First dance

Hearing my mom talk about our community gathering back in Calgary makes me miss our community so much. But I am slowly beginning to like mine and have a feeling it can grow here too. 

I went to my first dance class today-hip hop. It was so great to move again! It makes me feel truly alive. Such an amazing feeling, I am so thankful for the reminder to start doing that more. So I have pretty much made extra-curricular plans for mon-fri. With dance classes on mon, wed and thurs. I even found an african studio, which I hope to get to soon. Also I have been paying attention to the dance workshops going on...I have the impression that there are a lot of possibilities for meeting people with your interests outside of school. Two girls actually started talking to me, translating the dance instruction here and there. It was really sweet.

 Also there are a few yoga ones but I think there you need to understand German a bit more than in dance. (I did just fine without any in class today, though!!!) For now I have alot of spare time between my classes and overall the program is not nearly as intense as last year's was.

to move or not to move?

Upon returning home, there was still no news about switching apartments. Despite my efforts, so far nothing came through with moving into a double apartment either. Apparently, there were other people ahead of me on the waiting list and they tell me to come back in November. I can't live with these dimwits until November, there must be another way out!

I heard that there is one 2-br apartment available for 600 euros,  through a private renter. I haven't seen it yet, but that means that I will have to buy my own furniture, find a roommate, hire a car to move my stuff, etc and it just doesn't seem worth it. I want to invest a minimal amount into my surroundings (I bought a very cute orange tapestry at the Spanish market for 10E, which I'm using as curtains/wall cover)...I'm trying to make what little space I have more livable. 

Glorious Mediterranean coast

Well, today finds me on day 4 of the eurotrip.

Let me start off by saying this: I am sitting in my bikini on my private patio, drinking French Bordeaux. The price of this? 30 euros a night for a private peace pf heaven, also known as small mobile home with kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and 2 euros for authentic Bordeaux. 

Ah, I love my life. Today I saw the Mediterranean sea for the first time. This morning I woke up with the well-known intent from all the travels before: "to the beach!” And so I eventually found my way. Also, as usual, the water is colder than you might expect and the cold wind from the sea doesn't help. However, by 11 am on Tuesday we witnessed more than a few couples and families make their way down and bear the cold water. Some just suntanned, making the best of a nice, 25 degree moderately warm weather. And then my favourite thing happened: I went to the local supermarket! I find it to be my ritual, almost. When in a new country, you have to go to the local supermarket, see what local and regional food is being sold, watch how others shop, buy something you'll never get anywhere else, and , of course, find a deal! I did all of the above. Honestly, i had the best time grocery shopping in Europe so far! Compared to Germany and Switzerland, everything was extremely cheap. Fresh, local cherry tomatoes that taste like heaven, perfectly ripe avocados, Italian mozzarella for cents, real french Brie, fresh meat, dairy, not to mention the ridiculously cheap wine. I have not been this excited in days. Everything is fresh and delicious. My tastebuds cannot stop shouting and moaning at the full aromas of every single thing.

Shortly after, I came back into my lovely private cottage and prepared the most delicious salad I had in days and just savoured the moment. Sure, I planned to be in Spain by now. But really, I don't know when else I will get this chance to simply stop, relax, cook anything i feel like, sleep in a real, queen size bed, and just lay out in the sun on the beach doing nothing. Tomorrow, though, we are heading to Girona, which is 100 km away for Barcelona to stay in a campsite and hopefully find a warmer beach there. Although I already feel like I am somewhere in Spain. There is an interesting mix of French and Spanish lifestyles here. Sure, most people speak french, but the food, the architecture, the palm trees- to me, that's all Spain.

The Road

In the last 2 days we drove through most of Switzerland and a good chunk of France. Other than the Alps in the distance and the cute cows with the bells feeding on picturesque green hills, Switzerland is an easy miss from my future adventures. It was worth to drive through it once, but I still cannot believe how expensive everything was, from snacks to gas. Also, it's the only country around here with its own currency, the silly Swiss franks. Yes, some gas stations will take your euros at some obscene rate, otherwise you are stuck with these funny looking bills that you have no use for. Pff, Switzerland. I don't even like your chocolate. 

