Carpe Diem

I'm not a social person at home. I would go as far as to say that I generally do not like people. I have a close circle of friends that I trust and confide in, and occasionally we party a bit or knock back a couple of beers together at Dolores Park or on Memorial Glade on a nice day.

And then I came to Berlin.

When I first arrived in the city after not sleeping for almost 24 hours, my host sister Alicia asked me if I wanted to go to a bar with her and her friends. I went and within my first few hours in Berlin, I had already made a couple of German friends, which is hard when you've just landed and can barely speak the language.

When I'm at a club on Saturday night, I am - in my mind - wingwoman extraordinaire, and I don't have any issue going up to any person in my intoxicated state and introducing him/her to my friend. And the only line I've ever had to use was "Sprichst du Englisch?" because it's admittedly quite funny coming from this little drunk Asian girl who may or may not know what she's doing.

When Alicia sends me a text at 8 PM on a Tuesday night asking me if I want to meet her and her (German) friends for umsonst Wodka und Apfelsaft, I'm there at the bar half an hour later and stay until 2 AM. My reasoning? This may be my only opportunity to pull these kinds of shenanigans and get away with it. At the very least I can get in some good Hörverständnis, make a couple more German friends, and indulge in something better than the usual cheap vodka.

In some ways, I feel like I'm living a double life. I wonder what remnants of this personality I will take back with me to the States. I'm hoping for more rather than less. This other side of me is kinda fun.

There's nothing quite like being in an extremely uncomfortable and unfamiliar situation to really kick you properly in the behind and motivate you to seize the day. After all, what's there to lose?