Germany

The best way to describe my time in Germany, was that it was like entering a giant happy bubble. I guess that’s not the first image most people have when you think of "Germany" and all the stereotypes you've heard, but my year in Germany, was truly one of the most happiest times in my life. I was incredibly lucky to have chosen a very generous and welcoming family to live and work with as an Au Pair. From the beginning I felt at ease, and was spoiled rotten. I was given a lot of freedom, and was encouraged to get out and explore as often as I could. I don't think I can really say I truly got the quintessential German experience though, as I had everything done for me, and barely had to deal with any bureaucracy - which does other expatriates heads in. I think you could only get the real German experience after living there for a few years, and mastering the language, as with anywhere. I had planned to make a solid effort to learn the language, but I have to admit time and money got the better of me. I have a long list of excuses already for ya, but the truth is it was so easy to get away with not knowing it properly and the money I saved from the classes went to lots of exciting and much loved travel. My guilt has been slightly softened after talking to other foreigners who said it took them close to 4 or 5 years of continuous learning to feel confident enough to call themselves fluent, and yet they still make mistakes daily. So quit your judging and go learn some German then tell me how easy it is :o) I was actually quite impressed with the amount I did pick up, and could understand. Ok I couldn't hold a conversation but I could yell at kids (as one does), order in a restaurant, watch the TV and read the paper. Getting back to my earlier bubble analogy, because of my pathetic grasp on the language it meant that at the beginning all the bad things washed over me, because I simply didn't understand it. Murders, death, war on the news - gone, advertising - gone, people yelling random abuse - gone. A perfect happy bubble of ignorance.

Fairytale country near Hofgeismar

When ever Germany gets mentioned, the first thing that pops into a lot of peoples minds is of course its history. I'm not going to start up the debate here, but I really think this generation of Germans have been given a bit of a raw deal, in that they are still being painted with the same brush as their forefathers, and its quite sad that they're not encouraged to be patriotic and love their country. Germans get bashed in the media, and are the butt of a lot of jokes - ok some of it, is warranted, but I think for the most part they're just misunderstood. I have found although Germans are fiercely private, they can be quite liberal and open in the same breath. They drink on the street, and go naked in the park. They love their food and beer, and do have a sense of humour - albeit a strange one, contrary to popular belief. Their standoffishness is a built in mechanism to protect their privacy, but if you break the ice or ask for help, they'll bend over backwards to help you. Their bluntness is not about being rude, its simply that they don't feel the need to add all the fluff us English speakers are known for. They think our over friendliness with everyone is unnecessary, insincere and fake. Its more efficient to say what you mean, and get down to business.

Ein Grosse Pils Bitte

Luckily I arrived just as the Soccer World Cup fever was taking off, there were flags, banners, parties, singing and dancing in the street, for the first time in over 60 years Germans felt proud to fly their flag. Of course a month after the Cup was over, there wasn't a flag to be seen, but the Germans had a spring in there step and a twinkle in their eye. They had showed the rest of the soccer loving world, just how hospitable and friendly these sauerkraut loving, leather pant wearing, sun chair stealing, bad hair cut getting, beer swigging Germans can be.

Some of the things I will miss most are the small everyday mundane things. The food and beer of course, oooohh pilsner, my new favourite beer and all the yummy spätzle (a swabian noodle), schnitzel, käse, pretzels, laugen brotchen and wurst. But also the simple pleasures of listening to the church bells ringing every fifteen minutes, in driving through a small village of half timbered houses, the clean streets, putting my foot down on the autobahn or even just understanding someone swearing in the street. Being able to go into shops and make complete orders in another language, and the warm buzz of just knowing you're in Europe. The Christmas markets were a real highlight for me, and although it didn’t snow as I would have wished, the smell of glühwein, stollenbrot, roasted chestnuts and cinnamon in the air made it feel so much more Christmassey than you’d ever get back in New Zealand. I will miss all the funny little German things, that made me smile daily because they were just so “German”, come on - stereotypes have to originate from somewhere! Mullets and socks with sandals people - really?

