Gestation period.

Oh look. I have a blog. Okay, I need to actually write in it.

I have now been in Germany for almost nine months. If I had just got pregnant when I moved, I would be having a baby right now. A few things have happened in this time, but not as much as one might expect.

One thing about this blog which I suppose I only ought to confirm here and now that I plan to be honest when writing. As honest as possible. I read countless blogs, many of which are written by lovely, amazing people who are travelling or have moved abroad or who have fascinating lives and stuff to tell. I am none of these things, and I have found life abroad really, really hard work.

I previously lived abroad: I spent a year in Dresden during my undergraduate degree as an exchange student at the university. If I had kept a blog back then it would fall into the above category of "people abroad having fun and showing off about it*". I had a blast in Dresden (PUN INTENDED) and have so many very fond memories of my Erasmus time there. Here I am now in Hamburg, miserable, lonely, and slowly losing all self-esteem**.

*I am simply jealous. Please carry on having fun.
**Sounds a bit dramatic when I reread this back.

The two most important things:

• I moved in with Boyfriend. We live in a top-floor, beautiful flat with a balcony and sloping ceilings. Oh, and leaking windows. We've been filling it up with stuff and now we're about ready to move. Living together is awesome though.
• I started working full-time in my first post-graduate career. It's both great and soul-destroying at the same time.

I said I was going to be honest. The main source of my depressed feelings has been my lack of a social life. I have simply found it incredibly difficult to meet people and make friends. At first I didn't worry and thought "these things take time". Now, it's been 9 months and I only know a very small handful of people in this massive city, and only really at an acquaintance-level. Everyone says "ooh get out there and meet people". Out where? Am I meant to wander the streets hoping to bump into a new BFF? Please, tell me where to go and I will run there so fast your neck will snap like in a cartoon.

In other fairly significant events, I broke both my wrists in April and experienced first-hand (har har) the German medical system, including surgery and a full 3 day hospital stay. All was fine, really. But if there is one thing I have learnt from all this, it's that when you enter the waiting room at the doctors, you are expected to greet the whole room with a loud "Good morning!" and if you do not do this, you are given the most evil glares I have ever encountered.