This is not a goodbye, it is a Thank you!

6 months. It has been 6 months since the first article on this blog, and in 6 months many things have happened. But what is even more surprising is that they have passed as quick as a flash. In the first article I remember I wrote about my expectations in Munich, and specifically what I was expecting from my semester abroad, regarding university and also meeting new people here and making new experiences.

Right now, almost at the end of it, I can say that my expectations were exceeded in the best way possible. I would have never thought that I’d be able to make this many friends and build strong connections.

But let me start from the beginning: I have met a lot of people during my first month in Munich thanks to a preparatory German course I followed, in order to improve it. Many of these people have been part of my semester abroad, since we became a compact group and hung out very often. Secondly, thanks to the Erasmus Network here in Munich I was able to participate into many trips and organised events. These events firstly allowed me to go to new places and actually learn about the history and culture of Germany more in depth, especially the ones that included guided tours.

Furthermore, I was able to meet and connect with various students from all around the world, which is a opportunity I will forever be incredibly grateful for. Something I learnt is that a semester abroad can help expanding your network in unbelievable and unexpected ways.

I remember that when friends of mine would say that a semester abroad can change you I would not understand what they meant, but after living this in first person I definitely get it. It changes you while adding value to your life, and it might sound poetical, but it actually opens your mind and helps you become more. More independent. More aware. More conscious. More mature. And it actually helps you realise what really matters in this world. I am incredibly thankful for all that I have experienced here and I will definitely be nostalgic when I will get back home. But I guess it’s true what they say:

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place“.

I have learnt a lot, I have travelled even more, there has not been a boring day while I was here, which only means that I cannot wait to come back and reminisce about the good times and make new memories.

What about Munich?

I will miss Marienplatz. I will miss walking through Olympiapark. I will miss the Olympic Village. And my cozy bungalow. I will miss watching the sunset from the Olympiaberg. I will miss the many Biergartens. I will miss going to the LMU University. I will miss the U-bahn – damn not a day has gone by without me using that U3 line. I will miss the slow walks in the city centre on a Sunday morning when the streets were empty and there was no noise, the only thing I could hear was the sound of the small birdies singing happily. I never thought I’d say this, but I will miss buying overpriced coffees and eat Käse Kuchen in a small café while watching other people hurrying to different places.

This just made me realise how happy I am as a student, how these years are actually the best. I would like to stop the time, and live like this forever! But I know for sure that something big is about to come, cannot wait!

 I am really looking forward to the future, Munich was like a breath of fresh air for me.

Now all I can say is that I am a bit melancholic that this experience has come to and end but at the same time I am glad I have lived each moment at its fullest. This was the first time in my life in which I acknowledged that I am living in the present. Only in the present, not in the past nor in the future. In these 6 months I have found myself realising at the very moment how many good things were going on in my life and how much they helped me to appreciate all I have more.

Thank you for reading me, until next time!