Wiesbaden Weihnachten Markt

I will miss the two little boys I looked after. I never thought I could really enjoy being an Au Pair, and saw it more as a means to an end, an experience that I needed to endure if I wanted to get my way paid around Europe. But I truly grew to love those two little blond haired boys. I will miss our silly conversations after dinner and in the car on the way to school, the sneaky little hugs and cuddles that I wasn’t supposed to realize I was getting. The Friday nights tucked up in my bed, where I showed them classics like the Wizard of Oz and the Sound of Music. Teaching the boys to say “May I please be excused” and for 7 year old Max words like “I’m procrastinating”. I will miss story time in the bath, with all the voices, and them trying in vain to teach me how to pronounce words correctly. I will miss being able to manipulate and bribe them to get anything done with the mere promise of a sticker on their beloved sticker charts - a genius invention if ever there was one. I will miss Mikey’s cheeky little grin, and Max’s quick wit. They were two very sweet boys, who although weren’t perfect, came pretty close.

Mike and Max

I got to travel around most of Germany, and covered I think 13 of the 16 states. I also got to add Austria, Belgium, Canary Islands, England, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland to the list of Countries traveled to. But as with everything, there were some lowlights. I did get lonely, especially in the first few months were I really didn't know that many people. But the worst time was after my minor car crashes, and everything I touched in the house seemed to break. Both the car incidents were tiny bumps, one of which I still refuse to take responsibility for, at least both had minimal damage, but the impact on me was huge. I felt really powerless, and went into over analytical mode. I thought my hosts would think I was irresponsible, and not taking my role seriously, that I was incompetent as an Au Pair, and that they wouldn't believe I was usually much more in control. I think it was an important lesson for me to go through at 21, that I couldn't control everything, or peoples perceptions of me.

So more than just the traveling, new adventures, friends, tastes and experiences - this year really gave me the chance to figure some stuff out, and as cliche as it sounds... I learned a lot about myself. When you are constantly surrounded by people who know everything about you, it can be pretty suffocating. The same stories, same problems and dramas. The things that you really like and want to do, may get clouded by routine, the familiar and what is expected of you. But when you have the chance to start completely fresh, and you don't know another soul, it gives you a chance to really examine what makes me tick, and who you are. You can change aspects of your personality that you perhaps didn't like so much before, or enhance the things that were perhaps previously overlooked.

Sommer Obst: Kirsche und Erdbeeren

I was given time to reflect on who and what was important in my life, and the answers surprised me. People kept in contact with me, who I never thought would notice I was gone, friendships I thought would crumble, stayed strong. It makes me happy that I am still kept in the loop with what is going on back home, and that I am still needed for advice with boy problems and the like, even if I'm 10,000 miles away. The internet is a fantastic tool, and I never felt truly far from home. It has really surprised me the things that I thought I would miss but haven't. And in the same token it has surprised me the people that I do miss. Everything is put into much better perspective.

I am the sort of person, who can't help but try and help others. It has often gotten me into trouble, and people have misinterpreted my intentions. I hope as I've grown up that I am a better judge of when it is wanted and warranted, as I never want to be the person that doesn't offer help. It upsets me that when you offer help, some people think you want something from them, and if you grow up in the city you are taught not to trust others. Traveling through Germany and Europe, reinstalled in me that some people still like to help, for no other reason than to be nice. My best experiences were through couchsurfing, and they are fond memories I will cherish. If I had listened to others warnings about how dangerous it was for me to go by myself, I would have missed meeting some of the most generous, and kind hearted souls on this planet. What better way to travel, than to be welcomed into some locals arms, with a warm bed, food on the table, and good conversation? I am not a complete naive and innocent, that I'll jump into any situation without thinking, but I trust my gut instinct and I'm glad I didn't listen this time around. I love that feeling, and kick in your step when you're overpowered by someone’s kindness.

Lisa and I, waiting for sunrise in Castelmola, Sicily

I also loved the fact that I got to make friends with people of all ages and backgrounds. After being stuck at high school then university for three and a half years, your spectrum of friends is somewhat limited to your immediate age group. While in Germany I made friends with a range of people including a 75 year old German woman called Ursula, who was as eccentric and electric tongued as they come and then Max and Mike, arguably my closest friends there were aged 5 and 7, respectively. I will also miss Ellie, Marc and James (my three British exports, and drinking companions) terribly but I have a sneaking suspicion I haven't seen the last of them. Thank you guys. I learned it is important to take opportunities when they are presented, and say yes to things that don't sound like quite your thing, or with people you wouldn't necessarily choose to be close friends with. I don't mean you should say yes to everything, but just don't let all your doubts get the better of you.

