Realization.

But I've come to realize that memories, though beautiful things, can also be extremely saddening.
I look at all the things I've done, and seen, and I can say wow, look at all that I've accomplished. look what I've done, how amazing. I have accomplished so many of my dreams. So many things that once seemed so distant to me. Now, it's all a reality.
But at the same time, I say wow, its all over. its already happened.

What now?

I've learned you really really have to live in the moment, because one second its there, and the next its all gone. Don't ever think twice about doing something. Do it, and enjoy it. Fully.

a whisper in the wind.

When you visit a place, its like a taste of a life you can never really have.
an unobtainable expectation. then you leave to the next place.
and you realize how beautiful some places really are. not only for their physical beauty, but also for what the place has become through people and culture. you can tell a story through graffiti, see a movie on people's faces, explore a concrete jungle by asking questions in a language you have no idea how to speak.

You have to cherish the moments that you have. Savor the moment. Like a scrumptious plate of divine cheesecake, topped with a mouth watering drizzle of cherries.

Quench your thirst.

Sweet Serendipity.

Airports.

There's just something about airports that is just so captivating. It's a

magical place. A place the brings people together and years them apart. Little

kids roam, while older people stare down at tickets figuring out their travel

plans. An airport is a place where kids come home from college, soldiers are

reunited with their families, Christmas vacations begin and summer vacations

end. A place where you are torn away from your best friends, but reunited with

them again later, a place that two lovers choose to depart on their honeymoon.

Children get to see the world all together in one place. Through people.

Something mystifying is in the air. Something no one can explain. You experience

it though. Every single person in these airports have a story, a reason for

being there.

You can tell who the important businessman sitting in the corner on his laptop

is. You can tell who the "careless" teenager with the headphones with music so

loud the whole world is tuned out is. You can tell who the parents for the child

that is running through the rows of chairs are. You can tell who the foreigner

that's speaking loudly on the phone in some unknown language is.

All of these people come together for a common reason, and none of them stop to

think about it. They're all going places, maybe not the same place. Maybe some

are going happily and some sadly. But it's still the same thing.

Airports. A place that brings together people all over the world.

 A place where differences don't matter.

Sweet Serendipity. 

Truth.

You've got the words to change a nationbut you're biting your tongueYou've spent a lifetime stuck in silenceafraid you'll say something wrongIf no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song
So come on, come onCome on, come on.
You've got a heart as loud as lionsso why let your voice be tamedMaybe we're a little differentthere's no need to be ashamedYou've got the light to fight the shadowsso stop hiding it away
Come on, come onI wanna singI wanna shoutI wanna scream 'til the words dry out.So put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraidThey can read all about itRead all about it
oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ooohoh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohoh
At night we're waking up the neighbourswhile we sing away the bluesMaking sure that we're rememberedcos we all matter tooIf the truth has been forbiddenthen we're breaking all the rules
So come on, come onCome on, come onLet's get the TV and the radioto play our tune againIt's 'bout time we got some air play of our version of events
There's no need to be afraidI will sing with you my friendCome on, come onI wanna singI wanna shoutI wanna scream 'til the words dry outSo put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraidThey can read all about itRead all about it
oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ooohoh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful peopleSo when did we all get so fearful ?Now we're finally finding our voicesSo take a chance, some help me sing this
Yeah we're all wonderful, wonderful peopleSo when did we all get so fearful ?Now we're finally finding our voicesJust take a chance, some help me sing this
I wanna singI wanna shoutI wanna scream 'til the words dry outSo put it in all of the papers, I'm not afraidThey can read all about itRead all about it
 

Mystic Majesty.

Majesty.

Have you ever been to a place with mountains so high that they graze the clouds? What about a place where the peaks puncture the sky in places you can't even imagine? Oh, and a place with streams that can follow you and your adventure through the thick wooded mountainside? Or a village so traditional that the old fashioned way of life embraces you and shows you what the true meaning of life really is. A place where on Sundays everything is closed; It's a true day of rest. A place cold enough to have you wish you had more than 2 pairs of socks on. And somewhere with heartwarming smiles, and beautiful people, decorated in lavish Liederhosen and Dirndl head to toe, just waiting for you to arrive. With houses so simply extravagant it would put "Better Homes and Gardens" to shame. Language so rich; spoken with so much character; embodied by the people who speak it. This is where the real living language is. This same place is so captivating that even the scroogiest Scrooge would fall in love. Eyes filled with wonder watching, capturing each and every single breathtaking image as an individual photo for the memory book that resides in your heart. This is the place where fairy tales are based off of and practiced entirely. 

This place is Bayern.

Sweet Serendipity. 

Purposely Lost.

We are overwhelmed with advice on where to travel to. We hear little of why we should go but how we could be more fulfilled by doing so; makes perfect sense, right? No. But it does, in our own heads. "Oh yes, that place sounds very interesting, oh yes I want to go there." meanwhile, I've only told you that the weather was nice and I saw some famous places. But of course, the same reaction is present. "I'd like to see that, I'd like to do that..." Dazed with incredible sights that we have never seen, only in our heads, but these images beg us to visit them. Taunted with the longing for memories to be created. Wanting to be part of something bigger than the place you reside at the moment. Few people come to the two roads diverged, but when you do, when I have, take the path less traveled by. It will make all the difference.

