It is about that time of year again.  The time to think about what I want to accomplish, experience, and remember to do before my next birthday.  I did a pretty bang-up job of working my way through my 30 Things list, so now that I have settled into a bit of routine in Germany, here is what I hope to do this year:

1. Run a race here, either in Hamburg or some other cool place.  I am aiming for my fifth half-marathon and then maybe a couple of a 10K’s.

May 17th: If you’ll remember, I ran the Hannover Half-Marathon on May 3, 2009 and had a fabulous time.   And coincidentally, it was also the thirty-first race I have ever ran.  Perfect!

January 15th: I am all signed up to run in the TUIFly Hannover Half Marathon on May 3rd.  Anyone joining me?

2. Travel to a country I have not visited before. (This is always on my list of goals.)  I’m thinking: Scotland, Hungary, Italy, Norway (to name a few).

May 17th: How about two countries I have never been to before?  Scotland and Belgium were both amazing!

3. Pass the B1/Zertifikat Deutsch exam, or even better, the Goethe-Zertifikat B2.

4. Read a novel in German.

November 28th: Back in October, I bought Russendisko by Wladimir Kaminir, a Russian who moved to Berlin in 1990 and wrote this hilarious memoir about being a foreigner in Germany .  I figured, what better way to delve into the German language than through the words of another Ausländer.  And now, I am actually reading it.  Unfortunately, it has taken second fiddle to my new English-language book, the Omnivore’s Dilemma, but believe me, the reading will continue!

October 10th: Okay, so I haven’t exactly started on this goal yet.  But.  I have two awesome German books that I am looking forward to starting (as soon as I can get in the mindset that reading in German in not homework).  The first one is Russendisko by Wladimir Kaminir, a Russian who moved to Berlin in 1990 and wrote this hilarious memoir about being a foreigner in Germany (also available in English as Russian Disco, if you’re interested).  The second is Damals war es Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter, a classic German novel about a boy during WWII (again, with the English verision: Friedrich). Sounds promising, right?

5. Spend Christmas with my nephew for the first time.

January 15th: Check.  Our Kugelbahn gift was a total hit.  Awesome!

October 10th: Another goal that is in progress: we have the plane tickets!  Believe me, that is more than half the battle.  Flying from Europe to the West Coast is no small feat — I had it so easy in living in New York: the West Coast several hours in one direction, Europe several hours in the other — and we were able to manage it with only one little layover (within Germany) and then direct to Seattle.  Can’t wait!

6. I got addicted to Improv Everywhere missions in New York, so now I want to participate in a mission from the global version, Urban Prankster, which has a group in Hamburg!

7. Learn and use one new German word per day.

8. Update my outdated, energy sucking digital camera with something that can let me take decent pictures in lowlight and without gapping for 10 seconds between shots.

January 15th: Check.  Hello new (to me) Nikon D40!

9. Sign up for swimming lessons.

10. Develop a taste for wurst.

11. Drink the local beer of every German city I visit.

12. Integrate saunas into my cold weather routine.

January 15th: Do weekly visits count as a routine?  Last week we even deviated from our routine to check out a smaller sauna, but found that we are pretty comfortable (funnily enough) being around more people at our regular spot.

October 10th: Last Saturday was my first visit of the season, and I know there will be many more where that came from.  Warm!

13. Ride my bike to work everyday.

October 10th: One week down, 51 to go.  So far, so good.  Work is only a five-minute ride away, along mostly quiet and empty streets.  Piece of cake.  It is when I am riding around traffic that I get nervous.

14. Take a bike tour through Germany.

15. Hey, after all the running, swimming lessons and biking, maybe I should think about a short triathlon?

16. Keep in touch with friends all over the world with Skype.

May 17th: Yep, Skype has been my primary means of communication with friends and family, it being free and all.  While we were in Scotland with David & Debi (uniting the European contingent of PopFam together), we had a major group Skype session with Suzanne & Dave in Boston.  I miss all of them desperately, but Skype can help alleviate that sometimes.

17. Play hostess to out-of-town visitors (yes, this is an invitation!).

18. Continue taking German classes at the Goethe Institute in Hamburg.

January 15th: Just started my newest course last night.  I have been moved up to level C1, which I think might be a stretch (but a good and challenging stretch).  Last night the course was a mix of C1 and C2 students and those fluent C2 people (and the more advanced C1 folks) had me sweating bullets.  I am definitely not there yet.  Don’t get me wrong — I am definitely up for a challenge — but being completely lost doesn’t help anyone!  The teacher is going to split the class in two by next week according to ability, so hopefully I will feel a little more comfortable then.

October 10th: Woohoo, after at least a year of being of being stuck at the B1 level, I have finally made it to B2!  And as I mentioned here, taking a German class in Germany is a lot more interesting than any of the classes I took in New York.

19. Master the use of the word Doch!

May 17th: Doch is one of those German words without a direct translation into English, but it is so wonderfully useful that I find myself wanting to use it in English conversations. Here’s a great explanation from About.com:

When you answer a question negatively or positively, you use nein/no or ja/yes, whether in Deutsch or English. But German adds a third one-word option, doch (“on the contrary”), that English does not have. For instance, someone asks you in English, “Don’t you have any money?” … Only two responses are possible in English: “No, I don’t.” (agreeing with the negative question) or “Yes, I do.” (disagreeing with the negative question). German, however, offers a third alternative, which in some cases is required instead of ja or nein. The same money question in German would be: Hast du kein Geld? If you answer with ja, the questioner may think you are agreeing to the negative, that yes, you do not have any money. But by answering with doch, you are making it clear: “On the contrary, yes, I do have money.” This also applies to statements that you want to contradict. If someone says, “That’s not right,” but it is, the German statement Das stimmt nicht would be contradicted with: Doch! Das stimmt. (“On the contrary, it is right.”) In this case, a response with ja (es stimmt) would sound wrong to German ears. A doch response clearly means you disagree with the statement.

You can convey so much in one simple word, I love it! Here’s a funny short clip from a movie which shows you how it can be used: Nein! Doch! Ohh!

20. Figure out how to get American prescriptions filled in Germany.

November 28th: Done.  So easy.  The pharmacist said, “Well, normally we’re not supposed to, but since our nations are friends…”‘  Um, okay, whatever works for you dude.

21. Replace my foam roller (which sadly didn’t fit in my luggage).

May 17th: Done.

22. Pay off one of my credit cards.

May 17th: Two down and one that will be finished next month, leaving one more for me to accomplish on my 32 Things list.  Woohoo!

23. Stop speaking German with such an American accent.

24. Figure out how to use all the gears on my bike.

25. Speak German with Angela Merkel.

26. Update my sadly out-of-date wardrobe with some European fashion.

27. Get a mani-pedi.  Just because I lived above a nail salon for four years doesn’t mean I’ve actually ever had one before.

28. Find a good sushi restaurant in Hamburg.

29. See my favorite bands perform in Germany.

June 13th: Somehow, I totally forgot to add the Radiohead concert we saw in Berlin last July.  Definitely one of the top shows I have ever seen!

30. Participate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election thanks to VoteFromAbroad.org.

October 10th: I mailed in that absentee ballot just the other day, thank you very much.

31. Feel hopeful about the future of the U.S.

November 28th: Yep, and I still cry when I watch this.  Thank you, fellow Americans.