It is that time of the year again.

Okay, folks, I have a question. How on earth did the year go by so fast? It feels like yesterday was the evening before New Year’s Eve 2013. And now it is the evening before New Year’s Eve 2014. Where did the time go? And what did I do all year?

Let’s take a look at my year 2014.

2013 was not a good year for me personally. My only highlight back then was my six weeks adventure in the U of S of A. Therefore, I was glad to say bye bye to 2013 and welcome 2014. It could only be better. I said goodbye to 2013 by celebrating with a friend and her friends, who welcomed me into their group for their New Year’s party. I am still very thankful that they let me celebrate New Years with them. And I had a blast. Like every year my birthday comes next at the 2^nd of January. This year I did not do anything due to my very busy and tight schedule to finish up the most important paper in my Bachelor-Degree-University-Career. I had to hand that in five days later, which I did on time (woot! woot! for me). January went by with nothing exiting happened. So did February and most of March. I was on spring break at that time, and after the most stressful last three years I was so relieved that I finally had some time off of college. I only had to work ten hours every week. At the end of March, I almost lost my place at my university, due to slow workers who were unable in getting all the necessary signatures for my diploma after 2 ½ months after my final grad was finalized. But after 24 hours of tons of tears, an angry and upset me, many hours at two different registrar’s offices at two different universities in two different cities, tons of paperwork and lots of help from my mum (who was as upset as I was) I was able to save my place. And a couple of weeks later, I (FINALLY) received my diploma. After 3 ½ years of tons of hard work, endless study hours, many seminars and lectures, and several I-just-want-to-quit-meltdowns, I am a college graduate with a Bachelor Degree in English and Sociology. Congratulations to me. April brought me and my family two wonderful weeks with a visit from one of my great aunts from the USA and a great birthday party for my uncle’s 60^th birthday. May came and went without any big events. And then June came. It start with me attending an amazing concert of a talented musician with my wonderful cousin and it continued with the start of the most awaited four weeks for a country whose national sport is soccer. It was the start of the World Championships in soccer in Brazil. Those four weeks were nerve-wrecking, exciting and so worth watching. They ended in the middle of July with and amazing win of the title for my beautiful home country, Germany. (FYI, you can read all about those four weeks in one of my blog posts called “Germany has woken up out of its World Champion Daze”). During those four weeks my sweet, not so little anymore, younger brother also graduated High School. August and September went by pretty fast. And my summer break was almost over. I quit the job I had for almost three years because I got a new one at university. So at the end of September a chapter ended and at the beginning of October a new one started. I like my new workplace and work very much and I am happy there. But it was also sad leaving my old place and the wonderful people there, but I was ready for a new challenge. So, it was bittersweet. Additionally, October and the beginning of November brought us another visit from our wonderful US family, my dad’s cousin. And then there it was again, the start of the last month of the year 2014, also known as December and Christmas time. It is always a wonderful time in my home country. Every town is decorated in Christmas decorations and there are Christmas markets everywhere. There is a constant smell of cookies and Glühwein. I just love it. My brother reached a new milestone by turning 20 years old that month, which made me feel very old. Christmas came and went and here we are now, on the evening of the 30^th December 2014. I will spent New Year’s eve with the same people at the same place like I did last year and I am looking forward to that.

Like every year, everyone is thinking about New Year’s resolutions. So do I. What can I do better for myself and for others next year?

Like I say every year, I want to eat healthier and be more active. And trust me, people, it is easier said than done. Chocolate and ice cream are so tempting. And so is just lying around and watching a good movie instead of going running or do other sportive things. But this time, I really want to change that. Furthermore, I want to be more organized. People, who know me, know that I can be a little chaotic. I like to make small resolutions for myself, because I do not want to be disappointed in myself, later. Therefore, with small resolutions, anything that I additionally achieve is a bonus. For 2015, I want to try something completely new for me. I want to write down one positive thing per day. It can be something that made me smile or happy or it can be something good and helpful I did for others. It just has to be something positive. At the end of the year, there should be a whole diary, a box with 365 small letters or something where I wrote all of it down. I am not sure where I am going to write all of it down. I have to figure that out tomorrow. I read that in a magazine and I thought, why not try it.

Well, that was my year 2014 and my New Year’s resolutions. What are yours and how was your year of 2014?

