It's the end of the year!
- tossought
- Dec 24, 2025
- 4 min read
Holy crapoly it's the end of the year! Finally, the long-awaited end to the dreaded and fearsome 2025. I am truly not at all sad to see this year go. It's been, overall, a terrible one. Lots of good things happened, too, but oh man. I think it's safe to say this one's a net negative for the books. I'm so grateful to all of you for being here, and I'm grateful to be here, too. There have been varying times during this past year where I've felt differently, and I'm glad I'm not in that place anymore. Take care of yourselves and each other!
That aside- Winter has come and the days are slowly progressing toward sunlight again. Slowly. Autumn here was comparable to what I remember growing up in Colorado as a kid; cool, blustery, beautiful. So far we haven't had much inclement weather, other than the wind, though the temps have dropped below freezing a few times. I'm just happy the sun will be staying out longer and longer for the next six months. Even at its zenith, it's currently not far off the horizon, and the days feel incredibly short. Still, with my apartment windows positioned how they are, I get as much sunlight as possible, and I haven't experienced the same kind of seasonal depression as I did when living in the north of Minnesota, where the days were not only short but dark and grey as well.
I spent last week studying and test-taking, finishing out this block of classes and finally being released into holiday break. I did quite a bit of sleeping, cooked some awesome meals, and photographed some of the first day of winter. I chose not to submit a blog post last week both because I was mid-finals and because I think, moving forward, every other week will be a better compromise between wait time and content. Last week I really had nothing to say other than "it's finals!" and that didn't feel like it justified an entire post. We'll test out this every other week thing for a month or two, and if I don't like it, I'll just go back to small weekly updates.
So, I am currently on holiday until early January, when I'll pick up one final course for the semester and finish out the first real chunk of my degree. I'm looking forward to it, though the class I'll be taking is notorious among the students for being particularly difficult. That being said, I was a little concerned with the final for one of two of my classes this past term, and I ended up passing with plenty of room to spare. So with a little luck, even if this next class is tough, it won't be failing-grade tough. After all, my loan and current residency status rely on me passing my classes in a timely manner, so until my visa transfer happens, I have quite the incentive to be the model student.
And speaking of my visa, the process is currently being held up (surprise-surprise) by US state governments. Documents ordered over a month ago still haven't shipped, and have no estimated time of arrival. One of those documents is from a local governing body, a few minutes' drive from where my partner is. It's a copy of a document they need to print and mail. When I checked in last on their progress, I learned they are still processing requests from well over a month ago, and haven't even seen ours yet. I have read time and time again that one of the hardest parts about escaping the US is literally waiting on the US government. After spending only a few months in different country with a functioning, efficient government, the contrast is palpable. The Netherlands has a lot of bureaucracy to wade through. But each time I've had to interact with a governing body, it's been efficient and simple. And each time I've reached out to ask about an expected date or time, I've been given a direct answer. No ambiguity there. I'll take it over the Unknown.
In brighter news, I've had a lot of time to paint and to practice lyre, which I picked up just before moving and has been a great musical outlet, since I don't have access to a piano here. The bow and arrows I ordered for myself for my birthday have also arrived, though I haven't yet found a space to shoot them. I think I'll need to take an intro class at one of the ranges here before they'll allow me to shoot, and the next intro courses aren't until February. The bow and arrows are absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to use them! If you're a traditional bow lover, please check out Sarmat Archery in Ukraine. They do amazing stuff.
In terms of holiday celebrations, I am staying in and enjoying the season. I've picked up some ingredients to make some warm winter desserts for a potluck I'm going to this weekend, and will hopefully fill my social meter that way. I might also get together with some pals next week to catch a movie, dinner, or museum trip together.
I hope you all are enjoying your holiday season, and welcoming in the new year with optimism! I'd be lying if I said this year has been an easy one, but I'm hopeful that next year will bring some much-needed consistency and calm. Thank you all for hanging in there with me, and keeping up to date with what I'm up to. I hope you're all doing well - and please let me know if you'd like a (belated) holiday or new year card! I'm always happy to send them.
Thank you again, and I'll see you in 2026!
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