Arrival.

       When I found out I would be moving to Germany, one of my first thoughts was whether or not I would start a blog. I hesitated to commit for two reasons: I wasn't sure if I would actually follow through, and I couldn't come up with a satisfying name. 

       Well, now it has been a few days and I've been writing constantly, and then suddenly tonight the name came to me in an instant (just like these things always should in my fantasy world), so I know it's meant to be. Welcome! Here are the stories of my adventures of my year in Heidelberg, Germany. 

                                                                           ~ ~ ~

It’s funny when you travel to a place you’ve never been, you have this idea of what it’s going to be like in your head. You’ve scoped out pictures on the internet and of course they are all of the most popular places. But inevitably, the city is bigger than just the most beautiful buildings. In the case of Heidelberg, there is a gigantic castle, towers and old buildings, German romantic architecture and adorable houses with red shingled roofs. From Google maps it all looks picturesque. But just like any city, the streets are mostly pavement and there are trams and busses and garbage cans and “modern” architecture, ugly buildings and strangers lurking in the cold. All the “normal” everyday living sorts of things were everywhere, and I wondered why I was so surprised to see them. Exactly how small did I think Heidelberg was? On second thought, I was being silly.

I arrived on a bus in the afternoon, the clouds were low and misty, and they dropped me off with what I suspect was 100 lbs of stuff, at a dingy bus station. The main thought that kept running through my head was “I’m living here now, I’m living here now”, and it was slightly shocking to realize. I couldn’t see the castle or the beautiful buildings, it just looked like a boring city. I was intimidated.

But I feel so much more prepared then when I lived in Spain. I’ve been around Germans all my life and despite the stigma they are actually all quite nice and helpful. After collecting my luggage, a very nice Baggage Tracing man gave me a train schedule, a bus schedule, and a map out of the airport when I inquired about train times. He even whipped out a highlighter and marked the times I wanted for the bus and train, AND the path I would walk (about 100 feet) to get outside the building and to the bus stop. After being on a plane for 10 hours in half-slumber worrying about the next step (and how on earth I would handle all my stuff), it was a tremendous relief and change of attitude to encounter someone so kind. I thought maybe it was because he deals with distraught people all day whose bags have disappeared in the mysterious beyond of luggage belts.

So. Now I am here living temporarily with Berhard and Barbara, a molecular biologist and a sculptor, respectively. Living with a sculptor is pretty kick ass, I must say. Her art is all over the house, as it should be, and her love for it is obvious. We’ve already gushed together about the wonders of creating something from essentially nothing, I’ve always been curious about sculpting, it’s one of the only art forms I haven’t dabbled in. And now I am living with an incredible sculptor who has been practicing her art for over 30 years! And her studio in the basement, well, it’s a dream. There is nothing more exciting and inspiring than art workshops, I think. Regardless of the type or art, it’s wonderful to be living with another creator. Especially considering the amount that she has done, it’s inspiring. Her focus is practical, unlike my spiral of crafts getting out of control (quilting, sewing, knitting, embroidery, painting, drawing, paper crafts, and counting…). All of these, by the way, are now in boxes under my bed for the year, save for one choice knitting piece. I did bring all my needles and some embroidery, but I couldn’t bring much, which I think is good. I think one of my vices is a lack of focus in my crafts (my parents might say a lack of focus in my life in general), so I’m determined to actually finish everything I’ve started, and only buy more when I have a project in mind. Can it be done? Who knows…

So, today is March 2^nd, my first full day in the city. Went to the farmers market in the morning with Barbara to buy veggies for the week. I was almost knocked backwards by the intensity of the cheese smell at the cheese cart (but of course in ecstasy). This was the Heidelberg I was dreaming about. Beautiful flowers for sale everywhere, cobblestone streets, red and green stripy awnings over the veggies, and always always bustling bustling grocers collecting your items. We stopped for a coffee in a tiny shop that was maybe 20 degrees hotter than outside, with people having their breakfast (or brunch) served with champagne. Within 10 minutes I met 10 people Barbara knew. The only one that left an impression was a funny professor who taught psychology, and philosophy at the University. His glasses fogged up as soon as he walked in the door. When he found out I studied psychology, he went on to say how this was such a popular topic for women, who love to analyze relationships and feelings. “All women!”, he exclaimed. I wondered why he chose to study it, and then teach it! (I was informed later he was a bit notorious for having problems with women). Talk about some interesting psychological explanations for that! Maybe I’m biased, but what other factor is more determining in anyone’s life choices but your feelings and relationships? On second thought, I am totally biased, haha.