And so does a year come and go. As we say goodbye to 2014, we welcome 2015. Have a wonderful celebration of dismissing the year of 2014 and welcoming the new year 2015.

“Dear 2014, we had many ups and downs together. There were good and bad times. Laughter and tears. Highs and lows. As we go our separate ways, I will always remember you as one of the good years. Love, Moi.” 

Merry Christmas, Darling

Jingle Bells, Holy Night, Driving Home for Christmas, Last Christmas, White Christmas, I wish everyday could be like Christmas, and many more Christmas songs I can’t remember right now.

We are already at the end of the Christmas season. And it went by like a flash. It feels like yesterday that I opened my first little door on my chocolate advent calendar (Thanks again, mommy) and tomorrow I have to open the last one. This is actually really sad because I love my little everyday-chocolate-treat.

Anyhow, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and everyone has their own little traditions. I thought that I would tell you a little bit about my family’s tradition.

Well, where I live, we really celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, you know with the family getting together, exchanging presents and so on. My family and I usually start our day with a small breakfast (You will understand later why we only have a small breakfast) and just hang out together for a little while. After that, we get ready to go to my grandma’s house where we have lunch. My uncle, aunt and two cousins are also there. Lunch at my grandma’s usually starts at 12 pm. I know, I know, that is quiet early but that is how she likes it and we accept that. Most of the time, she has so much to eat that you could probably feed a whole football team. Soon after we finish lunch and are completely full, my grandma brings out cake and coffee. Hence, we are still very full from lunch but we also have to eat cake (now, you should understand why we only have a small breakfast). Since, we are all grown up now and are not little kids anymore, my grandma gives our presents my mum and we will receive them later when we are back at home. After lunch and cake at my grandma’s, we go back home. There, we exchange presents sitting by the Christmas tree. After that, we have a dinner together. Every family has different traditions for the evening. My family and I have the tradition of playing board games. So, we play a couple of different games and have serious competitions throughout the night. It is always a lot of fun. The whole day is.

We have two holidays after Christmas Eve, the actual Christmas day (25^th December) and also the 26^th December. Those days are different every year with my family. On one of those two days, I go to see my dad and my other grandma and on the other one my step grandma has lunch or dinner with us.

That is how I spent my Christmas every year. I hope you liked a little look on how I spent Christmas.

I wish you all Merry Christmas and a wonderful time with your family and loved ones. May your homes be filled with happiness, joy, laughter, family and friends. Happy Holiday Season. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

I don't celebrate Thanksgiving over here, but I have a many friends and family who celebrate it. And yes, I'm jealous and I want to celebrate it, too.

However, not celebrating Thanksgiving does not keep me from telling you what I'm thankful for this year.

Here we go. First, I'm thankful for my family. They are the best of all. And they always have my back, no matter what. I'm also thankful for my extended family. They are amazing and I am truly blessed to have all of them. Next, I'm thankful for my friends. I have had many friends throughout my life so far. Some of them stayed and many of them are gone. But the ones, who stayed, are pretty cool and amazing. We have so much fun together and I can always count on them.

The biggest thing I am thankful for is that my family and friends are all healthy and that we have each other. No money or material things are more important, when you have a family and friends who always have your back and on whom you always can count on.

So people, appreciate what you have, especially the people who you love and who love you. Nothing else matters.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Have a turkey bite for me.

(Okay, I'm also thankful for chocolate icecream.)

November Favorites

Okay, guys, I am starting a new part of this blog, it is called „Favorites of the Months“. This posts will consist out of products, books, movies, clothes, and other things, which I have liked (I probably still like those things), discovered, rediscovered, bought, read, seen or loved (and still loving) during the last weeks.

So let’s start this whole thing with my November favorites.

