#also for all ye non german folk go check out german bands

[walkingcontradiction42]

@sunny-lie-melody tagged me to talk about about my fav musicians/bands. Thank you, I will try to keep it as short as possible xD

Itchy

I don’t really know why I enjoy the music so much, but sometimes bands just click on first listen? I guess it’s the catchy guitar riffs and very sort of early 2000s pop punk vibes I really enjoy. Also they have done a lot of great lyric work especially on the new german albums. That being said I think the most important part is that all of them are really very sweet and kind people (and also a bit crazy?). I don’t think any other band I know has so much fan interaction. Also this band is the reason for so many very good friendships. The concerts really just always feel like a family meeting. <3

Donots

Ok this one might be down to my specific obsession at the moment. Went to the concert with my best friend two weeks ago and it really was a blast. Still one of the best live bands I know. I especially enjoy their old english stuff because it feels very nostalgic and upbeat. But same as with Itchy I also do appreciate the lyrics on the newer albums. Also Ingo makes the worst dad jokes ever. (That being said I’m in the Donots mindspace right now and I think most of it is Charlie’s fault anyway?)

Die Ärzte

Oh well here we go. As you might notice I’m a bit into the cult of weird german punk bands? I think once you know one of them you get to know all of them. Die Ärzte and I have a much longer history though. They’re my parents favourite band and it was basically all we listened to when I was younger. It’s still a very wild experience to listen to one of their songs and be like ‘hey where do I know this from I never listened to this before?’ (yes they have a loot of songs). And I feel like I am reapeating myself but truly they have the best fucking lyrics you will ever listen to and nothing can cheer me up like a random Ärzte song that contains only bullshit. They’re the masters of bullshit inside and outside of songs.

My chemical romance

I used to get really sad about the fact that I didn’t get into mcr before their breakup. Now after finally seeing them live this year I feel a lot better about it. It’s probably the band my sister and I share the most interest in. I don’t think I even have to say a lot about it. Yall know why they’re amazing. Just great music and so much sadness. And Gerard’s gender of course. Also shoutout to the random guy that hugged me while we were both crying during famous last words.

Green Day

Working myself up to probably the most important band in my life. I might not listen to them as much as I did, but still they somehow find their way in my top five every wrapped. It feels really cliché to say it, but they got me through some real shit when I was younger and I thinks that’s why I still feel so strongly about them. Also their music just really slaps, heavy guitars, so much variation and classics. I have to admit lyrics are not always the strong point here, but I can overlook that. That being said please go listen to warning. It is so underrated my favourite album of all time and I could write whole essays just about why. Also Billie bicon Armstrong was the reason I figured out I was queer so yeah thanks for that.

Feel free to ramble about your favorite bands as well :)

No pressure tags: @date-mate-re-animate @spineless-lobster @20-1-18-4-9-19 @alwayscomewhenyoucall @rippedorigami

[butchboromir]

ive been looking for non english speaking music. any recs? not super specific on genre just say what genre and language they are :]

Anon this is the kindest thing you could have ever asked me i LOVE talking about music. also warning like the entire first half of this list is all german. i promise i have other languages towards the end though.

this is formatted by band, then language and genre, and then i'll give a song and album rec for that band

my first two ultimate reccomendations are:

dArtagnan (german, folk rock/mittelalter rock) - listen to Seit an Seit (song, not the album) and then check out anything off of the album Feuer & Flamme

Feuerschwanz (german, folk/powermetal + mittelalter rock) - listen to the song Rohirrim, and then anything off of the albums Momento Mori or Fegefeuer

ok now for all my other reccomendations that are not my favorite bands

ZSK (german, skate punk) - check out the song Alle Meine Freunde, and then either HassLiebe or Herz Für Die Sache

WIZO (german, punk) - listen to the song Ich War, Ich Bin Und Ich Werde Sein, and then check out the album Uuaarrgh!

Rammstein (german, industrial metal/neue deutsche härte) - listen to Bestrafe mich, and then the album Mutter

now for bands whom i really like, but i don't know their discogs in and out like the other bands so i'm only giving a song rec here

Die Ärzte (german, punk/rock) - give either Schrei nach Liebe or Der Graf a listen

Die Toten Hosen (german, rock) - check out Alles aus Liebe or or Altes Fieber

OOMPH! (german, neue deutsche härte) - check out Augen Auf!

Betontod (german, punk) - check out Das Kapital or Ist das noch Punkrock?

Rumkicks (korean, punk) - give 송가 (Goodbye song) a listen

THE SKIPPERS (japanese, punk) - check out GOING SKIP or THE WARLOCKS

Giraffepot (japanese, rock) - listen to I don't know don't I

9mm Parabellum Bullet (japanese, rock) - listen to インフェルノ

ling tosite sigure (japanese, rock) - check out abnormalize

TK from ling tosite sigure (japanese, rock) - listen to unravel [<- YES this is the tokyo ghoul opening song. i don't care though it's really good and a good intro to his music]

WOOOOO ok that's all my recs. i leave you now with my

german tunes playlist which has some more random bands on it that are all p good

[ribcagecarnival]

ADMIT ONE • VIOLET SKIES

I first heard Violet’s music while coping with heartbreak in January 2019. Her song “Cry For Me” is peak crying on the dance floor music, which is, frankly, the only genre that matters. A year later, she caught a set of mine at a house show, and we immediately linked up to write. Turns out we have great musical chemistry and we get along very well just as people, too. Her music often calls MUNA and Robyn to mind for me, but her love for folk titans like Joni Mitchell is also apparent. Check out this playlist of songs that move the wonderful Violet Skies (plus her reasons behind each selection). Her ticket to the Carnival is good for a lifetime.

A Case of You - Joni Mitchell The song I wished I’d written. The song I try to write. The lyrics, the melody - HOLY WTF. Unimaginable genius that she is, and the most simultaneously clear and vague expression of love’s totality. 14 year old me heard this through my Dad, who said Joni Mitchell was a true artist and made sure I listened to every single one of her albums. I will NEVER be over this song. Even the title is just insanely beautiful in its duality of meaning.

Zero to Hero - Hercules Hercules was my first true introduction as a child to gospel music (I grew up in Wales don’t judge me) and honestly the vocals on this film, insane. The runs, harmonies, energy - as a child it was nothing like I’d heard before and I learnt this song back to front and still to this day I think it’s insanely good songwriting, musicality is just *chef’s kiss* and the women on this song MAKE that entire film.

Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine - Showboat Original Recording I sang this 3 times for my ‘show song’ portion of my singing grades. Everyone else usually chose something like Phantom of the Opera or something more classical, because it was a classical singing grade. So I’d sing like a few arias, something in German and then three years in a row I sang this because I thought it was (aged 12) the most wonderful song ever. Lyrically, it’s rather toxic for a 12 year old girl, honestly, but I was a hopeless romantic and having never kissed a boy at 12, the VIBES on this song were just so dramatic and I loved it. Also Showboat had me and my sister in tears the first time we watched it aged 6, I don’t think my Mam realised how traumatic it was when she put it on for us to watch.

Goodnight My Angel - Billy Joel Billy Joel, songcrafter extraordinaire, writes lullaby for his daughter, I die. I aspire to this level of craftsmanship and yes, this also makes me cry. Please go and listen to this song.

Make You Feel My Love - Adele’s version Bob Dylan wasn’t someone my parents played so I didn’t know he wrote this. Adele is just TONE and WARMTH and this song again, is so dramatic and over the top and also subtle in a way that moves my very being. I sung this so many times as a teenager and it began my love for Adele. Ballads never get old, the good ones age like fine wine (I don’t actually like wine but whatever) and they continue to be relevant and timeless in their message.

Samson - Regina Spektor Only recently did I realise that this song has affected my songwriting and is 100% behind my obsession with the chromatic 1-2-3-4 chord progression that is the PERFECT pre-chorus in my opinion. This song is just GENIUS. A song about a modern day relationship with Samson, iconic in its own way (Wonderbread!), paralleled with the original Biblical tale of Samson. Melody and lyric and piano come together in a way that really separates Regina from her peers and this song will live on for decades. The song is so specific, almost unrelatable-to in content, but it makes so much sense on an emotional level and that, that, is songwriting.

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill She wrote it. She produced it. She’s a feminist searching for equality of experience. She’s exploring gender. She’s talking to God. She’s creating iconic sounds before her time. She is Kate Bush and I will not hear a word said against her. Big Boi does a whole interview on this song and he GETS IT. Go watch that because he explains it so well.

At Last - Etta James I sung this at every talent show I ever did and every shitty pub gig in my teens. This song! Her voice! Nobody sings like Etta. She is effortless. This song shaped my voice and I credit this song and Etta James with helping me learn runs, vocal control across my chest and head voice, and how to really sing something and mean it. When people talk about how music of black origin underpins all modern music, it’s songs like this and artists like Etta they are talking about. She is a foundation, a cornerstone in the development of the modern vocal.

Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap Imogen Heap is really tall in real life and even more wonderful. I heard this first through my sister who played it to me in the car and I lost my mind. THE VOCODER. The melody. I don’t ever know what she means really, completely, (like Bon Iver) but like, god i feel it. *That* moment in the song is so insane and I hear it all the time in my own music. Wild! It’s so wild how 30 seconds of a song can change the entire way you think about music and shape your own musicality.

I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know - Donny Hathaway Amy Winehouse sings in Rehab “cos there’s nothing you can’t teach me…that I can’t learn, from Mr Hathaway”. She’s talking about Donny Hathaway and she’s right. Donny Hathaway’s voice is bottled soul, a depth of feeling most normal musicians will never in their lives. He ‘taught’ Amy and it shows. This song I covered and never released, but I also practiced production for the first time when I made it. The drama of this lyric too - admitting he isn’t perfect, knowing he doesn’t express his love properly but yet this song is the ultimate expression of love.

Wannabe - Spice Girls Changed my life. First album I ever got (from the tooth fairy). The Spice Girls were the soundtrack to my very early years and there are many videos of me doing dance routines to this song. If I wanted to be a pop star, this is where it started. Also don’t tell me that ZigAZigAHHH isn’t genius!?! This song is something a modern Kpop band would release. That iconic laugh at the start?! I went to their reunion tour with my sister, she was a few month’s pregnant and we both BAWLED because the nostalgia and full circle moment was just too much.

Love Is A Losing Game -  Amy Winehouse Lyrical perfection. Real songwriting. Conceptually perfect. Amy Winehouse changed my life because I saw a woman with a guitar on stage singing lyrics I understood, lyrics I thought were clever and funny and vocally she just outshone everyone around her. When Amy passed away I was at a friend’s garden party, my Mam rang me and I cried in the toilets and no one could understand why I was so sad, she’s the only famous person I’ve ever really cared about like that. I felt I knew her and I owed her so much. The world owed her more and I miss her. I love to imagine what she would be like in today’s music world and what she would be writing. But the two albums were enough to keep me listening for a lifetime. This song won an Ivor Novello award and I think it is real art.

Jealous - Labrinth I’m jealous I didn’t write this song. I think this song is on most people’s I WISH lists and does it even need explaining!?!

33”GOD” - Bon Iver What do the lyrics mean? How do you pronounce Bon Iver? What does the title mean? How do you even arrive at this song when you start writing?! The production is so game changing and the Bon Iver SOUND is so unique and has affected the entire music industry, seeping in to pop and mainstream. Even Taylor knows. But this song is the one I played on repeat. I still don’t know the lyrics but I know I feel like a firecracker underwater when I listen to it and that can’t be a bad thing.

Rude Boy - Rihanna This is one of the sexiest songs ever. It changed how I thought about women and what it means to be comfortable in yourself and your own sexuality. I’m just gonna leave it at that.

Retrograde - James Blake “SUDDENLY I’M HIT” and my entire brain blows off. I played this on repeat when I moved to London and when I finally met him a year or two later I said probably nothing of consequence and likely made an arse of myself but what I should of said was “retrograde changed my life”. It shaped how I think about production, made me think about synths and the interaction between organic and synthetic sounds and the use of a songwriter’s song in a non traditional setting. James sets the bar so high for all of us and we just jump around trying to come anywhere close.

[cakeandcrows]

I remember this one time I was watching some documentary about a white actress, I can’t recall who. One of her first roles was something like... a German lesbian with some kind of drug addiction (I think cocaine?). Point is, in her interview segment about it, she said something like, “When my mother heard about the role, she said, ‘if I were you, I would have told the director to pick just one of those things, not all of them at once.’” And all I can think about is how like... so many of us on here are more than one kind of minority or ‘invisible’ identity, or neurodivergent, or in some level of recovery from one thing or another. 

Like, this isn’t huge news, y’know? Yeah, privilege is a thing. And people are so absolutely unaware of it when they have it that it makes me want to scream. I’m even unaware of my own privilege a lot of the time and I won’t go into a moment of how I feel when I realize I’ve forgotten, because my guilt on the matter is irrelevant. I just need to get better at keeping myself in check and that’s that. 

Yeah I’d love to be cis some days because of how much easier it would make my life (and honestly for not many other reasons, I’m pretty happy being trans... if it just... y’know, weren’t for how people react to it). Sometimes I think, “Man, straight people are fucking insane; how on earth do they function,” while looking back on the days when I thought I was straight and realizing that even back then I was lost as hell, but some days I’m just like, “If I were straight, would life really be so much easier?” And it would. It really would. If I were also cis at the same time. Etc. 

