Hello everyone! I will admit, I slacked on writing my January post, but here's my make up for it! Two posts in one: January and February, so brace yourselves.
From December to now, I have spent more time in transit than I probably ever have before. I flew home to the states for winter break, which was waaaay too short, returned to Berlin, flew to Manchester for a weekend, and am currently on my way to Dresden for a conference. While I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions, I did create priorities for myself this year. One of which was traveling more. I want to take advantage of the ability to travel around Europe so freely, so I'm planning trips about every month.
Secondly, another priority has been reading more books. So far, I have stuck to the goal of reading two books per month and have already read three for this month! I follow Barack Obama on Instagram, and I was always baffled of how many books he got through during the year. Thankfully, a dear friend of mine shared a phenomenal resource about reading books which really changed my perspective and drive to read more. (link posted below.) My amazing roommate introduced me to a few books herself which also helped me in prioritising my life choices. One being The Sweet Spot and the other being No Matter What! (linked below). Both of these books have become some of my favourite books I have ever read. No matter where you are in life, reading these books can really improve so many aspects of your life; they definitely did for me.
How to Read More:
The Sweet Spot:
No Matter What!
~~~ December ~~~
A few highlights from my time at home:
1. I saw so many family members I hadn't seen since earlier last year (and met a new one! <3)
2. I visited Cola and saw one of my best friends, Maria. We visited the Columbia Art Museum to see the Van Gogh exhibit, which was 100% worth it.
3. I was able to spend time with my parents, even though the time was short. I won't be able to see them again until July. (At least my mom that is, my dad and I are meeting in Poland next month! Sorry Mom that you have to stay home /: )
4. I saw my long-time best friend, Kelsie who is crushing it at being an adult. There was a bit of irony for us because in the past, I was always the one driving us around where this time around (because my parents sold my baby Fit) Kelsie was the one who had to drive ME around. While I don't get to see her or chat with her too often due to time differences, a part of her is always with me because she wrote me these phenomenal "open when" letters which I open once a month. She put so much thought into them, both with the words and the paintings on the outside, that I hang each one up after opening them. (This one is the "when you need motivation.)
~~~ January ~~~
This month was sort of a catch up month trying to return back to Berlin time and adjust to school things. There weren't too many things that occurred in January other than focusing on research, reading, and spending time with friends.
January was the end of my WG "trial period," which we barely had to talk about because we are so happy with our living environment. This living experience has been such a phenomenal time for me because I have grown as a person, as a roommate, and as a friend. My roommate, Miri, and I share so much with one another: whether that be food or personal struggles, we help one another in whatever way we need, be that advice or simply a person to listen. She challenges me in my thinking and perspectives but in the absolute best way. She also says and does some of the funniest things which in turn make me laugh so hard I have to sit down. I could not have asked for a better, caring, and considerate roommate.
One example below was when I overslept for my German class, she knew that, and she made me breakfast to take on the train. I cried a bit when I saw it; she never ceases to amaze me with her compassion and positivity.
The other highlight of January was my day getaway to Pfaueninsel, or Peacock Island. I was in need of a day away from the city, and this was the perfect way to do so. This island can only be reached by ferry, so I took the trains to the furthest point, took a bus that reminded me of the Night Bus from Harry Potter, and took a two minute ferry (could have swum if it were warmer) to the island. Here, once an island to keep peacocks and protect them from others (sadly to be used later as a meat delicacy) turned into a sanctuary for them. Walking around the island, you could see peacocks all throughout the island alongside numerous structures built 300-400 years ago.
~~~ February ~~~
This month has been quite eventful! I have had two trips and have planned even more for next month. I had a few hiccups in the road which were not the best, but I'm pushing through one step at a time.
One of the biggest setbacks–where my roommate stepped in like the wonderful person she is–was I got pretty sick. I initially thought it was just a cold, blowing it off and taking medication in hopes it would resolve quickly. However, after a week and I still was not better, getting worse actually, my lovely roommate helped me get to the doctor. There, we watched a few Lisa Nichols movies and she went to do some work while I got checked out. Unfortunately, after visiting the doctor and taking a look at my running schedule for the half marathon I intended to run in April, I had to make the really hard decision not to continue my training.
With being sick, I missed over a week of training and needed even longer to recuperate. I cried when I had to make this decision because I was so ready to get back into the running game, but my immune system was not ready to take on the strenuous training just yet. Ever since getting the Epstein-Barr virus nearly two years ago, I haven't been able to exercise like I used to. It's a hard fact that I've had to face on a daily basis, trying to run a half-marathon last year and it being so incredibly difficult, not being able to race as often as I'd like, and now having to stop training for this one. Running has become one of my outlets for boosting my mental health and energy, so cutting that off hasn't been easy. Therefore, I've put my energies in other things such as planning travels, trying to get back into swimming, and reading.
On a much more positive note, my pursuit of travel really paid off this past weekend with my trip to Manchester. As part of my research, I visited the BBC Philharmonic to experience their somewhat recent installation of Notes on your phone. This was quite the experience because I was accompanied by my professor and not only did I enjoy hearing the performance, but I acted as a researcher, making observations and creating dialogue with those sitting around me. I'm quite excited to continue contact with the philharmonic because I was able to get a behind the scenes glance at how they came up with the program and how it works. I intend to return to Manchester again, so I can do more "field work" by asking the audience more questions in regards to their experience with the notes.
Additionally, I acted as a tourist by visiting the Alan Turing memorial, the technology museum, and an extremely old library that gave me another reminder of Harry Potter, but this time being inside of Hogwarts. I definitely had to have photos working inside of this castle-like structure to show off my "work space"!
And of course I have plenty of pictures of the coffee I bought while there. I was so impressed by the amount of vegan and veg cafes in Manchester! It was such a lovely area because they had a huge focus of community and environmentally friendly products. For instance, bringing your own coffee cup took a small amount off of your coffee order and the city as a whole hopes to eventually become carbon neutral in the next ten years. Other than the rain (I managed to pick a weekend that a huge storm was passing through), I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Manchester and cannot wait to return.
A final thing on the coffee note: I am fulfilling a dream of mine starting next week: I am going to be a barista! There is a phenomenal vegetarian cafe around the corner from my apartment which has hired me to work a mini-job with them. I finally get to work on my latte art and have a lovely outlet to practice my German speaking. (I also get free coffee which is a huge plus.) More pictures to come!
Well, that's all for now. Updates upon updates coming at you. Look for the next post some time late March! (I'm going to Poland and then France, so lot's of mileage coming up!)
Cheers and have a beautiful day xx
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