Last week, I finally saw some of my friends from college again and we decided to go to the movies. The reason, I am telling you this is, because I fell in love with the movie we were watching. It is called” Love Rosie” starring Lilly Collins and Sam Claflin. The movie is based on the novel “Where Rainbows End” written by Cecelia Ahern. It is about Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart, who have been best friends as long as they can remember. They have celebrated birthdays together, went to school together and did all the crazy childhood and teenage stuff together. As they grow up, they decided that they both want to go to Boston for college. However, their plan is shattered, when Rosie accidently gets pregnant at age 18 (No, Alex is not the father.). Both end up going completely different ways in their lives, but they always stayed close as best friends. They always thought that best friends can never end up as a couple, can’t they? In the matter of love, they tend to stand in their way, sometimes mutually, sometimes one of them. After all, is it possible that a boy and girl or a man and a woman are only able to be just best friends? And is there really only one chance for great love? During this movie, you will get answers to all of those questions. It is funny, emotional, fascinating and beautiful. Lilly Collins, as Rosie Dunne, portraits the stages of the teenage years into being a grown, strong and beautiful woman and mother, perfectly. She and Sam Claflin are incredible in portraying the chemistry between two close friends and their visible and invisible feelings between them. I have not seen such a good movie with so many ups and downs, laughter and tears and an intense chemistry in a long time. You can watch the trailer below.

Love Rosie Trailer English

The next thing I am absolutely crazy about is a beauty product. Well, actually it is no beauty product, it is a crème. For children. Okay, for babies. It is called “Haut- und Kinder-Crème” from Kaufmann’s, and it is a German product. Normally, that crème is used for the baby’s tushy. But I, and many, many other people, use it for the lips. It is very oily and thick. It provides a long lasting protective film against water on your skin. Mothers use it in order to protect their baby’s skin, especially their bottoms, from getting bedsores from diapers. And the crème is perfect for sensitive skin. As previously mentioned, I use it for my lips. I normally put it on my lips at night before I go to sleep. Throughout the night it protects them from getting to try and it keeps them oily and moisturized. In the morning I wake up with really soft lips. I love it, especially during the colder months of the year, where it is windy and against the dry air of heaters in buildings. You are able to buy it at every drugstore and grocery store in Germany. You can also buy it in different sizes. I have the smallest one consisting out of 30 ml. And it lasts like forever. I have mine for over a year and I have used maybe ¾ of it. But I think I need to get a new one. Anyway, I thought I tell you guys about it because what is good for a baby’s tushy is good for my lips.

My last favorite for this month is a book, which I rediscovered. As the ones, who have read my first blog post, know that I am bookworm. I read whenever and wherever I can. As my way to college is pretty long (1 ½ hours one way), I normally read during the train ride. The novel I am going to tell you about is called “My Sister’s Keeper” written by Jodi Picoult. It is about a thirteen-year old girl, called Anna Fitzgerald, who litigates her parents for medical emancipation. Anna’s older sister Kate was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia when she was just two years old. Unfortunately, Kate’s brother Jesse is not a perfect match to help her medically. In order to help their child, Kate’s parents decided to have a third child, which would be a perfect genetic match for Kate. For the last thirteen years, Anna has acted as a donor for her sister, until now. Kate is so sick, that she needs a new kidney. Everyone is just assuming that Anna will donate one of her kidneys. Nobody asks her if she wants to, or how she feels about it. Therefore, Anna seeks the help of a good lawyer called Campbell Alexander in order to sue her parents for the rights of her own body. Those papers rock the whole family. I have read this novel before, but it has been a while since I have read it the last time. So a couple of days ago, I thought why not read it again. After a few pages, I remembered why I like it so much. It tells a heartfelt story about a struggling family with unusual problems and obstacles. On the one side, there are three wonderful children. Kate, who gets all the attention due to her sickness. Anna, who was born to be a perfect genetic match for Kate. And Jesse, who somehow falls of the wagon sometimes. And on the other side, there are their parents, who try to save their oldest daughter’s life, raise two other children and try to make the right decisions for their children and their family. Jodi Picoult did an amazing job by writing this unusual story of a family by showing all of the characters’ points of view, and by creating sympathy for the family. The reader is drawn right into the story, and it is thrilling and heartbreaking until the surprising end.

Okay, guys, now I have shown you my November favorites. Of course, I have many more favorites, but I do not want to write a book about it. It would be very boring. So, I decided to narrow them down to the three things above. I hope you had fun reading it. Until next time. 

Germany has woken up out of its World Champion Daze (recap)

July, 13^th, 2014. A day to remember for every soccer lover in Germany. I think, it is safe to say that this country finally wakes up out of its fabulous and amazing dream of WINNING the title of the soccer World Championship in Brazil. Yes, my lovely followers, it is indeed no dream. Germany actually won the title.

I know, I know it has been over three months that this day happened, but as I mentioned before we all thought we were dreaming. And afraid to wake up in case it was a dream. But now, I guess it is time to realize that it was not a dream and it is true.

