I believe that everything happens for a reason. Whether that reason is good or bad, big or small, or completely unknown, I’m a strong believer in it. Take this weekend for example. Plagued by a bad cold turn bad sinus infection, I had to miss out on my anticipated trip to Nürnberg (aka the home of the one and only Christmas market). But, what at first seemed like a weekend disaster (I’m not able to get all of my money back and plainly, I’m missing out big time!) turned into something greater: an email. How can a few sentences trump a three-day adventure? Well, maybe it can’t; but, it can lead to other opportunities, which, luckily, it did. For the past few weeks, I’ve participated in a Tandem-Partnership. Which means, that I meet once a week with a native German to speak English one week, and German the next. I originally signed up to meet more Germans, because honestly 60% of my friends here come from other European countries. I came here to be immersed in the authentic German language, not necessarily German with Bulgarian, Slovenien, or Brazilien accents (although, I love their friendship!) So, continuing: The email that My Tandem-Partner Martha (pronounced MAR – TA) sent me was an invitation to dinner at her place with her friends. Despite having already tackled 3 boxes of tissues, having a nose that could rival the brightness of Rudolph’s, and barely being able to speak coherently due to a congested nose, I responsed with a simple “Ja klar. Ich komme gerne–bis bald” Or In the English Translation, “Yes, of course! I would love to come–see you soon”. What I thought was just another friendly dinner turned into 6 new german friendships and the opportunity to eat Argentinian food (She lived in Argentina for a year). The food was great and, anyway, I am a sucker for anything cultural. When there’s an opportunity to meet new people, try new food, and ultimately be fascinated by someone/something  from another corner of the world, I’m there in a heartbeat.  But, the food wasn’t the only thing that it made it great; it was the people. Besides my strong belief in everything happens for a reason, I’m a also a strong believer that people, in essence, make your world; or, that it’s the people in a location that make an experience positive. Afterall, what’s a life without friends? It’s the people in our lives that make our lives so interesting. Anyway, the point of this is, that I made 6 new German friends this weekend. Had I decided to go on the trip that wouldn’t have happened. Yes, I missed out. But, Nürnberg will always be there; the opportunity to meet others isn’t. So, I’ll end rambling on about my thoughts of the world…Hopefully you are all staying warm in the US! tschüssi 🙂

P.S. Here is a link to a youtube video that perfectly captures the spirit of this city! Enjoy: