Personal Space – Page 16 – that lemon life

A new chapter

Hola everyone.

It’s me, Laura. And no, I’ve not fallen into a big black hole I couldn’t get out of. Yes, I do still exist. What a miracle. Ha. Ha. Okay, but seriously, I’m back, for real. I’m sorry it took me so long, but if you’ve been following me for the past months or even just weeks, you’ll know that I’ve had this big move to Brighton and I just had to fully concentrate on that. But yeah, this is over now. I mean, it’s still happening, at least in my head, which I still can’t get around the idea that I’m now living in the UK, where people live, think and speak differently. It’s so so crazy and I’m really glad that I get to share this journey with you guys.

As you can probably guess, my life here in Brighton and my new uni will be a big topic throughout, well, the next months and maybe even years. But for now I’d just like to share everything that happened in the past seven days with you guys. I know that nowadays it’s a bit more common to move to a different country or city to study or work there and everyone always tells you that it’s a great thing that will shape you, blah blah blah. But what noone really tells you is how hard it is to leave everyone and everything you know and love behind. I don’t regret any part of this move and I don’t want any of you to think that. It’s just that this really great thing also comes with a lot of heartbreaks and anyone who’s in the same situation as me should never feel like you always have to be happy from the first second on because you’re doing this really cool thing and basically fulfilling your dreams. Because it’s okay to not feel okay. Okay?

So, you can probably guess by now that the move wasn’t easy for me. The last week at home was a total dream for me and probably one of the best weeks ever. I saw all of my friends and I got to spend a lot of time with my family. And yeah, it was just really nice. And I was truly doing fine, even on the day of the move. But then I went into the garden to say goodbye to my cat and said “Peaches, I need to say goodbye” and it was the first time I had to explicitly say it and yeah, it was kind of my trigger word. From that moment on the tears just kept spilling. And you know what, I even let them, because I knew that this was the most normal reaction on earth. And I also knew that saying goodbye to my pets would be the hardest step. I mean, I kind of had an internal panic attack during the flight, but oh well. And you know what, the human mind is something truly crazy sometimes, let me tell you. Because suddenly I had all of these worries popping up in my head. “What if I don’t understand them?” “What if I can’t properly talk to people?” “What if I don’t like my new home?” “What if…?” It was driving me mad.

Rationally, most of my worries were pretty much total nonsense. Of course I still worry sometimes, mostly about uni right now and my new classmates. But you know, I always try to calm myself down by thinking that I can’t be perfect. I didn’t grow up in the UK and wasn’t raised bilingual, so of course I’m going to make some mistakes. But I’ve been progressing every single day and it’s actually really cool to notice how my brain slowly adjusts to the new surroundings and language. And I’m also already in contact with one of my new peers and yeah. Everything’s gonna be just fine, I’m hundred percent sure of that.

Besides that, I truly love my new home and Brighton and my new “family” and just pretty much everything. The house is freaking amazing, my room aswell, Nick and Silvia are literally the nicest people ever and the location couldn’t be any better. If I truly concentrate on it, I can even hear the waves crashing into the shore when I open the window. It couldn’t be any better, seriously. But for any of you who are planning on moving to a totally different place, I can just recommend having your parents with you for the first few days. I think that’s what really helped me to both adjust to my new home and not get a heart attack at the same time. I mean, watching my mum get onto the train and leave without me was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but moving to Brighton all on my own would have been a completely different and also harder story. I just really needed them and I’m happy that I had them with me. Also, I’ll be seeing them again in just 32 days and I already can’t wait.

You know, when I first got to Brighton I was asking myself whether I had made the right decision or not. Maybe it would have been better to just stay at home, do my Masters degree and then get a job at some magazine or whatever. Maybe that would have been easier. But then something very, very, very exciting happened. Some of you may know that Felix Kjellberg, aka PewDiePie, aka one of my favorite YouTubers, also lives in Brighton together with his fiancée Marzia Bisognin. And when my parents and I were walking to their hotel just after getting to Brighton, I actually told them all about Pewds and Marzia and was like “oh my god, imagine me walking around and then seeing Marzia with their two pugs. One is white and one is black. That would be so crazy.” I was probably annoying them, let’s be honest. And then we were passing this street and I looked to my left side and suddenly there was this guy, wearing a black jumper and black joggers. And I thought “hmm, why do I feel like I know him?” And then I looked down and saw them – Edgar and Maya, the two pugs. So, there he was. Felix. The one and only Pewds. I thought I was dreaming. I, of course, went completely crazy and whispered/shrieked at my parents “IT’S PEWDIEPIE. IT’S PEWDIEPIE.” And my mum was like “WHERE????” (she knows him – of course she does). And my dad was just staring at us like we were some crazy people. And then I looked back at him and he was looking at me and oh my god, I probably looked like a total freak. My mum then basically ordered me to turn around and walk past him, which we did. And as soon as he was out of sight, I basically went nuts. I couldn’t believe it. I had just moved to this city like five short minutes ago and as soon as I stepped outside Pewds walked by. How crazy is that? I still can’t get my head around it. And yes guys, he has got some looks to serve, I’m just going to be completely honest now. And it might be a bit crazy, but I took this as the sign that I had made the right decision. Because when mum and I visited Brighton two years ago, I was basically scanning every single face I went past and nothing happened. But this time I saw him, completely out of the blue. That just had to be the sign.

