Printen

     Every place has certain foods that they claim they make the best, but there's no guarantee that that city actually has the best of it. There's one special type of cookie that Aachen definitely has the best of, Printen, since it is only made here. It is a semi-soft chewy gingerbread type cookie with a bunch of cardamon  licorice and other magic spices. When you head to the Markt, almost every bakery has bags full of this awesome tiny treat. Even if you're not a fan of the cookie, it's fun to know that what you're eating can only be bought there. 

     It seems silly, but the thought that you're having something so unique to the place you're visiting is reassuring. When you first start living abroad there's so much you can't access; friends, Netflix, certain foods or the feeling of knowing the native language. The fact that you're gaining something new and 100% unique is Comforting. There's obviously so many new experiences, but you can't really be sure if you're actually retaining these experiences or growing from them. Printen at least reassures me that even though it's only been a week and a half, I've already added something to my life that I would never have been able to if I just stayed in the states.