OCEANS AWAY

I found the perfect new place, and it comes with a room mate

Filed under At Home

I have to move out of my current apartment by March 1. As you may remember, I rented this place from a girl who’s currently doing a semester abroad in Hawaii (I KNOW!) – so she left all her furniture and I left her name on the doorbell. If you move somewhere for six months, as I have done no less than three times now, you never really settle in. Which is convenient if you’re still testing the waters. I didn’t know whether I’d like Cologne; a temporary solution was perfect. Now I know that I like Cologne, so I started looking for something more permanent.

The housing market in this city is a disaster. The tiniest, most disgusting “apartments” go for improbable sums of money. Most of them don’t have anything resembling a kitchen, or a bathroom built after 1985. It gets incredibly frustrating because after a few weeks of apartment hunting, you begin to feel like YOU ARE MOST DEFINITELY NEVER GOING TO FIND A PLACE IN THIS LIFETIME. I scrolled through dozens and dozens of listings – there is quite a bit of movement on Cologne’s housing market, I’ll give you that – and tried to be the first one to respond to one of them. If you’re not among the first few applicants for a place, you might as well not even bother. Again: too many people, too few apartments. But! BUT.

I found a place! Oh, and it’s perfect. Ever since Sweden, I’ve toyed with the idea of living with a room mate again and given the high rents in this city, it only made sense to finally go for it. Her name is Lisa. Heh. My room will be kiiind of small but the whole apartment was just renovated and comes with a brand new bathroom, a kitchen, a balcony, a small city garden, floor heating (!!!) (I wouldn’t even dare to dream of such things!), good public transport connections, grocery shopping close by, and many other people my age living in the building as well as an elderly couple who sort of care for everyone and everything. I will finally get to bring my own furniture – which is still in Maastricht – and my beloved washer (GOODBYE FOREVER, LAUNDROMAT) and my name will be on the front door and I will have a regular landline phone and I will be properly registered with the city of Cologne. I missed these things; I didn’t really have them ever since I moved out of my parents’ over three years ago.

Cologne will be crazy with Carnival most of next month so I will not move until the last weekend of February. I’m really excited!

Boy, 2011 sure seemed longer than most years

Filed under Daily Life

I still have scars on both heels from when I wore flats around Maastricht all spring and summer. They bring back memories of university, days at the library, farmer’s markets, the river front, routine work-outs, the best peach ice tea, cobblestone streets, and – most clearly – giving my all to complete my degree in the relentless heat of the summer when most students had left the city already. Most of the first half of 2011 feels like a different life entirely – which, in a way, it was.

January
I started into the new year struggling to adjust to Life After Sweden. I booked my flight for a return trip to Sweden immediately, and recapped my amazing trip to Gothenburg to make the time pass more quickly.

February
I reminisced about meeting my friend Linn in Oslo. I officially started into my final semester at university. And I celebrated my weight loss progress of the past year, while realizing that my eating problems may be more serious than I’d like to admit.

March
My mom came to Maastricht for a short visit. I went back to Sweden, and was disappointed by how much my role in the group had changed. I was at my lowest weight since early high school, and I got my tragus pierced! And I fell in love with Maastricht all over again, and spent a long weekend back home in Germany.

April
I studied hard to meet my exam and thesis deadlines. Then I was told I would not graduate in 2011 because of a mandatory course I hadn’t known about, and started stressing about my future. Spending Easter at home with the family was a much needed break, and among the most blissful holiday weekends of all time. I also went to Brussels, absolutely loved it and swore to go back as soon as possible.

May
I started a kitchen garden. I got frustrated with my life in Maastricht but then San sent me Skittles and Reese’s and my world was ok again. Heh. I committed to loose another 10kg. I spent four days at the beach on Texel island with the family.

June
I suffered from terrible allergy attacks, and became increasingly frustrated with writing my thesis. My parents came to Maastricht for a surprise visit – and why wouldn’t they have, Maastricht is lovely in June! Sadly, I had to decline going to Dubai with a close friend.

July
I interviewed for an internship in Cologne; my parents came along and we saw some of the main tourist attractions. I got the internship and promptly started hating Cologne when the apartment hunt turned into a nightmare. I turned in my last university paper ever. I went home to Germany to catch my breath (and take pictures).

August
I went to my cousin’s wedding. I attended a 2-week Dutch class offered by my university’s language school. I began to really appreciate Maastricht. Then I moved to Cologne.

September
I graduated from Maastricht University with a Bachelor of Arts, and went back to Maastricht for the ceremony. I began my internship, and fell in love with Cologne almost instantly. I bought plane tickets back to Sweden.

October
I explored my new city. I finally recapped the “business trip” I went on with the entire office in September! Too many people were fired at work which was tough for everyone. I resolved to get back on the weight loss train.

November
I joined a weekly Zumba class with a friend from work. I ruined my laptop, and bought a new Asus Eee netbook. I gained weight back, a big ol’ chunk of it.

December
As every year, I’d been waiting for winter and Christmas to finally get here and I really enjoyed Christmas in Cologne. Work became too stressful to keep up with blogging. I had to have my tragus piercing removed because it wouldn’t heal properly. My grandma passed away two days before Christmas. Two days before New Year’s I left for Sweden.

I wrote down some resolutions last year, and none of them stuck. I began 2012 in a drunken stupor with my closest friends in a small, unknown town in Sweden and my grandma’s funeral a couple days later – I’m not sure what that might mean for the year ahead. Maybe 2012 will finally be the year that I grow up but I really hope it isn’t. One thing I learned in 2011 is that adulthood will come soon enough, there’s no need to rush into it. People are people, even those who seem to have everything figured out deal with the same problems and fears as everyone else. Also, KINDNESS. It is so simple, yet The Most Important. If I had to make one resolution for this year, it is this: be kind, and appreciate kindness in others.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I think it’s time for a slow down

Filed under Daily Life

I haven’t had time to blog about how busy and wonderful and heart-breaking and valuable my internship has been recently. I haven’t had time to blog about the many Christmas market visits or the office Christmas party or how, if at all possible, I loved Cologne even more this month. I haven’t had time to blog about that time I went to Düsseldorf to see a comedy show or that time my parents came to visit. I didn’t tell you about the job interview I had, or how my internship might develop into a better paid, one-year thing. I haven’t shared how awfully, terribly disappointed I am in myself for gaining so much weight back. I didn’t post photos or rambled on about my upcoming trip to Sweden.

I haven’t had time to blog about my grandma, who passed away yesterday.

It’s been a crazy stressful month. I’m taking an early train home tomorrow. Christmas Day is the latest I’ve ever gone home for Christmas. I’m hoping that, despite the circumstances, the family and I will get some rest and enjoy the holidays as best as we can.

Merry Christmas to all of you. I miss reading your blogs and taking part in the conversations. I love you guys, and I’ll be back soon!