Since then I’ve used every singe day to get to know my new home better, street by street, house by house. Let me just tell you one thing – Brighton is damn beautiful and living next to the sea is one of the coolest things ever. Honestly, I feel like the luckiest person ever. Thanks to Silvia and Nick I don’t feel so alone here and they kind of prevent me from getting too sad about the fact that my family isn’t here. Which I’m very thankful for, seriously. I’ve already started to decorate my room and usually spend my days walking around in the city, doing a bit of shopping and stuff. And I’m also really looking forward to fresher’s week that’s coming up. In short, apart from missing my home, life couldn’t be any better right now. I’m basically living my dream and yeah, I’m just really happy and thankful.

And now I’m going to stop talking. Firstly, because this post if getting far too long and secondly, because it’s already past midnight and a new episode of Bake Off is waiting for me to be watched in bed. So I’m gonna go now. If any of you have got any questions about my move or Brighton or anything else, please don’t hesitate to leave them down below. I’ll try to answer them as fast as I can, I promise. Also, down below you can find some pictures of Brighton that I took the past few days and I really hope that you enjoy them. And yeah, I wish you all an amazing weekend. It feels really good to be back. Thanks for reading, guys. x

Hungarian nights

Hola everyone.

How are you guys? I hope you’re all doing good. On my behalf, I’m getting quite nervous with every day that’s passing, as it means that the move to Brighton is getting closer, day by day. But like I said, I’m mostly really excited for everything that’s coming up. I sometimes just wish I could cut my house out of the ground, shrink it like they do in Ant-Man and the Wasp, stuff it in my bag and take it with me to the UK, including my family of course. But sadly, I don’t live in the MCU. I can only keep reminding myself that thanks to all the new technologies, the world has become a lot smaller and that I can talk and see my family and friends whenever I need to. And I can always fly back home too, so yeah. I’ll stop being dramatic now and stick to my more optimistic thoughts, like, hell, I’m seriously moving to the UK to study music journalism. How crazy is that?

On another note, here’s what I actually wanted to talk to you guys about today. As summer is slowly coming to an end, I thought I’d continue my series about my trip to Budapest and share another collection of pictures with you. And you guys know that I’m a sucker for black and white photography, so it probably won’t surprise you that I just had to take some pictures of the city at night. I’m also proud to announce that some of these pics were actually taken by my mum – and yes, they are amazing. Go, mum.

I don’t know about you guys, but I just really really love the look of black white photos, especially when they were taken at night. It just gives them such a magical tone and I love how the lack of colors can transform a city landscape. As you can probably see on the pictures, mum and I really did enjoy strolling around the city at night and looking at all these huge, impressive, old and historical buildings. If you’re asking me, some really gave us some serious Hogwarts vibes. It was just so so cool and I enjoyed it so much. That’s exactly why I love traveling and exploring cities so much.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy these pictures just as much and please don’t hesitate to share all your opinions. Also, I’m very sorry that the past few posts have been quite short, just like this one right here, but you’ll probably sense that the move is taking up most of the space I’ve got left in my head. I promise it will get better again as soon as I’ve moved to Brighton and made myself comfortable. Besides that, I also have to tell you guys that sadly this will actually be my last post for about two weeks or so, as I really want to focus on enjoying my remaining time here at home with my family and friends. But, before you all get super mad at me, this also means that when I’m back, you’ll get to hear all about Brighton and my move and uni and everything else. So, please stay tuned. And until then I wish you all a great weekend and an amazing time. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

Budapest

Hola everyone.

