By Crystal Ellis

“Next year will be my year!” “Next year will be my year!” For years, I would tell myself over and over again, I was going to the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. The year 2019 was the year. September to be exact. The event was always on my bucket list, but somehow I never made it my priority. Finally, during this past summer after saying I would go so many times I decided to make it happen. I booked plane tickets for late September and started to plan my trip. Being a woman of colour it’s safe to say that I was more than a little hesitant to be going to Germany alone. After booking the trip anxiety kicked in and I really started to question if this was the right decision for me. All of a sudden every bad article or internet video flashed into my mind. After a slight breakdown, I had to remind myself that you can’t always believe what you read or view online.

Crystal Ellis enjoying the festivities of Oktoberfest 2019 in Munich, Germany. Photos Used By Kind Permission.2019

This gave me even more of a reason to go rather than my initial Ocktoberfest dream. I needed to put my fears aside and take a leap of faith that everything would turn out alright. I “put one foot in front of the other” and just did it. Upon arriving at the hostel, I immediately made friends with others staying at the hostel who were also attending the well-renowned gathering in Munich.  

Oktoberfest turned out to be one of the best experiences I have had. I met so many amazing people and the German people were not as cold as expected but rather the exact opposite. They were inviting, generous and probably the friendliest people I have met thus far in Europe. Oktoberfest was my original motive but the friendships I made and mutual understandings of our different cultures is what it was about- the positive energy was priceless.

Hmm.. next step forward?.

Crystal