Gemütlichkeit

For the last couple of years I have been regularly travelling, starting from occasional 1-day working trips to long biking journeys across Europe. Since I love travelling and hate carrying heavy luggage, I thought I got used to enjoy simple comfort and minimum of staff in my room. However, as my volunteering experience is not a mere journey, I decided it would be actually feasible to make my living space cozy and convenient and it worth paying efforts to. I was the last volunteer to join the project this year, so it was no surprise that the best rooms had been already occupied by the time I came. I’ve got a tiny rectangle-shaped space with the minimum furniture and equipment. However, it soon turned out that having a tiny room is rather a benefit, since it is so easy to make it cozy and warm.

Most of all, I adore the window in my room. It is a big square glass right next to my bed with the view over high trees. The first thing I see, when I wake up is the piece of sky and tops of trees with colorful leaves. To make the window more appealing, I hanged lanterns around the framework and bought curtains with adorable patterns and colors. The window-still is suitable for placing candles, little snacks and notes. Now the long winter evenings do not seem frightening anymore :)

When leaving my home country, I grabbed many postcards and photographs. The postcards remind me of places I’ve visited and friends, who gifted them to me. I also got some inspiring postcards from my previous internship, which advocate for the gender equality and women’s empowerment. I hanged postcards on the walls, door and wardrobe, uniting them into meaningful clusters and interesting combinations. Now, my room does not seem so empty as the beginning.

Other little things, contributing to my personal Gemütlichkeit include aroma candles, cute bed linen, books, armchair, favorite tea cup and music. Now my room is ready to be called a cozy place for the next year.