Thoughts as the Sun Sets
I'm finishing up the first leg of my time in Germany. As the pages turn on this chapter, I've had a few thoughts rolling around my head.
Moin chef - A casual and sarcastic way to great your friends (see “sup boss” in English)
Summertime is here in Hamburg. The sun starts peaking up before 5 am and the day continues deep into the night. Every lawn across the city is filled with people lounging about and soaking up the warm weather. The Alster, the lake which runs through the heart of the city, is full of sailers and rowing teams. The days are long, the weather is warm, and the city is alive. I hate it.
I’m not sure what drives the European aversion to air conditioning, but it needs to stop. I don’t care if they’re scared to admit that Americans got something right. I don’t care if they’re scared of using too much energy (shouldn’t have closed down those nuclear plants). I don’t even care if it’s because Hamburg only gets hot enough for like a month or two at most to warrant air conditioning. It’s getting ridiculous in this city and I’m sick and tired of sweating no matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing, no matter the time of day. It’s time to enter the 21st century.
But truly it is beautiful in the city. I’m crabby lately because we’re experiencing a heat wave, but the second the temperature starts dropping in the evening I’m filled with love and reminded how much I’ve enjoyed the last year here. Throughout all of the hurdles this last year, I’m so lucky to be living in an overpriced apartment in the worst part of the Hamburg.
The pacing of life, of everything, is so much different over here. In some ways that’s a fantastic thing! On Sundays it seems that nearly the entire country shuts down, forcing you to spend time on yourself. My friends with jobs have more PTO than they know what to do with, and it seems like everyone I know is planning on taking at least a month to travel this summer. Germany seems to be doing everything it can to encourage people to have lives and enjoy them while they have the ability to live it. It’s really refreshing to be around.
Since I moved to Germany I’ve gotten back into reading like I haven’t for years and years. Just the other day I spent a few hours lounging in the park reading until the sun started setting and forced me to pack up. I’m not saying I couldn’t have been doing any of this back home, but there’s just something in the air here. When I see people reading, painting, napping in the park, I think “I want to be doing that”. When you’re walking through the nice neighborhoods and you find a box of free stuff, the book you pick up is sometimes just interesting enough to get you to sit down in a café and start reading. When everyone around you is constantly finding and pursuing hobbies, you get caught up in all of the excitement and find yourself joining them. Even when that just means you enjoy each others quiet company over tea.
Other parts of the relaxed pace aren’t so nice. I just learned the other day that the average time to complete my four semester masters degree is 6-7 semesters. I’m not sure it’s necessary for everyone to rush through their degree as fast as possible - life happens and other things take priority. Sometimes it makes sense to slow down on classes so you can work and gain experience at the same time. But I think there’s something to be said about taking on a project and delivering on time.
As for me, my studies seem to be going well. After nearly three months of waiting around I got my final grade from the first semester back, and I’m quite pleased with how the term wrapped up. This second term is proceeding along nicely, and I’m beginning to look at what I want to do after I graduate. As much as I enjoy the program, I’m not planning on taking an extra year and a half to finish my degree. But while I’m still a masters student I’m trying to take advantage of what that affords me. Which is very little, at least compared to being a bachelors student in America. But that hasn’t stopped me from reaching out to practically every professor I bump in to and asking if I can pretty please help them on one of their research projects!
The other night I was at a little summer party thrown by my university. It was that part of the day when the summer heat just broke, and temperatures were finally starting to climb down. We were all hot and sweaty from sitting in the shade, but we were together and that was enough for a nice evening. As we sat around having an ice cream, my friends asked me the best and worst things about Germany. For me, not driving is genuinely one of the nicest things about being here. I can’t begin to explain how much of an improvement in my quality of life it’s been not having to get into a car every day.
I still have to commute around town via train, bus and bike, and sometimes that commute time takes even longer than if I had a car. But you know what’s nice about that commute time? I can do ANYTHING I want. I can sit and read a book, listen to music, work on a crossword, talk with friends or just take a nap. When I get a flat tire I can lug my bike onto the subway, I can visit friends and move around town without worrying about parking, I can just exist in the city unencumbered.
Sometimes I miss being back in the U.S. and being able to go wherever I need to in the comfort and privacy of my own car. It’s really nice to load up with your friends and go off on an adventure without worrying about the drunk and loud and smelly people sharing the subway with you. Or being able to move more than a few bags of groceries without needing to strategize my packing. But by and large it’s been such a boon for me living without a car.
As for the worst thing, the lack of AC has been a really strong contender for me lately. That, or maybe the lack of Taco Bell.
This year has really flown by. In my first weeks in Germany it sometimes felt like I’d never see my friends and family again. Since then a lot has happened, and a lot has changed. Three people from back home have made their way out here to visit me - someone I hope to keep in my life forever, someone who constantly surprises me with their kindness, and someone who I may never again talk to. Each of those people shared some fun and exciting memories with me, and they’ve left a permanent mark on Europe for me. Things are also changing back home. I’ve got a new nephew to meet, and by the time the fall roles around I’ll have a few more members of the family.
The summer has just begun and I’m still in Germany, but already I’ve planned nearly every weekend of my vacation. There will be weddings, disc golf, parties, hiking, meals, camping, late nights and early mornings, laughs and more. I’ve started making a note on my phone trying to keep track of all of the things I’m hoping to do. I know that even if I get to everything on my list, I’ll fly back to Germany wishing I had more time. So I’m going to try and squeeze in as much as I can.
I’ve been busier than all get out this last month. June has been regimented and disciplined like I got signed up for bootcamp. I’ve been doing everything I can to get ready. My friends have teased me for the walks I have scheduled throughout my day, but it’s going to all be worth it. I’ve finished a term paper, gotten prepped for my exams and I’m just finishing up on a project for a professor. I’ve been trying to get all of my responsibilities in Germany handled so that when I come home, I can spend all of my with the people I’ve been thinking about since I got here. In just a few weeks I pack up my flat, board a plane and fly home. In less than a month, I’ll be home.
Are you ready?
I’m ready.