Home Sweet Fill-in-the-Blank

From Napoleon to Columbus, to Cincinnati, to Washington D.C., to Frankfurt, to Basel; the nag of "are we there yet?" can finally be answered...Yes. After a delightfully, laugh-filled New Years' Eve at Dan's house with some terrific laugh buds, and New Years' Day with friends from UC past, I made the trek with Kailee back to summer's playground. The time zones are the ones getting the laughs now though, as they see me trudge and try to reset my body clock. 

For the most part, I thought I packed light; packing for winter is so much harder than summer, and I even kept it to two suitcases, not even bulging. But when we arrived at the airport and I had to wrangle my turtle-hump backpack, a purse, and two suitcases into a bus, a tram, and walking to the new abode, I counted a few things I could have left behind. I also could have drawn a better map or considered printing it, any version that better described the area around the apartment and didn't have us wheeling around aimlessly for awhile.

The apartment is stunning and my roommate is going to be a blast, I just know it. She fixed us dinner tonight, a unique mushroom salad, and we got to talking about all sorts of topics. Will post pictures when it is not 2am and I am literally typing with fluttering eyelids.

Saw Roger and Daniel tonight, which was a great reunion. We all hung out at the old Lindenhof flat and then headed to Atlantis with Melanie and new friends later. 

It is weird to be back, mainly because I remember the city in warmth, and it looks completely different in early darkness, ice, and Christmas lights (Jerry's two face girlfriend, anyone?). On the bus from the airport to the train station, I didn't recognize the entire northwestern part of town. The city is very empty now, but also very much at peace. It's funny, I thought I would feel very much at home, and in a way I do, but I also feel that I am visiting Basel for the first time, in entirely different circumstances. My vantage point is either totally distorted or finally straightened. God has plans for me here, but I am clueless as to how they will carry out.