Tomorrow,

the serious planning begins.

Happy New Year! I can't wait to meet you, 2010

will miss

my parents, in my blustery mountain town

I was all geared up and ready to go
bounding for to leave my mountain home with a sky of blue
between the leaves

and the color of the water was green
high over the sea.

“Do you have to leave so soon my boy?
The winter time aint even begun….”
“Well I’d stay awhile,” I turned to say.
“But the color of the water is grey and I’m going away..."

-m. ward, Color of the Water

cold

I recently learned (and have been telling anyone who will listen--repeatedly) that the average temperature in Berlin in February is 28 degrees Fahrenheit. As in less than 0 degrees Celsius. As in below freezing. As in: I do not own clothing that will keep me warm in below freezing weather.

But then today, I got to thinking. Below freezing means below zero. Which means snow. Which means that when I arrive in Berlin on January 31, yes it will be cold, yes it will be grey and overcast. But, yes, there will probably be snow. And snow--winter wonderland--that is something I can definitely handle.

image source

can't wait (mouthwatering)

I am a great lover of food. I am also a devoted fan of bakeries. And I cannot wait to wake up on a weekend morning in Berlin, trot down to my neighborhood bakery and stock up on freshly baked pretzels and brötchen (and maybe a slice of cake or two). Then, I'll go home, brew some strong espresso, curl up on the couch with a book or a friend and demolish it all.

where to go?

i'm having trouble with narrowing. my paper theses aren't narrow, my thoughts aren't either. this is troubling when confronted with the task of choosing. where should i go when i'm in europe? should i spend more time in berlin or concentrate on traveling?

in no particular order, (but in some particular order) here is where i'd like to go next semester:

istanbul, paris, rome, barcelona, prague, athens (plus every island in greece), st. petersburg and moscow, london (and to visit alex and laurence in their home towns, too), edinburgh, dublin, florence, venice, madrid, budapest, amsterdam, sarajevo, vienna.

there's more, but i already know the above is too much.

where do you go, when you want to go everywhere?

purchased my ticket today!

Isn't it beautiful? Seriously, so excited.

tenterhooks (can't wait can't wait)

Walls.

this, i will miss this

i will miss

Following in Taylor's illustrious and creative footsteps, I'm going to post a few bits and pieces of life I will be homesick for when abroad. The purpose of this is twofold: firstly, it will let those who are always on my mind know that that they will be missed. And secondly, it will facilitate easier access for me when I am particularly in need of familiar faces even when away from my, admittedly overflowing, iPhoto.

It is, of course, unnecessary to add that I will also be posting things I am unbelievably excited for, and maybe even a few steps in the really frustrating process of organizing everything for my trip.

Ciao

Yesterday, I sent in my official acceptance of admission to the Freie Universität Berlin (the Free University, Berlin). I may or may not have kissed the envelope before sticking it into the post office box. I also think that I put too many first class stamps on it, but I am deeply afraid that it will be lost in the mail. In the next few months, a little ID card with my name and (unfortunate Wallgreens) picture on it will be laminated and sent to my little home in Northern California.

And at the beginning of February, that little ID card will find its way into my wallet and back to the streets of a new city where, I hope, anything is possible.

For now I had better get back to the important things in life. Or rather, my schoolwork.