With my birthday around the corner, I am taking stock of what I have been able to accomplish while I was 31.  Quite a lot, as it turns out!  I ticked off a number of things on my 31 Things list, but a few have been elusive.

The ones that will stick around to be added to my 32 Things list will probably be:

3. Pass the B1/Zertifikat Deutsch exam, or even better, the Zertifikat B2. Happily, after a year in Germany, my German skills have vastly improved.  So for my 32 Things, I will be aiming for either the Zertifikat C1 or TestDaF in the Fall.

4. Read a novel in German. Yep, still have not managed to focus long enough to accomplish this one, but I am determined!

6. Participate in a mission from the global version of Improv Everywhere, Urban Prankster, which has a group in Hamburg.

9. Sign up for swimming lessons.

14. Take a bike tour through Germany.

25. Speak German withAngela Merkel. Next month is my chance!

28. Find a good sushi restaurant in Hamburg. There has to be one out there, I just have not found it yet.

The remaining goals have either just not resonated with me this year, or were totally unrealistic in the first place.  While they were worth a shot, they are getting the ax for next year:

7. Learn and use one new German word per day. I probably do learn at least one new word per day, but I definitely do not use one new word per day.  I still want to work on expanding my vocabulary, but relegating myself to do something every single day is never very realistic.

10. Develop a taste for wurst. I do not dislike wurst.  I even voluntarily spread Leberwurst on my Brotchen sometimes.  But I definitely do not love it, nor do I care any longer to develop a refined taste for it.

11. Drink the local beer of every German city I visit. While I do seem to have a beer in every German city I visit, I am just not disciplined enough to make sure it is a local beer.

15. Hey, after all the running, swimming lessons and biking, maybe I should think about a short triathlon? Let’s try relearning how to swim first.

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

27. Get a mani-pedi. See Number 24.

Looking forward to see the final 32 Things?  Me too!  Check back next week…