Anyway, before the actual event started, not all Germans were convinced that our team might win the whole thing. Most of them thought, if they survive the group stage, that would be pretty good. At this moment I, probably, need to mention that we were in a difficult group with the USA, Portugal and Ghana as our opponents. Others thought that we definitely survive the group stage but lose one of the next two games. The reasons for those speculations were, that the German team had a rocky preparation with a last minute injury of an important player. I, on the other side, always believed that the team is capable of doing great things. So, let the games begin.

The first game ways against Portugal with their superstar Christiano Ronaldo (a little note on the side: I cannot stand this guy.). Everyone expected a difficult game. Portugal has a team that is difficult to play against. However, the expectations were proofed so wrong. Germany actually won the game with 4:0 goals. This was spectacular. The second game against Ghana was a little nerve-stretching with an unfortunate outcome of a tie (score 2:2). The third game against the USA was a difficult one for me. As you can see, I am German and I love my home country very much. Hence, I root for Germany. But, I also have lots of family in the USA and I absolutely love the USA, too. Nevertheless, my heart and soul are German all the way. I do not want to get into many details of this game. I only want to mention that Germany won with a 1:0 against the USA (I am so sorry, my dearest US family and friends). Due to two won games and one tie, Germany was at the leading position of Group G followed by the USA (yiippiie J). The next game against Algeria was so nerve-wracking. The best player during the whole game was without a doubt Manuel Neuer, the German goalkeeper. He played the parts of goalkeeper, defender and midfield player all in one player. We made our jokes, that it would safe us, if we could just clone him ten times. Because of him, they were able to win this game. Manuel Neuer was the German hero after this game. The game of the quarterfinal was against France, another top team. We thankfully won the game and moved forward to the semifinals.

At this point, I have to explain a few things about how Germans watch World Championships and European Championships in soccer. We take soccer very seriously. Well, you can say that we are soccer-crazy. So instead of watching it alone in our living rooms, we make a party and major event out of it. Bars, restaurants or café’s supply their customers with several TV sets, so that they can watch the games. Larger cities also supply large screens in public places, where hundreds or thousands of people can watch the game together. Hence, I watched the first game with hundreds of students on campus. And for the game against France, I went to a soccer stadium with some friends to watch it there on a huge screen with over 30.000 people. The atmosphere at those public places is incredible. Thousands are cheering on one team. It is even more special when a whole nation is cheering for one team.

Moving on to the semifinals, we were facing Brazil, the country of soccer. The land, who hosted the whole party. The team, who has the most international titles. I think, we all thought that this was it. Winning against Brazil in their country, their home, in front of their people, seemed impossible. But, we also thought that the German team is always good for a surprise. And the process and the outcome of this game were incredible, unbelievable and I have no words for that. Germany 7 goals. Brazil 1 goal. They crushed the Brazilian team (I am so sorry). Oh final, here we come!!!! Argentina, you need to watch out!!

The final day was planned accurately. Nobody cared about how early they have to get up for work or school or whatever they had to get up for the next morning. Nobody cared about anything besides where do we watch the game of the year. The weather was pretty bad, it rained a lot. So my friends and I decided to watch it with other students (hundreds of them) at a large lecture hall at the university. We waited three hours to get inside. For some of you that might sound crazy, but as I mentioned before, we take soccer very seriously. Anyway, the game was intense, more nerve-wrecking than any other game before. We even had to go into overtime until Mario Götze made us incredibly happy. He shot the winning goal. Germany is the new World Champion. After 24 years, we have another World Champion title, the fourth star overall. Germany was a huge party in black, red and gold.

Now, over three months later, the nation is sure that this was not a dream. This win was reality. During every game the team of the DFB had a whole nation standing behind them. And this will never change. We win together, we lose together. One nation, one team. This whole country is so proud of what they have accomplished. They brought four weeks of joy and fun into this country. This was more than a Championship title. They brought a whole nation together. And they will continue to bring amusement and fun. So, let’s keep the ball rolling and bring the next title home; the European Championship in 2016 (last night’s loss against Poland was not quite good…hopefully it is just a bump in the road).

On a side note, I can cross “Experience the German soccer team win a World Champion title” off of my bucket list. 