I will miss you Germany, but I will return someday soon. I am starting my new adventure in Vancouver and I know that good times are in store for me.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only the first page.

Worms Dom

My last few weeks in Germany were mostly spent enjoying the early summer sunshine, trying to find a job and somewhere to live in Vancouver and tying up all my loose ends. I spent a day shopping for new work clothes with Ellie, in Worms one of Germany’s first towns, and afternoons swimming with the boys. I took the boys and their friends ten pin bowling, and just winding down from it all really. I wasn’t an entirely happy camper to be honest, I just didn’t feel ready to be going, and would have been more than happy to have stayed for another year. But I know that if I had stayed, it would have inevitably changed, and I might not have left with such happy memories. So here are some random photos from my last days.

Mikes self portrait

The troublesome foursome

The new Au Pair Kelsi, an 18 year old from San Diego had a fantastic start to her trip to Germany. I was all orgainsed to pick her up from the airport on Wednesday afternoon, but Tuesday evening after putting the boys to bed I got a strange email from her, saying if I was having trouble finding her, she was wearing .... and was at Gate 1 B. My first thoughts were that she was just letting me know for the following day what she was wearing, but after a while I realised she wouldn’t have a clue what arrivals gate she would be at, because they don’t assign that till the plane lands. So I raced down the stairs and got Frank to check the answer machine, but there was nothing. Frank told me not to worry about it, because she would have contacted us if something was wrong, and everywhere in the house was written that she was coming the following day. But I still had this niggling thought that something was not quite right. So I checked the arrivals online, and couldn’t find anything so I rang the airport and sure enough her flight had come in that afternoon, and she’d been sitting, waiting at the airport for 6 hours. Never been out of America before, 18 years old and doesn’t have a clue where to go. I was mortified for her, but like a champ she was fine. She said although she had the phone number, she’d only ever rang it from the US and she didn’t know how to change it to ring it in Germany. Ahh well it happens, still not sure how the dates got muddled, but she got there fine in the end.

The opelbad

Sandra, Andre and Luis at the Wilhelmstrassen Festival

I was a little worried about Kelsi’s age, when I first found out she was coming, but after spending close to a week with her, I have no doubts she’ll be fine. My last week, was a mad dash of last minute packing, training Kelsi and sad good byes. Thursday was a public holiday, and feeling pretty crook I spent the day sunbathing and catching up with Ellie, then headed into town for cocktails at the Wilhelmstrassen Festival, and a relaxed dinner on one of the busy side streets. On Saturday I invited a lot of the people that I’d made friends with, and whom had helped me greatly in my time in Germany, to the house for a barbeque. After beautiful weather all day, the clouds packed in, and the rain bucketed down, meaning the barbeque was put on hold for a few hours, and everyone got quite merry on the summery cocktails. I rather grudgingly put on a dress, that Ellie had made me buy, and I’m not sure that it’ll be making an appearance again, but time will tell. It was so nice to see everyone again, but I am a terrible party host, as I kept forgetting everyone hadn’t met each other before, and I didn’t introduce anyone. Tsk tsk. Betty and Stefan (who I’d gone to Berlin and Rothenburg with in 2006), were two that I had met fairly early on at the English speaking group and whom I had become friends with announced they’d eloped on their recent holiday in the US. Stefan proposed one day, and the next they drove to Idaho and were married. I was both shocked and excited as one would imagine. As the night wore on, and people were finally comfortable with each other, I had a blissfully happy night flittering from person to person. At midnight, the group that were left decided to head into town for the festival, and in good spirits we walked into town. Of course it was all but nearly over once we got there, and we didn’t stay all that long. After getting home, we all passed out and I got up at the delightful hour of 6 am to clean everything up, before Frank and Nicole awoke.

James and I

Luis and I sharing Mojitos

Sandra, my true gift from God

I procrastinated packing so much, that I begged Kelsi to help me pack on Monday night. She did such an efficient job that I only needed to leave one bag of winter clothes there, that she’ll forward on to me once I’m more settled. On the day that I left, I felt strangely resigned that although I wasn’t happy to be going, I didn’t have a whole lot of choice, and I needed to start feeling more positive about my move to Canada. I didn’t cry, I don’t even cry at funerals, but I was destroyed on the inside. I have never been as happy as I was while in Germany. I reached a place of peace, but I’ll get into all that in another blog.