France had its share of adventures as well. First off, if you choose nice, freshly paves,speedy highways, expect to contribute to France's economy. A lot. I am talking about toad tolls. And it's not a few coins here and there. Overall, to cross into southern France, it cost us over 20 euros. Ridiculous. If you think you can outsmart the toll roads, like i did, try the secondary roads running parallel to the highway... here's the catch: The French do not build stoplights. Instead, the love traffic circles, usually consisting of 2 lanes, with the all cars constantly switching and merging and exiting without signaling. Basically, a recipe for an accident in a rented car. Not only that, but it literally took us 40 minutes to drive 10 km, with all the speed limits and huge amounts of traffic. So on the way back I have to just bite the bullet and pay again. The town roads are so not worth it! 

wait, is this automatic?

Well, well, well. The car was booked well ahead of time through Europcar. I find these guys have pretty good rates and, frankly, there aren't many choices in Tuebingen. Upon picking it up and signing for it, I realize one small detail that completely escaped me: i booked a car with manual transmission. I don;t know how many times already I'd wished I hadn't been ignorant and learned how to drive a stickshift, as these make up about 90% of all European cars and the other 10% are at least twice more expensive. So I had to suck it up and feel like a complete idiot going back to the agent with “Umm, do you have any automatic cars in the lot?” he gave me a funny look, then said that indeed I was in luck and could upgrade to a BMW 120 for only 150 euros more. It's not like i had a choice. If you're doing a Eurotrip, might as well do it in style. Hello, built-in navigation and satellite radio! The car is a dream.

After spending much too long at the car rental, we were off to find a tent. The nearest outdoor equipment store was nearby and we decided to check it out. They do not seem to understand the idea of a “end of season sale”, as all the tents were 200 euros and up. This didn't suit my budget all too well, since we are only planning to spend up to five nights in a tent and for the other two I booked a great little cabin in south France. Next on the list to try was Metzingen, the greatest outlet shopping centre in south Germany, which happens to be only half hour drive from Tuebingen. Of course, we got there 5 minutes too late and shops were already closed! 8 pm on a Friday night. Germany will take a while to get used to. Imagine my roommates' surprise when I walked back into our dorm a few hours later, saying oh well, better off to start fresh next morning! 

Welcome to my first Eurotrip!

The idea to drive from Tuebingen, Germany, to the sunny coastal Spain was a dream at first, which suddenly became a reality when i thought why not? The preparation courses in math and chemistry were over, the exam was scheduled for the 3rd week of October. There was really nothing holding me back (well, other than the organized IKEA trip-still need that lamp! And some of my own dishes wouldn't hurt either.) After a few hours of google maps and booking campsites, the trip was set to begin on Friday, October 1st with one simple goal: to see the Mediterranean sea before this land becomes covered with snow and I would have to trade shorts for a winter coat. 

Freedom

I realize now how difficult it is to establish a spiritual practice in a very non-enlightening, non-spiritual place, like a student dormitory. Or is it just a North American view? Are we too used to the luxury and comfort? We expect a full-scale “meditation space” if we are to meditate at all :)
I also realize that it is time for me to do what is important to me, to do what I came here to do, to not get distracted or sidetracked, but to, most importantly, use this experience to the full benefit of personal growth. I have made a huge list of questions about myself and my choices in life in my first week here and I would like to answer all of them in 6 months' time.

Yes, I am adjusting better to the life here, but by no means do I want to let go of my spiritual practice in favour of always being surrounded by people for the sake of not being alone, to find distractions from my thoughts and fears. I want to always make time for quiet “me time”, for insight and contemplation and for nurturing the inner light. There are many spiritual people who come from all walks of life, and often it has nothing to do with comfort and how easy it is for one to be quiet and undisturbed. The real peace is the one you can maintain in the middle of a crowd, or in my case a dormitory full of 20-yr olds dying to have another party.

