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

Jour et Nuit

My life is only a movement of constant change. It's like day and night, but from day to day! ...If that makes sense.

Anyway, yesterday I got my first two songs sent to me, which are still being edited, but the latest versions were awesome! Of course the one is a little heavy and sad, but it's cool to listen to. The other one is just a pure fun jam, with a super vintage feel. I can't wait to release them and share them with the world!

Today I'm going back to the studio and recording another two or three songs. Needless to say, IIIII'm excited!

Otherwise on the menu this week is composing, getting the rest of my life together, and so on... 

I am so ready to break out of my shell and out of the "old world." I just want to see and hear and feel everything. I'm dying to go back to New York (it's been 5 years on the dot!), I want to see Singapore, Peru, Russia, etc. Just bring it on!

I am also coming to an unfortunate realization that some things in my life just aren't working. It's up to me to fix and change them, but it's not the easiest thing in the world. There will be people I say goodbye to. There will be doors closing very soon from my side. It makes me sad, but I know in the long run, there's so many things in this world to see and experience, I won't lose by saying "no more!" to negative influences. I feel an extreme pull to get out of Innsbruck. It's a lovely town as I always shouted from the top of my lungs, but I feel like I need to be somewhere else right now. I'm thinking Chile or Hong Kong.

Anyway, I need to get my hands on some cash, and then I will be gone like lightning! And I will be absolutely everywhere...

I dream of a clean earth. I dream that one day the Hudson River will be drinkable, and that in India there will be farms and (good) food and houses for everyone. I want to give people hope through my music and my work. I truly hope that I am able to inspire people to dream and dare to achieve their visions for their lives. There's so much more that I imagine for my life and the lives of others...

My dear readers, I hope all is well with you and that you enjoyed the holidays with your families. Have a wonderful Wednesday and rest of the week. Try to do something you love today. Something that makes your heart sing.

All my heart

India

Song for the day: Ich lass für dich das Licht an by Revolverheld

Wanderlust

Ahhh! I can't believe how the time has flown since last post. A whole month already! Well needless to say, I've been incredibly busy- I've got plans up, down, inside-out and backwards! Also needless to say, a lot has changed in the past month. Ah the life of an 18-year-old.

About three weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting a music producer who was interested in working with me. Now I'm making music! I went to the studio for the first time two weeks ago and recorded a song I started writing last fall. I'm really excited about it! As soon as it's finished and ready to be released, of course I'll be sharing it. I don't want to give too much away, I'll just tell you guys it's about a relationship I experienced. On Saturday another song came to me (I just started writing and it kind of took off), and this one is going to be even better. It's about the time I spent in La Palma in January with my friends. That time had a huge influence on my life now and of course I miss that beautiful place. I've been listening to Spanish music like crazy lately (like Obsesion by Aventura).

I'm heading into the studio again on Wednesday to put the finishing touches on my own work and start recording a few new things. Some of these songs are so much fun, some are difficult to sing, but the creative process of making music is so much fun. It all makes sense to me. When we're creating the tracks, I know exactly what I want and which sound should go where. Music is one thing that I really just get.

I've made some new friends, and last Friday I performed at an open mic night here in town. Eight of my own friends came to see me, and it was a lot of fun! I love performing. I don't know if open mic night is exactly 'India-Style' but it was really cool anyway. I sang Untogether by Belly (a band whose hey-day was in the 90s but no one's heard of now), I Will by the Beatles, More Than Words by Extreme (the all-time classic), and Nothing Else Matters by Metallica (this was my absolute favorite to perform).

Besides the studio this week, my colleagues have planned a huge seminar event on Thursday here in Innsbruck. It's an all-day affair with a life coach from Cologne, Alexander Vitocco. I'm excited for this! I love life-coaching and that kind of thing. In the end, all I want is to help people too. Hopefully I can achieve that through my music.

On Friday and Saturday I'll heading up to Munich to work a few tours again. And next week it's all music again!

Lately, I've been dreaming of traveling the world again (as if I ever stopped). I want to go to Hong Kong and South America. I want to see everything! There are so many beautiful places on this earth... I feel lucky to have seen the minor fraction that I have, but all I can think is about the unknown. I want to go on an adventure! It's something we call 'wanderlust' (also a fairly well-known term in the anglophone world, thanks to Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd).

Anyway, that's my life in a nutshell at the moment. Anyone wanna take me far, far away?

I promise I'll write again in a couple of days!
Love

India

Song for the day: Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz (I love how this song feels!)

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

Schub!

Schub is a German word that basically means thrust or push. And when we say "schub geben!" (or giving thrust), we mean business. Networking is a big business, in fact the biggest and wealthiest business in the entire world- generating billions of units of currency every year. 

And I'm only at the forefront.

It's so awesome because the skills I'm learning with networking will come in very handy for other interests, like singing (for example). I know, I'm not giving many details about what this networking stuff actually entails, they are coming soon! But I know not everyone is actually interested in my work.

My real work is more interesting, right? I mean my work of nature, my "god-given" work- writing music and siiiiiiinging!

