A Rhythm

It is Thursday morning. The first morning with no rain since Sunday night. When it rains in Munich it transforms into a tiny Vancouver with people running into the metro and into cars to escape the rain. The subway fills with damp commuters and I am one of them.

These days, there is a rhythm to Munich. A flow I have found. School till noon, followed by a tiny bit of work or museum or sport (depending on the weather), then home for dinner. There is always something to do in the evening: a meetup for German practice (tonight!), social night, salsa, anything and everything. There is even brunch for practicing your German on Sunday. So much German practice if you want. Or time for yourself too.

My rhythm has German in it. Class is busy and fills my head each morning with 3 or 4 hours of German and at times I feel things shift somewhere behind my eyes. I am always starving hungry after so much focus. My afternoon adventures are sometimes tedious (travel for an hour to drop off something).or humbling (The Bayerish public library entrance is very grand), or active (there's an adult playground nearby with a slackline and monkey-bars to enjoy). No matter what I find myself doing I am still amazed that I am here, and that here is as it is.

When I first went to France, I describe it to others by saying "Well, it exists. Even the Eiffel Tour exists," because nothing truly prepares you for the stories coming to life. In Germany, and I suppose in many places, there are blocks of apartment buildings. Less cars, and less parking, than in Canada or the US. Trainrides to mountains, bicycle lanes for everyone, buildings and suits of armor with more history than colonial Canada, it is rather humbling. Many of the things I work on in Canada with urban planning are in Europe a "matter of fact" and the strange looks I get from Germans when I explain my wonder confirm this.

The culture is different too. So much like Nova Scotia, yet so different. You are not a friend until you have been a friend for years. You have time with friends, which always looks like friends, yet perhaps it is more or less. I have not yet heard Germans talk of "wanting to be near people" or "spend time with friends" - it seems very German instead to plan your activities and let friends follow or emerge. It is as if the first and last person to plan for is yourself, and friends will either take part or new ones will be found along the way.

Strangely, I find this true. I have met two or three people and quickly hit it off. Now we text when we are about to do something the others may enjoy. I am beginning to see how this works as I keep running into these friends at the events I return to. Yet other times, I do things I do not want to share with them, or anyone.

It is a curious thing to make friends in a place you are not staying, yet nice to have good company while it's here.Read more