Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry christmas guys!

Last year at this time I was in Oahu, Hawaii for Christmas. It was totally different to all the previous Christmas celebrations I had before.

Since we just celebrated Christmas 2014 a week ago, I would like to tell you a little bit about my adventure last year.

First of all, my friend Flo and I didn't get the so-called "Christmas feeling" as it was overwhelmingly hot. Of course the hawaiian inhabitants hung out of their homes kitchy Christmas decoration but there was no snow and no cold at all. 

So we decided to watch a Christmas parade in Waikiki :-)

I couldn't believe how many people took part in that parade! The whole thing lasted for more than two hours!!

Afterwards we participated in an Oahu Luau which was a very good idea and led to one of the most memorable Christmas' in my entire life! A Luau is a party where you are entertained with Hawaiian music, fire dancers and you can enjoy Hawaiian style food.

Our Luau was called Paradise Cove Luau.

If you don't know how it looked like - imagine a big place next to the sea, lots of stages with people performing and a huge buffet! They offered many different activities to have a good time. You could either join the locals to play games, watch fire shows or get a fake tattoo. 

The food we got was typical Hawaiian food and very delicious! You could eat as much as you want to.

It was a weird feeling not being at home for Christmas but I also really enjoyed it. I guess you have to make that experience at some point anyway, just to appreciate your family, friends and your home.

How to write a good blog

Hey guys! :-)


Our first task is to write a post about blogging itself and what we personally think a good blog is.
In order to write about that topic, I looked at some blogs of prior students from last year. 

In my opinion, a blog becomes successful when you focus on a topic you really enjoy. I try to put a little bit of myself into that blog even if it's a new experience for me. 

Of course a good layout can be important but I think that's the last thing you should worry about. 
The main goal of a blog is to tell the readers what you think about a certain topic and it's not about what the majority of people think; it's about what you as a blogger think. Maybe there are some people out there who get inspired by your posts. 

In addition to that it's essential that you post repeatedly in order to prevent your readers from forgetting to look at your blog or even worse - looking for another one. 

I guess that the more personal things you write about the more interesting does your blog get for your followers.

Coming home

"Travelling is the most thrilling experience ever: you never know where you're gonna end up, who you're gonna meet, what you're gonna see or discover. All these are little hidden jewels and memories which are gonna fill up your heart and mind for the rest of your life. More, friends you meet on your way are unforgettable. Every new friend, every new culture and every new country impacted on who I am today. Travelling the world taught me a lot about myself and about others, and I discovered that adventure is the best way to learn. But home will always be home, and the ocean the special place in my heart. Along the way, people taught me that you can make your wildest dreams tomorrow's reality. Life is what you make it, you just have to understand that you are the only person that can get you were you want to be. Now go out there, travel, life your life to the fullest, be kind to the earth, jump in the ocean, fall in love, create your destiny and never ever regret anything."

I chose this quote to start with because to me it's exactly what I want to say.

This blog post is about coming home. People always just talk about leaving, but what about coming home? 


Sometimes it can be hard while we are away - making real friends, staying safe, finding jobs, learning social norms and how to deal with other cultures - but you get through these parts. If fact, all these lows are erased by the complete highs you experience. Besides seeing the world you meet new people, try totally new things, fall in love, visit mind-blowing places, learn about other cultures, traditions and so on. 

Unfortunately you return home at some point. For the first two weeks you are Hollywood. You visit all your family members, catch up with your friends, tell stories, show them pictures, ... and it's all so exciting!
But after some time it all goes away. Everyone gets used to you being at home and then people will start asking you questions like: "What are you going to do next?" "Do you have a job already?" "What's your plan now?"

