Hitchhiking

I tried hitchhiking for the first time today. I’m sorry Mom and Dad, but I did.
I’m hanging out at Justin’s planning out my trip whilst he is at work and decide, heck, why don’t I just walk to the train station and scope it out. He said it was only a 30 minute walk down a bike trail. That’s not too bad.
I start my little stroll and quickly realize that it’s a bit farther than Justin thought. As I’m trudging along, I cross a street. I continue on the trail for a minute when I suddenly realize.
“Hey, I could hitchhike.”
What? But hitchhiking is risky… and I’ve never done it. You never know what’ll happen!
But you’ve always wanted to. Why not do it now? Right now! You’re here in Europe DO IT!
I think this while biting my lip and walking down the trail surrounded on both sides by trees and raspberry bushes. I slow down, turn around, and go back to the road.
Adventure! If I don’t ever try it then it will be life wasted!.. or at least a life played safely.
I walk along the road, which is pretty rural so there’s no heavy traffic. Every few minutes, a car would pass and I would timidly stuck my thumb out, both hoping someone would stop while praying that they wouldn’t. You know how they always say that you should give 100%? I didn’t. It was, say, a 50% hitchhiking effort.
I walked for about a quarter mile until it got really curvy without a shoulder. Sketch. The bike trail was right beside the road so I tried to make my way back to it. I had to trudge through raspberry bushes down a small, yet very steep hill, and if you’re not familiar with raspberry bushes, they have thorns. I eventually make my way down partially unscathed and continue my way.
I reflected on myself and my actions of the past hour. I thought to myself, “If some sentient being went to my parents as my three sisters and I were growing up and said “One of these daughters is going to try and hitchhike, Which one?” They would have said, “THAT one. You know, the one who’s running up the walls? Sarah. Nooooo question.” Sorry Mom and Dad.
I get to the train station, mess with the ticket machine, and go off to search for food. I make it to the information desk and they tell me to go to the Spoojum.(sp?? What??). I go there and it’s CLOSED. Ahhh, all I want is a schnitzel und bier before my journey home. After staying in Germany for roughly a week, I have come to the conclusion that everything is closed. Always. How the German economy is worth anything is a mystery to me because no store is ever open.
I start walking back with my schnitzel und bier-less stomach. Well, I can just go the bier garten down the road from my place. I finally make it back after an hour and IT’S CLOSED. Point made. I give up, go home, and make a pizza.
This is my great adventure. My adventure where I let go of insecurities that may have held me back in the states. Time to say, what am I doing? And answering living! Wahoo.