This will be a collection of pictures and thoughts from my time in Germany since February 2014. I chose Wolf Parade - I'll Believe in Anything for the tone because I think it's about exploring the world and taking risks that you normally wouldn't be able to take at home.
I don't really know where to begin with this post. So I'll just let the pictures I took tell the story.
This is the outside of the brewery I worked for, called Riedenburger Brauhaus. They were in the process of expanding so there was a lot of construction going on while I was there. I tried my hardest to be a valuable worker and be a part of the team, which was easy because of how welcoming and helpful all of my co-workers were.
My friend who helped facilitate my stay assured me that my inability to speak German wouldn't be a problem because most of my co-workers spoke English. This was true to a certain extent but not enough to be comfortable. It would be insensitive of me to expect everyone to speak English so initially there were a few awkward moments of me trying and failing miserably to communicate in German. Eventually people figured out it was easier for them to attempt to speak English than to attempt to understand my German. That didn't keep me from trying to speak German on a fairly regular basis.
I spent most of the beginning of my time working in the Fermentation Cellar. It was fun, hard work, and I learned a lot about open fermentation and yeast. After about 2 weeks they put me to work on my own so I could help fill in for people who were on vacation or needed elsewhere. I would work between 9 and 14 hours every day, and it was awesome. I felt useful and productive. A way I hadn't felt in a year.
