November im Rückblick

November, what a blur. I’m not sure where this month went, but it was a tough one for me. This had to be the lowest point of my expat adventure, but is has been awesome to hear from my fellow expat bloggers. Knowing this feeling is something everyone experiences at least once was just what I needed! And even though this Heimweh stuck around much longer than I (and my blog) would’ve liked, November wasn’t all bad.

• At the beginning of the month I was all about getting to know Marburg better and was in full-on explorer mode. One of the best walks I’ve had around Marburg happened to be on a rainy, grey day. This city’s medieval charm is pretty magical.
• I made it to my six-month mark of living in Germany. In my head, this was the unofficial marker of being settled. This fantasy and how I actually felt were polar opposites..
• With the cold, dark weather and the fast-approaching holidays I was this close to packing my suitcases and saying Tschüss to Germany. I’m so happy I didn’t. It’s been so nice hearing all the great advice from fellow expats. Thanks, guys.
• I love college basketball and November is the start of the college season.  Even though I’ve watched every UNC game that’s come on at a reasonable time, I miss waiting in line for a ticket into the Dean Dome to watch the guys play. So when a friend invited F and I to Frankfurt to see the Fraport Skyliners in action, obviously I said yes!
• Thanksgiving! I was prepared to skip the holiday this year since I was feeling so blue and because in Germany there is no Thanksgiving. Luckily, I threw myself into bringing the best first Thanksgiving to my German WG. What a great night.
• Driving around to see all the Christmas lights back home was always something fun my family would do together. I was happy to find that it’s something I can do here, too! There are lights all over town in preparation for the re-opening of the Weihnachtsmärkte (which happened last weekend) and Christmas.
• We’re getting a Dunkin Donuts! We’re getting a Dunkin Donuts! Though it’s location is slightly controversial, I can’t wait for good ol’ American donuts.
• With the weather at its coldest, the city had its annual Marburg b(u)y Night celebration, which is a night of lights, music, and Glühwein at the Christmas markets. Everything – all the shops in the Oberstadt and the Christmas markets – stay open until midnight! If you’ve been in a small German city after 6 o’clock you’ll know this is a huge deal.