Out of all the things I assumed I would observe my first week in Bonn, I never would have guessed that the different scents would be so apparent. Here are the 5 unforeseen smells that caught my attention these first few days studying abroad.
1. Flowers
This
week I was able to, quite literally, stop and smell the roses. All of the
beautiful flower gardens throughout Bonn are remarkable. Each flower is unique,
despite being a bloom of many. Likewise, this week I have struggled with
comparing myself to others. But people are different, just as flowers. Just
because a rose is not a lily, doesn’t mean either flower is necessarily better
than the other. Being surrounded by so many new people, I have been reflecting
on this idea more. Additionally, the smell of the roses symbolizes growth.
Various times on this trip, mostly concerning missing trains and buses, I’ve
been stressed and disappointed in my performance as a traveler. Yet it is only
week one, and I must remind myself to view these situations as an opportunity
for both adventure and growth.
2. Fresh Baked Bread
The
alluring aroma of street bakeries’ fresh bread tickles my nose and causes me to
reflect on the artisans of Bonn. From Bonn’s bakers to Beethoven, the intellectual culture of Germany can be seen in the craftsmanship
of their citizens. Even Dr. Wasser, an adopted German, exhibits this idea of
being a master at one's passion in life in his lectures and choice of
"assistant educators". Observing people in Germany have such apparent strong interests makes me question what I am passionate about. What do
I want to be passionate about? What am I currently passionate about? Do I have
a skill or talent of my own? Am I worthy of being here? Am I superficial? Do I want to be an artisan? What
do I want out of life? These fundamental life questions have been brought out
my first week in Bonn by smallest of things, like brot.
3. Cigarettes
Every street corner, bus stop, and park there is smoke from someone's
cigarette, and trust me, your nose will notice. I feel this smell represents
some of the more negative feelings I’ve had this first week. Just as smoking is
a hard habit to break, appropriately so are my bad habits from the States. Poor
eating, overspending, mental negativity, and excessive cell phone usage have
followed me across the world. Hard habits to break, but I would like to work on
them, especially so that they don’t limit me in Germany. Additionally, I am
more fearful abroad. This is in regards with both the fear of being
robbed/kidnapped by men at night, but also in the sense of fearing failure.
Often I feel as if I am not good enough to be here. Not even sure what that
means. Regardless my fears can be worked through with time. It will interesting
to see how I’ve mentally transformed from week one to week six. Lastly, I stayed
in Bonn for the first weekend while most others traveled to other places. This
made me feel like I was wasting precious minutes abroad that I would never get
back to explore Europe. This does not mean that I should be constantly doing
something every minute of every day abroad, but I would like to step up and put
more planning into my time here. I’ve never been a huge planning person, but I
need to learn to be in order to take action in my life and have the experiences I’ve
been dreaming about. So yeah, sometimes it smells like smoke, but doesn't mean you have to be the one smoking.
4. Body Odor
“Oh
God, is that me?” My thoughts exactly after a long day of walking in the heat.
Being more aware of my own B.O. is just another way that I’ve been more self-aware
of how others may perceive me. By being completely surrounded by people from a
different culture than my own, I have become more mindful of my noise level,
body language, and conversation subject matter. Aside from noticing my own body
odor, I am able to take a whiff of some stranger’s odor as well. Despite a language
difference, people are able to connect to one each other, WE ALL STINK! But
seriously, I have been lucky to see this connectedness with my 12 year old host
sister. She speaks no English, I speak no German, yet we’ve formed a great bond
already. That’s pretty cool if you ask
me.
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