As I start this entry it's 10pm on a Friday night in Hannover in Julija's flat, and after a long day of what feels like nothing but appointments, errands, and work, I'm sitting here sipping a cool Heineken engulfed by the Sound of Silence. The Simon and Garfunkel song that is. Just one wonderful song of many on a fabulous playlist called Beautiful Men Making Beautiful Music. Tomorrow morning I'm catching a ride to Bavaria's capital, Munich for a few days to visit Ckatu. And Tuesday I have my first TEFL job interview for an adventurer/teaching position in the mountains of Chile. Exactly a week and a day later I start my journey Westward, to Barcelona that is, taking an afternoon stopover in Amsterdam (for an even lower price than a direct train to Brussels!) and a few days stop in Brussels. I still have yet to figure out exactly how I'm getting from Brussels to Barcelona with my suitcase, as it's too heavy to bring it aboard discount airlines with their outrageous fees for any checked luggage, let alone 30 kilos worth, and taking the train there would be a 14 hour overnight adventure. So we shall see.. I still have some time before I absolutely need to figure it out. First there are many more chapters of my pre-course textbook to read (after first getting through the 5th chapter summarizing English grammar that I have been stuck on through sheer boredom for 2 days) and another 15 hours remaining of pre-course exercices to complete. Not to mention doing a refresher course on Spanish before I leave, and looking up a few things about Barcelona. 1 week.. that's enough to get through all that, right?
So I am finally complete re-adjusted back to life on this side of the pond. It only took one full week of jet lag and another half a week to finish the accent/linguistic and day to day life re-adjustment. But I suppose there are 8 hours of time zones to account for (7 on DST), not to mention significant cultural differences. So I guess it takes time.. However, even after only 11 days in Germany, I'm very much looking forward to getting in to the Spanish culture soon. I mean, they are pretty much on two opposite sides of the relaxed-tense spectrum. One has a law for everything, including possible beer ingredients, and the other institutionalized mid-afternoon naps. One is a culture built around tapas, visiting on the street, and laying on the beach, while the other was fashioned around efficiency and practicality.
I'm also very much looking forward to reintegrating in the international community. Although most of my friends are international in some sense, (I mean, Julija speaks 5-6 languages) it's still different than being amongst people who are also world travellers, have wide-spaning dreams and ambitions, and who work in the international arena. In other words, the people who make up the cosmopolitan/global community, because I truly feel that we are our own community. In these circles, nationality plays but a small role. The question of "where are you from" makes a good opening line, but that is about the importance it has: first among the pleasantries. What really matters are your views on certain topics, the role you play, your goals, your plans, where you're currently living/what you're currently doing, etc. So needless to say, I'm looking forward to having deeper identity than simply the 'token Canadian' (or likewise, in Canada, the 'world traveller'). To connecting with people on a deeper more profound level. People that have gone through all the stress and hardships that come with living and travelling abroad, because they're in it for something more, something greater. And first step on that journey? Reconnecting with Ckatu tomorrow. The well-travelled Ecuadorian who has a Russian name, spent a lot of time growing up in the US, and has been living in Germany (with a stint in Brussels) the past 5 or so years.
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