Turn That Frown Up-Side-Down

“…but then i realized that it's not just here. it's life i think. life presents us with so many chances to turn our day around or to even turn our life around, but most people either stop looking or never see those opportunities.”

My friend Julie has been in the Peace Corps in Namibia, Africa for 19 months. I love catching up with her and hearing about her life. She’s probably one of the coolest people I know (must run in the family) and love to hear her insights, thoughts and funny stories. The quote above is from a recent email session we had and it kind of hit home for me. Today was one of those days and it made me think of her. J 

We’ll start this story two weeks ago. It was Thursday (I remember because it was St. Patrick’s Day) and raining. I went to the gym before I had to tutor some kids in English. If you’ve read my previous blog, you know that it’s a 20 minute walk from the train station to the gym. Bryan had to work so he took the bike and I walked. I get out of the gym and it’s raining. No bueno. Or I guess I should say "nicht gut." Thankfully, I brought my umbrella and managed to stay somewhat dry. I also had to walk from the train station in Starnberg (where my tutoring session takes place) to my clients’ home…about a 10 minute walk. But this wasn’t Florida rain. It was cold, chilling rain and I didn’t like it one bit. In total I walked in the cold rain for 40 minutes this day.

Needless to say, I got sick. If you know me well, you know that I have a terrible immune system. If I don’t sleep enough, not only do I get cranky, but I get sick. Walking in the freezing rain will apparently do the trick the as well. Last week, I’m finally starting to feel like myself again…I’m so close to feeling 100%. But the weather isn’t finished with me yet. It proceeds to rain last weekend for our outdoor softball practice. (I mention outdoor because up until last week, practices have been held indoors.) Again, this rain is cold and chilling. The stupid bike had broken the day before on my way to the train station from the gym (in the rain) so I had to walk 20 minutes from the train station to the field. Two days in a row I’ve battled this rain. I thought maybe these German kids were soft and we’d be practicing inside. My hopes were crushed when I saw we were practicing outside. After practice, we were lucky enough to get to work on the field…in the rain. (Side note: City of Palm Beach Gardens Parks Department-I love you. We’ve always had the nicest, well-maintained fields year round. Our Gauting softball/baseball teams have to manage our own fields. Not that I mind, I just took for granted having the city ensure that public fields are taken field of.)

I’m not that big of baby when it comes to rain, being from Florida, rain is nothing out of the ordinary. But usually I have my wonderful car to get into and take me straight home. Or, I have spare clothes in my trunk including a bathing suit and towel. Not in Germany, my friends. I have an hour train ride back into the city-wet or dry. That day, I was wet and cold.

It takes a couple days to really hit me, then BAM! Wednesday comes around and I start blowing my nose constantly all day. Wednesday night I have a terrible headache and think it may just be from my crazy week (job update later). Thursday it fully sets in. Welcome into my head, sinus infection. I’ve had a few sinus infections before so I knew right away what it was. But I don’t remember my head ever hurting this much. It feels like someone is chiseling away in my head and face. My neck is achy and I’m completely fatigued. Bending over causes so much pain in my head and I’ve probably gone through a box of tissues and two rolls of toilet paper blowing my nose the past 4 days. I got some medicine from the pharmacy but I have my doubts about it. I’m so desperate I would have visited the UCF Health Clinic for a ZPAC.  

I’m sure you’re all thrilled with story of how I been sick for two weeks and the details of it’s cause. It does lead up to this point in time, I just had to set up the background to inform you of my misfortunes. I’ve basically been worthless the past two days. I slept for 7 hours during the day yesterday. I’ve barely seen Bryan because he’s working way too much (says me) and getting home too late. So I’m kind of irritable and annoyed at life. We are leaving for Switzerland tomorrow morning to celebrate my mid-20’s crisis of turning a quarter of a century. We return Wednesday night and have to move apartments that night. So I have to have our current apartment packed up before we head out tomorrow. (I’m actually excited about the move.) On top of my self-pity, our cell phone  decided yesterday not to turn on.