Travel is cheap hostels with one shower and maybe some hot water; if you’re lucky. It’s slow Internet connections, but no problem, because you’d rather be out exploring than on the internet. Travel is extraordinary conversations with ordinary people. It’s your life becoming the most interesting thing to the person at the bar next to you. It someone else’s life becoming more fascinating than yours could ever be. It’s cathedrals that are persuasive enough to dare to enter. It’s the realization that you might have been born in the wrong country, but being proud of it any way. Travel is taking a subway to a town you haven't discovered yet. Travel is the smile that leads to the best conversations in broken English. Travel is finding who you are in a city that you can’t even pronounce the name of. Travel is the same pair jeans again tomorrow. Travel is forcing yourself into a train with laughing strangers and new found friends. It’s a street full of bearded backpackers looking down at maps, pointing up to streets, and speaking a language you’re not sure of. A voice pleading you to come with them, to discover what is around the corner. Travel is wishing for one more bite of whatever that just was. Travel is getting off at a random train station, just because. It’s the rediscovery of walking somewhere and not knowing where “somewhere” is. It’s sharing a bottle of liquor on an overnight train to God knows where, with a new friend. Travel is getting drunk with a room full of people you've never met. Travel is something unexpected, something inexplicable.  Your travels are forever in your heart. Forever to tell stories.

Forever to be part of you.

"The hitch-hiker was a figure that defined a free-wheeling era. But for both hitcher and driver, the outcome wasn't always expected."

 I think that hitch hiking is such a cool means of transportation. The idea that someone could trust another soul so quickly, so easily, enough to get into a car with them, off on an adventure that neither party know of yet. For the driver the mystery of who is this person and why are they here? For the hitch hiker, its a question of who is this person and why did they stop for me? You learn to expect what is not expected. To have the courage to stick your stubby thumb up as an unsuspecting car approaches, and then yet, the courage to even get in when the car stops. What a thrilling adventure, don't you think? The driver could have a completely different mindset about where he would leave you. You could be wanting a ride to Calais (a city in the North of France) But,  the driver could need to go to Amsterdam first. You're then in for an adventure of your life, with a soul you just met, about to have a new tale to tell for generations. Cool, isn't it?

No, 

I haven't gone hitch hiking,

yet. 

So don't worry, 

yet.

Sweet Serendipity.

Don't Blink.

3 months. 3 amazing months. 3 crazy beautiful months. 3 incredibly terrifying months. 3 months.

131,487 minutes, gone. 394,133 minutes, left.

   525,600 minutes.
- 131,487 minutes.
=394,133 minutes.

Don't blink, time goes too fast.

The moments I have spent here, have been some that I can't even begin to describe to people. I have traveled, I have learned, I have seen, I have experienced, and I have danced. My life here has been so very incredible. There have been times where I have screamed my lungs out, singing with my friends. There have been times I have cried my eyes out because my sister was leaving me. There have been times where I have laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe. There have been times where I have been so frustrated that I wanted to break down and not continue; but that was the moment that I realized I had to keep going. You just have to keep going. Keep your head up, and keep going.

Last week, I was really very sick. So many things were going on, so many things I could've been a part of, but I wasn't allowed to be. That was the worst feeling ever. Being able to do things, but not, at the same time. It was such a disabling feeling. I wish I was well enough to do all the things I missed out on. That's what makes this experience so special. There are so many things I do, so many things I am part of, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I would hate to be missing out on so much.

In a few weeks, we have a Christmas Ball. I am so very excited, way to excited for words actually. We will go shopping for dresses soon. I also got invited to several parties already for December. One for Maria on the 15th, One for my new friend Taba on the 17th. One Rotex weekend the 7th-9th. It's so crazy that its already November, and that I'm already planning out December.

This past Thursday, we went to a Kirmes, in Soest. Which, is a Carnival. It's the largest Kirmes in Europe. And it was so cool to go to. We went after school, it wasn't too far, only about 45 minutes by train. The Kirmes was so cool, It was loud, and had so many rides. The whole Kirmes was throughout the entire city. It was really beautiful. I had a great time, I was so happy I could go.

Last night, Friday, was a small party at Maria's counselor's house. We had Brasilian food and drinks. It was a really awesome night too. We ate, and then sat around and played music and sang all night. It was cool to just sit and chill and enjoy the company of other people. That's what I like about things here. People are happy to just sit, and be with each other. In Florida, you always have to be doing something, but here, it's just easy to be with people.

My remaining 394,133 minutes I will spend here will be the best. Better than what i have already experienced, even though it may be incredibly hard to beat. My time here has been absolutely unforgettable. I cannot even begin to describe all the fun, crazy times I have had.
I look back on all my pictures that I have already taken. I see all the things I have already done. I can't believe that this much time has already passed by. I wish it would go slower, but it doesn't. You blink and it's just....gone. It makes me so sad and so happy at the same time to look at my pictures. They are really great times, but also they have already happened.
Now they are just precious memories.
Memories. That's what they are.
Only memories.
I love to remember them, but it's completely heartbreaking at the same time. They have already happened. The time has already passed.
I just can't even begin to imagine how the rest of the year will go. 

I can't blink.
I won't blink.

                                                          Sweet Serendipity.