Week 6: Carneval

Karneval weekend Baby! I really came to love this celebration time! Being able to participate with AIB in the parade was a blast! I was so entertained throwing candy at kids and people outside on their balconies. Some even used umbrellas to catch what we threw! When the weekend came, a lot of people left to travel due to having a 4-day weekend but I stayed for the parties going on in Bonn and Cologne. It was odd to me that EVERYONE was not only open carrying, but dancing on top of fence lines/buildings and the police were standing close by enjoying the festival too!  I was also surprised to see such huge masses of college kids hanging out near the Rhine, partying from the morning to 3-4am in the morning! Cologne was even crazier since entire districts of the city were shut down for the sole purpose of Karneval. It made 6^th street in Austin look pitiful! We were able to have a fun time since we were smart about our drinking by taking it throughout the day with water and meal breaks throughout whenever we needed. We also had a few sober people to watch over the group since it was very easy to get lost, pickpocketed, or drink too much. It’s a fun time but it can also go very badly since most people are severely intoxicated and can often act out. I myself had someone try to fight me for no apparent reason but because I had other capable friends with me the situation was avoided and I was still able to have fun which I’m very grateful for.