This is a story about a girl stepping out of her comfort zone and challenging herself to thrive in a place she never thought she would live.

When I started dating a boy at 16, I knew I was in for an adventure. But adventures at 16 can mean riding ATVs across the bumpy fields at his grandparents’ camp, or staying up to watch the sunrise on prom night. They don’t always mean spending the next nine years in four different colleges, followed by five years of long distance across three different states. And never did that 16 year old girl imagine those adventures would lead to her sitting at an IKEA kitchen table in a downtown apartment, staring out at a church steeple just steps away in Osnabrück, Germany.

But life changes. A lot. And over these past nine years I’ve been working on embracing those changes and using them to improve me.

Prior to this move, my job as a television news producer took me from my hometown of Syracuse, New York to the sleepy North Carolina city, Winston-Salem. I loved it there, but knew my career needed a boost. That drive brought me to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My guy had just finished college in Syracuse and moved there with me. I thought that’s where we might just put down roots. But he got a great job in Syracuse and moved back home, and we were once again in a long-distance relationship.

Two years later, the biggest twist yet; He got an awesome opportunity to move to Germany and we both thought he should take it. It wasn’t easy, but I couldn’t stand in the way of something like that. That’s when I decided, I didn’t have to stand in the way. I could stand by his side. So, I finished up my contract in Pittsburgh, said goodbye to family and friends, packed only what could fit in three suitcases, and moved sight-unseen to a city I still have trouble pronouncing.

Girl Starts A Blog

I decided to write this blog to help keep me grounded during all these changes. It will give me a chance to keep doing what I like most: telling stories. Up until now, I’ve told the stories of the people in my communities, of their weakest moments and their stunning triumphs. I’m comfortable telling the stories of others, but telling my own story in black and white doesn’t naturally come easily.

So, I’ll tell it through stories of the places I visit and the people I meet. Of the German classes I stumble through, and the times I struggle to figure out where to walk to best avoid the path of breakneck speed bicycles. I’ll tell those stories through pictures and videos of my time here in Germany and hopefully give readers a sense of what it feels like when a girl goes to Germany.

Tschüss!