8 weeks in

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

― Albert Einstein 

It's been 8 weeks since we made the jump from Ireland over to the western German city of Cologne. Going from a quiet town of 30,000 to a busy city with over a million people has been an exciting change. Luckily for us we live in an amazing little part of the city, that feels more like a small community, outside the bustle of downtown, but close enough to get there if we want to.

Biggest challenges so far have been getting my residence/work permit... hello my old friend bureaucracy! Oh how I have missed having to do lots of paperwork, and showing my passport to 3-4 different offices. Well okay, I didn't really miss that, but at least the process here in Germany has been a lot quicker than the process in Ireland.

I am really enjoying exploring our new surroundings. So far the people in Cologne seem relaxed and open. It is pretty diverse here, and while maybe not the most beautiful German city that I have seen, the Dom is incredible. And no matter how many times I see it, it is still breathtaking.

One thing I really love about Cologne is how much green there is in the city. That was unexpected for such a big city. There are a lot of big green spaces for people to walk, jog, relax, etc. We live close to the Stadtwald, or city forest, which is like translated, a huge forest in the city. There is even a petting zoo inside of it. Regardless of the weather there are always people out there doing exercises, sun bathing, cycling, or just enjoying the beautiful scenery. It is incredible there.

My German is really coming along, and having to speak it everyday has helped me to improve quickly. I was really nervous at first talking in front of other people, because what if I made a mistake?? But turns out people really don't care, and are happy that you try to speak with them. Its always nice when someone compliments your ü or your pronunciation! Small victories!

Oh and did I mention the sunshine?! Ireland has its qualities, but sunshine is not one of them, we had four weeks of 90 degree (30 C), weather to end the summer, it was amazing. Think that was more sunshine than we had the entire time in Ireland :). Anyways, we are enjoying it here and looking forward to the rest of the fall and the winter coming up which means the famous German Christmas Markets will be starting!