In times of climate change and cancel culture it was tough to commit to this jetset weekend I spent two weeks ago. In the end however, the opportunity was too tempting not to do it. Plus, I ended up going by train only. Before you get completely confused, let me explain how I traveled from Germany to California to Brazil and back. I didn’t know before either, but there is both a California and a Brazil at the east coast in Germany. Much different from what you would expect from it, but still with some elements you would encounter in those places.
Off to Cali and Brazil
In order to maximise my time at the east sea in the far north of Germany, I decided to take the night train from Basel to Hamburg. There is even a nifty trick through which you can get some decent sleep. This trick however, depends on how full the train is gonna be. Turns out train riding really is the thing to do in 2022. All summer long, trains have been bursting with people, which is a good sign actually! Now we just need to ramp up the frequency of trains and their capacity.
Arriving in California, I immediately met some Experimenters (Experiment e.V. was the exchange organization through which I spent a year abroad in the US back in 11/12). Actually, the whole purpose of that weekend was gonna be spending as much time as possible with alumns of the organization. Immersing myself right away in reminiscence of time spent in different cultures and joint volunteering experiences with the organization was a realy treat and such a good activity for the soul. Not only did we learn about the German life savers society (DLRG) and how they operate on the beaches, helping people in need; some of us even got to fake drown ourselves in order to be rescued. A demonstration on how such a mission might look so to speak. Plus we got to do some baywatch-like posing in the end. ;-)
View on the Brasil beach
After that it was straight to watersports in Brasil. It was actually the first time in my life that I stood on a surfboard, trying out windsurfing. To experience first hand how difficult it is to hold yourself up, was fascinating and extremely exhausting. From below each and every wave tries to throw you off balance, while the sail is constantly exposed to the wind, expecting you to know how to navigate thermodynamics, or else fall off. I learned a ton doing that and had a really good time plunging in the water, cherishing the cool temperatures and weather in the north. A welcome change from the constant heat of Basel.
Nothing is True and Everything is Possible
The weekend seemed to fly right past me and soon it was time to leave the east sea again, having reconnected with so many beautiful souls and even committing to applying for a new voluteering position, organizing these kind of events once a year. Now however, it was off to Hamburg. And since the distance was so far, I decided to spend a couple more days in Hamburg. Fortunately I have absolutely fantastic former colleagues so that I could not only crash with them, but also have a fun time cooking, talking, philosophizing and spending an absolute blast of a concert with them. Which brings me back to my all time favorite band. Those who know me are probably sick already about me raving about these guys. But their music means the world to me.
So on Monday evening it was time for Ashlyn and I to go see Enter Shikari. To me this has become sort of a ritual over the years, going to each and every album release show. And this one was even more special, as this was a show set to happen in 2020 just during the first covid wave. After having been re-scheduled three or four times, finally it could happen and Shikari could present their latest studio album, packed with great thoughts on climate change, our lifestyle, homophobia and human possibilities. I guess that, combined with their knack of melodious, dramatic, epic and sometimes outright in-your-face elements in their music, makes Shikari the real deal for me. Their music to me is realistic, honest and yet full of positivity in the end and I like how the band seemingly takes its potential and gift of being musicians to advertise positive change in our societies.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7Hth1pVug00TdKVQBDnsdL?si=26cbfb2502b24aae Setlist Enter Shikari live in Hamburg 2022-07-25
Before I go rambling on too much about Shikari I really want to emphasize that on a human level that night it was just as important for me to connect with my former colleague and friend Ashlyn. She not only consented to be my company that night, as I have few friends who really dig this kind of music as I do; but I really had the feeling that this night was a wonderful and valuable addition to our joint memories and that it brought me closer to understand how we are ticking as human beings. So a big shout out goes to her for being such a valuable source of inspiration, challenge and companion to my life.