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

Home Sweet Home

Can you believe it's been a month since I flew to Florida (and thus a really long time since my last post)? Sorry 'bout that! I've just been enjoying being at home in good old Innsbruck, seeing all my friends again and enjoying all of my familiar european things…

You could not believe how happy I was to come home. I had an absolutely fabulous time with my family in Florida, but as we descended into Munich, the sun was rising and I practically had tears in my eyes. You know you're lucky when you can be that excited about coming home. Where I grew up, in Ann Arbor (Michigan), we went on vacation a lot (mostly to New York) and every time we had to go home we were just so bummed. I mean vacations are fun and no one ever wants it to end, but being able to look forward to going home feels so cool. I feel so lucky to be in love with the place I live. I love Europe(well who doesn't, really)!

I'm back to the same old stuff, networking (meeting people and "teaming up"), baking banana bread, and all the other things one does in Innsbruck (hiking!). I'm excited to say I'm doing a small vintage-style photoshoot tomorrow for my friend's art show which should be pretty fun! Today we went on a  relatively big hike in the mountains to get to an awesome climbing spot. The hike was pretty long (and crazy!), there was even a part where we had to climb over a train tunnel (I had to use a rope because there was almost no ground to land on). It was awesome!

Okay while it all sounds so cool, it's still life. Life is beautiful but not without its ups and downs. And I really miss my family! To be honest, I had a hard time fitting in at the time in Florida- I felt pretty out of place culture-wise. But I had a really good time seeing all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins; I wish we would see each other more often!

Anyway, everything is a learning process. What I learned in Florida is that it's important to be in the moment and to be content wherever one is. Hindsight is 20/20! I've always had this difficulty with being too dreamy and always being somewhere else in my head than where I physically am. When I was in Florida, I was terribly homesick. Now that I'm home, I miss my family. On a road trip in 2009, I was dying to get to Havasu Falls, AZ (a beautiful location off the Grand Canyon). Once we got to the falls, all I could think about was Denver. Story of my life!

Of course now that I'm home, I'm extremely content. Believe it or not, it's everything I'm used to now. And as of February 27th, I've lived in Europe for 2 years! That is a relatively short period of time. But when I look back at how many things have changed since February 27th, 2012, it feels like forever. It feels kinda like both my mentality and personality have changed. Of course between the ages of 16-18 (the age span for me since the move), a lot changes anyway. I've learned to think and dream bigger. I've figured out exactly what I want with my life, and that's a good feeling! But anyway, things should get interesting in the next weeks…

I'm excited!

The updates will keep coming… ;)

Lots of love!
India

Song of the Day: Recover by CHVRCHES (this song is AWESOME)

Land of the Free, Home of the Twinkie

...what's that sound? It's America! The homeland, a place where public toilets are free, and "around the corner" means twenty minutes away. I landed on Monday and I'll be hanging out here in Florida for a little while.

Since not having been to America for two years (not even visiting once since I moved to Germany), I must say I'm suffering a bit from culture shock. I knew that was going to happen, and I love that it's what travel is kinda all about, but I am still amazed at how far from home I feel here. It feels like the only American thing about me anymore is that I speak English.

Still, the trip was exciting. I have always loved flying. When we lifted up over Munich, I could see my favorite lakes (Starnberger See and Ammersee) and even straight down to the Alps. The flight itself was only a little boring, but I of course being "pseudo-European" that I am ordered wine twice on the American airplane where the 21 and up law is supposed to apply (which I don't fulfill). Confidence is key my friends! The transfer in Atlanta was by far the funniest and coolest part of the entire ordeal, mostly because of all the super friendly people working at the airport there- the sense of humor is really something else.

the sunset I caught descending over Florida was spectacular

Landing in Orlando was nothing short of disorientating. Suddenly, I was just in a different world! My family picked me up and we drove immediately (of course) to Disney, ate at the House of Blues where I had a lovely dish of Jambalaya (southern food is the best! I swear deep inside I'm a southern country girl). Of course there's jet lag and all that, which I'm happy to say I got through in a period of 24 hours. One thing I can't get over is how big everything is here! The highways, the cars, the houses, the huge amount of empty spaces... it only goes on! America is truly a HUGE mass of land.

my attempt at going to the beach- I didn't pick the nicest day, did I?

Spending time with my family is nice, and of course we're doing all of the typical Florida things, like Disney World and going to the beach (although it's slightly chilly here). In fact, we went to ALL four parks of Disney World yesterday, and let's just say I have the coolest Grandparents ever. We get to Epcot (the park with all the mini-country sections) and head straight to France for some Grey Goose slushies. Comme j'ai déjà dit (as I already said), I'm under 21. But my awesome Grandma says to my Grandpa: "hey, can you order her the Grand Marnier-Grey Goose one?" and bam! That's how I get a daiquiri-style cocktail in the middle of Disney World. And while I don't really care about the drink itself, I think it's really cool that my Grandparents accept my (and therefore most of Europe's) attitude toward it.

What really throws me is the knowledge (or lack thereof). I was telling one of my new friends here about my trip to The Canary Islands and she asked where they were. At least three different people have asked which language they speak in Austria (mostly phrased, "don't they speak Austrian there?"). And though I must admit that Austrian German is nearly a language in itself (haha, just kidding my Austrian buddies!), I'm still amazed at that question. 

A lot of people don't quite understand me when I say, "one day I will give up my American citizenship and become German." But the truth is, even though I spent 16 years living and growing up in this country, it will never be my home. I know that I will wind up spending much more time in other countries, and especially in the one place my heart resides.

To demonstrate:

-I adore Italy. If someone were to force me to spend the rest of my life in one city, out of anywhere in the world, I would choose Venice.

-New York is the heartland. That city is so much a part of my soul, and I'll live there again (even if I will have to get a visa at that point to do so).

-My best friends are like a family to me and are mostly all Austrian (or live there). I adore living in Innsbruck.

BUT

as we were driving up to Munich last weekend, when we crossed the border from Austria to Germany, my heart just sang. I know that sounds ridiculously dumb, but that's about as real as it gets. I know where I am when I'm in Germany. I know where I belong when I'm at home in the "fatherland." And though I love travelling the entire world, I know where my heart will always be.

So how's everyone's week[end] been?

Much love and adoration

India

Music at Midnight! (this one's a no-brainer):

Midnight City by M83 (check out the Eric Prydz remix too!)

the first ride of the day, Everest!

The lovely Cinderella Castle, of course