So I’ve recently decided that I don’t want to drink. That made going to Oktoberfest in Munich an interesting decision, but I wanted to go to see what it was like and experience such a huge German event, and I’m honestly glad I got to experience it without drinking. There were some things I really enjoyed about it, but there were lots of things I didn’t like. I was worried a lot of the time about trying to keep the people in my group together because only some of us had working phones and it’s safer in a group. But besides that, I just wasn’t a fan of the flirty/touchy men and constantly being pushed by people. Not everyone was like that but there is definitely a lot of that there. I don’t think some people minded, but I did not like that aspect. Especially since you had to talk to people in order to get a seat so you could be served.
While the festival wasn’t my favorite thing in the world, there were some things about it that were really cool. If you meet the right people, it can be a great place for making friends with people from all over the world, and most people seemed pretty friendly. Like I said, there’s a ton of food to try all over the festival and some of it is really good. But my absolute favorite moment was toward the end of the night: we finally got into a beer tent so my group could get drinks and we could step out of the cold, and it was packed. Everyone was standing on tables and benches and there was a band on a stage in the middle of the tent playing a ton of really popular songs. We found a table and I stood on it with my group while the band played a song that my mom used to sing all the time, and I sang my heart out to it. Looking around, it was stunning to see so many people in one place just having fun and dancing/singing to music. I turned to my friends when the song was over to tell them that song made me think of my mom and I actually started to cry because it made me think of her and because of how insane and amazing that moment was. Other parts of the tent weren’t as great for pretty much the same reasons I mentioned before, and I left not too long after that when I wasn’t enjoying it anymore, but I think the entire day was worth it just for that one moment. I left early with the woman my roommate is staying with and talked to her the whole way to the train station. She was sooooo nice and talking to her was one of my other favorite moments from this trip, so I’m glad I went for that too.
Unfortunately that’s it for my time in Germany for now. I really hope to return and see other parts of the county because I love it a lot and two and half days isn’t nearly enough to see it all. I love all of the little towns and villages spread out around the countryside, and I think I’d like to stay in one again if (when) I come back. Tomorrow I leave early to make my flight to Madrid. I’m excited to get back to Salamanca because I’m ready for it to start feeling like home and to start my real classes, and I really miss my Señora’s cooking. Until next time, Germany.
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