As the days start to get shorter again (??) it’s still roasting temperature in Tübingen; last week it got to 34 degrees. And, if you’re wondering why I’m still abroad, semester continues til the end of July here (and yes, I am jealous that you have already finished your exams).
If I had a word to describe how the last few weeks have been, it would be “stressful”. I’ve had an exam, a presentation, and more are looming. Other, completely random things haven’t been going particularly well- my kitchen has been redone, so I couldn’t cook anything for a week, and there were people in my flat from 7:15am to 4pm. It’s definitely a strange feeling to feel out of place in your own home.
Due to the heat, I’ve been sleeping pretty badly, and it’s difficult to concentrate when I’m studying, which- with exams coming up- isn’t the best thing in the world.
And, the icing on the stress-cake, is that I managed to (somehow) spill antibacterial hand gel on my phone, and repairing it is expensive, which leads to my next point…
All these things going wrong really makes me appreciate that they usually are fine; it’s like that feeling when you get a cold and your nose is blocked, and you realise how lucky you normally are to be able to breathe easily. The time without my phone has really helped me to be more productive, and to reevaluate how much I really need it. Funnily enough, it half-breaking has inspired me to stay without my smartphone (I still have a brick German one) until I come back to England, as having a month without my phone has always been something I’ve wanted to do, and there’s no better time to be productive than just before exams!
So, I guess the lesson to be learned is to make the best out of a situation, even when it seems that things aren’t going particularly well. There’s often a silver lining, and anyway, you can be almost certain that in a job interview they’ll ask you about a challenge you overcame- these experiences have got to come from somewhere!
Anyhow, I need to get back to revising for my exam (it’s in just over a week now)- talk soon?
