Mainz, Germany

In American culture, there are ages that we reach that signify a new chapter in our lives: 16, when you can finally get your drivers license and, for at least two years, be a hazard to the general public, 18, where you can uphold your civic duty of voting, be tried as an adult, make decisions regarding much of your life without your parents consent etc, and then the final, yet probably most important is the age of 21 where, after about 3 years, you can trade in Keystone or Natural Lite beer for quality Heineken, you can upgrade from homemade red bull and vodka to professionally made Martinis and fancy cocktails, you can throw away the box wine and, instead, legally a halfway decent red wine. 

That moment has officially come in my life, and although there is not such an emphasis put on 21st birthday celebrations here in Germany, I was still determined to make it a big deal, as though I was spending it in the States. Luckily, a few months ago, the stars aligned and I discovered that someone else very important to me would be not only in Europe at the same time I would be, but would also be in Germany. One of my best friends, my sorority sister, but most importantly, my BIG sister, Christiana Jackson, is currently an English teaching assistant in Mainz, Germany with the Fulbright program. In hopes of insuring that my 21st birthday be all I wanted it to be, it was only logical to go and visit a fellow American. It just so happened that our birthdays are perfectly placed in February, especially since it just so happened to be the 5 day, non-stop party, celebration of Fasching, or better known as Carnival.

I arrived in Mainz, Germany, the capital of the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz and is home to around 4 million inhabitants. It was originally a Roman fort city built in the late 1st century along the bank of the Rhine River. During World War II, nearly 80 percent of the city was destroyed after ally bomb raids, yet today, it is the city still has that southern German charm that captured by heart from the start.  

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We arrived back to Christiana’s apartment in the old city of Mainz and immediately began to prepare ourselves for the evening’s festivities. Carnival, known in Germany as Fasching, is the festival season before Lent. It begins the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, known as Fastnacht, and continues through the next Monday, known as Rosenmontag. People commonly dress up in outrageous costumes, consume large amounts of alcohol, and party all through the day and night. I, with the help of all of my creative juices, was able to some how create an incredible costume using just my newly purchased overalls, a bit of hairspray and teasing, lots and lots of eyeliner, and some red face paint. Already I was convinced that this was probably going to be the best birthday celebration I was ever going to have, and I will tell you now, it did not disappoint.

My time in Germany was short yet oh so sweet, and the following morning, Christina, Colin, and I woke up early, headed to the train station to part ways as Christiana and Colin headed to Heidelberg and I hopped on a train to head back towards Maastricht, the Netherlands. Just in 3 days I realized that I have an itch to get back to Germany as soon as possible, but there is still a bit more fun to have while in Maastricht, so I’ll get to it.

Until then, thanks for all of the birthday wishes!! This one was one to remember!!

We enjoyed-drinks at my friend apartment and then headed out to the bars and clubs armed with Euros and dressed to impress. There were an incredible amount of both old and young Mainzers out celebrating and indulging in all things sinful. We bounced between a few clubs and bars that were set up only for Faschungs where others dressed in equally ridiculous outfits would come together and enjoy numerous beers. The night when on accordingly until we made our home in a small local bar that set us up with a table. This was the bar that I rang in my 21st birthday in my favorite county in the world.

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