Things I Didn't Do For 11 Months

Dear Everybody,

living abroad, doing an exchange or just travelling is an adventure. And I am sure everyone has a bucket list of things they want to do and experience while they are away. Maybe this list is overcrowded. Speaking for myself, my bucket list was super long and I am happy to say that I ticked nearly everything off of it.

Being so focused on going out and doing stuff can make you forget and make you unaware of all the things you're not doing anymore. Because your habits and routines change, maybe because there is just no time, chance or need for them. I became aware of some of those things and thought it would be interesting to share them with you.

Let's start with food! There are a lot of things I haven't eaten in ages. They are mainly traditional German dishes or meals just my Mum can prepare the way she does. Nobody else will ever get them right. Luckily, I was home over Christmas so I didn't miss out on our roast and Klöße (mashed potatoes formed into balls boiled in hot water-so much better than this description makes them sound), potatoe salad and Bockwurst (basically a 'fat' wiener/frankfurter sausage) and our home baked christmas cookies. But what I am missing is my Mum's tomatoe sauce, chicken fricassee and a proper BBQ with Bratwurst and Brätel (pork steaks marinated in mustard and beer). I will maybe have like two BBQs when I come home in August, but usually I have so many with friends and family and I am really sad to miss out on them. 

I already have a list prepared in my head with all the things I want to eat again, also on there are: my Mum's cheesecake, Leberkäse (a meatloaf) and Knödel (like a long roll of dumpling dough cut into slices) with Gulasch (=goulash). 

Another thing I never thought I could go nearly a year without is going to the hair dresser's. But living on an Au pair salary and having to pay for everything by yourself for the first time in your life makes you realize how expensive some things are. And 14 quids to get your hair cut seem just absolutely outrageous. 

I also haven't been ill for a year and didn't see a doctor. Good for me, I guess. :D

A pretty obvious point is that I didn't go to school for a year. I decided to take this break and don't go on to university immediately. But still I could have taken a language course at a college here in London. I am quite happy I didn't, because I think just putting myself out there, living in a foreign country helped me so much to learn actively instead of passively, sitting in a classroom with a teacher telling me things.

As I am writing this there is one last thing that comes to my mind. And that's that I haven't seen one of my really close friends for 11 months. Because he was exploring New Zealand and I was 18029km away in London. It is a crazy long time thinking about it. I saw my others friends in person only once and my family twice. Thank God there is Skype and What's App to keep in touch. 

On this note I am going to end this already long post. It's amazing to see what kind of things you "neglect" when you take your life to another country, change your environment and situation. But I believe it is always worth the experience.

See you!