Can you believe that it’s already a new week again? I can’t. The move to Brighton is getting closer and closer and next Saturday seems to be approaching much faster than I had anticipated. More and more people keep asking me how I’m feeling, whether I’m a bit scared or nervous. But honestly, I can’t really describe the state I’m in right now. I’m nervous and a bit anxious sometimes and of course sad, especially when I’m lying on the couch with my whole family and feeling their presence, fully knowing that I’ll be missing this exact feeling. But I’m also really happy and excited for this new chapter in my life. Seriously. I already have so many things planned and just the thought of seriously living the one part of my life I’ve always dreamed about makes my stomach fill up with butterflies. I think if you can feel ready for such a huge thing, then that’s what I’m feeling.

It’s currently a bit after one o’clock am on a Monday night and I’m sitting on our couch at home, Thor Ragnarok glimmering in front of me. You know, you can’t really go wrong with this movie and it makes me laugh, so. But that’s not what I want to talk to you guys about. I don’t want to talk about my love for Marvel or my move to Brighton. Today I’d like to talk to you guys about my trip to Budapest or even rather share my favorite pictures with you. To be honest, the cities beauty and coolness really did surprise me. I loved the whole look of the city and especially the crazy amount of historical buildings. I mean, have you seen the parliament? It’s freaking beautiful. And besides that I also loved the modernity when it comes to food and fashion. The whole city is packed with vintage stores and vegan restaurants and shops. It was just so so cool. And I think that also shows in the pictures. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I enjoyed taking them. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments and questions down below and I wish you all a great week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

New Music Friday

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to another edition of New Music Friday. A late night version this time, because, well, where I’m right now it’s pretty late already. But let’s be honest, there’s always time for some good new music, especially on a blog like this one, right? So, without further ado, let’s get right to it – here are some new songs I’ve been digging the past days or weeks or even just hours (yep, that’s how new some of them are).

Bambi by Hippo Campus

Some of you may already know this band from my previous posts, but if you don’t, welcome to this completely new experience, you’re going to love it, trust me. Because Hippo Campus just popped up with this new single and holy moly, what a good one that is. I fell for it the second I heard it. And then even more when I saw that they had also released their upcoming tour dates – guess who’s coming to Brighton when I’m there too… I can’t believe it, I would have never guessed that I would ever see this band live. But here I am, already counting the days to it. I seriously can’t wait to hear this song live.

To You Alone (acoustic version) by Tom Rosenthal

Well, what can I say? There’s no music list without Tom being a part of it, it’s simply impossible. And as if his music wasn’t beautiful enough already, Tom has now decided to bring out a sleepy album (I think I already mentioned it in a past posting), which means he’s producing even more relaxed and quiet versions of his songs, so that people can fall asleep while listening to them. And it works, at least it did for me, because when this song came out at midnight, I crawled into bed and listened to it in an endless loop and then, well, it knocked me out, pretty much. So yes, it’s a beautiful song and I love it. Oh, and it also perfectly fits for rainy weather. Well done Tom, as always.

My Blood by Twenty One Pilots

Attention everyone, we’ve got an extra special piece of music here. If you guys know Twenty One Pilots, you also probably know that they don’t really fit into genres. Josh and Tyler don’t just produce one certain kind of music, they basically experiment, all the time. So it was no surprise that their new song, this one right here, basically knocked me off my feet. It’s such a unique and also new sound for them and has such cool indie pop vibes to it. I love it so so so much. And I love the boys for surprising us all over and over again.

Bee-Sting by The Wombats

This song literally came out of nowhere, I swear guys. I wasn’t even ready and suddenly there it was, right in my recommendations on Spotify. And holy moly, what a great song this is. I mean, you all know how much I like The Wombats and I’d say that this little number here perfectly fits into their album, but it’s also just so good on its own. The drums and the guitars and of course the vocals – it just fits. And I’ve always loved a great indie bop, so thanks guys.

Y2k by The Montreals

To be honest, I just stumbled over this song thanks to Spotify and immediately liked it so much that I had to share it with you. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you about The Montreals, but they are one of those bands of mine that always come on when I just put my playlist on shuffle, which doesn’t make them any less amazing, of course. They produce this really cool indie pop music that is packed with happy, excited vibes and I completely dig that. But just like TOP, they wanted to surprise us all and released this fantastic song that sounds so new and modern and old and retro at the same time. It’s just so cool.