9/11/2001

This is a day the world will never forget. I know that I definitely will not. It is the day which changed the world. It is the day over 3000 people lost their lives. Children lost their parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and friends. Parents lost their children, friends. People lost their loved ones. They have been taken away from them in a very brutal way.

I remember the day exactly. I was eleven years old and it was a Tuesday. My mum and I were visiting a friend of her and I was playing with her daughter. Then, my mum called us, that we should come into in the living room and there it was on TV: the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The second I started seeing it on TV the second airplane crashed into the south tower.

I am not able to describe my feelings back then. I mean, I was eleven years old: Old enough to understand that something really bad just happened but not old enough to understand what exactly just happened. However, I remember that I felt empty. Just empty. And still, 13 years after that day, I feel the same way.

I cannot image what the people in the kidnapped planes where thinking or doing. Did they know what will happen? Have they been told what the terrorists planed? Were they hurt? Were they afraid? Did they pray? Did they cry? What went through their minds? Did they think of their families, friends, loved ones? No one is ever going to answers those questions. And I believe no one wants to know. It must have been the most terrible seconds of their lives. It was the end of their lives.

Today I am 24 years old. Sitting in front of my laptop, remembering and tears are falling out of my eyes. Now I know how bad it was. How horrible, unbelievable it was. There are no words to describe what I am feeling. Is it hate? Fear? Sadness? Emptiness? Incredibility? I do not know. Probably all of them. I am only sure of one feeling. And it is sympathy. Sympathy for those who lost beloved people. Sympathy for the firefighters, police officers and other people who risked their lives to save other lives.

Tuesday, 9/11/2001. This day will always be with us. 

Here we go Brasil. Let's see what you've got.

It is finally here, after four long years of waiting. The World Championship of soccer. This time it is in THE soccer country Brasil. 

How long have we soccer fans waited for this time. Watching soccer every day. Having fun with friends and rooting for out favorite team. Watching the whole world go soccer crazy. Yes, I have missed it. The last time we had a world championship, I graduated high school. Now, I am the proud owner of a Bachelor Degree. Those four-years-gap always remindes me how fast time goes by. Anyway, the next four weeks will be interesting and filled with endless hours of watching the games on TV, either with friends at home, alone at home, or at public places with tons of other people. 

Now, tell me, guys, who are you rooting for? 

Here we go, Brasil. Let's see what you've got. 

"Let it gooo, let it gooo" - Frozen = the amazing Disney movie

I am so sorry, guys, but I really have to post about this movie. And I also know that I am very late to join the party.

Anyway, for quite a while I refused to watch this movie, because I thought that this would be another Disney movie fail. Do not get me wrong. I absolutely love Disney movies. But for the past couple of years I thought that they were pretty bad and they really had not the “Disney-thing” going on anymore. I grew up with movies like The Lion King, 101 Dalmatians, Pocahontas, Cinderella, Aladdin, or The Aristocats. And I am still so in love with those movies. And, as I previously, mentioned the recent animated movies did not give me the Disney feeling I grew up with.

Nevertheless, due to my prejudices I thought “Frozen” would be another wacky and bad new generation Disney movie. BUT, after I read many reviews about it and heard so many people talk about it, I started to first listen to the music of it. And I have to admit I really liked it. I started with “Let it go” performed by the amazing Idina Menzel. During the past years I have heard some songs sung by her and I love her voice. So I honestly was not surprised that “Let it go” was another incredible musical number by her. After that I listened to “Do you want to build a snowman” performed partly by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell. By the way I never knew that Kristen Bell has such an amazing voice. That song is so sweet. It shows two sisters share a childhood memory and drifted apart due to one of them has magical abilities, in a very cute way.