So how does this lyric sound?

…und du schaust mich an und sagst mir so leise,

ich mag dich gern, deine Art und Weise

oh oh honey I wanna see the world with you

tell me all the things we're gonna do!

that's right! I'm writing a song in German. Well technically the song is going to be in German AND English (think of the band Frida Gold, they do the same thing). So the words might sound totally cheesy or whatever, but it's so real/current/relevant to my life situation right now. ;)

Well enough of the boring stuff, right? It's about time I put up some pictures here! They're coming… I'm planning on producing a webinar this week about a book. When I was with my team in La Palma, we were all supposed to present books as an effort to spread knowledge and growth. Long story short, only one of us actually presented- and though it was a really good presentation, I feel really bad for not presenting mine. So I'll be posting an informative presentation video about the book The Secret very soon! (Maybe I should turn this into a video blog?)

Also happening: AMERICA in two weeks! Hello all things American: Denny's, peanut butter, and dairy queen! 'MURICA!

Nah just kidding. I like peanut butter, but I am by far the least american person you've met (except for my chips and oreos obsession). I'm still totally excited to hit up the beach, that fresh Worth Avenue (yes, I'm going to Florida!), and every Ralph Lauren outlet Orlando has to offer. Can anyone spare me their black AmEx? haha ;) Of course seeing my family and surfing in Coco Beach will be a blast. Hello Sunshine! 

Over and Out! (Good night and good luck!)

India

Music of the Night: Lullabies (Adventure Club Remix) by Yuna

Am Meer (by the sea)

So far, La Palma is fantastic! It's beautiful here, the food is great and cheap, the sun shines and I can hear the ocean from our hotel room! On January 1st we went sailing from Tenerife Island and we saw dolphins! That was incredible. I had never been on a sailboat before but always wanted to, so it was really cool. That night though we took a ferry to La Palma island, where we've been ever since. On Thursday (2. January) we hung out at the black sand beach in the small port town we're staying in, Puerto Naos. 

The Canary Islands are pretty cool because they remind me of Hawaii; they were formed out of volcanoes, there's a huge variety of flora and fauna, and the best part: there are few frangipani (plumeria) trees! Those are the best smelling flowers I know. Anyway, on Friday we went to a special boulder beach where you can actually go surfing. That night we went to a really great unknown restaurant and just ordered a menu of the typical food of the area, and it was so good. I don't know what made it so good, it just was! 

On Saturday we visited a national park in the mountains where they have an observatory and we went on a walk through there, but then we visited some land in the area where there was a small farm with horses and chickens and it was pretty cool- one of our friends said it might even be possible to ride the horses! Ahhhh! Sunday was just been another chill-out day, laying on the beach and turning brown. Sunday was actually the first day I went in the water (and got tossed by the huge shorebreak about a million times), getting tons of black sand in my hair and bathing suit. Man, I love the Atlantic but I don't know if it loves me!

I do have a pretty big and exciting announcement, however!

Everything's changing! I'm moving again! This time to a new country- to Austria! Okay, it's not as big of a deal as I make it seem- I'll only be 90 minutes away from Munich, but still... I'm thrilled! The town is called Innsbruck, well-known mostly because it's a huge winter sports destination- deep in the Austrian alps. It's a beautiful spot and I'm so excited to start a new adventure there! For now I'm networking there (which is going to be awesome), working hard, hey who knows? I might even sing in a few clubs! If you can't tell I'm excited, then you haven't been reading ;)
 Austria, are you ready for me?!

More news when it's more exciting!

Music for the morning: Only the Young by Brandon Flowers 

Countdown!

The New Year is upon us!
 
...look at me, Madame Creativity over here writing about the coming New Year just like anyone else.

But how could you not think about it? New Year's is the time when everyone is thinking of change, and many people are hoping this is the year that will change everything (just like they hoped that last year and the year before)...

I don't mean to sound morbid or cynical by any means. I actually want to say that I'm as excited for 2014 as anyone else and hope it will be magical and wonderful and all of those things.

I know there are also people who couldn't care less about the approaching year. I have noticed people become a bit discouraged at New Year's because they begin with so much gumption and motivation and little by little it fades away... and that's sad.

What I want to say here, is that every year can be your year. It's purely up to you what you want to do with all of the January's, February's, March's and so on that you get. New Year's happens to be a great time to get in the mood for fixing things (maybe you want to quit your job or learn guitar). The thing is, you have to stick with it!

Think about it. Mostly everyone makes New Years resolutions. Then the year goes by and most people break them. They get disappointed and hope the next year will be better. But they don't change the input! Giving up each time will take you nowhere.

So whatever it is you want to accomplish in 2014, just do it!

Dont't fall into the trap of thinking whatever you want is too hard or impossible. Don't worry about the how's and why's. Just know that if you want 2014 to be great, then make it great. Be the person you'd love to be best friends with. Be the person you would love to date. 2014 is the year for you to achieve your dreams and goals. They might be huge or extremely small, but each are significant and the point is to make steps. Each day, take one step closer to where you want to be- and by the time 2015 rolls around, you'll be amazed at where you are.