So yeah guys, I think that’s it. Those are all the new bops out there that I’ve been loving the most lately. I really do hope that you enjoy them too, so please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And until then I wish you all a great night and an amazing weekend. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

The Band with the K

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to this new week. I hope you’re all doing great and that so far your Monday hasn’t been all too bad. On my behalf, I’ve got so much to tell you guys that I don’t even know where to start. And everything’s so exciting and I’m so glad that I get to share it with you. Otherwise I think I’d burst or simply bore all my friends and family into delirium – probably the second one, but oh well.

Anyway. In order to at least start ticking off all the topics on my list, today I’d like to tell you about the uber-amazing concert I went to last Friday. Those of you who’ve been following me and my posts long enough will probably know this band. No joke, if you haven’t heard of these guys you’re seriously missing out on something great, because these boys are freaking fantastic. And yes, I’m talking about the one and only band called Kraftklub. Yes, they’re German. Yes, they’re all pretty much crazy, as are their shows. And yes, I freaking love their music. I know I’ve already talked about them so many times, but I just can’t help myself. And when I saw that they would be doing a show, open-air, in the middle of summer and, on top of that, also at my favorite venue ever, I just had to see them again, although it was my actual fourth time. But hey, if a band is that good, you can’t see them often enough, am I right?

So, the concert was at the Arena in Vienna and like I said, it was an open-air concert, which is such an amazing concept on its own. I just really love the venue like crazy, because it doesn’t just have those special indie and alternative vibes to it, it also features a small lawn you can chill on before the show and the whole place has this kind of tilted ground. I know, what a rubbish description. What I mean is that the ground gets lower the closer you get to the stage, which also means that you can easily have perfect sight of the stage, because, like I said, those in front of you will always be standing just a bit lower than you. And that’s so cool, because let’s be honest, I’m not the tallest person and whatever gives me the chance to look over most people at concerts simply gets a yes.

So, the venue was amazing. And of course the show itself was too. Even more than that. God, I had so much fun, I can’t even put it into words. You guys have to know that Kraftklub shows are something else. Like, seriously. Firstly, because, like I mentioned, the guys are pretty crazy and weird and funny, in the best way possible, and secondly, because they have this special fanbase that just knows how to party and perfectly syncs with the band. And then there’s their music, which is like a mix of pop and indie and rap and is just so so cool and so much fun to sing and dance and jump to. And just the whole dynamics and atmosphere are so overwhelming and exciting and they completely draw you in and believe me, even if you don’t like the music, sooner or later you’ll start bobbing your head and it won’t end there. And last but not least there’s Felix, the lead-singer/rapper and for me the heart of the band or at least the show. Because while the other guys just simply step from one place to another, Felix floats, climbs, jumps and tops everything with dramatic hand gestures and a huge smile on his face. Watching this guy dance and party to every single song really gives me life and it’s just so so much fun.

In hindsight, I’d say that out of the four shows I’ve attended, this one has to be my favorite. And not just because of the phenomenal thing that happened during the encore, which I’m going to tell you all bout now. Buckle up. So, as you can probably guess, I know how Kraftklub shows work, I know what happens and when. Thus, when they went off stage before the encore, I knew they would pop up at some other place as a surprise. For bigger crowds they usually use some kind of mobile platform, which they use to “drive” through the crowd. And that’s why, while all the others there were screaming for the encore, I was twisting and turning my head in search for the platform. And then I found it, right at the back of the lawn, next to the tower for the sound and lights techs. And I got all excited and showed it to my mum and was like “THAT’S where they’ll be in just a minute!!!”. And it was so funny, because I was pointing at it, clearly seeing the mics that had already been placed on it, and everyone around me followed my gaze and then looked at me like I was crazy. And I thought “yeah yeah, now you think I’m crazy, but you just wait for what will happen in just a minute”.

Mum and I then decided to just make our way to the platform and started pushing through the crowd. And guess what, we got there right when the boys stepped on the platform. And it was so funny, because even then most people didn’t realize what was happening and Felix was like “hey everyone, we’re right behind you. I know, it’s a bit confusing.” Guys, we were so so close. And it was so much fun. But that wasn’t the best part. After the song they played on there, Felix proceeded to high five my mum and just a second later I was right by her side, shouting “mum, they’ll stage dive now, watch out”. You have to know that my mum is a teeny tiny person and if one of the boys jumped right at her, they would both end up on the ground with a loud thump. And at first she wanted to get out of the crowd that was building up, but I kept her right by my side and I’m so happy I did. Because just after that they all got ready to crowd-surf right back to the stage – which was quite a way to go, to be honest – in order to continue their official crowd-surf competition. Felix then decided to use the part of the crowd we were standing in. And when he looked at me – I was smiling at him with such a huge grin – I just knew he would go right our way. And before I knew what was happening, Felix jumped and I was holding his hand and tried to push him over the crowd. And then he was gone again, rolling over the crowd together with the others like a human ball dressed in black and white. Unfortunately he didn’t win – Karl, the second singer and guitarist, did and, if I’m not wrong, also won the whole contest (the show in Vienna was their next-to-last show of their tour before their upcoming chill-out-pause) – but he came second which is also something, right? And I know, some or even most of you probably won’t find this any special, but for me it’s still like the biggest thing ever, because before that I had always watched them do this kind of stuff from afar, wishing I was there, and it was also my very first time of being an actual part of a “a band does a crowd-surf”-moment and it just makes me so happy and feel all excited.