Sure you are happy that everybody is healthy and somehow a lot has changed since you've been gone. People got pregnant, others got engaged, some have gotten new jobs or new boyfriends and girlfriends. On the other side nothing has changed. I was sitting in my childhood room when I realized that nothing has changed and a part of me wanted to scream: don't you understand how much I have changed? And I am not talking about looks, hair, height or something that has to do with your appearance. I mean what is going on inside your head. To me the dreams have changed, the new things that are important to me or the way I perceive people differently. 
Sometimes I feel angry and lost. Sometimes I feel like it wasn't worth it because nothing has changed but then I feel like it's the ONLY THING I have done that is important because it changed everything. 


Lately I've read in an article that once you've travelled for the first time all you want to do is leave again. They call it the travel bug but I think it's about returning to a place where there are only people who speak the same language as you. And I don't mean English or Spanish or Chinese or what else, I mean that language where others know exactly what it's like to leave places, grow, experience, learn and then go home again where you feel more lost in your own hometown then you did in the most foreign places you visited. 

I guess this is the hardest part about travelling, but it's also the reason why we all run away again. 

First globals

Hey ho everybody!

As I was travelling around the world from October 2013 till March 2014 I found it appropriate to dedicate my first post to my trip and how travelling has affected me :-)


click here

Source: tumblr

Why do we travel?
There is a chinese quote that says "Who lives sees, but who travels sees more." People travel to find new, unkown places or just to challenge themselves. For me it was the most eye opening experience ever but weirdly I realized that later when I was back home. You learn so much about other people, you get to know different traditions and new cultures but most importantly you learn a lot about yourself.

Travelling totally changes who you are and I would like to show you now how it brings out the best version of you.

Surfer's Paradise, Australia

Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith :-)

Firstly, you become more social and you learn to make friends out of strangers. I travelled with a friend but if you are alone you need to be open-minded, no matter what. You will make friends around the world and take advantage of having places to stay and having people who show you around.

Brisbane, Australia

Another positive aspect is that you will learn to go with the flow. You will have to deal with missed flights, wrong turns, delays... But you will learn to adapt your plans because the situations can change all the time. You'll learn to make it anywhere and you immediately handle situations you never imagined you could! We were staying in a hostel in Koh Tao, Thailand where I saw a (for me) gigantic spider's web next to my pillow and when I took a shower I always had at least six huge scary spiders next to me. When I went to bed I was aware of that but then I recognised that I could roll myself up in my sleeping bag and I put the hood around my head.
The best thing is to relax and take things how they come - don't get mad or angry!

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

I like the article about John Zogby, who has written a book called "The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream". He discusses some of the changes taking place in my generation. He calls young people who like to travel - like I do - "first globals."

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Zogby says we are well-travelled and that we have networks that include people all over the world. According to him we have the desire to go anywhere and that the youth is more diverse and international than ever. "It's not, however, just the children of the wealthy and the educated," says Zogby.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

He also mentions that these first globals have a different perspective on traditional things like homes, cars and the types of families their parents had. Instead, they are putting more effort into gaining experience. 

Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

"The permanence of owning things doesn't exist," Zogby says. "The permanence of living somewhere doesn't exist. The permanence of getting a job and holding on to that job for the next 40 years doesn't exist."

New York City, USA

Of course you have to make sacrifices to life the life of a first global. I travelled for 5 months but if you are travelling for a longer period of time of course you normally don't own a car or a house. You will also miss a lot of things that happened at home, for example if somebody gets engaged or even married or if someone gives birth to a child.

San Francisco, USA

Zion National Park, Utah

Overall, travelling has taught me a lot about different places and how to handle different situations and to me that was the best decision I have ever made.

Anaheim, Los Angeles, USA

New York City, USA

Do as the locals do. Eat street food. Take public transportation. Do couch surfing!! See the world through the eyes of the locals :)

Washington DC, USA

Welcome to my blog!

Rivers are great. They always flow into the ocean. And the ocean brought us to different places. Places to remember. 

Hi, my name is Mathea Tiefenbacher (Engl. Deepriver) and this is my story.

Koh Phangan, Thailand

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