What February has Taught Me

I was inspired by Chelsea's post and decided to write my own version of what February has taught me. It has been a crazy month full of adventure, lots of mishaps, stress, happiness and wonder. On February 7th, I finally arrived in Berlin, my new home for the next year, and perhaps even longer. I have never lived in a different country or even had to find a place to live before, so this last month was full of firsts. This past month, I have learned so much...

Finding an apartment is much harder than I thought. In Winnipeg, there's almost always an affordable apartment available for rent. In Berlin? You blink and it will be gone. You can send hundreds of messages in a day and only receive 5 answers, most of which end up being very disappointing.

Being a foreigner is more complicated than I thought. I have never had to deal with visas, paperwork or bureaucracy before, and it's frustrating as all hell, but there's not much we can do. It's worth it in the end, isn't it?

Sometimes being a tourist can be quite calming. I'm sure most people living in Berlin would disagree, seeing as they all avoid those areas like the plague, but having been here twice before and only visiting the tourist areas, going back felt so familiar. It made me feel like I actually know where I am and what I'm doing. Especially when I end up helping some poor lost Dublin girls on the subway!

All it takes is a run. This is something I already knew, but it was most definitely confirmed while being here this last month. Sometimes, all you need is a solid run to get rid of the stress.

I am much stronger than I thought. I have had quite a bit of bad luck lately, and many times I have wanted to give up and come home. There has definitely been a few times where I have asked my parents to bring me home. But I'm still here, and things are starting to fall into place.

Be grateful for every person you meet. You never know what will happen; this person may save your life, teach you some valuable life lessons or become your anchor, or maybe just be someone you can go to the bar with. Either way, never underestimate meeting new people.

Always take time to have fun, even if you think you don't have time.

Berlin is an amazing city so full of potential and I can't wait to see what other lessons it will teach me.