The Best Time of My Life
It was Europe.
Living in and traveling around Europe for SIX months in 2024, was the best time of my life!
There were sacrifices I (+ my family) had to make in order for me to have the opportunity to work in Europe for six months, but I have absolutely no regrets! My time there was truly a dream come true. The military assignment I was on was actually something I wanted to do since like 2016, prior to marriage and a baby, but it didn’t work out that way. Ideally my family would have been able to visit for two to three months of that summer, but that also didn’t end up being the case. However, I’m so thankful I was able to fly my mom and son over to spend three weeks with me. I’m even more grateful for my mom’s courage and willingness to fly over with my 4-year-old to visit me. She probably has no idea, but that meant the world to me. Many said they would come; but my mom and son were the only ones who did in the end and that’s okay.
From March - September 2024, I lived and worked in Germany. The weekends are what I lived for; I traveled to 16 additional European countries in that six months. I probably only spent a total of five weekends in Germany, chile I was driving or flying to some other country almost every weekend! It was thrilling to be able to drive to a whole other country, in comparison to how we drive hours in the U.S. and just end up in another state lol
I was recently offered an opportunity to go back on that job assignment for another six months in 2026, but I declined. My job there was boring and honestly, I felt under-utilized. I read a LOT [of books] though. The money I made was an added benefit, it was the cake, and I could have saved a lot more than I did if I didn’t travel as much. But traveling all over was the icing [on said cake].
One of the best parts of my European “vacation” (as some have facetiously dubbed it), was making a life-long friend over there who happened to have the same first name as me (although I’m sure it’s millions of us lol). My only wish is that we had met sooner. Once we traveled together the first time and had a ball, every trip thereafter was together + a few of our other coworker friends sometimes. Once I was selected to go on this assignment as an officer, I was a little concerned about not having anyone to travel with or get close to because of my position. Germany was different though and so is being in the Guard (Air National Guard). We’re like family. We worked together, traveled together + kept each other safe and out of trouble. It also helped that a lot of my buddies who I was enlisted with at my former unit were there for the same assignment/initiative as me at that time.
Top 5 Fave Cities
Paris
I went to Paris three separate times, and every time felt like when I go to Las Vegas. There’s always something to do and every time I go to both places, I do something I’ve never done the previous time. I went to Paris for the first time with my mom and son. We went to Disneyland Paris for a few days. Disneyland is actually on the outskirts of Paris, so we took the train into the busy city; we were too close to not see the Eiffel tower. Now, we have pictures to reminisce on for a lifetime! The other times I went to Paris I went to a few clubs, made a purse like a Chanel, purchased an actual Chanel (my dream bag), saw Mona Lisa @ the Louvre, Notre Dame, and went to the very top of the Eiffel tower and overlooked the entire city!
London
I just loved everything about London! What I loved specifically though was the food we ate (which did not include beans and toast), taking Uber boats, and being amongst people who look like me. Me and my travel buddy hit all of the touristy spots - Borough Market; Greenwich Market; London Bridge, Tower of London, London Eye, Big Ben, & Buckingham Palace. Taking the Uber Boats all over was such a fun experience; we didn’t have to worry about traffic, and they had mini bars on them lol I loved London, I wish I had more time there and I’d love to go back one day!
Venice
Solo trip. Although I picture Venice as a city for lovers, I still enjoyed exploring it solo. Surrounded by water, or canals, my primary sources of transportation were my two feet and water taxis. I couldn’t resist taking one of the famous gondola boat rides as well, which was a little scary because it feels like it can tip over with every movement. I went on a boat tour to visit some of the other well-known islands - Burano, Murano, & Torcello. I also did a food and wine tour - I loved everything I tried! Italy knows their cuisine!
