Adventure: Deutschland Part 1

Hello all my swamp witches and warlocks! How are y'all doing? I know, I know, it's kind of a loaded question these days with everything that stale Cheeto and his cronies are doing. Seriously, wtf is wrong with these people?

Any who, I know it's been a while since I posted on my blog, and on social media in general. You've probably noticed my absence at the markets in the Madison area too. Truth be told, I've been recovering from some major burnout and learning how to relax and enjoy life again. It's a work in progress, but I'm feeling better with each day.

The last year, well, really ever since the divorce it has been one stressful day to the next. Working 40 hours, plus being on call, plus the art business, and then deciding to uproot everything and start over. It's like I was the Energizer bunny, just going, and going, and going. I survived each day, but I didn't thrive, I didn't enjoy each day. And don't get me started, I know some days will be bad. I don't expect every day to be sunshine and rainbows, but I do hope that there will be something, however small, that makes me smile each day. Since the divorce, I've just been going through the motions, and I don't want to do that anymore. I want to actually enjoy life. So I yea, I decided to start over.....in a whole new country.

At the beginning of February, my parents dropped me and my gremlins off at Chicago O'Hare to begin our new life. They were a Godsend helping me pack, move everything and get to the airport. Seriously, Mom and Dad I love you both so much. I put everything important to me in a storage unit, and got rid of everything I didn't need. My girlfriends were a huge help in helping me part with my horde of art supplies, some of my clothing, and some furniture. My friend Chalsey (hippy boss bitch extraordinaire) has a fantastic vintage store in Fond du Lac, WI called Dreamcatchers Corner. The fantastic bitch now sells all of my art prints, cards, stickers, etc at her store. Seriously, if you haven't stopped by her shop yet, please do because she has some amazing stuff in there. I found an adorable cardigan that is all bright rainbow colors. It's so fucking cute. I may stand out like a bright, queer rainbow, but at least I'm comfy and cute.

The 2-3 hours between getting to the airport, through security, and takeoff were so stressful. That's when the panic of what I was doing finally set in. For months, I had some family not believing I'd actually do it, thinking I'm crazy, expressing a million concerns, and some trying to talk me out of it. I didn't have any of that panic and worry they did until those 2-3 final hours. After I got my breathing under control, I thought about my girlfriends who wished me goodbye and told me how proud and happy they were for me. Seriously ladies, Moh, Chalsey, Alex, Lacey, and Paige y'all have been holding me together. From chaotic snack runs, to slumber parties, and endlessly sending reels that remind us of one another; y'all brought color to my life. I also can't forget about all of my art friends. Y'all were my vending neighbors, my pals for so long. Y'all helped me with my booth set up, whined with me about the weather, we shared our artistic dreams and goals, and encouraged each other to go for them and congratulated each other on our successes. I love and miss y'all so much. ❤️

Any who, I'm going to start tearing up here if I keep reminiscing about good times with y'all. The gremlins handled the flight like champs, thank God for their medication. We had a 2 and a half layover, though that made Maggie anxious. It was funny, most of the people in the airport around me thought they were hearing things until I confirmed that they were indeed hearing cats. My cats. Maggie wanted nothing to do with anyone but Xena. She loved it when people would ask to pet her. A lot of people showed me pictures of their own fur babies that they had to leave at home. Everyone was super nice and understanding about the cats being stressed.

Finally, after our short second flight, we landed....in Deutschland. Yea, your favorite swamp witch is in Deutschland, I started in Bochum. It's a beautiful city right next to Essen, and just a short train ride to Dusseldorf and Cologne.

Our first month and a half, we had been staying at an Airbnb right on the outskirts of downtown Bochum. Less than a 5-minute walk away I could find cafés, restaurants, boutiques, grocery stores, and a plethora of bakeries. I even located some bookstores and art/crafting stores, because, you know, priorities. I was also close to the local mining museum, art museum and several beautiful parks. West Bochum Park and City Park. The city park is beautiful, flowers are blooming and songbirds and ducks are everywhere. While the city park is in the center of Bochum and you never leave the sounds of the city, the West Bochum park is quiet. The West Park was built around an old steel factory where the first pressed steel train wheel was invented. The old building is still there but now with additions to it like a brewery and event space. Both parks featured beautiful wildlife, especially birds. I saw a bunny and a rat, but surprisingly, I didn't see a single squirrel the entire time I was in Bochum. I'm not complaining about that though. I'll tell y'all about my frustration with squirrels later.

On my walks around Bochum I also discovered a ton of history, like the old steel mill in West Bochum Park. Not even a block from my Airbnb there is a lone, charred church steeple standing high above the rest of the buildings. In the cement surrounding it are countless names. The church had been almost entirely destroyed during an air raid in WW2. Sometimes when you look down at the cobblestone sidewalks you'll see a bronze brick with a name etched on it. These bronze pieces sit in front of the buildings those people resided in during WW2 when they were ripped from their homes. There are so many bronze bricks in the sidewalks. You read about WW2 in history books, but then you see it, the little things all throughout German society. It's truly something to behold. Instead of tearing down old buildings to make something new, instead of burying history to hide what happened, Germany keeps it all as a reminder of what happened, and out of respect for the lives lost. When I was in Vietnam they did the same thing. I wish the US would do the same.

On the downside to my stay in Bochum, there was construction literally right outside my window. They start as early as 6am and end earlier in the day. I also had to share the apartment with 2 other people, and let me just say, living with guys sucks. My street also seemed to be THE street that all the party goers like to take because all night long people can be heard laughing, singing, chatting, and causing chaos. I'm so happy to be out of that place.

Mid-March I relocated to Essen, specifically Essen-Werden. I'm a 10-minute walk away from a beautiful river and the old historic downtown. It's absolutely gorgeous. Because I am located on the southern edge of Essen, I'm surrounded by forests and trails. Every time I go hiking I get a bit lost, but I eventually find my way back.

I've been trying to get in touch with my creative side more since coming to Deutschland. My old job exhausted me and destroyed my creativity. Being here, I can feel my creativity coming back. I'm getting sparks of inspiration more and more. The struggle now is finishing projects I've already begun instead of starting new projects. I've got what, 4 projects in various stages of progress currently?

I miss y'all so much. I think about y'all often. I miss vending with my vendor friends, getting boba tea at Sencha on State St., and getting into all sorts of shenanigans with my girlfriends. I love y'all lots and hope all is well.

Until next time, stay sassy and classy! xoxo