And I don’t want to make this into an us vs them sort of thing for even a minute, either, because everyone has common ground somewhere. Does that common ground always matter as much to one person as it does to another? Probably not. Jeff Be/os probably shares a home town with a fuck ton of people but I’ll bet he doesn’t give a shit about a single one of them, or that commonality, while you could see a popular rock band and never hear them shut up about how proud they are to be from the West Coast. Sometimes it just doesn’t fucking matter to other people what you have in common with them, because to them, what’s different is so much more volatile. And it goes both ways. 

There’s people from my home town, my graduating class, and even old friend groups that I could never see myself talking to again because of how we’ve split paths in beliefs and lifestyles. Or, maybe they’ve stayed the same and I’ve changed, or the opposite... and I’ll bet they’d see how I’ve changed and think the same things of me. “Wow, I want nothing to do with that person.” 

I’m just... constantly having little wake-up calls over and over again of how some people seriously think that I’d choose a harder life on purpose. And I’m not ashamed of living as I am; I’m very proud of who I am and what I’ve overcome to get here. 

Customers at work, where I feel like I live 2/3rds of my life these days, are always just like... a window into the world for me sometimes. Most people don’t mention my pronoun button. Some people don’t notice it outright and misgender me because they’re looking at my face; entirely being polite and engaged, and not at all aware of how they’re upsetting me. I let it go a lot of the time. It’s not worth it.

There’s the few good folks who listen carefully and patiently and are seemingly brought to a new awareness by my gentle explanations. They’re polite and they honestly revive part of my faith. Like the guy who opened his coffee order saying, “yes, miss,” and left the store tipping his hat to me saying, “thank you very much, sir.” God or whoever does things fucking bless that guy.

Then there’s the people who decide to look at my pin, and ask about it. So far, it’s either people who are just reading it aloud for the sake of it, and then becoming confused but not actually wanting to understand so much as they’re just desperate to make some kind of conversation with a Youth (which is wild because I’m 25??). They don’t actually care, so I don’t really put effort into explaining. They either cut me off mid-explanation, or listen and don’t say anything further. 

Then there’s the people who look at it and laugh at me. Or the woman who decided it was a good idea to read it, listen to my explanation, and say, “You know, my daughter tried to explain that to me. I just don’t get it. I think it’s silly and too complicated. People should just stick to the old ways.” Like... lady. What the fuck do you want me to do about it. Why the fuck do you think telling me this will make me happy or even... want to engage further. I straight up just don’t understand where these people get off. They’re just as rude and uninterested in me as a human being as the people who start rattling off their order and refuse to wait for me to get it all down before shoving their credit card at my face. They do not care. They do. Not. Care. And my patience is starting to wear extremely thin. 

I had a new coworker, who knows I’m trans, the other day stop mid-sentence to say, “Oh, you know, sister? Oh! Also, I call everyone ‘sis’, boys or girls.” “Not me, you don’t.” “...oh?” “You don’t call me that. Ever.” 

“ >:/ tch. Glad we got that out of the way.”

It’s not cute. I don’t think it’s endearing. I don’t think it’s funny. And I don’t give a shit if you call other people that. If you thought about it for five seconds you’d realize how insensitive and fucked up it is. If anyone, anywhere, I swear to god, just thought about ANYTHING for five fucking seconds... I wish... I hope, that they’d be better human beings than they are. 

Like, god, what a horrible inconvenience it is for you to have to stop and think about what to call another human being. To use their name. To use the right pronouns. To avoid nicknames or pet names that would be inappropriate for such a person. Heaven forbid you have to do that for anyone, right? Why am I different? Why are you trying to step on my toes and see if I’ll just sit here and take it? I know why. Everyone knows why. And I’m so sick of being the dog under the table who gets kicked every time it whines about having no escape or being surrounded by the feet of people sitting around the table. 

I don’t hate being trans. I don’t hate being pansexual. I don’t hate being poly. I don’t hate myself. I hate the people who hate me for being myself and intentionally or ignorantly go out of their way to make my life an extra level of hell Just Because They Can. , 

I have been bullied and abused all my fucking life by one kind of person or another and not a single excuse I’ve been given justifies it. Humans are better than this. I want to have faith in humans. And there are good humans; I surround myself with them. But if I have to pry yet another motherfucker’s eyes open to yet another goddamn social issue they were too thick-minded to notice, and then have them turn around and bless me and hail me for some kind of... Joan of Arc bullshit, calling my suffering and my existence some kind of blessing, like my life had to be this hard to spread words and messages across time and space to reach their Oh So Important Ears, I’m gonna choke. Or... even the people who mean well that just straight up make me think that they actually believe that the queer people in their lives are some sort of Manic Pixie Dream (gender) who’s come into their lives to teach them something new and advance their own character development. That’s what it fucking feels like! Being reduced to someone else’s educator and being placed as a Background Character in their own fucking Growth Arc. 

If there’s some sick destiny where I’m lined up to be some kind of flogged messenger to idiots for the rest of my life I want a motherfucking refund. Ship me off to the next incarnation. I don’t care if I come back as a ladybug for two days and die under somebody’s shoe. 

And I’m not somebody’s teacher. I’m not somebody’s martyr or savior. I’m not somebody’s free fucking Queer Almanac and Seasonal Guide to the Experiences of Not Their Own. I’m so fucking tired of explaining myself. 

I’m so fucking tired of People ™ But I also want to have so much faith in People ™ that I think I’m just setting myself up for disappointment. 

Sometimes people prove me wrong and it’s okay. Other times I write a several paragraph long rant at one in the morning. Fuck me honestly, just, fuck me and boy howdy do I wish I could pluck one or two things off my list of identities if only for the sake of not having to Explain Shit To People ™

And at the same time, I very clearly care about people. I want people to understand because fuck, I was there! I used to be some Jacked Levels of Crazy and I was hugely homophobic when i was a teenager. I look back on the way I used to be and I can’t feel proud of who I was and what I believed. I know a lot of it was internalized hatred and disgust. I know all of that shit now. But I see myself in some people and that’s the mistake I make sometimes. Most of the time, I’m fine; I help other folks learn something new and it’s good and I feel fine about it. I just hate feeling like other people assume it’s my motherfucking duty to tell them and speak on behalf of all non-cis, non-straight people everywhere. I sound like a goddamn Gender and Women’s Studies textbook. 

Fuck, I’m going to bed... 

[sejanashines]

Come, now is the time to worship. After an impromptu time of worship (read about that here) and then sharing my desire with others that I wanted to host a planned time of home worship at some point in the future- it happened! We did it!! And it we had a great time of fellowship singing praises to the Lord. Let me tell you how it went! I’ll talk about planning and hosting, ‘At Home Christian Worship,’ and the guestlist.