So that's just my motivational speech. As I said, I am very excited for 2014, as I will be spending the first two weeks of it in Spain, somewhere I've never been before! 2014 Also looks very busy on my horizon, with prospects of visiting my family and being able to start a lot more work on music. I'm halfway done with my very own first-ever song! I don't know what I'm calling it yet, but it's got a very personal theme to me (family). I've also started a second one (it has a title ;)) and this one is also pretty personal (a guy). I'm excited to start sometime on recording them and sharing.... I hope sometime before April or May!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great Winter so far.

See ya next year! ;) (I know, that line is also pretty original).
Love
India
 
Song for today (or Tuesday): The New Year by Death Cab for Cutie

Writin'

Love is in the air... wait, that's the smell of Glühwein! Which is almost the same thing, right? Especially for single people like me ;)

Glühwein is one of coolest things ever. It's a hot mulled wine, mixed with delicious spices and it's the perfect winter drink. In Munich, there is more than just the red wine kind. There's also a white one, and when I was in Nuremberg yesterday, I tried their traditional Glühwein made of blueberries! Delicious. It's a typical thing to have at christmas markets anywhere in Germany, and I love it! I love the markets too. In Munich there's a huge one right in the main town square (Marienplatz) but there's also other smaller ones all across the city center, in any little square they can manage to squeeze one into.

Nuremberg- I went there yesterday (as I said) to see a concert of a band I always really liked but had never seen live. It had been a long time since I had been to that kind of concert, so it kind of threw me back in my pre-teen punk rock years. I used to be a little rocker chick. I was really excited to because Nuremberg is one of my favorite cities in the whole world, and because right now Europe's most famous christmas market is happening there! So of course I had to pay a visit, try the Glühwein and have a Nürnberger sandwich (3 breakfast sausage links on a roll). Yum!

The band I went to see is called Silverstein and they're from Canada. They gave a really good show yesterday! I'm really happy to finally have seen them (the more you read my blog here, the more you will find what a vast range of music I enjoy). What I really liked about the concert was discovering a band I'd never heard of, Dream On Dreamer from Melbourne, Australia! They were so cool.

Anyway, everything in my life is just same old story at the moment. Lots of work, lots of music, lots of writing. I've been trying to sit down every morning and every evening and write a few lyrics (if I can). So far I'm getting pretty excited about all of it!

Well as the year draws closer to its end, I am thinking more and more about how the year has been. Usually I do this really corny thing and write a summary of my year, just highlighting the main events of each month. For example, last January my family came to visit and we moved into a new apartment. In June I travelled nearly all of Germany. In September I started my job as photographer (can you believe how much time has passed since then already?!).

One more thing, I just want to say thank you to all of you who read this. I am already way over a thousand views on this page (although I think I could be at more if I would write more often)! So thanks. Keep reading and I'll keep writing ;)

'Til next time
India

Song of the Day: Something by The Beatles

Round and Round

On a more unfortunate note, I am not traveling to Kiev in November as planned. Though I am slightly disappointed, the trip has not been cancelled altogether- just moved to mid-January. Every cloud has a golden lining. In this case I am grateful as this allows me to continue working through the end of the tourist season (til New Years). Plus it gives me more time to learn Russian better. Then it's off to the Canaries and then Ukraine! 

I am totally excited for what the New Year has in store. Let's just say I am working on various projects on the moment, mostly involving music. I'm doing all kinds of things- writing songs, imagining some album concepts, and trying basically to get a clear image of what I want to achieve as an artist and a singer. For the moment I'm concentrating a lot on pop rather than opera. I was always better at pop anyway ;)

A number of you might be wondering why I'm talking about Kiev and the Canary Islands at all. One evening I was working at a club and I got to know an amazing group of people called the DO Team (do-people.com). These people are revolutionizing the way network marketing works (basically that means promoting a product through word-of-mouth) with a really cool product called Lava Vitae. This is a health supplement made of activated volcanic ash that helps your body detox and promotes brain and digestive health. I took this while I was getting over a second round of tonsillitis (I am the luckiest person alive) and it worked wonders. Anyway, what the DO People do is promote the product worldwide through personal networking, and the next market to open is in Ukraine.

Besides that, the people I've gotten to know in this team are just the loveliest bunch. I've had so much fun in such a short time with them and I'm really excited for our future projects together (exciting details to come)!

The weekend is also going to be busy and exciting and crazy (story of my entire life)- I'm moving- again! This time to a more long-term place. And I'm photographing tonight and Saturday night! Check out my galleries- these are my two personal favorites: 
http://www.nachtagenten.de/fotos/list.php?gallery=914733&public=GLDIlL3f914733

http://www.nachtagenten.de/fotos/list.php?gallery=914808&public=CKuCwLo1914808

Have a terrific Friday everybody!

Music for the morning: I Couldn't Care Less by Leslie Clio (she's so cool, check her out!)