutch and one American, grew to a loud, fun group of fifteen, including American, British, and Spanish au pairs, as well as friends from Germany, Spain, and Mexico. I had never heard more Spanish spoke in Germany.

From the train station we set off into the night. The Köln Hauptbahnhof sits right next to one of the grandest cathedrals I have ever seen. And right in front of the cathedral was a drum line concert, people blowing bubbles, singing, drinking, and of course, partying.

We passed wine and beer bottles around, and headed into the crowd. After moving from party to party, crossing the parade route, we found ourselves on a street that ran parallel to the Rhein River. We set up camp, near a cheap beer stand, and started dancing. As it was February, it was freezing, and beer and dancing kept one warm. We met more Americans, other Germans, and heard about every European language. Köln is known for its parting, and its partying is known for Karnival. Sometime in the early morning we convened and headed home.

Now that I have experienced a real Karnival, with broken beer bottles at every step, fireworks set off in the streets, and bands setting up and playing at will on the sidewalks. With smoke and bubbles in the air, a 1000 year old cathedral lit up with golden lights, and an entire city, complete with international tourists, coming together to sing one song, Now I know why one must rest and fast for forty days and forty nights.

Along with Karnival, I have attended other parties and celebrations in Germany. Most recently my own small city’s Wine Fest and a near by city’s Kirmes or city fair.

The Kirmes, while free to get in, was expensive for any food, drink, or tickets for rides. My group, once again, was diverse. It was the usual suspects, the other au pair girls from the area, another America, a Dutch girl, and a girl from Spain. In addition to our foursome, we had invited two people from my German class, another girl from Spain who taught Spanish in Germany, and a young man from Pakistan who worked as an engineer at a nearby rubber plant. All together we spoke a mix of English, German, Spanish, and for the first time I heard Catalonia. A dialect from southern Spain.

The Kirmes was like any state fair, just without the animals. And like any state fair, we gorged ourselves on fair food. However, instead of hamburgers and funnel cakes, we had corn on the cob, fries topped with curry sauce and onions, and of course, crepes.

We all decided to buy tickets to one ride, a fun house that was themed in a mix of Caribbean, Spanish, Mexican, with a touch of Hawaiian. We were given leis, and told to take a shot of tequila before jumping on wobbling stepping stones in two feet of water. After climbing a robe ladder and sprinting down moving sidewalks, we played on tilting surfboards and laughed our way to the the exit, a replica of a tug boat.

We then ate more food, sauteed mushrooms in garlic sauce, churros, and real cotton candy.

The Wine Fest in Marl was a small event, taking place in the open air market that I often take Eliano to walk through. In front of my favorite pharmacy was an American Hot Dog stand, and down the way was of course, more crepes. The wine was German wine, made from sweet grapes of the river valleys, or more dry from the south. Either way it was delicious and only five blocks from my house. The DJ played Glee covers of old rock songs and the middle aged of Marl danced their heart away. The girls and I were not only the only ones speaking English, we were the only ones under the age of 45. It was relaxed, and fun, and a great way to kick off a weekend.