The People of Germany

Due to some tough times recently, I have been forced to find the ultimate way to cheer me up. Normally it's along the lines of dancing, tree climbing, or hanging out with friends. Since none of those three were available for a bit, I had to find something else. And do you want to know what I have found? Of course you do! otherwise you wouldn't be here....

I found out that I have been bitten by the travel bug. One of my new favorite pastimes is to show up at the Bahnhof and take the first train to anywhere. I also decided this was a great learning experience, so I wrote out a little sign in German asking people to sit with me if they want to chat so I can improve my German.

Now, I have tons of gorgeous pictures from Osnabrück and then again from Delmenhorst (the second time I ran off), but, as always, it's the people that make the adventure worthwhile.
On my way to Osnabrück the first time, a very nice Russian lady accidently sat in the seat without seeing the sign. I told her she didn't have to do it since she didn't see it, but she very graciously decided to go along with it. We talked about various political and social structures of different countries in Europe and what it means to be a white person there. Honestly.... I was lost for half of it. It's hard to have a conversation like that in a language you aren't solid in.

Probably one of my shining moments in Germany happened just last night. After having a bit of a rotten afternoon into night, I was waiting at the bus stop to go home when a very nice young lady sat next to me. She started off the conversation my making a comment on my shoes and how she liked them. After that things just kept going. I learned she was Turkish and she learned I came from the US. When my bus showed up, I noticed that we both had to take the same one, so we kept chatting. Right before I got off she gifted me with the one compliment anyone here would die for. She said I sounded fluent.
GUYS. A LADY WHO HAS SPENT HER ENTIRE LIFE IN GERMANY SAID I SOUNDED FLUENT.
I danced home. Not even joking.

Today I decided another train trip was in order, so I ran off to the Bahnhof as soon as I showered and got some food into me. I show up and hop the first train, which happened to be to Osnabrück again. But hey, I can always stop off at Cloppenburg or anywhere else that looks/sounds interesting along the way.
Yet again I settled down with my Kindle and the sign stuck to the seat next to me.

The ticket guy came around and saw my sign. He got all sorts of excited and said he was going to go grab his co-worker to come talk to me because said co-worker is not only German, but my age, and shyer. I nodded, smiled, and waited. Well, this co-worker walked past me and decided that he couldn't talk to me because he already had a girlfriend. Lame. Not what I'm looking for duuuuude!

However, the nice ticket guy came back. He introduced himself as Manuel. He came from Portugal but he's been in Germany for years and years. He speaks close to 7 languages and has a daughter just two days younger than myself. We hit it off right away. He spent most of the ride next to me making me laugh and helping me with my German.
Dear Manuel kept slipping in and out of English once he learned that I was from the US so he made a deal with me. Every time he spoke English, he owed me 50 cents. After about €3-4 he decided that he'd just buy me coffee in Osnabrück or something.

We got off the train at Osnabrück (he was done with his shift) and headed to a cafe down by the river where we sat and had some nice ice cream and coffee. He fed me brain teasers, jokes, and made up German history. He helped me when I got grammar wrong or couldn't find a word. When we walked back along to the river to the Bahnhof at the end we looked for animals. He told me their names, the sounds the make, how rare they are, and a lot of information about the city.
At the end of the trip, he said that I was invited to come back down to Osnabrück sometime before I go to meet his wife, have a drink in his garden and maybe we could even go fishing at some point. (HOW COOL?!?)

Now I've been taken under wings before and adopted into families, but nothing can beat this. I've been taken under the wing of a very nice Portugese man in Germany. How many people can say that happened to them? After the comment from the Turkish lady last night, and spending a chunk of the day with Manuel, I feel like I'm actually LIVING!