Winter Blues

It's been a hectic week. I had a brief vacation after returning to Bulgaria because of the outbreak of hepatitis a in Stara Zagora, an outbreak that turned out to be more media hype than actual danger, and then I dove right back into my classes. Today marks the last day of the first semester. Which means that grades are due. Which means that I have been flooded this week with last minute papers and worksheets and pleading requests to grade them in time to enter them into the book. So, I've been doing a lot of grading. Luckily, their grade is not solely reliant on me. Their regular teacher gives them a grade based on her own classes, and she takes my grades into consideration as well. So, it's not all on me.

Other than grading, I'm just trying really hard to not let winter get me down. It's gotten pretty cold outside, which means that I spend a good majority of my time inside. It's too cold for the long walks I took all fall. Between the lack of sunlight, the constant cold, the lack of exercise, and the amount of time I spend indoors these days, I'm starting to feel a bit like this:

It doesn't help that winters here aren't like winters at home. It's really cold, but the most snow we've had has been more like this:

In other words, the kind of snow I hate. I love snow when there's a lot of it, and it lays beautifully over the land. When there's only a little bit and it melts quickly, it just makes everything dirty and slushy. The dirt parking lot outside of my building has become a giant mud pit. If it were a bit warmer, that could be a lot of fun. In the meantime, I walk across it on my tiptoes trying to not get mud on my work pants. I think part of my gloomy mood is also being a bit lonely now that I'm back. I can't help but miss things like this:

But, despite it all, I am enjoying being back here in many ways. I have started to make friends and do get out of the house more than this post might imply. And I get to skype my nephew all the time. He now calls his belly button his butt. And every time we skype, at least twice during the conversation, he yells "BUTT!" and lifts his shirt up to show me his belly button. As for the rest of it, I've always found winter a gloomy time, but I'm doing my best to keep a positive attitude. My students are great, the play I'm directing is going really well, and I've been able to keep myself busy and entertained. Today, I started doing some cross between meditation and yoga in my living room. It helps stretch me out since I've been kind of sore lately from hunching over my computer, and it helps me center myself and find peace.

It helps, as well, that I've been listening to this and this with a little bit of this thrown in. I also received this as a Christmas present and am making my way through it. I haven't actually watched it straight through before. It makes a lot more sense this way. Every time I've seen it, it's been out of order and hard to follow. It's excellent when in order. :) And, of course, I'm rereading this. Because I'm a nerd. And I love these books. Throw in some tea at my new favorite cafe, and I think I'll get through these winter blues just fine.