Kelsi dropped me off at the Airport, so Nicole could take the boys to school. The original plan was for Kelsi to stay with me, in case I needed to unpack my bags, and she could take my excess back with her, but because of problems with parking I told her to go and I’d deal with it. I knew my bags were heavy, but I was horrified when the scales said one bag was 25 kgs and the other was 48! I had a baggage allowance of two bags at 23 kgs each, so one weighing 48 by itself, was going to be enough to clear out my bank account. For some reason my guardian angel was working extra hard that day, because the woman at the bank counter couldn’t be bothered processing the extra charge. It wasn’t her airline I was flying the long flight with, but just the connecting flight to Munich, she didn’t know what the procedures were for my actual airline, and it was to busy for her to waste time on, so I didn’t have to pay a cent. I bet if Kelsi had stayed, she would have made me clear out the second bag. After thanking her profusely I thought naively that would be the last of my problems. My connecting light to Munich was then delayed, and when we finally landed I was in the wrong terminal, and had to race through the fairly large airport to find that Passport Control then wanted to detain me and charge me for overstaying my visa. I had not really thought 5 days over my year long visa would raise any eyebrows, but I was wrong and the guy was on a major power trip. As the final boarding calls came over the speakers “for the last remaining passengers” of my flight I pleaded with the police officer in English and German that I had a new Visa for Canada, I had somewhere to live, a one way ticket and I wasn’t coming back. With two minutes to spare, he got the call from above to let me go and I was then stopped at Security to have my carry-on luggage searched. My suspicious plastic bag in my handbag, turned out to be all my jewelry, and I set off the metal detectors every single time - damn bra underwires! Finally through clearance, my boarding gate had changed on me, and I couldn’t find where I needed to go (there are never enough signs when you need them) and running around like a lunatic, sweating profusely and breathless I found my gate and then my boarding pass wouldn't scan. So they had to play around on the computer for what felt like half an hour, before finally saying “Just go through”. You can imagine the dirty looks I got from my fellow passengers as I boarded the plane.

Marc and Ellie

The ten hour flight to Vancouver was alright, someone had stolen my window seat, but I wasn’t really in a position to argue, so I moved and luckily got two seats to myself anyway. I did manage to sneak a peek at the Arctic circle and Greenland, which doesn’t look at all green. When I got to Vancouver, I had to wait in the Immigration line for two hours, and after finally getting processed - I finally touched Canadian soil and breathed a sigh of relief. I jumped in a taxi and arrived at my new home for four months. Although its not the Ritz, it will do. It’s a small three bedroom place, and my room has a futon and a room overlooking the neighbours backyard. My roomies seem quite nice, a little alternative and have promised to take me out and show me some of the night life. I have already unpacked everything, and went to English Bay yesterday and all over Stanley park with Harry a friend I met on the Internet who’s been helping me and giving me advice on my move to Vancouver, and may even have some job opportunities lined up for me. On Saturday night I am meeting up with some of the local couchsurfers for a Kiwi movie night, and we are watching ‘Whale Rider’ which was filmed 30 minutes away from my hometown. And on Tuesday night everyone’s meeting up for dinner at an Vegetarian Indian restaurant just down the road from my place. I have a job interview lined up in the next day or two, and I don’t seem to be suffering from jetlag, so you could say I’ve definitely hit the ground running here, and loving every minute of it so far.

Miss you all, and I’ll keep you tuned.

Ok so what’s new that I’ve done in the last few days? Last week, I met up with René, a guy living in New Zealand, who grew up in the city across the river from my town here in Germany and he’d come back home for the summer, to see the family and show his Kiwi girlfriend around. I was invited to Torben’s (one of René’s friends) birthday party out in a small village in the country, and even though I didn’t know any of the other guests, I dragged myself along and had a fantastic time meeting a whole lot of new people, using my random German knowledge and being able to discuss New Zealand things with Amelia, René’s girlfriend. Only downer was one particular guest, who became a little obsessed with yours truly and would follow me from room to room, and was incapable of reading body language - I'm sure you've met the type before.