Apart from that there was simply everything you could wish for at a Kraftklub concert. Moshpits, people crowd-surfing and rowing on the ground, quite a lot of dancing, loud and pretty amazing music, huge smiles, funny outfits, underpants being thrown on stage (mens ones, for the first time ever, according to them), a spinning wheel to decide which song would be played next and someone being brought up on stage to spin it and of course political speeches and actions from both the band and the crowd. So yeah, a perfect show. But what I enjoyed the most was seeing how happy the guys were. I don’t even know how many times Felix thanked us for being such an amazing crowd and for dancing and singing. Which, I have to say, is seriously true, because the crowd really was something else. It was such a great evening, no joke.

So yeah guys, there you go. That was last Friday for me. Oh, and also, just before the concert I drove to my uni and handed in my second bachelor thesis, which means that I’m now officially finished with my studies. How crazy is that? I still remember the first day like it was yesterday. And the concert was literally the perfect way to end it and to celebrate. If any of you guys ever get the chance to check Kraftklub out, please do. They really are such a cool band and deserve all the appreciation they get and so much more. And until then I hope you enjoyed this not so short post about the concert. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below and I wish you a great week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Welcome to Brody House

Hola everyone.

I hope you’re all doing good. Just as a little update from my behalf, the Justin Timberlake concert was freaking amazing, I don’t know if I’ve ever been to such a crazy, ornate show. I didn’t even know where to look, there was just so much going on. And hell, JT knows what he’s doing, he’s such a fantastic dancer and singer. So, looking at that, I’m pretty much on a cloud. But besides that, unfortunately, I’ve been sick since coming home from the concert, which feels so weird for me. Like, I’m never ever sick, this is so unusual for me. And now I’m stuck at home, feeling like a sack of potatoes and I freaking hate it. It’s so annoying when you’re a naturally happy and jumpy person and then from one day to another your body and mind just change into a meh-mood and even walking from the kitchen over to the couch becomes the hardest thing ever. I hate iiiiiit. I so hope that I’m going to feel better soon. Please.

But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you guys about today. So, let’s bring on a bit of a happier mood and let’s get right to it. As some of you may have read in my recent posts, I’ve also just come home from my trip to Budapest together with my mum. And yes, it was so so so nice. It was actually my first serious trip to the city and I really enjoyed it. I was actually surprised by the cuteness and coolness of the city. I really really loved it. I’ll tell you more about the trip in my next posts and of course about our day at Sziget festival, which was a total dream come true.

But today I’d like to tell you all about the hotel we stayed at. It was called Brody House and situated right at the city center, so a perfect spot for us. But that’s not the best, no no. The best part was the hotel itself or the interior and overall look, I’d say. Not to be dramatic or anything, but this is seriously the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever stayed at. I was baffled. If I ever got the chance, I would move in there within a second, it’s just so so beautiful. The most amazing part was the clash of modern pieces of furniture and art with the old and rustic vibes of the walls and window frames. I adored it. If I ever get to live in and decorate a nice flat, I swear I’ll just hand over the pics I took of the hotel and tell everyone to decorate it this exact way. But without further ado, take a look for yourself. And yes, it really looked like that. What a dream.

I know, I know, it looks absolutely fantastic. If any of you ever get the chance to stay at this hotel, please do it. It’s freaking amazing. And you can have your breakfast in any of the rooms. I mean, imagine having breakfast while looking out of the window right at the trees from the park next door while a small breeze twirls itself around your skin and 20s/30s music is playing in the background. Yes, it was that good. What an experience.

So yeah, that’s Brody House. Such a cool hotel. I hope you like it just as much. Like I said, I hope you’re all doing good and that you enjoy this little post and the pictures. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And, of course, thanks for reading. x