Since returning to Tubingen, life has been full in a way it hasn't been for a long time. I'm jumping on every opportunity to be social- to hang out with colleagues/friends, to see more of area- it's been nice. I am settling into life here, slowly but surely. My German is still not where I would like it to be, but in the last week or so, I've noticed a marked improvement in my comprehension- like something finally clicked. Now I'm hoping the same thing will happen with my spoken German...

I am slowly easing myself into a productive work space, as well. This year is all about finding the right balance (on many levels). I have a number of things I'd like to get done before I leave for the US; I can't believe that trip is just ~6 weeks away. It means that I need to get on the ball a bit more, especially since I have the 5-day trip to Turkey over Thanksgiving. Speaking of which, I should probably go and do some research on what I want to do while I'm there-- since my travel book is in German, it'll also be good practice for my translation skills.