Truth be told, the reason for my reluctance to post in the last wee while has been down to a pretty awful bout of homesickness. When all I could think about was my beloved Glasgow, it was hard to find the motivation to write about what I'd been up to over here. A particularly low point came when I visited Prague, one of the most beautiful places I've been lucky enough to visit, and somehow spent the weekend with an overwhelming feeling that something was missing. Days later I was on a flight back to Glasgow for the weekend and I think it was just what I needed, even if it was so close to Christmas.
To recap my November and December I only need one word, really: Weihnachtsmarkt. I spent an awful lot of time and money at the Christmas markets this year, particularly in Leipzig. No evening in Advent was complete without a cup or three of Gluehwein. The atmosphere at the markets is so infectious, it's almost impossible to spend an hour or so there without leaving filled with Christmas spirit at its finest. A special mention has to go to the market in Lutherstadt Wittenberg where we found a knitted hat shaped like Sonic the Hedgehog and some old women gave us little cakes "because sisters share everything".
By the end of December though the markets were becoming something of a trial, as they got busier and I got more impatient and intolerable of the crowds. It was definitely time to get home, and I think this year was the best festive season yet for me. Hogmanay in particular could hardly have been more perfect. Spending time with my family and best friends was wonderful and has left me refreshed and ready to take 2014 head on! I've already got some pretty excited stuff planned for the next couple of months!
Here's a little instagram roundup of my last two months:
The idea of home is a strange thing. To some people it's a place, to some a person, to some it's something completely different. Before I moved here, I don't think I really had a clue just how much Glasgow is home to me. In summer I was so bored from working all the time that I couldn't wait to get away, as scared as I was. I felt like I'd had enough of the city I'd spent my whole life in. I wished that I'd had the opportunity to move away for university, and experience a different city.
Now, though, I think that Glasgow will always be home no matter where I live. There's such a warmth (not literal, of course) and familiarity to the city that I don't think anything could replace. After four months spending everyday life in another language, the accent is as comforting to me as my parents' faces or my oldest cuddly toys. I love the rough edges as much as the most beautiful buildings, and nowhere here in Halle can replace my favourite bars or clubs in my heart. There's no parks here to rival Kelvingrove and, despite the abundance of horrible fizzy drinks and processed meats, no Irn Bru or square sausage to be had.
So maybe this year and the homesickness it's brought so far have been what I've needed. Where before I was desperate to break out and try life somewhere else, I now can't wait for my last two years at uni in Glasgow. To use a terrible but very fitting cliché, I definitely belong to Glasgow.
