As I'm sitting here listening to a song showed to me by a friend back home (now on repeat again for about 30x), I can't help but think about how fast people must forget (or forget to really think about) what it's like for someone like me to be here. You're in a foreign country you have probably never been to (or maybe for a very short period of time), all alone with no one from home, you haven't seen your family in months (with many more to come), you now are trying desperately to learn and improve language skills and just wishing that you could speak with and understand everyone around you, you constantly have 1989823 things on your mind, you're trying to make connections with a brand new family you suddenly started living with, and trying to find the right balance between how and what to say is not always an easy task, and sometimes, no matter which language or who it is, no one will be able to completely understand you and what you're going though, and that might be the most frustrating and tiring of all. It's not just that simple to go into a school of lifelong friends and find someone that's willing to jump up and be your friend, (although I have made quite a few friends, I couldn't say that I'm especially close with them), as well as things like being frustrated and feeling stupid in school because you have to ask for a translation or better explanation after every assignment is given, and really so so much more.

On top of that, earlier today while talking about the Winter Ferien (vin-ter fair-ee-en a.k.a. winter holidays/break) with one of my German friends, she asked if I would be going home for the break and Weinachten (vi-nakh-tehn a.k.a. Christmas), which of course I answered no. I've been thinking a lot lately about the upcoming Holiday's; how Thanksgiving will pass as just another Thursday here while the rest of my family is gathered together at my Ohma's for the first time without me, how Christmas will be very different, somewhat similar to how the last few years have been, but I know that I will miss the Christmas season with my family how it normally is doing everything that I love, but I'm also excited for the season here. Christmas markets, skating in HH, trying Glühwein with my host mom, and so much more. But that also means another marker for me... I'm in my 5th month already here.. Christmas will come quickly, and with it my 6th month here.. Sometimes really wish there were more days in a year.