Rene, Amelia and Torben

I stayed the night, so I didn’t have to drive all the way back, and in the morning while everyone was still sleeping I got up and walked all around the small village. Every single person that passed me, most likely on their way to church, stopped and said hello. Even the two cars that drove past stopped to talk, ok one was to ask directions to the church, and the other was someone who’d been at the party the night before, but it was like entering a weird little happy bubble, and makes a nice change from the city life.

A couple of days later I joined up with René and his group of friends, and went to a soccer game. Now those of you out there who actually know me, will know I detest sport, and would rather pluck every single hair out of my body with pliers, than watch sport, but as I promised my self not to turn down new opportunities, I accepted René’s invite and watched my first ever European Soccer match, in a stadium with 50,500 others. It was an end of the season match between Frankfurt and Berlin, the atmosphere was pretty impressive, and it was worth going just to be able to watch people’s theatrics! Some random stuff I was surprised by was that the big screens didn’t show any of the game being played, like they do back in NZ at the Rugby.

When the goalie got kicked in the face after two minutes, they didn’t replay it on the screen to show what happened in close up, and when I asked why not, they said that the crowd would get too violent. This is when I noticed that all the Berlin supporters were kept in a separate caged off area, with loads of security around to apparently protect them, from the crazy Frankfurter supporters. The only thing they did show on the big screen was when a goal was scored in other games that were happening at the same time in other parts of the country. I have to admit I spent most of the time talking to Torben, who is training to be a Priest, and I’m not one to miss a chance for some religious debate, thankfully he was as interested in the game as I was. Any who, Berlin won 2 to 1 and the supporters had to be escorted out by police to protect them from any troublemakers in the Frankfurt squad, all a bit over the top if you ask me, still a good day out.

The Birthday Boy

Today Mike had his Sponge Bob themed birthday party, which didn’t go to badly really. As it was fantastic weather wise, we just loaded the kids up with sunscreen, sponges and water guns and let them go crazy for four hours. No major dramas, apart from trying to keep all the kiddies out of the house, and yours truly got absolutely drenched in a sponge war. One thing I’ve learnt from all this birthday nonsense is that kids are happy with the basics; it’s the parents that are fueling the booming birthday party supplies machine. Kids don’t need licensed napkins, cups and plates – they barely notice and it’s not worth the money. Give the kids a few balloons, a few games and give them time to play together and they’ll be fine.

Kenji and Laurenz

All this talk of fun in the sun, reminds me I haven’t really said anything about going swimming in Germany yet have I? Ok well for one thing, swimming pools are few and far between, there is really not the space or the climate to justify the expense of a pool in most areas, so the public pools are bursting at the seams. The pool that I go to is always busy and instead of separating the pool into lanes, it’s a free for all and people go all over the place. This means you swim at your own peril and a foot can come at you from any direction. I have not seen one person swim free style here, they all do breaststroke, and the men are obsessed with Speedos! You definitely don’t see anyone covering up in board shorts here.

Oh and something else random that happened this week, I went to get my haircut, which always seems to be an experience in another language, and the hairdresser somehow shaved my neck and gave me a rash, I kid you not! They all seemed to be obsessed with reinventing the 80's. Ahh well, at least it will grow back.

I have just had a fantastic weekend chilling out with my old flatmate Hamish, who has been living in London for the past 5 months, and decided to check out a bit of Germany before I left. After missing his flight on Friday night, I picked him up first thing Saturday morning, and although the weather wasn’t great, we walked into the centre of Wiesbaden and chilled out for the afternoon. Did a bit of window shopping, took him to the farmers market, to a nice beer garden beside a lake and got some Thai for lunch. Both feeling pretty knackered after all that effort :o) we headed home for a few hours nap, and went back into town for dinner to a new restaurant that’s just opened up, and then checked out a band playing at the local Irish Pub.

After a big sleep in, he got the grand tour, which I’m becoming quite the little expert at giving. We headed out to the Rheingau, a beautiful wine growing region running along the length of the Rhein River. I took him first to Schloss Johannisberg, a winery that’s been making wine for over 900 years, is famous for its Riesling, and has impressive views over the whole area. Then we carried on to the touristy little town of Rüdesheim, and I convinced him to take the cable car over the vines, up to Niederwalddenkmal, a huge monument designed to symbolize the re-establishment of the German Empire and Germany's unity was erected in the late 1870’s, which has fantastic views and I’ve wanted to check out since arriving here.

