Happy Anniversary Berlin!

Tegel Airport, August 5, 2009

One year ago today I stepped down on Berlin soil for the first time and was picked up by my brother Michael in his hooptie with the license plate GR81LVR "The Great One Lover" that he actually got for free (only Michael, only in Berlin). Despite the passenger door not being able to open, I certainly had something to smile about.

But little did I know how huge the adventure I was embarking on would turn out to be — that a two month holiday (see I really am European now) would soon turn to three and a trip back for Christmas and in the end an indefinite move. Little did I know I would fall in love with a city and a person (I met Karsten the next day) and everything would change. This photo, shot with my bro's phone after he stuffed my suitcase in his trunk, shows the excited face of someone on the brink of something monumental — I can feel my blind anticipation.

It's crazy to think this was just a year ago because so much has gone down since then. But at the same time, I can recount every detail of that day and the days to come like it just happened, from what I was wearing, to what we talked about, to how I felt about it all. I still daydream about those moments constantly. Is that weird?

I know I am lucky to have had such an amazing experience and even luckier that a year later it still continues each day. Thanks for everything Berlin!