In my previous entry, I mentioned the feeling of being lonely. Well, after some time, I discovered, that there is a way how to know locals and be a little more positive about being in a strange big big country!
CouchSurfing (http://www.couchsurfing.com/) is a worldwide network for making connections between travellers and the local communities they visit. Perfect for somebody, who comes to the different country and wishes to know a little more about the life from the locals. I found myself in this definition, so I just registered; found the group of people also registered for the same city and wrote them. I really tried not to sound too desperate, even if I was super close to just go in the middle of the main square (called Luisenplatz) and SCREAM!! Hey people, hey Germans, talk to me! I guess couchsurfing was a better idea :) Anyway, after few hours I got first answers. They all were interested to know me, or to meet. It was risky, I know, but at some point, you just have to risk and believe that people might actually be good and try to help you instead of constructing the catastrophical scenarios.
I met the first guy only couple of days later. It was so easy! Another meeting with more CSs came two weeks after and I had a chance to know several people…locals or travellers. And they were all so nice! We had a cup of tea. It was raining outside, so being with the lovely people with the cup of tea is just perfect. As we were talking, I realised that we all have something in common. And I guess this is the same for most of the CSs. We love to travel, to know new places and especially people. We shared the experience we had during visiting all the interesting places and I felt like this is what I want to do. I don’t care what countries; I believe that there is something special about every place in the world. And now, with CS, I actually see this so real. So what exactly is CS about? People from all over the world register and have a chance to offer their couch for other people traveling around. It is totally voluntary, so nobody forces you to do that, you can just meet travelers for a coffee, show him or her around and get to know a little more about each other. Not everybody has a possibility to offer a place to sleep (because of the roommates, or lack of space…whatever). I don’t, but it will be my pleasure to meet random people and help them know my city a little more. And anywhere I travel, I will think about this possibility for sure!
Anyway, thanks to CS, I had a chance to meet few lovely people that showed me that this city is special. It is special because of the people living there and atmosphere it has. I cannot wait to see and know more from them! We have a BIG thing in common. We share. That is something I enjoy a lot no matter where I am. And I love to be around people like that. CS gave me this opportunity and I wish more and more people discover how great it is to…discover :)
Good night everybody!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Vortex is opening!
The reason, that I am writing this blog happened a month ago. A while ago, I got an offer to work in Germany. I took it, but I had NO idea what it will mean to me. After finishing school, I spent some time in Canada, travelling around this beautiful country and then back to Slovakia (where I am from) for 3 days and then, in the end of August 08, I came to Germany.
Darmstadt (that is how the city is called) is not a huge city (not counting the students, I think around 170 000), it is not even very famous place and you cannot really meet a lot of tourists here. But there is something about this place that I started to enjoy in last few days: nothing is visible here, because there are almost no tourists, all the nice places are hidden...or they are just where they are, without a need to pay attention to them. I am talking about the places like Martinsviertel (students' quarter with all colorful houses with the special atmosphere joining the history with the young people on the bikes everywhere you look), Hundertwasser (insane buildings with lots and lots of colours, thinking that somebody just randomly dropped it there!), all the beautiful gardens, or small coffee places...Darmstadt is in the shadow of a bigger and more popular cities around: Frankfurt is just 25 minutes from here, Heidelberg 50 minutes and 45 minutes from Wiesbaden. But if somebody decides to spend some time here, there is always a lot to see!
Anyway, the fact that I can talk positively about this city is quite new. When I came, especially after my holidays in Canada, I felt like a stranger that can never feel like at home. Living in a hotel was definitely not something I enjoyed as well. Only four walls, no internet, no people to talk to, no fun, no washing mashine (!!). Only now I realised what it means to feel lonely. In the same time I thank all my friends, that were talking to me online while I was at work...they know who I mean - because of these people I did not get crazy! I guess it had to happen. I had to feel like that to see the real value of the people around me. Their patience, their positivism, love and time (in some cases it was hours and hours :-). It was not only because of the sudden change as it was, I think a big part of it was the fact, that I left in Canada a part of me. And the rest of me needed to get used to the fact, that things are going to change if I like it or not. The following question might be reasonable: Do I believe in deep feelings? Do I believe that they can be bigger than the distance between two people? I think I do. I definitely did before. But whoever tries it knows, that it requires more than you imagine. Especially when you actually care :) ! Trust is here so important, that that's basically all you have, so whoever is in the similar position, work on that! Tell the person you miss him/her! Pick up the phone and just say hi, when they don't expect it, you dont need to say all those cheesy traditional bullshit :) Anyway, however it all finishes, I must live for the presence and not from the past. And look forward the future, that will be exciting! I actually also try to believe what I write :D , cause it is so easy to doubt, but it needs a moment to believe in it as well.
The new part of my life starts soon. I am without him right now, unable to communicate and not sure if he ever will be. But I have a great friends in my computer, where I store them :) And I am moving soon. Finally getting out of the hotel room and moving to a lovely appartment in Martinsviertel with nice people and my own balcony (balconies rule!!!).
See you later, anonymous reader of my blabla :)
Darmstadt (that is how the city is called) is not a huge city (not counting the students, I think around 170 000), it is not even very famous place and you cannot really meet a lot of tourists here. But there is something about this place that I started to enjoy in last few days: nothing is visible here, because there are almost no tourists, all the nice places are hidden...or they are just where they are, without a need to pay attention to them. I am talking about the places like Martinsviertel (students' quarter with all colorful houses with the special atmosphere joining the history with the young people on the bikes everywhere you look), Hundertwasser (insane buildings with lots and lots of colours, thinking that somebody just randomly dropped it there!), all the beautiful gardens, or small coffee places...Darmstadt is in the shadow of a bigger and more popular cities around: Frankfurt is just 25 minutes from here, Heidelberg 50 minutes and 45 minutes from Wiesbaden. But if somebody decides to spend some time here, there is always a lot to see!
Anyway, the fact that I can talk positively about this city is quite new. When I came, especially after my holidays in Canada, I felt like a stranger that can never feel like at home. Living in a hotel was definitely not something I enjoyed as well. Only four walls, no internet, no people to talk to, no fun, no washing mashine (!!). Only now I realised what it means to feel lonely. In the same time I thank all my friends, that were talking to me online while I was at work...they know who I mean - because of these people I did not get crazy! I guess it had to happen. I had to feel like that to see the real value of the people around me. Their patience, their positivism, love and time (in some cases it was hours and hours :-). It was not only because of the sudden change as it was, I think a big part of it was the fact, that I left in Canada a part of me. And the rest of me needed to get used to the fact, that things are going to change if I like it or not. The following question might be reasonable: Do I believe in deep feelings? Do I believe that they can be bigger than the distance between two people? I think I do. I definitely did before. But whoever tries it knows, that it requires more than you imagine. Especially when you actually care :) ! Trust is here so important, that that's basically all you have, so whoever is in the similar position, work on that! Tell the person you miss him/her! Pick up the phone and just say hi, when they don't expect it, you dont need to say all those cheesy traditional bullshit :) Anyway, however it all finishes, I must live for the presence and not from the past. And look forward the future, that will be exciting! I actually also try to believe what I write :D , cause it is so easy to doubt, but it needs a moment to believe in it as well.
The new part of my life starts soon. I am without him right now, unable to communicate and not sure if he ever will be. But I have a great friends in my computer, where I store them :) And I am moving soon. Finally getting out of the hotel room and moving to a lovely appartment in Martinsviertel with nice people and my own balcony (balconies rule!!!).
See you later, anonymous reader of my blabla :)
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