After getting the cable car back down and a stroll back through the small village we headed in the car up along the eastern side of the Rhine, past lots of castles and vineyards to Loreley, where a huge rock face marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there and legend says, that a siren called "Loreley" bewitched the hearts of the sailors and when they looked up to the rock, their boat crashed and they sank. Since it was such a gorgeous day we walked to the infamous Loreley statue, jutting out into the river, and then headed to a very traditional Bavarian Beer garden, right in the middle of a forest close to Eltville, where we sat under the trees, chilling out and Hamish feasted on the biggest Wiener schnitzel I’ve ever seen.

It was such a relaxing weekend, with lots of eating and chatting and a bit of sightseeing thrown in. So now Hamish is back in London, I’m back at work and planning my last few weeks here. In other random news I've just found out I've had a whole lot of my photos featured, and I remembered that here are a few random photos of Wiesbaden I took before I went on my road trip and forgot to chuck in. So look after yourselves.

Sorry to leave Switzerland, we drove on to Freiburg, in the south west corner of Germany, close to the French border and is where Alissa has been living and working as an Au Pair, for the last 7 months. She looks after a small boy and a preteen girl, and it was really interesting for me to see how different her life was like as an Au Pair, and how lucky I’ve been with my family.

We took a tram into the city centre and strolled around for a while, before finally settling on a small restaurant near the Rathaus. For the first time since arriving in Germany, I managed to make my first big mistake when ordering dinner. I don’t know a lot of German, but I’m good with names of food, and so was perhaps a little too cocky for my own good. The waiter approached the table, and asked if we wanted drinks, no problem. I then asked for two menus. No problem. Then the waiter brought out a noodle soup, alarm bells didn’t ring as I thought it was complimentary and perhaps a Schwarzwald (Black Forest) thing.

Oh so smug, before the plates come out

Then a plate of beetroot slices came out, which is when I kindly asked the waiter if we could still have the menu’s because we hadn’t ordered our mains yet. The man looked at me, like I’d lost the plot “ das ist das Menü”. So I made the internationally recognised hand gesture of opening a book, that’s when he said ‘Ahh die Speisekarte?’, that’s when the penny dropped and I realised I had ordered the days 3 course menu option complete with Ox knuckles and sauerkraut, or something equally revolting. As quick as anything, I apologised profusely “Es tut mir Leid” and luckily for both of us it was still early enough to change our orders. But never did it occur to me asking for two menus, would be a problem – lesson learned.

Freiburg is a pretty cool city; sadly a lot of it was heavily damaged during World War II when in 1940 German planes mistakenly dropped close to 60 bombs, near the centre. Still there is a lot of old style charm about the place, including an unusual system of gutters (called Bächle) that run throughout its centre. These Bächle, once used to provide water to fight fires and feed livestock, and are constantly flowing with water diverted from a nearby river. The Bächle were never used for sewage, even in the Middle Ages, and it is said that if you accidentally step in a Bächle, you will marry a Freiburger.

Alissa had a train pass which lets her take another passenger for free on Sundays, so we decided to go deep into the Black Forest, to Titisee. After Alissa finally escaped from a man trying to sell her a cuckoo clock, we found a small café hidden away from the large tourist crowds, but still right on the lake front, where I got to indulge again in my beloved spätzle, and I couldn’t leave without trying a slice of a Black Forest cake. Blessed with perfect weather again, we hired a little electric boat and took it out for a spin on the lake, and a spot of people-watching. That night Stephanie, Alissa’s host, cooked a roast dinner, which is just what I needed. The next day sorry to say good bye to Alissa, and a little bit ‘road tripped’ out I drove back home to Wiesbaden.

This road trip was about several things, exploring some new parts of Europe, crossing some things off the ‘dream’ list, and meeting new people - and boy did I do that. Although driving 2,500 kms in a few days is pretty exhausting, I had such a fantastic time and it reminded me of just how spoilt rotten I am sometimes. The people that I have met and have been surrounded by this last year, have been immeasurably kind to me, and will make it so much harder for me to leave in a few weeks time. To make it even more difficult for me, when I returned to Wiesbaden it was as if someone had let off a green bomb while I was gone, and the entire city had woken up and exploded in full bloom. Everything was lush, vibrant and glowing in all its spring glory. Since I’ve been home, the sun has been out in full force, a whole two months earlier than usually, and the city is loving it.