Not a “goodbye”, a “see you soon”…
Student lifeJuly is already well underway and that means that I only have a few days left here in Munich at the IfKW as a student. Time for me to start saying goodbye to this city and the people I have met here, whom I now consider my friends.
If I had to choose one word to describe the city and what it inspires in me, it would be: surprising. Here you can do everything: in the morning chat with people from all over the world, in the afternoon eat a traditional Bavarian meal, in the afternoon visit a castle or go for a swim in the lake, afterwards enjoy a beergarten and then go out to a techno club in the evening or go to one of the many student festivals – seriously, there are two universities in this city, but between Stustaculum, Tumix, the Uni Sommerparty and the other festivities, you don’t know where to turn. It’s a good thing there aren’t any more schools, because it would become a full-time job to follow all the student events!
When I arrived here, I had in mind what all the people I know who did an Erasmus spend their life saying: “you’ll see, it’s the best experience of your life, you party all the time, you meet a lot of people, it’s so cool!”. This is a discourse that perhaps played tricks on me at the beginning. It’s normal not to be surrounded by a huge group in the first days or to have tons of propositions to go out all the time. I think I put unnecessary pressure on myself: enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Especially since the semester here is short and I arrived in mid-April to leave at the end of July. But finally, after a while, I got used to it and I understood better how I wanted to live this Erasmus. Spontaneity became my watchword. If I feel like going out, doing something, let’s go and have fun, but if I must work or I’m tired, I shouldn’t force myself at all costs. I think I have found the balance I was looking for and have settled into a rhythm of life that has made me feel more fulfilled.
Also, I was able to visit some very beautiful places. Bavaria is really a beautiful region, with a lot of beautiful landscapes, hikes, lakes to swim in. I also visited Neuschwanstein and Chiemsee. I still have other places to go during these few remaining weeks, but I am convinced that I will come back here to see this beautiful city and region again and again!
To finish with what I think is the most important thing here, the encounters, I wanted to thank all the nice people I met here for your joie de vivre, your sympathy and the beautiful moments spent together. Some of them are students here at IfKW, and maybe they will read me, so thanks to Eliska, Michelle, Daniela, Ruben, Gabi, and Clara for being part of my Erasmus adventure and I don’t forget all my other classmates here, with whom I unfortunately didn’t always have the opportunity to talk. I also end with a thought for all the other people I met here, other French people, other international people, thanks to ESN MESA events or just by chance.
It has been a short but intense three months, from which I have grown, having learned about myself and the person I want to become thanks to all the experiences I have had.
See you soon Germany, I don’t intend to stop here with you!