A New Balance (Strut Magazine - December 2005)

An essay about finding a new balance once I left my job and moved my Germany was published in the December 2005 issue of Strut, a regional magazine based in Detroit.

Excerpt:

When I moved to Europe last year, from Decatur, Ga., I expected many questions from friends and family regarding my new surroundings. After all, it's not every day that someone gallivants off to Germany for an indefinite stay. I figured a barrage of interesting questions would be coming my way, including:

"Have you made any European friends, yet?"

"Do people really drink beer with breakfast?"

"Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"

And perhaps, one day, I will actually get to answer those queries – to someone other than the voice inside my head. For, what I did not anticipate was the question I actually was asked. As it stands, regardless of relation, creed, or age, the No. 1 most frequently asked question since I’ve moved to Europe is, "What do you do all day now that you aren't working?"