Those Passing Feelings, Circus Kind, Mozzarella at McDonald’s, and a Kind (Or Not) Suggestion

Things are so good here in Deutschland. My life is amazing and everyday I wake up feeling so incredibly blessed to be alive and experiencing this. I am in love with Germany. And I haven’t even left Munich yet. I can only imagine what I have yet to see and not only in this country but others as well. I wish that I would stop letting myself get so hung up on money and just do it. I’m trying to be responsible with the debt that I’ve left in the States but a huge part of me just wants to default on everything and stop caring. I want to enjoy my time here, one hundred percent and worrying about money keeps me from doing that. I need to figure it out because before too long, I’m going to go crazy.

I miss home sometimes. But not as much as I thought I would when I first left. When I was on the bus to LAX on my day of departure, back in June, my dad called me to wish me safe travels and to make sure that I’d made all of my buses and connections. And then he asked if he could pray for me and, of course, I obliged because I’d be crazy to turn down prayer. I may not be as religious as I once was but I know that the good Lord listens to those who talk to him and if someone wants to call out to Him on my behalf, I will not mess that up. Anyway, as he was praying for me I just started crying because even though I wasn’t even out of California yet, I already missed everything. I missed my parents, my friends, my brother, my step-mom, my new baby niece, my best friend, my old room mate’s cat, In-N-Out, my grandma, Monterey, the ocean… I think he sensed that I was upset and he calmed me down, told me to just have fun and enjoy myself and be strong, etc, etc. And let me know that everything and everyone would be waiting for me when I came home. And I took a deep breath and then I was okay. I haven’t felt that paralyzing feeling since. Of course, there are bad days when the pictures on my walls make me ache for the people and things that I’ve left at home but it passes in time. I know that what I’m doing here is so important to my path of self discovery and even though I miss home and home misses me, it’s still home. It’s always going to be waiting for me. So, to those of you who have been flooding my Facebook and email with love and longing, I promise you that I miss you, too. Never think that I don’t. And I love you. And I’m so glad that you’re sharing this adventure with me, if even from a distant continent.

Last week was a doozy… okay, not really. The girls were taking part in a local children’s circus last week so our schedule was a bit more frantic than it usually is. All the kids performing go to some kind of circus school. Or something. The girls know someone who goes to the circus school so, therefore, they got to be in the show. They did it last summer too, playing the same role. They run around in circles dressed up as butterflies with glitter on their faces.

Running around as butterflies.

Eenie was having a good time.

Anyway, the circus schedule paired with my bum foot made for an interesting week. The Frau took them most days so my work was cut out for me. Which was good because my foot’s been giving me trouble. My last update stated that I had went to get my stitches removed by a friend’s host-mom who is a doctor. Unfortunately, the stitches didn’t entirely work so the top layer of my skin was still wide open. On Friday I went by her office and she put Steri Strips over the cut and gave me a handful of more strips and some heavy duty band-aids. After I visited there, I ventured back into the city to find a salon that I’d made an appointment at and had my eyebrows shaped. Finally. They were starting to take over my face. And then I went home and slept from 11:30 until almost 3. It was glorious. Friday evening, I babysat the girls. We played War (which they LOVE) and I taught them how to play Solitaire and they’re really good at it, too.

On Saturday I took the girls to the circus because the Frau had a hair appointment. And it was pouring rain the whole time. The circus location is outdoors but the actual show is inside a giant circus tent. But the girls had to get changed and ready in the rain. There were tent covers, for the most part, but we were all miserable. I’d already seen the show on Thursday so it was nothing new to me. I just sat in the corner and tried not to look so miserable. At the end, the Frau picked us up and bought me a weiner mit simmel. Yum. We went back to the house to meet the Frau’s friend because I was going to be babysitting for her. Her son, Julius, is 8-months-old and such a cutie. Vee is really good with him and loves him. Eenie couldn’t have cared less. She told me he had to stay outside. Haha. The baby was easy until I tried to put him down and he just cried and cried. His mom had to come back and put him down and even that was hard for her. Eventually, he passed out and she went back to her party. I stayed in the living with him until almost midnight. Around ten it started pouring rain and the fireworks at Tollwood went off for about 40 minutes straight. Nothing woke that kid up. And I gained 50 EUR for it! Woo! Which I already spent…

How does one spend 50 EUR in ONE DAY? Let me tell you.

15 EUR for two tickets to Eclipse – I owed Jessica some money for various things: a bier or two and a 6 EUR cab ride to the hospital. So I bought her movie ticket.
8,50 EUR for small Coke, sour apple rings, and a ginormous bag of popcorn – When one has not eaten breakfast or lunch, one must improvise. Oh, and soda in Germany doesn’t come with ice (GROSS!) and their popcorn doesn’t have butter (because it will break the bag) or salt (because it’s actually kettle corn. Germany is so weird.
7,50 EUR for a Chinese food dinner and a tiny bier – Delicious.
6 EUR for two liters of bier at Jaeger’s hostel – Self explanatory.
2,90 EUR for a pilsner at a different hostel

And then I lost track of what I was spending because I was too drunk to remember. But that’s nearly 40 EUR right there. We did end up at the McDonald’s in Hauptbanhof where I bought mozarella sticks which are DELICIOUS. American McDonald’s, take a page of Europe’s book – get some cheese sticks on your menu! They’re great. And when I got home this morning, all I had in my wallet were a few 2 EUR coins and some random change. Strange how fast that happens. It’s hard to save money when you’re drunk. But which also brings me back to the point I made at the beginning – I don’t want to save money when I could be running around drunk and wasting money! But I’m drunk in Munich wasting money so it’s infinitely better. Besides, it’s not really a waste if you’re having fun. :)

Oh, that reminds me – I’m drinking bier in Munich and a lot of it. Bavaria is one of the brewing capitals of the world. I am not going to stop drinking bier. I promise you that I won’t become an alcoholic. But yes, I might end up in the hospital and have a wound that won’t heal. And I’ll waste my money on ridiculous things. I won’t lose weight, in fact, I’ll probably start looking pregnant if I don’t already. So, please stop suggesting to me that I stop drinking bier. Too many people in the States, mostly just family members, have commented on this. I know you are concerned for me but I am fine. I will learn my lessons. They will be my own. And if they have to be hard, I’ll deal with it. I make my own mistakes. So far, I have really good friends, a reliable train schedule, and I know my way home. I’m doing well and the bier drinking will continue. I am preparing myself for Oktoberfest. Wait until then to worry about me. Danke!