White and grey

In Leiden it is snowing. It is not the same as back home, it's wet snow and almost rain, but it's white and soft and the garden is changing color (for the better perhaps, given that we haven't fixed it yet).

I am starting to feel at home, somehow - the roads are known and my things have found a place, the smells and noises of this place (there's a lot of those, the house is three hundred years old and chats continuously) are comforting instead of worrying...
My bike is chained outside rusting a bit more, and every morning I bike to university for my course - and whenever I go to some shop or café I can almost be understood.

I am discovering the funny and not-so-funny sides of living in a different country, the good surprises and the times when I would pay any sum for just one flight back home.
Last weekend my mum came to visit, and since yesterday morning when she left all these thoughts and feelings are battling for supremacy over what's left of my mind.

It was nice, really nice - to see with her all the places that are becoming usual for me, telling her of all we have done and plan to do in the house, simply be together without skype or mail to filter, be able to talk freely without looking at the time... Very nice and much needed.

I went from a long-distance relationship with my beloved to a long-distance relationship with my mum! (and with the rest of the family, and with my friends, en so on and so forth)

...but if anyone happens to know where I can find a grocery shop and/or a decent butcher in town, pleasepleaseplease drop me a line! ;)