Welcome, Routine!

It does exist, this mysterious Winter Wonderland

It’s early February. I tried very hard to think of fascinating stories that I could share with you. Nothing came to my mind. It might be due to that lovely cold that just won’t let go of me and finally forced me to decline every invitation for a fun Friday night, or it might be due to the fact that nothing fascinating has happened. The latter is probably it. Remember, how I told you in my first blog how I still needed some time to feel settled in? Well, I am! And daily routines are barely ever all that fascinating. Still, it gives you a certain comfort, which I missed during my first couple of weeks. Most importantly, it made me appreciate little things in that routine much more. 

It’s, again, the snow (While I’m typing this, another load of white is covering everything outside.) And guess what?! People here complain about it just as much as at home. It seems to be the same huge surprise each year. It made me think of the beloved LVB (public transport system in Leipzig) that each year, afresh, is overwhelmed by the snow. As I already wrote in my first blog, I like it. In winter it’s supposed to snow...

One of those little things

Also, reading is a major part of my time over here. I took exclusively classes from the English department, all of them concerned with literature in some way. Well, that makes books my constant companions. So, a usual day over here is a good mix of classes, reading, and lots of coffee. Cynthia and I have the exact same schedule. So, I won’t give you another list of my classes. I encourage you, though, to read her blog on our classes. Especially, the part on Dr. M – SHE ROCKS!

What comes with the reading? Right: Coffee, another major part of my daily routine. I was lucky to meet that special Barista, who makes the one spare hour between classes each day much more bearable. He greets us with a warming “Hello Ladies,” and by now, gets two Café Lattés ready in no time– without us saying a word. When we leave, he knows he’ll “see us later,” and thanks to the coffee we’ll have “a great day.” I know, most of it is good customer service: Knowing your customer’s drinks. Still, I appreciate that moment of someone knowing how I drink my coffee. And what would home look like without having that one cozy “Stammcafé?”