If it were up to us, we wouldn’t even have a phone. We’ve been here for 2 months and still only have one for the both of us. Back in the States, I felt like my life was going to fall apart if I accidentally left my phone when running out of the house or when my lovely BlackBerry decided not to work, which happened quite often. Here, I want nothing to do with the thing unless it’s imperative I get in touch with someone….which is rare. But with the current job situation it’s kind of necessary to be accessible via cell (“handy” is a cell phone in German). Don’t you just love how it’s taking forever to get the point? Procrastination at its best J

Bryan has to work…again….today. We slept pretty late since he’s only been getting a few hours a night due to work and I have minimum energy right now. I’m super annoyed that I’m sick and missing my friend Tini’s birthday bbq today. I’m trying to be responsible and get better for our trip tomorrow. But I have to take care of the cell phone situation today which I’m really dreading. Although a lot of people in Munich speak great English…it sort of depends. The store I need to go to in order to complain is similar to a CVS I guess. It’s not a place you expect employees to speak English. I still can’t manage a sentence in German, let alone explain that my phone isn’t working. Genius that I am, I Google Translate my explanation, right it down and pray that it makes enough sense to convey my problem.

To further complicate my life and make me even less willing to run this errand, my transportation pass has expire. Last month they checked our passes the first two days of the month like...well, I guess the phrase I was thinking in my mind wouldn’t be appropriate to write since I’m in Germany. But yeah, I don’t feel like getting fined 40 Euros. So now I have to find an alternative way to get the store. I have yet to see the transportation monitors (I don’t know what to call them) check anyone’s passes on the bus, so I find a closer DM (the store I have to go to) that I can get to by bus instead of subway.  Perfect, it’s on the other side of Oktoberfest Park and I’m familiar with the area.

Holy crap, it’s AMAZING outside! Beautiful! If I could choose any weather to have year-round for the rest of my life, today would be it. It was probably 70+ without a cloud in the sky. I could have gotten away with shorts or a dress. The sun was beaming but there was a cool breeze to keep you from sweating. It looked pretty from the window but I had no idea how great it actually was. I wore flip flops! I don’t know if anyone thinks that’s as amazing as I do, but it’s the first time in 2 months I’ve been able to wear them. I will choose flip flops over any other type of shoe out there. I wear flip flops to bars/nights out when I can get away with it. I will probably even wear flip flops with my wedding dress. I’m now so upset but in a happy type of way that I’m not enjoying Tini’s bbq outside or having a picnic with Bryan. I want so badly to call Bryan’s boss and tell him there’s been emergency and have him enjoy this day with me. So now, this stupid, inconvenient errand has turned into the best part of my day. Had it not been for the phone, I wouldn’t have left the apartment today.

I take two quick bus rides to my destination without a hitch. I hand over my written German sentences to an employee and she says “new phone?” Sweet! Yes, I want a new phone! I hand her my receipt (I totally get points for keeping it from 2 months ago) and she hands me a brand new phone. Not only was it so quick and easy to take care of the problem…I’m pretty sure all the pre-paid minutes get reloaded! When we originally bought the phone, it’s a packaged deal that it automatically comes with X amount money preloaded on it. In the two months we’ve been here, we haven’t had to reload it. Since we’ll be activating a brand new phone, we’ll probably get another 2-3 months out of the new phone without having to buy more. I’m not even concerned about having a new phone number because less than 10 people actually have it.

I’m so happy about the turn-around of this day that I decided to treat myself to a picnic. I’m fully aware of the McDonald’s in the vicinity and treat myself to a Happy Meal since that is my mood. The burger tastes just like the ones from home, the fries had the perfect combo of crisp and salt and the Fanta here is amazing (better than at home.) I ordered it to go and found a bench in Oktoberfest Park to sit at and enjoy my food. What is that in the distance? Some type of festival? Then I hear a seal bark. It’s the circus!

Now, I’m normally not a circus fan. They are great and all but I can’t remember the last one I’ve been to. I think it’s before that auditorium in West Palm became the biggest Jehovah’s Witness Congregation in Florida. But I just finished reading “Water for Elephants” yesterday which has to do with the circus. You’ve probably seen the preview of it with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, if it's not already showing in the States. So since I literally just finished the book, I was oddly excited about it. I decided to take advantage of the weather and walk home. The circus tent was in the direction of my walk home across the park…it was meant to be. There were 3 adorable seals I got to see. Other than that, there wasn’t anything else going on but it made me really me happy.

So I realized on my walk home how days of being sick and annoyed at life were short lived. My belief that everything happens for a reason has just concreted itself more into my life. My outing used up all my energy and I still have a lot I want to accomplish before the night is over but I have such a better attitude. All because I had to leave the apartment against my will and enjoy the weather in flip flops.

On that note, I hope everyone has a great weekend!