Was this the first time you hosted this kind of thing?

No. This was my second time, but my first time hosting this here in South Korea. 🙂

Well, how did it go?

It went great!!

No, seriously, it did!

So what did you all do?

Okay! So that’s what you want to know!! Why didn’t you just ask me that it in the first place……..? HAHA I’m just joking! 😉 Here’s everything that you’d probably want to know so maybe YOU CAN HOST An AT HOME WORSHIP EVENT TOO! If you do, please let me know how it goes!!

Planning and Hosting

Well, I planned a date and let other musicians I’ve met know about it and asked them if they were free to come over that day. Some were and some weren’t. Some were on the fence…………… (they didn’t say that, but I felt like they were). I get the struggle because most of us have lots of obligations already on our plate and they were probably thinking so what is this supposed to be anyway? (So, as far as moving forward and choosing the best date and time, I threw out an option that first was good for me and when at least ONE person was solid and committed to come at that date and time THEN I made a flyer and went with it! You will never host an event where everyone you think that would love it will be available to come. It just never works out that way. I prayed throughout that Holy Spirit would lead and make opportunity for those He wants to come to actually come.)

Created this flyer using Spark.

The purpose of this opportunity, in my mind and how I described it to others, was simply a time to come together as leaders and encourage one another through song as we sing or play before the Lord. Nothing special, just an informal, relaxed time of bringing what you’ve got (really it’s what God gave you) and giving it (back) to the Lord.

Notice I posted in the group using the free BAND app.

Before the day came, I created a group using the free BAND app (it seems to be popular here in South Korea) and I sent the link to those that indicated they were coming. On it, I put my address, what to expect and most importantly, I asked them to start posting YouTube songs there so we could listen to and become familiar with them beforehand. Everyone was invited to post songs that they wanted to suggest and do. I suggested each person offer up 3. I think I posted like 10 because I couldn’t make up my mind!!!! (Don’t do that though becasuse no one really had time to listen to all those songs before coming!! Yikes!) I ended up making a YouTube playlist and as suggestions came, I just added it onto the list. The list was posted in the app and on Facebook for all to see (and be inspired)!

The day of, I sent out reminders and answered questions typical to anyone who hosts folks in your home. I was happy that someone ventured to come who hadn’t even met me before but was invited by a mutual friend who was coming. She came and arrived on her own- you go girl!!! Glad you were brave and came out! You are welcome here anytime! If you receive last minute cancellations- they happen! Remember how, in the beginning, you prayed that the Lord would use this time? Remember how you prayed that those that Holy Spirit draws out would come out? We have no idea what God doing so don’t act like you do! Be gracious and maybe next time, they will be able to come. Sharing ‘how it went‘ after the fact (hence THIS blog post!) can help with those who just need to know in advance how things like this go. It can help calm those nerves! -wink wink- Or it can help to show that YES you CAN have a great time in the Lord with people you don’t know (or don’t know well yet)!)

Dinner time. Since the event was planned for 4:30-6:30pm, I also invited anyone who was interested to stay afterwards for dinner. I offered it actually because some needed to come after work and I didn’t want to send them home hungry. I also thought maybe the meal would help them to come over right away. For this event, I made “Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup” on the stove. I didn’t bring my crockpot here to Korea unfortunately, so I figured it would just have to work out this way. I’ve made this receipe before and it was always a hit. It is super easy to make. I did serve it with the following condiments: sour cream, sliced avocadoes, cherry tomatoes, grated cheese and a LARGE BAG OF TORTILLA CHIPS!!! Whoo hoo!!!!

Here is the recipe! I changed it to 16 servings and I didn’t use super exact amounts but whatever was closest in the cans (i.e. all of each can).

Snacks. Gotta have the snacks. I placed a few bowls of snacks around to help break the ice (and stomaches of mainly my own children who smelled the food and wanted to eat but they needed to wait until 6:30). Offer water, tea, coffee, milk… whatever you have to help folks settle in and feel comfortable.

Hosts. I’m so thankful for a friend who was able to come over early and just help me welcome everyone as they arrived. We need those hosts – and friends!! Thank you! Oh, and also thank you for washing all my dirty dishes as I was preparing the soup!! You complete me! 😍

Make sure you invite friends who are sold out for Jesus; it is so good for the soul! (But let that not be the ONLY people you open your doors to! hmmm)

At Home Christian Worship

The event

So once we officially started (pretty close to starting time 4:45pm I think?) I opened us up in prayer thanking God for everyone who was there and asking the Lord God to bless our time together.  I then had everyone go around and introduce themselves. That was probably the only awkward time of the whole evening; in my opinion it can be a bit difficult talking about oneself, but it was quickly forgotten by the main event- the music!!

On one accord. I suggested the first song, as I heard it mentioned during conversation and we just needed to get things going. So I typed in “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman and my computer was already hooked up to the TV and everyone sang/played using the chord sheet that showed up on the TV screen. (How did I find the chord sheets? As songs were suggested, I would look it up by typing the name of the song (10000 reasons + chord + pdf ) or (10000 reasons + chord key of G + pdf) and whala! I would download only from links that were reputable to me. I didn’t use Worship Together this time because the chords and lyrics were too small to see on the TV, but they DO have all the lyrics and chords there for free access to most christian worship songs! Check it out! For other detailed information on how I went paperless, read here!

So the “rule” was, when it was your turn (we simply went round and around in a circle) to suggest a song, you were asked to then lead the song. Gasp!! So we did have at least one guest that self-identified as a “non-musical” person but instead came for fellowship who balked at the idea (it was funny when we told her the rule afterwards). During worship though, someone else just kinda took over as the Spirit led. It was beautiful. And what does ‘leading the song‘ mean? In this situation, it meant choosing the key (or I helped out with that – basically whatever we could easily play on guitar using our capo!! 😆I had another device which showed music in a different key to be used with the capo and on the TV was the actual key for the pianist (who seemed to be able to play anything!) connected via HDMI to my computer…) But leading the song most importantly meant leading where people sang next………… Do we sing the verse twice? When do we go to the chorus? We simply followed the lead of the person who chose the song… maybe near the end of the song the Spirit led us to just keep on going with the song…that is something the leader (and the group) would be sensitive to and lead everyone in the way in which the leader wanted us to go. Never done it before? Why not try it out in a group setting like this and give it a whirl!

Set list. These are the songs that we ended up singing, with each person having an opportunity to offer up a song and lead the song for the group. I sang and played songs that were new to me and so did others. One friend would explain before or after why she chose the song she did and I think her words really added to the song. She’s a great worship leader!

Check out the YouTube playlist of these songs here!

