Contrasts

Contrasts can be viewed through the window from my room. The warm light of the afternoon belies the frigid weather outside. If not for the crust of ice that has formed atop the roof of the hut across my window, I would like to believe it is still one of those warm, sunny days that greeted me the first time I set foot here in Freiburg. The faded grass and fallen leaves rest on the yard as still as the skeletal branches of trees that were left lacking of lush from the season change. Some lucky ones- pines and spruces, perhaps- maintain their deep green hue and standing tall and proud, as if declaring their invincibility to the fallen ones. Early this afternoon, it even snowed, or so I thought. I realized later it was only bits of ice melting and falling off from branches, thawed and dislodged by the warmth of the sun.

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I am literally watching the day pass by today through my window. This energy-saving and reclusive mode perhaps is my unconscious way to prepare for the two weeks ahead. Tomorrow I will fly to Madrid where I will celebrate the first week of the holidays. I cannot wait to taste authentic paella, see a Picasso, and do the flamenco. Ole! On New Year's Eve, I'll fly out to Brussels and celebrate the turn of the year in Antwerp, where some former officemates are also studying on a scholarship. My journey has just begun...