Auf Wiedersehen, but not goodbye

As the sun sets on my exchange semester at LMU, I actually can’t find a word to express the depth of gratitude and emotions. This experience filled with moments of learning, growth, and unforgettable memories.

I’ve become a braver person here. When I arrived on the other side of the continent on a nearly 20-hour plane ride from China, I hadn’t imagined that every single day that followed would be so amazing. I just came back from travelling alone in Paris, something that I wouldn’t have thought of doing on my own six months ago. I know I have the courage to go to every corner of this world and experience every kind of life – even though I may not know the language, traffic, culture and so on. If there is a problem, it can be solved.

In those six months, I travelled to ten countries. I’ve been to many places I’ve dreamed of before, places I’ve read about in books, and more places I once didn’t even know the names of. I met many, many people, walking to random shops and talking to the owner, walking to ports and talking to the staff, being a couchsurfer and talking to the landlord. I saw different lives and heard different stories. I sang loudly with my friends on the streets of a foreign country, walked far, far, far away to save money on transport tickets, bought cakes and candles together, and crashed into the room with the Happy Birthday song and lit candles to wake up my friend to celebrate her birthdays.I’ve watched sunsets so happily that I’ve wept several times, on the beach, on cross-country buses, on old city bridges. Walking through places and slowly getting rid of the charm, from the places others talk about to the path under my own feet.

Every geographically abstract word has also become a small and fine connection with me in the grand world – the believers kneeling and kowtowing on the beach in Barcelona, the voice of Sanmao (a famous author in China. She used to study in Madrid.) in Madrid transcending time and space, the freshly squeezed orange juice in Seville, the dream maker painting bubbles and the little children chasing bubbles in the Spanish plaza, the waves and seabirds curling up in Lisbon, the landlord who rushed to bring medicine to my friend in the night in Porto, the child who helped to push the bicycle together in the Rotterdam hurricane ……

Thank you for my friends, you have made this foreign land feel like home. Each one of you has contributed to making this experience enriching and enjoyable. The diversity of thoughts and cultures I’ve encountered here has been enlightening, pushing me to think beyond my boundaries and grow in ways I never anticipated.

As I prepare to leave Munich, a city that has become a second home, I carry with me a suitcase filled not just with souvenirs, but with unforgettable experiences, cherished friendships, and an open heart ready to embrace whatever comes next. The memories of my time at LMU will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Though this chapter comes to a close, the bonds formed and the lessons learned during this exchange will undoubtedly influence my path forward. I leave LMU with a sense of accomplishment and a profound sense of gratitude for everyone who has been a part of my journey.

Thank you, LMU, for an unforgettable exchange semester. Auf Wiedersehen, but not goodbye, for I am certain our paths will cross again in the future.❤