Wake me up when the winter ends

When I type these words, snow is falling again in Munich. The white flakes slowly cover the entire city in white, sweeping away all the bustle. I realize that it is time that I become accustomed to the silent and snowy days of winter.

As a kid born in winter, I always look forward to snowfall in my city, which is sadly unusual. In my heart, snow is colored romantically and also sends out a message that a prosperous new year has arrived. But now, it is the first heavily snowy winter I have spent and the first time celebrating Chinese New Year far away from home.

Looking back at the past four months, it feels like my flight landed in Munich yesterday, but so many stories happened here that I would say years have passed.

Arriving in Munich on the first day of October, I caught the tail end of Oktoberfest, getting immersed in the joyful Bavarian atmosphere. And I can still recall the first day I explored the campus of LMU, where the antique buildings made me feel like I was studying in a palace. The two months of intensive German courses also allowed me to get a glimpse of German and meet my sweet teacher and interesting classmates around the world.

I was also excited to have and meet my German buddy, from whom I received the warmest welcome before I arrived here. We tried delicious food, took long walks across the city, and drove to the wildlife park on weekends. Though I am just a “passenger” in Munich, we still try to maximize happiness when we are together. At LMU, I also met wonderful professors and classmates. Especially in classes on international relations and communications, I enjoy the exchange of ideas from different cultures. Here, I really want to appreciate all the organizational work by Miriam and Julia, who always design the best field trips and meetings for us to get together and explore Munich.

But the entire exchange experience is not as relaxing as it was three years ago when I was an undergraduate exchange student. At that time, my only plan is to enjoy life in Europe and dive into the exotic cultures but now the pressure from my postgraduate project as well as anxiety about my graduation pushed me to balance my work and leisure. Sadly, I also caught the COVID virus for the first time and was struck down for a week, although it made me stronger :).

These are also the days that make me homesick. I miss the food, my cozy home, my family, and my friends. However, I still think that I have made the right choice for periods away from my stressful master’s years and my comfort zone.

In Europe, I slowed down my pace. All the unforgettable memories here are telling me that this is the best time to see through life and step on different lands. I learned to get used to the living style here, where shops are closed on Sundays and more weekend time is spent in nature. Out of certain reminiscence, I also went back to the restaurant where I ate three years ago in Munich. Surprisingly, it remains as great as it was.

So many dreams on my bucket list are also realized. At the beginning of my exchange semester, I went to the live concert of Placebo, which is one of my favorite bands. During the Christmas month, I explored different Christmas markets in Munich and also visited the beautifully-decorated French cities, Strasbourg and Colmar; when it snowed, I took the cable car and reached the peak of Zugspitze, where the boundless snow mountains amazed me; during the holidays, I also made my decision to brave the coldest place in Europe. In Norway, I chased the northern lights all night, ran across the snowfield with huskies under the pink sky, and saw the whale swimming in the ocean. The breathtaking scenery is beyond words to describe. What’s more, I also tasted the tongue of codfish and whale meat for the first time. This is something I could not have imagined before.

In this long and cold winter, I also fell in love with walking back home to feel the breath of the streets after finishing my schoolwork in the library. Perhaps it is because I know this exchange year has no turning back, so I try to seize every opportunity to experience the city.

Now the first month of 2023 is going to end, but my journey in Munich is still far from over. In the next six months, I plan to finish my postgraduate project and look for an internship. Most importantly, the unexplored cities in Europe are still waiting for me.

Though this is a farewell post, we will never say goodbye, and please contact me if you come to China. There are so many wonderful places that I cannot wait to show you 😉

The days in Munich are like a dream for me, but please wake me up when the winter ends, and I shall encapsulate these memories forever.