Celebrating a Birthday in Germany

by Karabo Manasoe 
 

When I was coming to Germany, it was a bitter-sweet moment because of one reason: I was going to celebrate my birthday away from home, and away from my family. But the really amazing upside was that I was going to celebrate my birthday in a different and amazing
country of Germany for the first time. So, after landing on the 4th of January the countdown to my birthday, which was on the 8th of January and only 4 days away, began at the back of my mind.

Long story short, the day before my actual day finally on arrival. On this day, me and a couple of the other guys and girls from the program decided to explore a well-known spot here in Germany: Shooter Stars. As we were sitting, chatting, and having our drinks the time then hit23:00 local German. What made this particular hour special time was that technically it was officially my birthday back in South Africa. The other guys reminded me of this, and sent me birthday wishes. What made this particular hour and moment special was that at this particular hour, in some shape or form, my mind and heart came to the profound realization that I was in a different country having a once-in-a-lifetime international experience, and that for me was truly something special.

So, fast forward to the morning of the next day; the morning of my actual birthday. The morning started with me receiving a secret gift from Barbara and a very lovely colorful handmade necklace (It blended perfectly with the scarf I was wearing). Everyone then sang me happy birthday in English and in German. It was my first time hearing the German happy birthday song and was an amazing start to my morning.

After the morning session with everyone, we then had to make our way to one of the major excursions for the day: a visit to the museum at Hohentübingen Castle. This was of course my first ever visit to any castle, and the fact that it was a museum made it all the more intriguing since a historical element to the trip was going to be involved. Having walked all the way to the museum, which was on a little hill, we had a stunning view of the town of Tubingen and it was truly beautiful.

After our look at the city, we then went around the museum with our tour guide, and she told us about the various interesting historical pieces that were at the museum. What stood out for me the most, although it was not part of the official tour of the museum, was a hall of historical statues in a section of the castle. It was truly an amazing sight to see, and one that I'll not forget easily.

Fast forward to the end of the day, after we had completed our excursions and official program items, we then made our way to a well-known German outing place: Kuckuck. There we had plenty of fun dancing, chatting, and simply having ourselves a German experience. After the end of our outing, we then made our way home to the various host families we were residing with. And just when I thought my night and birthday would end with simply me taking a bus trip home, I GOT LOST in town! The reason of my being lost was that I had taken the wrong bus back home and now found myself on the opposite side of town to where I live. Since it was the early days of my stay in Tübingen, this experience was a truly scary and dreadful one. To cut a long story short, I eventually decided to walk home and was lucky enough not to have any major troubles getting back home.

So, in hindsight, my day started with warm feelings and birthday wishes from everyone, transitioned into a bit of sightseeing and a historical castle visit, and finally ended with me having fun at an outing and having to make a long journey back home by foot. This, I must say, was truly the best birthday ever and quite an unforgettable experience. An experience I will always remember as: "My very adventurous birthday in Germany."