Airport Chillen

So, I currently have an 8 hour layover in Dussledorf, Germany and I'm obviously very bored so I figured this would be a good time to make a new post! Yahoo!

Well what's new in my life? A lot. In the past week I went to Ibiza (an island off the coast of Spain), started classes that are all entirely in Spanish, signed up for a language exchange program, and to finish off my week I was in Germany for the first weekend of Oktoberfest!

So Ibiza, it was pretty cool. Beautiful beaches. Fun clubs. But very expensive. I still had fun though. We had GREAT weather to be there so that was awesome.

Then I started my classes. They're all entirely in Spanish. That was definitely a lot to take in at first. I can understand pretty much everything my professors say, so that's a good sign. But as usual I can understand much more than I can speak. Luckily, I've been getting away with minimal talking in class. I mostly speak Spanish at home with my mom. Almost every night we crochet together and listen to English songs and she has me translate some stuff for her. I love it. But yeah--classes. They're good. I just don't think I've ever been so mentally exhausted. But I like it so that's good.

And then there's the language exchange program! Basically they're going to pair me up with a native Spanish speaker who wants to practice their English. We can meet up whenever and wherever we agree on and go from there. I'm very excited for this one. I think it'll really help me improve my Spanish. So I'm definitely looking forward to it. The more practice the better.

Alright now Oktoberfest. Wild. And probably the best time I've had so far. I booked a campsite through Stoke Travel and they provided me with a tent, air mattress (aka a pool float), sleeping bag, and unlimited beer and sangria. When my friend Ana and I checked in we met the girl in line behind us. She's 18 and is backpacking solo through Europe. Like a badass. I met a lot of other awesome people as well. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and the atmosphere was just incredible. And as for the festival itself? If you ever get the chance, I definitely recommend it. It was wild. Imagine the Big E except way bigger, traditional clothes, and, of course, lots of beer. We were there for the first day of the festival so that was definitely cool. Unfortunately, we didn't get there early enough (8 am apparently) so finding a seat in the beer tents was nearly impossible. But that's okay we still had a blast. And I rode a Ferris wheel and saw the entire festival from up high. It was wild.

I just don't even have words for how much fun I had this weekend. I would recommend it a thousand times over--as long as you don't mind the cold. It was definitely freezing. Also be prepared to be a little grungy. But I would imagine if you we're planning on camping at Oktoberfest you already know things are likely to be a little grungy.

So that's about all I have for now. I have just under two hours left until I board. Then I'm going home, showering, eating, and crawling into bed. In Barcelona they are currently celebrating La Merce so I'll be checking out those festivities tomorrow and Tuesday :)