New Year, New Country

I feel as though I was waiting to live, waiting for my life to start. I felt it was all on pause until this year, 2024. Since late April I have been biding my time and counting down the second until 2023 ran out and we ushered in the new year. The old trope of new year, new me was what I was counting on. Now I’m seeing it more like “New Year, New Country, Same Me”, but with the ability to grow and try a new approach.

The last three months have been tumultuous and tiring. Having little more free time than to make some food, watch something on Netflix and sleep. Two jobs and wanting to stay active in health and creativity proved hard. Now I feel I have ripped the bandage off, I’m in the opposite ship now. Getting to know myself more as there is all the time to myself. I have had a hard time adjusting to this emptiness of schedule. I am finding my way, slowly.

From Ohio to Leipzig was a week of travel using roundabout and cheap ways. I am fortunate to have a friend who has me as a travel companion ( I am so grateful for this ). The roundabout way was from Pittsburg -> JFK -> Paris CDG, this is where I spent 3 nights getting acquainted with jetlag. After New Years, I left for Leipzig getting on the right train, the wrong way. Getting switched on the correct trains proved not too strenuous.

Europe is experiencing a really warm and wet winter and much of the countryside is flooded. I thinking it would be above freezing neglected to pack the really warm stuff. It took a few days to feel settled in Leipzig so they were spent in the house within a short walk getting groceries and looking at the second hand stores. After a full first week of the residency, I finally feel I am alive again.