In December, I treated myself to a round-trip, first-class ticket to Atlanta, Georgia, to celebrate my birthday with family. My stay was an odd combination of pleasant family interactions, unexpected surprises, unwelcome attention, and stretches of boredom. As an introvert, the constant socializing felt exhausting at times and almost overwhelmed me. Needless to say, I welcomed my return flight and was more than ready to return home to Germany.

I was kinda pissed, though, because both my phone and m...