Freedom is a gift. Even the freedom to travel half across the world and realize that you feel completely alone, abandoned and misunderstood is still a gift to be cherished.

Adjusting

I really want to find an art faculty this week and ask them if I can use their supplies and studio for a fee. I feel much release is needed. It is so weird to not have any of the "tools" I'd have at home to comfort me: jewellry making, drumming, drawing and painting...So all I have is my books, my thoughts, my emotions and the internet. Quite a change.

Yesterday when I saw German country side from the bus and it gave me such a different feeling. One of freedom, like no matter where I am, what apartment I live in, what the town is like... as long as i can get out once in a while and see this and know that I am surrounded by beautiful land where families live in a simple, down-to-earth country fashion, same as anywhere in Canada or Russia, or, i'm sure, rural Spain or France... it all feels like home. It gives me so much peace and contentment..so much hope for the world. 

Triberg trip

The other day I picked up a free map with all the best sights for South Germany. A little place called Triberg, with Germany's highest waterfalls set in the middle of the Black Forest immediately caught my attention. So, to shake off the blues a little bit, I decided to skip the afternoon of math in favour of communing with nature. And am I ever glad I did! The weather was sunny and warm, the little town was somewhat familiar, reminding me of Banff. And the waterfalls? Definitely worth the 2 euro admission fee. It was as picturesque as Germany can be and I cannot wait to come back again. The walk was followed by my first taste of the Schwabish cuisine. Sorry, not a huge fan. It is a bit too starchy, oily and bland for my liking. Most of the dishes are some variation of pork, spatzle and potatoes. It was neat to dine in an old home converted into a restaurant, though. Everything was made of wood, decorated in typical German country style fashion. So cozy!

Change

"Change sometimes separates us from familiar surroundings and people in our lives. The loneliness or isolation you may feel associated with this is giving you a chance to think about what's real and what's only an illusion. It's in this space you determine where your true values lie."

So here's the thing: I am only making a one semester commitment out of this, since I already paid my rent deposit and tuition fees. This makes my life right now a little easier, but still...feels like a life sentence right now. Do humans really never learn from a place where life just feels good? Or are we always forced to go through pain and struggle and challenges in order to learn? I don't want to avoid how i feel or cover it up by plunging into schoolwork. Do i think it's important that a person is happy on their own? Yes. I thought i was. I don't know what happened along the way.

Today i finally found the surrounding forest and went walking through it and some really nice neighborhoods surrounding it. I then made my way to the 15th century monastery town, Bebenhausen. The forest was huge, luscious, the air smelled amazing, -nothing like I've seen in Canada. It reminded me a bit of the sweeping hills in Missouri, actually. Same deep shades of green, moisture in the air, maple trees, oaks, the earth.... and the monastery is so fitting nearby, with such quiet and great presence! Ah, i could just sit there for hours and meditate... smell, feel, breathe. It was the only day i felt good and at peace so far. (upon getting home, there was a major house party. Again. To escape, I watched “curb your enthusiasm”, had some pasta and wine and put my ear plugs in to get at least a few hours of sleep).

Today's trip made me realize that i need to get out of Tubingen every chance I get, while it is still sunny and warm outside. I am trying to figure out the trains to get to the lake Constance in the south and the black forest. Unfortunately I missed out on the reservations for a car this weekend, but I'm hoping for the next weekend. The trains are very confusing but i am trying!

Also some students and I are thinking of getting out for an excursion into nearby areas every weekend, since they have group ticket specials for up to five people, on train and bus for 37 euros for all of Germany or 28 euros if you are staying in the Baden-Wuttemberg area. Besides, having a group of 4-5 people would help to figure out the maps and train systems and not get lost as much! So this alone gives me more hope in terms of staying here. Some places are truly beautiful and i would like a chance to see them. However, I am still only making a one semester commitment.