So I thought why not? Kristin, a former intern in Singapore, is currently living in Frankfurt and had expressed a desire to meet up. This was a good chance to catch up.

All of us on the trip met at 6.30am in the morning - exhausting - and to my surprise, there was a Singaporean in the group. (I hardly ever meet young Singaporeans who are not travellers in Germany).

At the Buch Messe, a Cosplay event was going on and I guess that was the biggest hype for me at the event. Since the Buch Messe was a mere display of publications, it was a huge disappointment for me not to be allowed to buy any of them. I requested Kristin to take me to the local bookstore, where I happily grabbed a vocabulary book (1000 basic words) in German and a manga book that has been translated to German. I am coming up with all sorts of ideas to keep my motivation high for the German language, so I can acquire it faster. The traditional way of learning from the textbook does not work for me; instead of sprinkling motivation power over me, sleeping spells are cast.

After purchasing the books, Kristin taught me German, and from her I gained a strong surge of confidence and motivation in learning this language. For days/months I have been feeling that German is not my cup of tea, but her encouragement that I pronounce the words well boost that level of confidence and determination to make this work. Plus she said I learn fast.

Wish me luck!