So after listening to those two great musical numbers I had to watch the movie. And I was totally surprised by the awesomeness of it. It is neither badly made nor cheesy. Sure, it has the new Disney animations, but also Disney animations changed over the last 20 years. And the animations are really good in this movie. I do not know how to explain it, but somehow, the figures seem more natural to me; more manlike. Additionally the story is so sweet. The movie is about estranged sister, who were very close during their early childhood. Elsa, the older one, has magical powers, which she does not know how to control it at the beginning. When Elsa and her younger sister Anna were little kids, they used to play with Elsa’s powers. Unfortunately Elsa hurts Anna accidently while playing. After that, Anna gets her memory of the accident and her sister’s powers taken away, and Elsa isolates herself from her sister. After their parent’s sudden death, Elsa is forced to become the new queen of the country Arendelle. Nevertheless, during her coronation Elsa reveals her powers accidently. She runs away after it, leaving Arendelle in deep snow. In the mountains, Elsa builds herself an ice castle. She swears that she will never return to her home country due to how dangerous she can be. Anna, on the other side, goes after her sister in order to bring her back. During her journey to find Elsa, she meets Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. Together they experience many adventures. After Anna finds and talks to Elsa in her ice castle, she is hit by one of Elsa’s icy, magical power lashes by accident again. Though, this time it hit her in the heart, which is fatal unless it is thawed by an act of true love. At the end of the movie, Anna saves Elsa from her deceitful fiancé Hans, who wants to kill Elsa. Anna, though, freezes to a statue. Elsa is devastated about her frozen sister. But, Anna unfreezes again, because she saved her sister who she really and truly loves. Due to Anna’s act, Elsa realizes that love is the key of controlling her powers. She is able to unfreeze Arendelle. Now Elsa is finally able to rule the country of Arendelle gracefully and with the love and appreciation of her people.

The story is beautifully strengthened with the powerful musical numbers. Every song fits into the storyline perfectly. Additional the movie also has many funny lines from which you are able to burst into laughter. 

Overall I have to say, that “Frozen” is a beautiful movie. It is not only for children but also for adults. It teaches everyone what true love really means and what human beings are able to sacrifice for the people they love, even if it means that they sacrifice their own life. 

A weekend to remember

I know that I first said that I will not share anything too personal but I have to tell you about my absolutely amazing weekend during which I realized some things.

The planning for this weekend actually started a couple of weeks ago. A very close friend of mine had her birthday coming up and she decided that she wanted to go out and celebrate it in a prober way with some of her close friends, which included me. She decided to go to a festival in one of the larger towns near our hometown. 

Let me explain the concept of the festival for you real quick. We bought a ticket for 15 € and that ticket was valid for the entire evening. The whole festival included several concerts around the city with several very good musicians and bands. After they were finished playing the tickets were also valid for 20 night clubs around town. Hence you could have seen several concerts and also go to several night clubs for only 15 €. Before I get into more details about what we choose to do, I am going to tell you more about what we did before our eventful evening.

A friend who also was going out with us actually lives in the town, where the festival took place and she offered that we could stay at her apartment for the night, spent time and get ready there before the whole shindig starts. We then decided that we should all cook dinner together and have a nice supper before the whole partying.

Anyway we packed a car full of clothes, shoes, food and us and drove to the big city to have an adventurous weekend ahead of us. We arrived at around 2:30 in the afternoon. The first thing after unloading the car was eating cake. Yes, people, you read right. Five young women ate a whole cake. We all love to eat, especially cake. We talked and talked and talked for hours. We five have not been together in one room in like forever. FYI we grew up together. We never were in the same classes or even at the same school but we are from the same town and we always knew each other and hung out and became close friends. So hanging out like this, all in one bed and talking the whole afternoon felt pretty great and I realized that I absolutely missed that and them. Because of all the talking and laughing all the time we almost forgot the time and the dinner. So after five girls squeezed in one tiny kitchen, an amazing dinner with wine and champagne and lots of more laughter and memories and smiles and of course getting our party clothes and party make-up on, we were ready to rock the city.

We decided to go to one concert from a famous national musician who performed live with a big band. The concert was so much fun and very good. We sang along and danced and just had fun. After that we decided to go to a very popular and exclusive night club and to our surprise we still got in. We thought it would be crowded by the time we got there and that we would not get in anymore. There we really started to let loose and just had fun. We danced until we wear wet and laughed and again just had fun. Our next stop for the night was another exclusive night club, which is located in a skyscraper on the 25^th floor. And again we got in and danced the night away. Additionally we really enjoyed the view over the whole city. Nevertheless at around 3:30ish in the morning we got tired, our feet and body hurt from dancing so much and we called it a night then.

Back at the apartment we all got our pajamas on and talked and talked until we finally fell asleep. In the morning we had a birthday breakfast for the birthday girl with presents and tons of food.

After an eventful and amazing weekend we packed the car again and headed back to our hometown.