Here’s a recording of “With All I Am.”

At about 6:30, we ended our worship time by doing one of the songs we sang over and I asked my son to record us. I wanted to try and include those that weren’t able to make it. I wanted them to know that we thought about and prayed for them. And I knew that I would write this blog to share it with others and I want YOU to know that I’m praying for you. I’m praying for those that will take up the mantle and lead wherever and however God calls you. The fields are ripe for harvest (John 4:31-38)!!! I’m praying for laborers to go out into the fields now! (Matthew 9:35-38)

We ended our time together by enjoying a meal with one another with those who could stay. It was a great time in the Lord! We even got to see a friend in action as she naturally loved on our youngest participant after dinner with singing and dancing.

Guestlist

United body of Christ.

Guests who came represented different nations and spoke different languages: English, Korean, German, Spanish and Swahili. Guests also served at or attend different churches. The #usagdaegu Area IV Peace On The Rock (POTR) Contemporary 5pm service on Camp Walker, Hana Church with uploaded sermons on YouTube interpreted to English, Urdu, Spanish or Khmer depending on listeners, and also Dongshin English Service located in Suseong-Gu were represented.

Make room for more. The purpose of this event was to invite those who played instruments or sang to come together and worship Jesus, the name above every other name, and encourage one another through song and fellowship. It is true that I specifically invited those I knew from my various church-related circles but the offer was open for anyone to come. I was happy when a few people came who wouldn’t describe themselves as “musical” but came simply because a friend invited them. May we (and I) continue to invite those who may not be necessarily interested but, because you asked, may they come, taste and see, that the Lord IS good! (Psalm 34:8) He knows what we need even before we ask! (Matthew 6:8)

  Are you hosting again? 

Absolutely! I’m always hosting something. I’ve always been bringing people together but now I have a sole purpose. I want to help build relationships that draw others to a deeper understanding of and obedience to the will of God. I believe we can do that when we have a safe place to just be ourselves, have real conversations and explore God. Maybe the question isn’t am I hosting again… but perhaps…. are you coming?

  This is just another documentation of my guitar journey and spiritual growth. Please share with others and tell me how this was helpful for you! Let me know when you host!! May God bless your time together as everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Hosting Christian Worship at Home Come, now is the time to worship. After an impromptu time of worship (read about that…

[sophiewriteswordsfromfaraway]

3: A WEEK OF FIRSTS IN CHIANG MAI

Let me preface this entry by apologizing for not posting this blog entry earlier. It’s been an incredible, rewarding, and extremely busy month (+) in Thailand. Along with exploring a new city, meeting a terrific group of new friends, and integrating ourselves into the Thai culture, we have had homework to complete and lesson plans to write.

So, finally, I have a moment to put the stories and experiences of the first wonderful week onto virtual paper.

AWAY WE GO TO CHIANG MAI!

DAY .5 (SUNDAY)

Ryan and I arrived at the Chiang Mai airport, grabbed our bags, and met up with our driver, as well as some new friends from our program. We were taken to La-Mer Hostel in the Old City of Chiang Mai and given the keys to our assigned rooms. (Mine is a cute little corner room with sky blue walls and floral tile. I have grown quite fond of it.) Soon after, we had our first meeting with the entire group of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) students.

A REMINDER/EXPLANATION:

We will spend the majority of the month of October living in Chiang Mai and training to become English teachers. Following our certification, we will receive our school placements and move on to our respective cities all over Thailand.

Saying that the group is absolutely wonderful would be an understatement. Every single member of our class of 22 is so kind-hearted, open-minded, and ready for challenge and adventure. Many, though not all, are extremely well-traveled, and some have previous teaching experience. Regardless, everyone is so unbelievably excited about being here and supportive of each other.

A COLLECTION OF NAMES AND HOME STATES OF THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE I NOW CALL FRIENDS:

Alayna (Minnesota), Alex (California), Brandon (New York), Celia (Washington), Conor (Manchester, England), Dalton (Washington), Erica (Tennessee), Erica (Maine), Nathia (Maryland), Gabe (Colorado), James (Melbourne, Australia), Jessica (Vancouver, Canada), Kelly (Oregon), Mallory (Tennessee), Nicole (Michigan), Ryan (Illinois), Taylor (Colorado), Taylor (Kentucky), Tori (West Virginia), Tori (Minnesota), Vee (Illinois)

Yes, you read that right! There are two other girls from Tennessee! And guess what?! THEY ARE FROM NASHVILLE! There are three Nashvillians in our little group all the way across the globe. They went to school just down the road from me! It always surprises me how small the world can be.

After the initial meeting, at which we introduced ourselves and received information about the next month of training, we all headed just a few streets down to the famous Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Market.

WHAT IS THE FAMOUS CHIANG MAI SUNDAY WALKING MARKET?

I’m glad you asked. Simply put, it is a long stretch of the city blocked off for vendors to set up small stalls of food, clothes, trinkets, bags, sunglasses, etc. Pedestrians make their way through the crowded streets to shop and eat and listen to the live music played by buskers on the street.

It was absolutely packed, which added to the crazy energy and authenticity. We bumped and pushed our way through the people and stalls for about two hours before stopping off to listen to live music at a patio bar on a side street. A bluesy-rock band of Thai men belted out a classic: “They call me the breeze. I keep blowing down the road.” A fitting end to our first night in the city of Chiang Mai.

DAY 1 (MONDAY)

We began our day in the classroom with a brief meeting. Soon, we departed for the nearby mall complex in our very first songthaew ride. Remember that pickup truck with the roof and benches welded on the back that I mentioned in the previous post? Turns out that would become the staple method of transportation around Chiang Mai.

At the huge mall, we shopped around for necessary items (Thai burner phone circa 2007), and then had the unique pleasure of enjoying a Thai food court.

Later that night, we all decided to check out a local reggae bar and were absolutely floored by what we heard. The band, which consisted of 5 Thai guys playing the guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, keyboard, played through a mind-blowingly varied setlist. Not only did they smash out some classic reggae hits, but they also played rock, ballads, country, latin, and pop. It was fabulous, even “transcendent.”

DAY 2 (TUESDAY)

Tuesday began with a trip to the rice paddies in the outskirts of Chiang Mai. We had a lesson on planting rice and spent an out pushing clusters of rice bulbs into the muddy floor of the paddies. Though our group made it fun, planting was hot and physically tiring. I have so much respect for the farmers who do this work day in and day out. It is such a difficult and taxing job for people who get little societal respect or recognition. Next time you have rice, take a moment to think about where it came from and who spent their days planting, cultivating, and harvesting it.

After rinsing the mud of the paddies of our feet, we hopped back into the red songthaews and continued on to our next stop: a Muay Thai gym.

