KARNEVAL

I had the wondedful opportunity to expierence a german Karneval. This is for those who do not know germanys take on Mardi Gras. Essentially, it is a big party and parade in the street. I attended Karneval in Mainz. It is one of the most famous celebrations in Germany. 

Since halloween is not really a thing here, Karneval is that one time a year people in Germany dress up as crazy things. I saw ghost busters, The Simpsons, Fuzzy Animal Onesies, and many "mexicans". I even saw "uncle sam". 

As we would usually celebrate "Fat Tuesday" here they celebrate it on Monday. So this was when the big crazy parade would be. 

The Mainz tradition is to yell "HAYLOEEE" to the people passing out candy in the parade. You yell this while doing a backwards salute. This is pretty crazy but it is meant to be F-*&! You.  Children, grandparents, Parents and teenagers are all screaming HAYLOEE and doing the backwards salute. And unless you do this you will not get candy.

Wanderlust; my thoughts of the day.

I have learned so much during my exchange so far. Here are just a few of my thoughts:

1: You learn to appreciate where you come from, what you have, and what some americans may call "boring" the comfort/normality of what makes the United States home. Everyone has massive blessings in there life, but they may not be really seeing them.

2: You get to learn about the rest of the world. When you get the chance to leave the country, (for more than a week, and outside of tourist zones) you get to see what the whole world is really like. You get to understand the differences in culture, and especially the things that are similar..the ones that bring us to the point that we are all human. No matter religion, skin color, hair, education, we are all made the same. It is just our Environment that makes us different. 

3: In the start, you are mind boggled  by the differences. You are fixed on the treasures that you didnt see, but now do that you had at home. But then after time, you learn the great treasures of the new environment your in. One of my favorite parts of Germany, is that in these people..work is not everything, nor is education. Working is something you do that you enjoy...and when you come home, life is a party. They live to the fullest, and make free time fun time. Not so much rest time from the tough work day. 

4: You come with a soft heart, but you learn to grow tough skin.  I am not saying that Germans are rough people, but the  embarrassing moments, misunderstandings, and expectations that all Exchange Students go through eventually make you tougher. You become a stronger, more mature person, and that in itself is priceless. 

Everyday, I get to wake up and expierence something new, something I didnt know the day before. Everyday is an adventure and I have a case of Wanderlust :).