Walking up to the massive fairground in my unauthentic dirndl and double French braids, I was unsure what to expect. I’d heard stories about the hectic drunken festival held in Munich in the middle of September, cleverly called Oktoberfest intended to throw off tourists. But with an empty stomach and the regret of no free breakfast at our hotel, I entered through the festival threshold guarded by young men in neon vests.

I was not expecting to see sky-high rollercoasters and a ginormous Ferris wheel. Booths and stands intended for children were crowded toward the entrances of these rides. But then I saw them. The giant tents with huge statues of different animals drinking giant steins stood high above the rest, masking the skyline with foam and beer. We made our way toward our tent for the day, Hofbrau, also known as the most American tent in all of Oktoberfest. We got inside amongst thousands of wide-eyed college-aged Americans ready to drink their first stein at 10 o’clock in the morning.

Thankfully, we found ourselves situated at a table of thirty-something British men who managed to escape their wives and children for a last Oktoberfest hoorah. They told us stories about their real lives in the real world, and we sat in wonderment with giant mugs in our hands and bits of pretzels in our mouths. We shared laughs and steins, learning things about the festival and about our drinking tolerance.

As the day progressed, we danced in our seats and dodged creepy old men making indecipherable comments about our dresses. We all seemed to run into a familiar face amongst the crowd of thousands, making it feel like a little piece of home across the world. We attempted to eat some of the common German food, but ended up at a McDonald's late in the day as a retreat from all the Wiener Schnitzel and varieties of beer.

It was an adventure to say the least, one that we repeated the following day but venturing into new, unexplored tents. Oktoberfest is definitely checked off my bucket list, and I’m glad I got to experience an exciting part of my German heritage.