I met a girl...and I liked it!

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I bet that title alone has drawn the attention of my male readers. You should, of course, all be ashamed of yourselves, since I am not in the business of using cheap tricks to attact attention to my blog. I did, however, meet a girl today who reminded me of the importance of seizing every opportunity as soon as it comes along.

Her name was Maria. Oh how easily this could turn into a poetic description of a momentous encounter of two lost souls in a foreign land...In reality it was just an advert for a language exchange, which I saw and decided to act upon. A Spanish - English exchange, no less! A slightly unusual opportunity in the middle of Germany, but didn't they keep telling us to think outside the box? I didn't think, I just sent a text message outside the box, and received one from this outside-box-space within only a few minutes. Maria, as the message was signed, was thrilled with my quick response and we arranged to meet the next day. The next day was today and Maria turned out to be the friendliest and most accommodating Spaniard I have ever met. Although in all honesty I have never met a Spaniard who was anything but that, so I guess that remark is rather irrelevant. The point is though that in the four hours I spent with Maria I spoke three different languages, met two of her German friends, got introduced to her boss in a Spanish restaurant and managed to secure myself a trial shift, went on a lantern-lit parade with German children in celebration of Saint Martin and finally got offered a (sadly unpaid) internship with a primary school class. All in a day's work...

I feel this is a positive step in the right direction. The god of spontaneity, the only kind of god I am prepared to truly believe in, seems to be acting in a rather friendly way towards me. Nothing remains but to be friendly back - who knows where this will take me? I still remember how I felt after reading The Yes Man last year, a book which, despite being a popular bestseller, holds a deeper wisdom for me. Chatting to Maria today, we both remembered that book at the same time - a fitting comparison to today's events, where once simple yes to a language exchange advert brought me much sought-after experiences and opportunities. What will come of them is not important, what is important is that this time round I am learning to be abroad and enjoy it. I am replacing my fearful no's with yes's, even if they themselves are a little bit fearful and tentative.

May my relationship with the god of spontaneity develop and flourish, leading me on more and more exciting journeys every day. If you are listening, Mr God - thank you for today and let the fun begin! And maybe I should consider giving Mr God and name if we are to get to know each other better...

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