One thing I've never mentioned here on Hive before is that back in 2009, I was an exchange student in Germany and that actually became a big part of me. I reminisced a lot about the time I had there. Truthfully, I love doing that and comparing myself between then and now and being like wow.. I have actually grown (at least in one way or another 😂)
I stumbled into the community and I thought, Perfect timing! What would be a better time to do #TBT or #ThrowbackThursday in the most memorable time of the year like Christmas? So, I'd like to share my Weihnachtsmarkt experience and what I thought about it then and now.
☃️ Winter ☃️
It was the first long-term winter, I've ever had in my life. Thailand is a tropical country and it never snowed. So, that year was the very first snowy winter for me.
I would sit inside and watch the snow from my bedroom window. I was so young and so excited every day to be out in the snow.
The most exciting day is the day I get to go out and meet my friends in the city.
Taking an S-Bahn to the city, I felt so mature to travel around on my own. In Thailand, we almost never get to do that, because we don't have public transportation and if you were a kid, the parents always gonna be the one who takes you everywhere.
☃️ Weihnachten in der Stadt ☃️
A little game here: I'm not gonna tell you in which city I was, but I'll show you the most iconic thing of one of the cities I went to, which is this pyramid. If you know where it is, let me know in the comment 😁
Weihnacht is a German word for Christmas. As a girl, who grew up in a catholic school, we've always celebrated Christmas and we had a longer holiday, compared to a Buddhist school. I was more than ready to see with my own eyes how the western people celebrate Christmas
It was truly a festive time. Christmas decorations were all over the city and it just made the young me so happy in all the glowing lights and the Christmas playlist of this joyful time of the year.
The mall organizing a kid's bakery workshop, which I find very cute and a quite effective and interactive event for the customers.
☃️ Weihnachtsmarkt ☃️
As you might have guessed "Markt" in German means Market in English. All over Europe, especially in Germany, you'll find lots of "Weihnachtsmarkt", which I think it's so nice to see people enjoying the time outside.
Warm food is great for this time and I'd always ordered a crepe when I'm at the market.
This is my friend, L and our one shared crepe since we were just 2 broke girls. Our favorite is the Nutella and banana crepe.
Sometimes I ordered Lángos, which is actually a Hungarian Fried flatbread, but it's one of the common street foods you can buy here from the market.
The most important thing to try at the Weihnachtsmarkt however is this "Glühwein", another super mature thing I achieved from there. My friend and I got one to taste it. It tasted bad for a kid (Of course) Still, I had that innocent smile, I didn't know what Alcohol truly was until a few years later. 😂
In some Weihnachstmarkt, they have something extra than just the stalls, like this carousel here. I didn't go on it, I felt too mature after I got the wein and I told myself, a carousel is just childish.
☃️ My Reflection and A Letter to My Younger Self ☃️
Dear young NomNomNoodle,
It was so nice to get to travel back in time to see you. Even though it's more than 10 years past, the experience is still vivid in our minds. I want to thank you for being so brave, getting ourselves out there, and (rarely) not afraid to find something new. That was one great thing that led us this far.
Back then, our judgment was so fixated on the definition of what's mature and what's not. Funnily, I want to tell you now that at this time those things aren't even important anymore. So, just live your day. Do whatever you want to do as long as it doesn't hurt anybody. I want to share with you that one of the most important lessons as we grow up is that you'll learn better and better every day how to "balance" things out. So, don't worry about the future. We've got each other, and always will.
Merry Christmas,
2023 NomNomNoodle
Also, thank you guys for joining me in this Throwback Thursday.
stay present with all the lessons from the past, guys
Khob khun kaa,
Nomnomnoodle 🍜