February is not my favorite month. Actually, it's at the very bottom of my list. By now, the lack of vitamin D has really made its mark (I always get sick this month, my skin gets so pale that it starts to glow in the dark and I would rather burn my winter jacket) and summer still feels too far away. And I fool myself by thinking that warmer weather is on its way and then literally get a bitchslap by a new snowstorm. Just wait and see...

I felt spoiled with many wonderful trips the last year, and since travel is among the best there is, I always had a great highlight to look forward to that wasn't very far away. However, this year we plan a big USA trip(!) in August, which unfortunately not only feels distant but also means that I have to save and work every free moment I get from studies. My monthly budget prefers that I sit at home and do nothing that costs money, which is not the easiest since it's coffee with friends, partying, shopping and stuff like that which makes everyday life more enjoyable these cold and dark days. For that reason, I neither will go on the study trip in spring or to Bosnia and Croatia in the summer, which will be the first time since we started going there after the war. The thought of that is a bit painful to my heart (is it weird that the first thing that came to mind is all the food I'll miss?) But on the other hand, I look forward to the U.S. more than anything else right now. That experience and the fact that I even have the opportunity to plan such a trip makes it easier to sacrifice another. Yes, every trip makes me think of what a privilege I have for even being able to do it.

Must complete the post with pep talk: Firstly, February is almost over! Yey! And I must praise myself because I have become very good at harmonizing (not sure if it's the right choice of word, but you get the point) my life and to turn negative into positive in my mind. I get myself in a better mood by simple means. Even in boring February. But more about that in another feel-good post.