MUAY THAI: A DICTIONARY DEFINITION

(n.) a martial art developed in Thailand in which blows may be struck with the fists, elbows, knees, and shins

Our training session began with stretching, running, and a crash-course in the standard Muay Thai boxing moves. Then, we rotated through a weight-lifting circuit (complete with flipping massive tires). We finished by practicing our jabs, cross-jabs, elbow strikes, kicks, and knee strikes one-on-one with a Muay Thai fighter. Needless to say, we were all sweaty and exhausted.

To cap off a day of new experiences, Ryan and I decided to try a fish pedicure, aka submerging your feet into a tank while a bunch of tiny minnows nibble all the dead skin off of your feet. IT WAS WILD. The first few minutes consisted of squealing and squirming, because it really did feel like a bunch of tiny minnows were munching on your toes. As we settled into the idea of it, though, it began to feel more like a consistent vibration. It turned out to be a very relaxing experience, and my feet had never been softer.

DAY 3 (WEDNESDAY)

The overcast Wednesday morning was a perfect backdrop for a meditation session with a very informative and funny monk. He spends his time traveling around the world teaching and practicing Buddhist meditation. Because of this, he can imitate a startling number of global accents, including (but not limited to) Australian, German, English, and even Minnesotan! After answering our questions about the monkhood and cracking more than a few jokes, he led us in a short guided meditation. If you’ve ever tried meditation, you know it can be a tedious and difficult task, but if done right, it can be cleansing and rejuvenating. For most of us, it leaned more toward the former. Add ‘improve mediation skills’ to the Thai to-do list!

Next, we visited the tunnel temples and pagoda connected to the meditation center. Both were beautiful—ancient gray stone covered in brilliant green moss. The small temples at the end of each tunnel were simple but fascinating, all with small sticks of incense spiraling smoke into the air.

We piled back into the trusty songthaews and made the twisting climb (almost 5,500 feet in elevation) up the mountain to Doi Suthep, a famous temple outside Chiang Mai. We arrived and promptly hiked up the few hundred steps to the entrance of the temple. Once inside, we were stunned by the glorious colors and intricate detail of the space. Equally as breath-taking was the view from the side balcony. You can see for miles and miles—all of Chiang Mai and the mountains beyond.

That evening, we all walked across the old city to the Night Bazaar, a nightly market with clothes, souvenirs, cheap gadgets, an international food stand area, and live music. We sat together and drank and ate and sang along with the music AND THEN WE ATE A BUNCH OF BUGS.

WHAT?

Yes. Bugs. Crickets. Silk worms.

At first, it was a cautious nibble and then, before too long, it became a game of ‘what are the odds you’ll eat x amount of bugs.’ Hilarious and gross.

In case you’re wondering, the jury is split. I say silk worms are way better. Ryan opts for crickets every time.

DAY 4 (THURSDAY)

Thursday was packed with classroom time—Thai language, Thai culture and politics, and more information regarding placements.  

3 RANDOM FACTS THAT I LEARNED ON THURSDAY:

Most Thai noodle dishes are eaten with a spoon in your dominant hand and fork in the other. The eater is to fork the food onto the spoon and eat.

You can make or break relationships in Thailand depending on your wai (customary Thai greeting in the form of a small bow).

The Thai monarchy is intertwined in almost every facet of Thai life. In the wake of the former King’s death, Thailand has been in a state of mourning since last October.

DAY 5 (FRIDAY)

After a few classes in the morning, we visited a huge market in the heart of Chiang Mai’s Chinatown. This market was particularly interesting, because it was seemingly located in an abandoned three-story mall complete with non-functioning escalators. It boasted a unique mix of smells and goods.

That evening, our program agency hosted a family-style dinner in a gorgeous riverside restaurant for both our group and the other TESOL group studying across the city. The restaurant is owned by a former Thai pop star and was absolutely beautiful, especially lit up at night. We were able to mingle, admire the beauty of the location, and enjoy the live folk music.

We ended the night dancing to the now-infamous band at the Reggage Bar. Groovy. Boogie on, Thailand!

DAY (SATURDAY)

After a week of XploreAsia-sponsored orientation activities, we took it upon ourselves to organize something: a visit to the Elephant Sanctuary. It did not disappoint.

We were picked up outside the hostel by two rugged-looking songthaews early in the morning. For almost 2 hours, we twisted down the windy roads deeper and deeper into the jungle. As we drew closer to the sanctuary, the road turned into a bumpy dirt path. We weaved through the trees until we reached a steep trail, at which point we hopped out of the trucks and carried massive bundles of bananas across a rushing river and down to a bamboo structure with a primitive deck and long table. We were met by our guide, who talked to us about Asian Elephants and the Karen People, a mountain tribe in the hills outside Chiang Mai, and their role in caring for the animals.

With bunches of bananas in our hands, we followed the mahouts to a small grassy patch with five or so elephants—3 big and 2 babies.

MA-WHAT NOW?

A mahout! A mahout is an elephant trainer and care-taker. Each mahout is assigned an elephant when he is of age. This assignment lasts for life, as elephants have roughly the same life expectancy as humans. The mahout and the elephant develop a relationship over time, and the mahouts use verbal commands to train and communicate with the elephants.

Hesitant at first, we fed the elephants one banana at a time and moved cautiously around them. Soon, though, we understood how gentle and smart these elephants were and began to interact with them, pet their trunks, and pat their sides.

We restocked our bananas and continued on to another area with another group of elephants. The oldest elephant, a grandma to most of the babies, was my favorite. I found her rough trunk and wrinkly, smiling eyes to be so endearing and captivating. I could have spent all day feeding and petting her.

After lunch and a quick nap in the sun, we headed down to a muddy pit to give the elephants a mud bath. We splashed them with the brown water and rubbed handfuls of mud into the skin on their backs. Once we were all covered in mud, elephants and humans both, we walked to the creek to rise off. The elephants piled into the deepest section and rolled around—massive creatures tumbling in the water like children. It was quite a sight to take in.

After a final talk from our guide about treating elephants ethically with care and dignity (no riding!), we said goodbye to our amazing friends and made our way back to Chiang Mai.

SHAMELESS PLUG:

For more information and to support a very worthy cause, visit http://www.elephantjunglesanctuary.com/

[swapnagangadharan]

We woke up from a post Sangrea bliss that morning. It was the eve of Diwali or Choti Diwali.

Honestly I don’t mean to be rude but with so many categories to every festival I have lost count. From getting wishes for the five days of Diwali to Easter one does lose count. In our childhood it was pretty simple, It was Bhogi and then Diwali.

The first thing Aanchal said when she woke up was, It was so much fun at Elephant & Co! So Srini asked what was in that place? Were there bands? DJ’s? Events? Stand up comic? Loud Music? Yet we had a great time there, isn’t it?

