Why Hamburg is now home

I took my first real job fresh out of college (2008) with an aviation trade magazine and website called PAX International. In the beginning I felt way out of my league, but every day my confidence grew and so too did my fascination with the industry. I was determined to learn as much as I could, make connections and improve the publication.

23 year-old me at my 1st big
 trade show (ITCA) in Barcelona

Pretty soon I found myself attending trade shows and conference in fun (and often sunny) places like South Florida, California, Dallas, Barcelona and Nice. Not too shabby. Another place I traveled to often was Germany... specifically Hamburg, as it was/is the home of Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) - the world's largest annual trade-show for cabin interiors, in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC). 

While not so sunny and a little more serious than Barcelona, for example, it was clear to me that Northern Germany was a hot spot for aviation and I continued to travel there for Aircraft Interiors Expo every year. 

We took this photo when
 I came to visit in June 2012

Then in April 2012, at the end of a great AIX in Hamburg, I got ditched by some friends in a dark and sweaty nightclub in the red light district. Moments later I found myself being chatted up in that same sweaty nightclub by a cute German guy. We could hardly understand one another over the music and through the language barrier, but he assured me that he was a pilot. He eventually succeeded in convincing me that he was probably not a serial killer and his friends were hilarious, so we hung out for the rest of the night.

In June 2013, after more than a year of way-too-long Skype chats, millions of text messages and lots of lonely nights, I said "F#$% it." I quit my job at the magazine, sold my belongings and bought a one-way ticket to Germany. 

I won't say it's been easy leaving Toronto, my friends, my family, poutine, pea-meal bacon and the English language to come to this place, but I'm glad I did ... and I'd do it again.

Author's note:  He was not a pilot BTW, that was just his pickup line. I still like him.