Autumn Thoughts

It's a rainy autumn day and I've just returned from shopping and lunch in the city. I've arranged a pretty bouquet of flowers, put on some candles and have a few new magazines to relax with but first, I thought to visit my friends here on haus maus. How are you doing? I hope that you are enjoying the early days of the new season and looking forward to all of the things that Autumn brings.

I had pumpkin risotto today with fresh rosemary and was reminded of just how special this time of year is and how much I miss home. The taste of pumpkin always brings me back home to New England where I spent my life as an adult before moving to Germany. Apple picking, strolling through pumpkin patches, enjoying hand-cut cider donuts, hay rides, sipping hot apple cider, Halloween decorations and candy, pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (which is available over here too - a joy!) and pie - I really do miss pie! I only miss living in America in October, isn't that funny? It is a favorite month of mine that I always associate with crisp sunny days and delicious food, friends and cozy New England charm. In Germany it's notably a very rainy season and there are not a lot of seasonal delicacies here in the Fall outside of the typical beer and bratwurst at Oktoberfest which is sold all year long so it's nothing special.

I'm trying to find new things in Germany to love about Autumn and so far, I really love driving into the countryside to observe the sunflower fields that are fading, visit farm stands and take long walks in the nearby Lüneburger Heide - a place we went to just this past Wednesday and had a most lovely time. I also plan to start cooking more of "my foods" in October and November so that I feel a bit more at home because I need the diversity in my diet.

I miss the traditional thanksgiving turkey, it was always a very special time of year for me to enjoy a beautiful turkey dinner with stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes and roasted veggies, pies and the many other delicious foods of Fall. It's interesting how much of our culture is based around food isn't it? And when we are not around those familiar foods anymore, how quickly we can feel isolated and even homesick for our old life. I don't feel homesick any other month of the year except for October - it's been this way now for the past four years that I've lived in Germany. I just ride the wave of this emotion and refuse to let it get me down but at the same time, I also don't do much to change it. I guess I'm a bit stuck.

I wonder if other expats living abroad often have these periods of feeling homesick? I don't always look for ways to overcome these feelings because I think it's healthy to just experience them without always trying to "fix" ourselves or numb ourselves. I don't mind feeling a bit melancholic about it. But I also wonder what I could do to make October special again as it used to be? If you are living far from home, do you have recurring periods each year where you wish you could fly home for a few days?

xo
Holly