It brought me back to the reason for starting Truffles Cafe. One didn’t need a reason to hangout, no stimulation was required. It was a hangout, to be yourself, to drown yourself in the company of friends, loved ones and to just be there..

Now we were all set for a typical Maharashtrian breakfast! I was already searching online for the authentic breakfast place. Mathura was always there but could there be anything more local, more interesting? Mathura was a chain.

I finally came upon Khadadi, this was a tiny place in Sadashiv Peth, the other side of Viman Nagar. A proper Maharashtrian area and this I wanted to explore.

I saw two sleepy eyed faces waking up post 9.30 am and still lazing around. Finally we got out to get to that area, a good 10 kms away. Pune roads are something else, wide and open and not much traffic clog like Bangalore or the uselessness of Hyderabad.

We were in the heart of Marathaland. There was an instant change of scene as we got down from the auto and started walking towards our destination. There were families going to the Temple, the vibe was beautiful and so local.

Men were dressed in their traditional best, young and old with those Tilaks as we waded through them. This was so different from Viman Nagar. Gone were the cool students with their shorts and cigarettes, the hipsters with their bikes. Here you could get pulled up for being brazen by a concerned elder.

We walked through the vibrant festival filled streets and finally stood in front of Khadadi. And it was shut. Yep shut. Checking out with the people, we came to know it was permanently shut. It was 10.30 am and we were hungry for some good Maharashtrian Breakfast!

Finally we found another Mathura, a 10 minute auto ride away. We ordered Talipeeth and Kanda Poha. I had savoured Talipeeth a few months ago during a mini trek near Lonavala and I loved it. I was surprised that neither Srini nor Aanchal knew about it so it was time!

Talipeeth comes in different versions by the way. Sometimes deep fried and served with sweet curd or like a big Chapati served with something savoury.

The Mathura one hit the taste buds just right. A big Talipeeth served with sweet curd that had onions and green chillies, it was yum! We all have our versions of Poha (beaten rice) and the Maharashtrian Kanda Poha was different with sugar added to it. I loved it but the others were used to the Telangana spicy one which is equally unique and yum.

We had time to kill until we could eat our Maharashtrian lunch so what should we do? Aanchal said Flambos was not very far from here plus Srini mentioned they had happy hours anyways on brewed beer so why not? 🙂

After chatting over Belgian Wit and Masala Papad (yep the combination kills!) we headed to another typical Maharashtrian place for lunch.

I came to know from Srini that the mutton dishes were delicious in Maharashtrian cuisine so as usual I googled, searched and went to this place that served the best. Gopi Non Veg. and again permanently shut.We had no choice but to go to the Vaishali waiter recommended Durvankur Dining Hall.

We were assailed by locals coming in and out. Fast and Furious I could say. Absolutely no non maharashtrians except us. If you wanted a leisurely Thali meal, this is not the one. You had to wait with your name being called out and finally led to a table and once you sat, you had no choice but to eat fast and get out.

Once the Thali was on your table, in came fast and furious the curries, the veggies. Dahi Vada, Jalebi, Fruit Srikhand and Rice Kheer. Then came Thalipeeth (a different version) with fryums, followed by Aluchi which looked like Potato but was actually Taro.

Once you barely finished that, then came piping hot Pooris and you see your Thali, it’s like a feast. Usal curry, Bharli Vangi. With the rice came the delicious Varan, also called Amti – yellow dal with dollops of Ghee.

Rush Rush Rush with people coming in and out. The main guy calling out names and ushering them in, we were eating like we were going to be pushed out anytime soon 🙂

There is no time to chat there really. Just eat and get out. When they got Vangi Bath we were stuffed to the gills. This was it. We had enough! It was a treat but to eat them as fast as they were coming was a herculean task.

3 South Indians after a meal would crave for what in the end? Perugannam (Curd rice) and like fools we started pleading for at least one cup of Plain Dahi (curd) and yep Koshimbir ( watered down thin curd with onions and chillies) was there but it wasn’t the same, we wanted curd rice 🙂

Finally we walked out in a daze. The pulses, amtis, srikhands were acting on us and yet we waited out and sat at the steps like true blue foodies. This too shall pass 🙂

Walking in a food daze is not good especially when one is getting a tattoo and one is getting pierced. Hoping that the food daze will get us through the pain we walked into Saby’s tattoo parlour. A cool place and their taste of Rock music is awesome!

While Aanchal got her tattoo done, I braced myself for the piercing, let’s say the food daze worked out for us 🙂

Aanchal’s was a cool tattoo. It was simple and profound. YES AND. yep that simple. She was inspired by Improvisational Comedy rules. If you are an avid SNL (Saturday Night live) fan and knew about Second City Improv theatre that doled out tons of famous comedians to date, you will know this.

Yes meant you agreed with your partner, You said Yes and improvised it  and made it better, worked together as a team and made it happen and that could be used for Life.

To agree, to not fight but to work on improvising it, every day, your life and others. It also meant, to be spontaneous. I was impressed by the 19 year old’s sense of how she perceived life. She was an SNL (Saturday Night Live) fan like me and a Tina Fey one at that. It was super cool!

We wanted to visit THE bakery everyone talks about, the place one must visit post the bombing in 2010. German Bakery I guess became more famous post that.

Honestly we were still stuffed with pulses and Amtis in our stomach but we had to visit so we walked our way towards it. Aanchal and  I ordered some Iced teas while Srini went for a nice pretty looking Frappe 🙂

As we sat there I realized there was nothing special except that Foreigners were frequent visitors and a Woody Allen look alike sitting behind us. The Osho centre was close by and you could see a lot of people coming from there. Added to that was the bad sound system playing EDM party music at 4.30 pm, so not there people.

Maybe it was the food buzz but I was just not feeling it there. It was time to go home to nurse our bellies post Maharashtrian explosion. We relaxed, more like slept for some time.

It was evening and it was time for what else? Dinner 🙂

Aanchal took us to KARGO, a must visit ! None of us are big fans of fusion cuisine but this was something else.

Have you heard of Naanza?? Yep, these guys take the humble Tandoor Naan bread make it thin crust and add delicious toppings and the result? Fingerlicking Fantastico ‘Naanza’!

While Aanchal and Srini enjoyed the melt in the mouth Lamb Nanza, I went for the Caramelized Onions, spinach and artichoke one and it was so freaking good! While I had mine with a nice Fratelli Rose wine, Srini stuck to his whiskey.

What followed next were Tatter Chicken cakes. Sizzled Potato cakes topped with tossed glazed chicken. We were full yet we went ahead and had those like gluttons. The food was amazing here!

Right after that we were off again to Elephant & Co to spend our last evening there. We knew there were more places to explore but with 72 hours almost getting over we wanted to enjoy the last bit of familiarity.