Dubrovnik
Absolutely stunning! I visited Dubrovnik, off the southern coast of Croatia. If you are a Game of Thrones stan like me, you can imagine how surreal it was to be here, the very place where many of the King’s Landing scenes were filmed. Within the city walls of Old Town, there are soooo many stairs, which was my least favorite part. While in Dubrovnik over a holiday weekend, we maximized our time and checked off two additional countries by taking a day trip to Montenegro one day then to Bosnia and Herzegovina on another day. All three of these countries, I had never dreamed of going and yet Croatia became one of my favorite trips. Plus, swimming in and ziplining off the coast of the Adriatic Sea was an unforgettable experience.
Amsterdam
I know what comes to mind when most people think of Amsterdam, but this city is too dope to only be known for that. Amsterdam is so unique, I don’t even really know how to describe it. It was one of the places I went more than once too. One thing of note is that it’s a city full of bikers. I was more nervous driving my car because of all the bikers and trying not to hit them. Amsterdam is another city where canals flow all throughout and add to its beauty. One of the cool things I saw were canals being cleared of debris and bikes that were either pushed in or fell in over time. A bonus in going to Amsterdam the first time was linking up with my cousin and her friend and seeing Meg Thee Stallion on tour! Another unique thing was these urinal type things set up along sidewalks in the open, although they could be of no use to women smh. Enjoy the pictures below.
Interesting and Random Things I Noted About Europe Overall:
I never heard anyone say “Gesundheit” (“Bless you”) in Germany after someone sneezed.
There were very few overweight people; maybe there’s some truth in the food being healthier there, then couple that with all the walking and stairs.
On the topic of walking, there is cobblestone everyone, like in every major city I visited in most countries - very historic. It’s not the most comfortable to walk over for long periods of time. I quickly understood why women didn’t wear heels out to clubs hardly ever.
Just like in the States, there are tattoo parlors galore.
I believe I may have seen more graffiti than I’ve ever seen anywhere I’ve been in the States; or maybe it exists more in larger American cities, and I just don’t see it regularly.
Taking an elevator is not always an option because some places just don’t have them. I often wondered how people with less physical mobility get around.
It’s common for homes, hotels, restaurants, etc. to lack central air conditioning. In fact, my apartment didn’t have A/C, and I refused to buy a standalone unit. The common practice is to close your windows, rolladens, and curtains during the day to keep the heat out in the summer and then open them at night for fresh air. I rarely kept any windows open at night in my apartment because most of my windows lacked screens to prevent bugs AND my bedroom window faced a noisy street. I loved the windows though because when I chose to open them, they had the ability to swing open or tilt inward. I survived the summer with just a fan at night and never got too hot. On the weekends though, I only stayed in places that had A/C.
Lacking A/C and then not automatically giving me ice in my beverage at a restaurant was absurd to me. Waiters would almost act like it was an inconvenience sometimes to provide you a cup of ice.
Believe it or not, everywhere I traveled to people spoke English. Although English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, I admired that majority of the people I encountered or interacted with were bi- or multilingual. Witnessing this, coupled with spending a great deal of time with my Mexican and Puerto Rican military coworkers, inspired me to pick back up on learning Spanish. I’ve been consistently learning for over a year now.
Music is one thing that transcends cultures and countries. I heard a lot of American music being played in various places I visited across Europe. Even heard Sexyy Red played at a club in Greece.
The views were unmatched. There’s no picture I took that could capture the natural beauty I witnessed. I hope my brain never forgets the beauty my eyes saw.
I believe I could honestly move to Europe. Most of the places I went, I never even imagined going nor had planned to ever visit and ended up loving (Prague, Copenhagen, & Brussels, just to name a few). Europe was different in many ways but that’s what made it fascinating, especially when you keep an open mind and reject your expectations of things being just like home. However, considering it’s highly unlikely I’d ever make that kind of permanent move, returning home to the U.S. of A. has caused me to grow a deeper appreciation for our architectural infrastructure, comforts, and naturally beautiful landscapes. This summer I visited two very popular cities in the U.S. that have been on my list for the past few years - Chicago and Seattle. Both reminded me just how dope and beautiful our country is too.
Check out my reel to see all the places I visited!
