Why Being a Tour Guide is Possibly One of the Coolest Jobs Ever!

Hey Guys! I hope everyone's having a great week. 

A week ago I hung out in Munich and worked for a couple days. Aside from working, I had a voice lesson (so great!), hung out with an old friend, and did a little (window-)shopping ;) 

I absolutely had so so so much fun though! That was definitely one of my favorite trips to Munich. First of all the weather was perfect (so ideal for giving tours in the city), and the tours were awesome! And I got to thinking, you know, this is one of the best jobs you could ever have (even if you're shy like me!). Here are some of my favorite reasons.

1. You can do this nearly everywhere in the world. People are always traveling, and if you're really lucky, you could be one of those guides who lives at home but gets to travel with the groups. Yes yes yes!

2. The people! Yes the people. I'm very shy and can be super introverted. But this job has really pushed me out of my comfort zone, in talking for almost three hours to groups of upwards of 60 people! And when you really give your best, it pays off. The people are happy, they're laughing, they wanna get lunch with you, etc. A couple from Siberia once gave me a magnet from their small russian hometown. So awesome!

3. When you give a great tour, people love it. And as result, you leave work with more energy than you started with. Hellooooo!

4. If you live in an interesting place where people come to visit, you can literally get paid to talk for a few hours about your favorite place. It's the most natural thing in the world! And if you want to live somewhere interesting, this is totally an option!

5. If you live in a place where tourists often come, but so far there are not really any tours, then you have a huge advantage on the tourism market in your location and could start your own company. Hello entrepreneurialism! And there are tours for nearly everything. Cheese, Beer, Chocolate, Fishing, Bungee Jumping, Bridges (yes there is a "swinging bridge tour" in Maui, Hawaii), etc.

6. Lots and lots and lots of free time. In my company, a guided tour of Munich lasts about 3 hours a day. Generally each guide would only work one shift per day, and not every day. And so you take 3 hours to work and hang out with awesome people from all over the world, and can totally get ice cream/go to the gym/hang out with the besties/bake that cake for Omi/whatever else afterward!

So I'm going back this weekend for even more! And now I must say, I look forward more and more to my trips to my european hometown. Why? Because I lived there for almost two years. I know where my favorite bars are. I know which restaurant is my favorite. I know where to find the least overcrowded but still cool beer garden. And best of all, I know the best places to find a hot deal on a pair of Manolo's (the best shoes known to man!).

This past weekend was also excellent. The weather was super beautiful. But I caught a cold, yay me! Being sick in gorgeous weather is also possibly one of the cruelest forms of torture ever. It's like one big massive hangover (minus the over 'alcoholized' feeling. but you still feel gross). The sun is too bright, the shade is too cold but the covers on the bed are too hot, you can't smell anything thanks to sinus congestion, you can't taste anything because you can't smell, and because your whole head is quite literally full of sickness crap, you can't think straight (or see very well) to save your life. Thankfully I'm mostly over it though, now that it's cold and raining outside. My life is like a trying-to-be-a-comedy-but-not-that-funny movie. But I still have fun though ;)

talk to you sooooooon (and get a job as a tour guide!)

Much Love

India

Music for the murky weather: Wait by M83

The One Thing That Changed Everything

Okay, I know for a while all I've written about is how wonderful life is here. But there is something that bothers me (here's my blog-rant). Central Europe is so traditional, that it makes it  conservative! I'm looking at you, Southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. You should have seen the way people looked at me in High School (in Munich) when my hair was slightly tinted powder pink. It looked awesome (and I felt awesome)! But I was the shock of the century, with all my non-Bavarian conservative a.f. ways. Then I went a few kilometers south to Italy where everyone loved my hair! Hello fashion capital- they know what's going on! 

Well most people know I had platinum blondest blonde hair for a while- starting in spring 2012 'til a few months ago. That was also a terror for my poor fellow Austrians. When I flew to America, all I got was compliments on my striking hair. Especially because I have such dark features, the contrast was pretty cool. Eventually, my closest friends told me "the rules 101" of living here in the country (which Innsbruck practically is). Be as natural as possible. That means- natural hair, no makeup (except mascara)- like Abercrombie-Uniform-Style. So I have to pretend to be an Abercrombie girl for as long as I live in Austria and am "un-famous." I was also told that once I'm successful and have made a name for myself, then I can do whatever I want. But for now, I have no name and no reputation, which means that people will make up my reputation for me based on what they see.

I'm sorry guys who say "natural beauty is the best." In High School in America, that's more what I was known for. But the amount of makeup I wore in America would be considered at least outlandish here. And "the natural look" is just not my style! I don't feel like I'm being myself or anywhere close to being true to myself when I wear dowdy plain jane clothes and a swipe of mascara. Sure, I'm confident enough to do it, but it's just not me. The India inside is loud, hot pink, full of glitter, glam and passion! I rinsed my hair powder pink because I'm an 18 year old just having fun! Okay, while I don't feel 18, I still very much feel my youth and I'm going to do youth-appropriate things now- I mean how silly will I look with pink hair at 35? See what I mean?

So I dyed my hair back to my natural color- dark blonde- and people's reactions toward me changed entirely. How insane is it, that we live in a society so heavily influenced by the appearance of things? Even though we know that most things are not what they seem!

Sometimes I feel so hemmed in. Like I have to live up to other people's standards. But it's my life! How can I please myself when I'm living to please and gain the approval of others? It just feels ridiculous and I'm really tired of it. I know this all sounds very much like a "first world problem," but I think there is no worse feeling in the world than being made to feel like you aren't okay the way you are. It's not fair to make anyone feel that way, no matter how they dress, speak, where they come from, whom they love, etc. I don't care what your society, religion, family, etc. tells you. Hatred/discrimination/intolerance is just not okay. Period.