It was Diwali evening, so it was awesome to see Pune folks hanging out in their traditional attire post Poojas and ceremonies, again no one batted an eyelid there. From working professionals to an all women table to a family, all were chilling out.

I remember Aanchal saying something when she looked around.  She said It felt empowering to see women smoking, and not because it was cool but because they can too without judgement or being branded as something else.

What she said was true. Leaving the cigarettes are bad for health and all that stuff aside, it was good to see women being themselves, to smoke and not be stared at while men have been doing it for years..

I ordered a White Wine Sangrea after the usual Red Wine one and this was even more delicious. I was like gosh are we leaving already tomorrow morning??

We were so tired and sleepy eyed but we hung on till midnight at that place just to be in it, to be there, we would go back to Hyderabad and that’s something none of us were looking forward to.

After a few hours, 3 bleary eyed people were on an early 5.50 am train to Hyderabad. Aanchal was coming back with us to spend a few days with her folks.

As I was finishing up with the book in hand (The Sellout by Paul Beatty recommended by a dear friend Kamakshi, it’s brilliant!), I thought about the whirlwind trip to Pune and back. It looked like a hectic 72 hours and yet not.

I know that what I saw was a teeny tiny slice of that beautiful city. There was so much to explore, so much to wander and get lost to and so much to savor.

Srini was right, this city had some magic, in it’s people, in it’s flavours, in it’s Marathiness. It had a perfect blend of the local with the changing cosmopolitan culture. There was everything for everyone to enjoy.

Now the question was  When Again? 🙂

        Pune @72 hours – Its not the end.. – Finale We woke up from a post Sangrea bliss that morning. It was the eve of Diwali or Choti Diwali.

[czechthisshitout]

Mom Visit and Munich 4.26.17-4.30.17

After returning from Poland, late Tuesday night. I got up early(ish) on Wednesday morning to meet Mom and her boyfriend, Mike at the Mucha museum. They had arrived a day or so earlier, so they had had a bit of time to settle in. The three of us grabbed breakfast at a cafe, and then we went to an art museum dedicated to the Czech Art Nouveau artist, Alphonse Mucha, known for his theater posters and advertising posters often featuring beautiful women with ornate detailing. It was a small museum but had excellent examples of his work and account of his life. Afterwards we grabbed lunch at one of my favorite cafes by Cerge (my school building), and ordered so much we shocked the waitress multiple times. Then I gave them a grand tour of my school building, where many pictures of me were taken by Mom and Mike. We visited a few other spots and then I gave them a tour of my apartment, apparently the entry way and my front door is very ‘Communist.’

We headed out again, with Fran in tow to go get a drink at the bar in the Dancing House, only to learn that the bar didn’t open until later, so me and Fran got a tour of their Air Bn’B and wandered around the surrounding neighborhood (outside of Petrin Hill), finally finding a bar that was appropriately ‘authentic’ and  ‘non-smoky’, which is a rather tall order in Prague. Then we tried going to a vegetarian restaurant that they had noticed, which was closed (we later learned it had closed that very date for good), and after much wandering we grabbed some grub at an Italian restaurant before parting ways. I spent the rest of the night somewhat frantically finishing up a reflection paper due Thursday morning. 

Thursday I had class from 12:30-3pm, so I grabbed breakfast with Mike and Mom, where we talked about my trip to Krakow, and spent a lot of time debating whether the hostel I had booked for my weekend trip to Munich was too sketchy to bring my laptop too, it was a thrilling conservation that included some very racist TripAdvisor reviews. After class, I rushed home quickly packed my stuff for my trip to Munich and shoved some food down my throat before heading out with Ashton, Maddy, and Kristina to catch our 5:15pm train. 

We arrived in Munich at about 10pm, walked twenty minutes through the freezing rain (yes, you read that right, freezing rain) to get to our hostel only to see that there had an error in the room booking and we had been given a room with two twin beds, so we had to wait in the lobby for another 40 minutes before finally getting to our new room with an appropriate amount of beds. Needless to stay, it had been a very long day and I was passed out by midnight. (Also it snowed. Not joking)

Friday we had a leisurely morning, and just walked around our neighborhood before walking to the fairground where Springfest was (should I mentioned it was still snowing?). The place was a virtual ghost town, though many of the stalls and rides were open, we poked our head into one of the indoor beer gardens and it was also dead. So we decided to go to the BMW Welt, a huge showroom that show cases BMW’s newest lines, as well as Mini Coopers and Rolls Royce’s. I’m not hugely into cars, but it was pretty impressive and there is something strangely empowering about sitting behind the wheel of a car worth over a hundred thousand dollars. It is an incredibly nice facility, it was really cool looking at the Mini Cooper exhibits, as I was obsessed with them when I was younger. We called saw the BMW tower, which is based off a four cylinder engine, which is pretty cool.  

Afterwards we (my room and the guys) returned to one of the beer gardens in the fair grounds of Springfest, where I order a liter of beer, a giant pretzel and a huge helping of Spatzle with cheese. It was a real exercise of moderation on my part. Eventually we met up with the other girls in the main ‘beer hall’, the Hippodrom, it was insane, thousands of people in varying states of intoxication, talking loudly, many dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndls, with a live German band playing at the head of the hall. We spent the rest of later afternoon and evening there, just talking, joking around and generally enjoying ourselves. Due to the ridiculous serving size of the beer (1 liter), and the early time we started drinking, everyone was back in the room by 10pm and quickly feel asleep, visions of pretzels and beer dancing in our heads. 

Saturday was another relaxed morning, we spent the early afternoon walking through the English Gardens and grabbed food at a beer garden, by the ‘Chinese Tower’ a tall, Eastern-style tower, where a traditional German band playing different polkas. Afterwards we went to a shop by our hostel that sold dirndls (the touristy version of a traditional Bavarian folk dress), where a very spirited saleswoman helped us find the right sizes and gave her frank opinion on what styles suited us and which did not, it was actually a lot of fun trying them on and seeing all the different styles, I got a rather ‘Westernized’ purple one and maybe spent too much money on it, but what are you gonna do?  

Unfortunately after finishing getting our dirndls (and some surprising good Mexican food), I had to head back to the room to work on my research proposal. I spent the rest of the day working (or trying to get myself to work) on my research proposal. It wasn’t the most exciting time I’ve had on my trip thus far. 

Sunday was a similarly not-adventurous day. We got up, grabbed some hostel breakfast, packed up our stuff and checked out. We may or may not have gotten lost a few times in finding out where our departing bus was located in the train station (Munich has a huge train station with few signs about buses). I grabbed some lunch in train station, and then waiting for the bus to come, the bus ride was spent working on my proposal and napping. And thus, yet another trip had come to an end.