I know I gave you a more detailed story about my weekend than some of you might have expected and maybe I lost myself during writing it and I wrote to many details for one situation and too little for another one. But honestly I do not care about that. And I hope that you still continued to read up until this point because I now get to the meaning of the whole blog post.

I wanted to tell you about this weekend because I realized and learned so many things throughout the time I got to spent with amazing people. First of all I know those 5 girls for a very long time and we always have been very close. After we graduated from high school we kind of drifted apart. Some moved out of town and others stayed and we all did not have that much time anymore. We started new chapters of our lives. However every time we do see each other and spent time together, we immediately are able to continue right where we left off. And even if we drifted apart for a while we found our way back. Yes, we still do not see each other very often but every one of us knows that we always can count on each other. And for me that matters a lot. Every time we do spent time together, like this weekend, I get reconfirmed that we share an amazing friendship. We laughed the whole weekend and had so much fun. And I realized that I really missed that. I missed hanging out with these beautiful, courageous, smart and talented young women who luckily I can call my friends. 

This was exactly a weekend I need for so long. I was in a darker place than usual during the last couple of months and I had no idea how to get out of there. Without even the knowledge of my state of mind, they pulled me out of my miserable state of mind and filled it with laughter and happiness. And I have no idea how to thank them for that. But you know I believe that that is also what friendship is for. Sometimes friends do not know the state of mind of you and they are still able to make everything better and happier.

Furthermore I have learned that even when you do not see certain friends a lot anymore the connection you shared is able to stay strong. Additionally a weekend with people close to oneself, are pretty good for one’s soul and mind once in a while. 

Anyway what I want to say is that I had one amazing weekend full with happiness, laughter, food, party, music, talks, friends and fun. A weekend I needed. A weekend I learned and realized a lot. And last but not least a weekend full of wonderful memories. 

International Women's Day - The fight against a terrifying procedure

Considering that yesterday was the International Women’s Day I decided to write about a book which kept me thinking a lot after I read it. The book is called “Desert Flower” written by Waris Dirie.

It is about Waris Dirie herself, how she grew up as a nomad in the Somali desert and her way on top of the catwalks of famous designers all over the world. During the course of the book she describes how she was able to flee from her family because her father wanted to get her married to a very old man, how she got to Mogadishu and then to London, her beginnings as a model and her way into a better life.

Waris Dirie is a victim of a very horrible ritual. When she was 5 years old she had to undergo female genital mutilation.

For those who don’t know what female genital mutilation, in short FGM, is I will describe it. It is a procedure in which genital parts of the woman’s vagina are being removed without any anaesthetization and under horrible hygienic conditions. FGM has immediate consequences which include severe pain, excessive bleeding and sometimes infections and also long term consequences which include the painful healing process, infections, higher risks for complications during a pregnancy and even simple things like using the bathroom or having monthly menstruation which can be very painful.

FGM has its origins in Africa but it is spread all over the world. The people who still practice it today and also their ancestors saw it either cultural, religious or social reasons in it. But they did and do not see that it is actually cruel to every girl who has to go through it.

While reading the book of Waris Dirie I was grossed out, I felt sad and also angry. Additionally I felt so bad for her and all the other girls who had to go through that horrific procedure and of course for all the girls who will have to go through that in the future.

After reading her book I kind of see her as a hero now. She made a very hard and, at the same time, brave decision to leave her family behind, to try to get a better life which she definitely has now. She is a hero for me because with her confession of being a victim of FGM, she called attention to the practice of FGM.

FGM is a horrible practice which has to be stopped. It is cruel to every girl who has to undergo this procedure and it has neither a religious, cultural nor traditional reason.

I wanted to take this post to make you aware of a remarkable woman who is fighting against a cruel procedure. She founded the Desert Flower Foundation to fight against FGM. Go and visit her website (http://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/de/) and help to stop it.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

Okay, I am officially the worst blogger on this planet. No, probably in this universe.

 I know that I promised to write and blog a lot since my introduction last October (why is the time so fast??), but honestly I did not had the time to even think about anything to post on this blog. 

As I already mentioned in my introduction, I am a full time college student and additionally I have a part-time job. Hence there is not much time for anything else. This should not be an apology. But the last few months were very stressful filled with tons of work and studying and working. My only time away from all that was the time I was asleep at night and even then I thought about my school work. 

Anyway, I really want to start posting regularly now. Later today there will be another post.