Weddings, rain, and crocuses...

I am attending a wedding today.

And it is raining in a melancholy way.

The guests are all happy, and smiling, and the bride radiant... (she is Australian and carries sunshine in her soul) ... the groom dashing and charming (he is German but was raised in France). The official ceremony took place this morning, and the reception will be this evening.

It is amazing how many Australians end up in Germany because of love.

A few end up here for work. I've heard that a few actually visit for Oktoberfest and in their hangover - actually forget to go home (although they are few and far between and mostly stay down south in Bavaria). But, for most, it is love the brings them here.

I've not actually heard of any that voluntarily choose to end up here. Germany is not like France or Italy. It's a nice place to visit but very few Antipodeans harbor long held dreams of permanently residing here.

And the german language is not pleasurable to learn like french or italian. Very few people voluntarily take evening classes or long european holidays to learn Deutsch. And while I've developed an appreciation of its merits - the german cuisine does not inspire many award winning restaurants or culinary accolades.

The rain is making me melancholy.

And, more than this, for the last few months I've been homesick in a way that is close to paralyzing. There is a black dog that has been residing inside me and he's eaten my sense of humour, my hopefulness, my motivation, my ability to appreciate all that I do have, and my german grammatical homework.

But tonight I will muzzle him, put him on a leash, and dance and rejoice in someone else's cross-cultural love and try to ignore how it will inevitably demand a life-time of being on conflicting timezones with family and loved-ones, missing significant birthdays (and birth days), no popping in for casual week-end barbies, and lots of expensive international travel.

woof. woof. woof.