Weine nicht, weil es vorbei ist. Lächle, weil es so schön war.
Eight and a half months have gone by and already people who have left are returning to visit. I feel like I have lived here for a long time. However, September still feels like yesterday…
It’s a very in between feeling. Where do I live? As much as I look forward to reuniting with family and friends in the states, I also dread it. When I walk down the street, I often run into to people I know, all different kinds of people: German friends, Erasmus students, professors, people that I see every day and recognize but am unsure of how I know them, etc. I find these daily encounters quite gratifying and naturally homelike.
A couple weeks ago, I decided to cut off making any new friends. At this point, I don’t need any more friends. I will just have to say goodbye to them in five weeks. My boss recently asked me if I wanted to be a buddy for some of the new students. I responded firmly, “I don’t need anymore friends; I need money.”
He then offered to pay me. I graciously accepted.
I know that ten months is not an extremely long period of time, but there has been a hell of a lot of growing in those months. So to throw myself back into my old life, a life that is completely different from the one I lead in Lüneburg, is bound to be somewhat difficult for me. Two lives, like I have said before, both equally loved but undeniably different.
It is nevertheless good to leave with positive feelings towards this experience. That way, no matter what I decide to do in the future, I will always look back at this year and smile.
