January is one of those months when you either feel fresh and motivated – or like you’re stumbling into the new year. This time, I definitely fall into the second category. Not because nothing is happening, but because so much is moving at once – mostly furniture, wall paint, and my schedule.

Maybe this feeling comes from the fact that, since December 30th, we’ve taken almost every opportunity to renovate the apartment we’re moving into. It’s the apartment I grew up in and moved out of almost three years ago. Moving furniture, taping everything off, painting – sometimes even a second coat – it’s all pretty exhausting.

But we’re almost done now. In February, some workers will come to fix up the doors, radiators, and wooden baseboards, and to replace the worn-out old carpet with new vinyl flooring.

The schedule is more or less set now, and we’ve submitted the termination notices for both of our current apartments. We have to be out of one by the end of March and the other by the end of April. Hopefully, we haven’t overestimated ourselves and nothing unexpected comes up – like the cold that knocked me out for a few days in January.

Maybe this feeling of constant activity isn’t just because of personal things, but also because of what’s happening in the world. I don’t have as much time as usual to follow the news, but I still try to stay updated on the most important events. In January, Trump was inaugurated as the current U.S. president, already making headlines.

Meanwhile, in Germany, election season is in full swing. Even before the election, a massive political taboo was broken twice. The CDU and FDP helped the far-right AfD celebrate a victory, of all times, just after Holocaust Remembrance Day. Creepy and disgusting. Let’s hope the federal election won’t be as depressing as I fear.

But even if it is, at least the progress in our apartment and the moving process will keep me busy and distracted from the mess.

Wishing everyone a February that turns out much better than expected!