All I want to do is stick my feet in ice water until the leaves change color. I love nature. I love summer. But nature and summer in Munich seem to be testing this love.

It’s another year, which means, another bug bite battle. And I’m losing it, again. My ‘exotic’ blood is highly prized in Munich’s Englischer Garten. I can imagine these mini Bavarian vampires sipping on another boring bratwurst hemoglobin latte all the while jonesing for some pacific islander plasma coursing through my veins.

I’m so covered with mosquito bites from chest to toe and a horse fly bite on my ankle. The mosquito bites I can handle, barely, but the horse fly bite is swelling. It’s crossed my mind that I might relieve the pain and itching if I bit off my own foot and hope I grow back a new one. Still, you won’t believe that this experience is an improvement from previous summers.

I just have another 2 years to get used to these blood suckers here. Who am I kidding, I doubt I’m safe anywhere now. Still, I really want to be in denial and refuse to be lock myself indoors during flip-flop weather.