Sitting here on Vienna International Airport, I am sipping my Chai Latte. The ritual of this pre-departure and post-arrival drink dates back to my first long stay abroad in Toronto in 2009. Now will be the second time I am leaving Austria for more than just a couple of weeks. I am nervous and excited. It's always hard to bid farewell to those who you grew fond of. Especially right now, I am having such a blast in Linz that leaving is not the easiest thing to do.
But, and that I know for sure, it's important and necessary to go on this exchange year. The personal education you get while staying abroad can't be compared to anything else. The argument of "losing" one year of studying knows only one reaction from me: who cares? Especially in this globalized world, the job market considers your experience abroad to be more important than the age you got your degree with. Plus, being open for something new is not at all a sign of denying your roots. I do like my home country a lot, but it's simply too small not to risk a glance outside. After all, I haven't found a single person who considered their stay abroad not successful. It takes quite some courage and is not always easy - especially during the first and last few days. But in the end, it pays off. Guaranteed.
This last paragraph I'd like to use to vocalize my infinite appreciation to my friends, my family and all people around me. I am deeply thankful for every moment, every laugh and every experience we shared. I will close the door of Austria for a while now, have a fresh start. Next summer, I will open it up again. And I am sure, dear friend, that we will continue where we left of. Many more magnificent moments may materialize mutually. This is not a good-bye, it's a see-you-again.
"Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part,
nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard,
aww take me back to the start."
(The Scientist by Coldplay)
Yours truly,
Martin
-on the way to Taipei
2 comments:
See-You-Again in February! :)
Elly
-who enjoys reading your blog again and again.
Oh, I didn't know you had a blog... but for sure I will stick to it by now ! Your writing style is very charming and somewhat philosophical, and your english writing skills are quite impressive - if I didn't know you were Austrian, I would have think that this was your first language (but since I know, there are a few (very few) syntactic mistakes, but it's not important). Anyway, I wish you a wonderful trip because I totally agree with all you've said in this post ! :)
Julie-Anne
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