No matter how tired you were today, I guarantee you did not spend the night on a bus last night.

I got back to Frankfurt at 6 this morning after a 12 hour overnight bus ride from Copenhagen. But more on that charming city later. Today reminded me that I am, in fact, still in a foreign country, in a new job, and life does not slow down for the tired. I could not help but stop and laugh at how much I failed at today.

Now seems like a good time to remind myself of my mantra: carry every denomination of coins and bills at all times. I was so proud of my new German bank card that would void this mantra. I didn’t think I also needed a new German PIN to go with it. I tried so hard to buy train tickets today. It was such a struggle. Somehow I ended up getting from point A to point B to point C and back again, but man, was it a process of feeling helpless and defeated at every ticket machine.

Today’s small victory: purchasing a weekly train pass so I won’t have to touch another ticket machine again all week.

Just missing the 6:20pm train, I had to take the 7:20 train home. My hopes of getting fresh veggies and meat at the market suddenly turned into hoping the regular supermarket was still open. Even the supermarket was exhausting. After stalking all the dinner meat and being too tired to care, I ended up with gefluegel hackbaellchen. I had no idea what they were. Google translate says: poultry meatballs. I still have no idea what kind of poultry they were.

I finally made it home after a process of a day. Gone is my 20 minute bike ride to work. No longer is the comfort of my Whole Foods. Going to the gym is like a carrot on a string. The ease of my old life seems like a distant memory.

I opened my balcony door, ate my gefluegel hackbaellchen, and listened to the laughter seeping up from the crowded cafe downstairs. I sat down with a cup of tea for a moment of solitude and reflection, crashing my pity party. Today was the first sunny, warm day since I’ve moved here. It’s finally spring in Germany. And no matter how tough it seems, I’m ready.