Exactly

...Four months from today, I will be back in America.

Where did the time go?

Ich hab dich lieb Deutschland, aber mein Heimat ruft mir und sagt, "Komm zurück meine süße!"

And I must obey.

P.S. There were probably a million things wrong with that German, as you will see when I finish my upcoming post on the confusion of German grammar and sentence structure.

How To Feed Yourself For A Week. Maybe.

Basically, it's simple: make a big-ass pasta salad. I get a lot of compliments on my pasta salads, and it takes almost no time at all to whip one up. So here's the run down:

Take your selected amount of pasta (usually I make a lot, hence the eating for a week thing), in whatever small-ish shape appeals to you. I like mini penne, farfalle and fusilli, but it's up to you. Salt some water, bring it to a boil, and throw that pasta in. Cook for however long the package specifies.

While the pasta is boiling, cut up some fresh veggies. I usually go for tomatoes, cucumber, fresh corn (when in season), avocado, maybe bell pepper. Really, the possibilities are endless, depending on your taste. Chop up some fresh onion, a large bunch of fresh basil, and maybe some fresh herbs or chives.*

When the pasta's done, transfer it to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and plenty of your vinegar of choice. Liberally salt and pepper (I like coarsely ground black pepper and kosher salt). Add in a couple pressed cloves of garlic, or alternately mix up a dressing beforehand that includes smashed garlic. Mix in the veggies and fresh herbs.

Finish the dish off by crumbling feta or a good goat cheese into the finished salad, stirring to incorporate. Eat, and continue to eat for the next few days. Oh, and tip: a higher veggie to pasta ratio is recommended, otherwise the dish seems less like a salad and more like a pile of noodles with a couple of forlorn green bits thrown in for decoration. Not so appealing. Therefore, if you're making enough pasta salad to feed yourself for days on end, you'll need to have a reasonably large veggie selection on hand. Sometimes I add fresh vegetables to each subsequent serving.

Other good additions: grilled or smoked salmon, olives, capers, curry powder, lemon juice, pine nuts, parsley, cilantro, Thai basil, sauteed mushrooms, hard-boiled egg, steamed green beans, tuna, dill...ok, my point is made. Pasta salad is versatile, delicious, easy to make, and usually a crowd-pleaser. People who don't like a. bell peppers and b. feta have eaten my pasta salad containing both and proclaimed it good.

*How many times can I use the word 'fresh' in one sentence?

I feel that I should be writing more in this blog.

The past few weeks have been really good for me. Suddenly, it seems as though everything is falling into place--my life here is emerging from its protective chrysalis and becoming something. Before, nothing I did here, none of the daily routine, felt like I was living it. It was all a dream, a surreal, boring dream. Inexplicably, it suddenly all feels real. Here and now, fast and unrelenting. It's better this way. For months, I was unable to feel anything. I tried and tried to feel something: joy at being here, comfort in friends, self-assurance that I wasn't just pissing time away, waiting to get back to the U.S. But I was numb, I think perpetually in the shock of living somewhere unfamiliar. Maybe I was a little depressed. I'm not entirely sure, now that I think of it.

But now, it's as if I've suddenly shed an old skin. I am so much more aware and in the middle of everything, rather than an outsider looking in at someone else's life. And I enjoy everything so much more. My friends, the streets, the rides on the Bahn. Eating cheese on toast and drinking cup after cup of coffee, watching movies in German and seeing shows in Köln, the music humming through my spine in that way I love. Walking alone, all alone, with only my thoughts for company.

After six months, this country finally feels like home, like I can trust it.