All I pray for in the world is tolerance. That is the single message I tried to convey in my tours up in Munich. If we actually lived in a tolerant world, where we accepted one another because everyone has something amazing to bring to the table, we would live in one fantastic place!

Anyway, I landed my butt in "high society" here in Innsbruck. You would be amazed at all the rules of etiquette that exist that most people don't know about. So I am being groomed! For example, when a man and woman walk down the street together, the woman has to walk to the right of the man because a dog would go on his left. Excessive jewelry is vulgar- for a lady it should be simply pearls! And everyone is dying to watch how you act in public- it's like a royal court for the modern age. True, this is the life and world I always imagined for myself. When I was a little kid, I imagined that my family was royalty that had met some misfortune and that's why we lived in the ordinary. So my visions are coming true! But now that they're arriving (one by one), I am happy, but I wish I had known all of these petty "rules" sooner- then it would be easier to glide right through!

Wish me luck guys. I'm gonna have dark blonde hair for a while :P

India

Music today: Sympathique by Pink Martini

The Dance Must Go On

Spring has sprung and we are happy. Unfortunately I didn't finish learning Alejandro yet, but I made good progress and I'm excited to keep going. The weather in Innsbruck is so gorgeous. It's getting really hot and sticky and warm rainy. Everything springtime ought to be- and I am enchanted. And everything is on the up and up- there's a really good energy in the air! Things are changing for the fantastic. I can't wait to see what summer will bring. Plus I'm turning 19 in just over 4 weeks! It's my last year of being a teenager (thank goodness, haha). The main reason is most of my friends are at least 5-6 years older than me. I don't really feel 18 at all. And I never fit in with kids in my age group. It's just not my world at all. Whenever someone asks me how old I am, I always tell them to guess. The top guess is 22! The oldest I ever heard was 25, and that was really funny. 

Anyway, my week so far has been okay. On Tuesday I ran to the grocery store to get stuff to bake a cake, I was in a hurry so I took the skateboard. I haven't skateboarded in something like 3 or 4 years. And I fell. And I sprained my left foot. I really wonder how many times I've written in this blog that I fell down somewhere or dropped something. I really need to be more poised! Anyway, at first it only hurt a little and I figured nothing was wrong, so I kept skateboarding and walking. Then I went home, baked the cake (at this point I realized I couldn't walk anymore), and when I finished the pain really set in and I cried like I don't know what!

Then something amazing happened. Yesterday was also not possible to walk and it hurt, but today when I woke up nearly all the pain was gone and I can walk already (limping)! At this rate, I can dance again by next week! It's a miracle. I can't express how happy and amazed I am at how fast my foot is healing. The dance must go on!

Yesterday I went to the studio to fix some things, and I started the new recording of my latest song. I am really excited for this one. On Sunday night I watched the Sorcerer's Apprentice- I sat on the filming set with Nicolas Cage and Jon Turteltaub for this 5 years ago in New York. Suddenly after I finished the movie, a beat came to mind and words and melody and everything! True inspiration. This song is about how it really feels to be in love. I remembered the first time I did fall in love, which wasn't even a year ago. I didn't know if I was sick or there was something really wrong with me! And that's how they say it is, right? Well this song is about what it's like. I can't wait to record it and release it!!! (Will take a while, but it'll be worth it) ;)

Anyway, I'm busy singing away, writing, planning, imagining the future. Life is so unbelievable!

Love love love,

India :)

Music Tonight: Untouched by The Veronica's

Sturmfrei!

Sturmfrei is a cool word. There's no exact English word for this, but it's like when your parents go out of town and you're home alone. In my case, my favorite guy is out of town so I've got the apartment to myself for a few days. 

And boy, do I have a plan! Aside from a few pleasant surprises for when he comes home (I've committed to thoroughly cleaning the entire place for example), I've got a few ideas for how I will use the time for myself (I'm a little excited).

1. DANCING. The apartment has a gorgeous wooden floor that is absolutely perfect gettin' down. So I've decided to learn the choreography for Lady Gaga's Alejandro (one of my favorite songs, ever). I figured it's time to get used to choreographic dance, and why not learn from my favorite dancer? It's very tricky, but I always love a challenge. Maybe when I have it down I'll post a video ;) (hopefully this happens by Monday!)

2. Singing! Most of the time, we're at home working and either I don't have much time to sing, or it's too distracting. Well for the rest of the week, I'll keep working, but I will be singing very loudly as I do it. I listened to a Jack Canfield audio file the other day where he was saying how people know they're born for something. Like, how does a writer know he's born to write? Because he just cannot not write. How do I know I'm a singer? Because there does not exist a world for me where I don't sing! (My mom told me when I was very little and sat in the shopping cart at the grocery store, I used to sing while she shopped. So it's a very long-going thing for me I guess).

3. Minor music sessions. I had a musical epiphany yesterday in the form of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Music can really teach you a lot, and boy am I excited to go on a journey with these groups. It's easy to get lost in a deep sound or a moving video, and for me that has always expanded the musical part of my mind. Let's go!

It's almost Friday, so that's good news! Saturday I'll be back in the studio recording yet another two songs. It's getting bigger and better! Yesterday I had the most fun singing a new song written for me about a very funny subject... I'm just laughing and having a ball right now, I can't wait to let everyone listen to my work and hear feedback. I'm very proud of the stuff we're doing right now, and excited to release it. Dance with me tonight, and we will live forever! Who wants to come to the album release party (location immer noch undisclosed)? ;)

I'll be writing again soon. 
Have a sunny Thursday!

India

Music for the morning: Anybody by Bad Things (Shaun White plays in this band, I listened for the first time this morning- they're pretty cool!)