HAMBURG, GERMANY

Once I got my Diploma, I knew I wanted to take a semester off. I needed time to breathe before I started my next phase of schooling. I wanted time to get out and do things, without having to worry about deadlines and required readings.

So I planned. I had a few months to work with, and I wanted to utilize them the best I could. Firstly, I booked my trip to Hawaii. Warm weather was calling my name, I was yearning to swim in the ocean and let the sun freckle my skin. By the time I was back home, spring break was just around the corner. For some time my younger sister Em had been toying with the idea of visiting her best friend who lives in Hamburg, and the chance to visit presented itself. It's as if the stars aligned, all the pieces seemed to fall right into place, so, we booked our flights.

I went into this completely blind. I hadn't met any of the people I'd be spending the next two weeks with, but I was the chosen plus one (SWEET), and I couldn't pass up a trip to someplace I'd never been before. I kept my worry to a minimum by focusing on the fact that this family, who I didn't even know, were opening up their home to me- they had to be the sweetest! And they were. The next two weeks felt like two days. Em and I felt right at home. There was no time to be awkward and act like strangers, so I skipped that part and jumped right into being myself, it was as if I'd known them for ages.

During our stay we toured the city of Hamburg, and explored smaller surrounding towns. And of course we had to visit the tourist hot spots, all while eating way to many baked pretzels. A typical day consisted of a homemade breakfast with a cup of coffee, or two- we also discovered how amazing waffle irons are, why have I been making crappy pancakes for so long?! After filling our bellies we would either hop on the s-bahn and make our way to the city, getting off at stations to wander around and see what we could see, or we'd cycle around their hometown, bumping along the cobblestone streets.

We also managed to fit in a few day trips. An hour by train and we found ourselves in Lübeck, and again in Stade. On a whim we looked up buses to Berlin, hopped on one a few days later and booked a hotel for the night. Going to Berlin was surreal, and it made me want to take a history class. So many defining moments happened there that I wasn't fully aware of, it was definitely an eye opening trip.

Wrapping up our trip was bittersweet. I was excited to come home to my family and pets, yet sad that I would be entering back into my comfort zone. The spontaneity and adventure of each day while you're away is exciting, but I know about those post-vacation blues. You get back into your routine, and suddenly your routine feels like a rut. The best way to keep the blues at bay is by continually doing things that spark your sense of spontaneity and adventure, change up your normal to make every day feel as if you're on vacay! Em and I were lucky enough to stay with such a kind family, and when the details and timing are working out for a trip- let it (that's the universe telling you to bite the bullet and go already).