One month in

So, when I scheduled this post, it was due to come out this morning. But evidently when I changed the time, it rolled over to the next day. Sorry for the delay!

---

It's hard for me to believe, but in just a few days, I'll have been here a month. I've been hovering somewhere between feeling like my days have always been this way, and being convinced I'm just on a long vacation, and soon enough I'll be flying back to my husband and cats.

I think it will sink in soon that I have no intention of returning to my life as it was in the US, and that seeing my cats again means either a temporary stay there or moving then here permanently. My husband can of course move more freely, and I cannot wait to have him visit. I love exploring the city, but it will be 1000x more enjoyable with him at my side.

Because of the odd block schedule my classes follow, my midterms are next week already. Those tests will be the first real indicator of how ready I am to be back in academia. We only have two tests per class: the midterm and the final, which itself is worth 50% of our grade. On the one hand, it's terrifying that an hour or two of my efforts will determine whether I pass a class or not. On the other hand, because the blocks are so condensed, and the classes are so sparse, it means all of the information in my head is fresh and still new, and we talk about the subjects on a weekly basis - whereas the finals in my first degree spanned three months of lessons and always inevitably contained subjects I hadn't thought of in about three months.

So. We'll see. Monday is the big scary midterm, so by my Wednesday blog, I'll know where I stand.

Outside of class, I've been attending craft days and doing my best to stay active in fledgling social circles. I've been sketching quite a bit, too, and finally got around to visiting one of the local art stores today. I picked up some more calligraphy ink, and a white pen, since my sketches tend to be dark and I haven't had anything white to make the highlights pop.

I bought a bike as well! Though the company who sent it forgot to send the chain lock I purchased with it, so I haven't ridden it anywhere. Fortunately the apartment has a bike garage, and it will remain safe there but it's frustrating to be so close and still unable to really use the thing. I'll go pick up the missing lock tomorrow, and THEN I should be set. Just in time for autumn to settle in, haha.

Last week, I made a few upgrades to my apartment situation: new mattress (tyty to the friend who gifted it to me!), a new pillow, some succulents, a basil plant, and a clock that ticks. My sleep has thankfully improved since then, and I'm no longer burdened with the exhaustion that hounded my first few weeks here. I still have some trouble falling asleep at night, but it's getting better. And my quality of sleep has improved dramatically. Of all things, I miss familiar scents. I wish I'd had the forethought to pack familiar incense, or oils, or even a sweater from my partner. The apartment is almost completely neutral in scent, and I find myself missing the smells of home more often than any sights or sounds. The basil has helped a bit in that regard. I'll probably look for some peppermint soon, and perhaps clove and incense, too.

The weather is slowly but surely drearifying, and it's time I look for a water resistant outer layer. With the drizzle and mist we've been getting, the poncho I have isn't exactly convenient to whip on and off, and the wind has been too strong for umbrellas. Something to cover me and my hands while biking will be welcome, too. I can't say I'm looking forward to my first winter alone here, but I'm hoping my husband can visit between now and then. When we loves in northern Minnesota together, I struggled with the long dark - I don't think it will be quite so drastic here, but still, I won't know until I've lived it. For now, I'll continue enjoying the sun when it's here as well as the novelty of so-frequent rain. Growing up in a desert made me fall in love with rainy weather, and I always welcome a warm coffee on a cold day.

I hope you are all entering autumn in joy and peace, and I hope the new season brings happiness and abundance for you! Thank you, as always, for reading, and I'll see you in the next one 🥰

P.S. I am planning on an interim list of conveniences I love here in the coming days, so stay tuned before Wednesday if you're curious, and consider signing up for email notifs if you don't want to miss a post 😸

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

If you'd like to buy me a ko-fi, check out this link: https://ko-fi.com/woodsyl.

For other support options, see the Support page.