Reflection Session

Here I go again. It’s May and I’m leaving for Latin America and after the summer a new university is waiting for me. It feels kind of history repeating. It was the same last year, same time of the year. I think it’s time to sum up what happened the past eight months.

I’m sitting in the train right now, super tired from an annoying 17hours bus ride. The reason why I took the bus was to make my travelling a little less non-sustainable, save some money and to take a lot of baggage with me. Unfortunately does the bus company not care at all about the service they’re offering. I think it’s a bit a pity if you wanna keep people from flying, at least make the alternative attractive. When I think of bus rides in Brazil I get all that service that’s lacking here. Ok in Brazil the bus drivers would be as monolinguistic as they were now (crossing four countries and expecting everyone to understand German is an interesting attitude). Long story short – I slept for two hours. So I’m not in the best mood right now.

I am not really able to write down a funny and intelligent text right now, as my brain feels like jelly all over, so maybe not all makes sense.

Sweden. It’s over. There was a time, when I didn’t want anything more like this. Leaving Sweden I mean, for good. It’s not the best having all these Astrid Lindgren images in mind and the crossing the Baltic Sea with this. It was not just the Astrid Lindgren images. It was also in college, the media and wherever from a German perspective where Sweden and the Swedish system as offering the living conditions. I didn’t find a lot of it. The closest I got, except from a few exceptions, to non-Swedes. It’s them (you) which I miss right now, which makes the leaving not easiest. But on the other hand; you guys are only temporary there and will leave sooner or later as well, so I don’t wanna be the last on the sinking ship. I’m a chicken I know. Though in the end, the main reason, the driving force, to seek for alternatives was my program, which was the most disappointing. I know in the end I’m the only one to blame for it, because I didn’t gather enough information before starting the program. I didn’t talk to people. I just thought: well, it’s Sweden! They can’t do other than doing a good job. As this is my personal, public reflection session I have to say, I’m still thankful for the turn of events because otherwise I wouldn’t have got to know the people I met, and which made the leaving so hard. I don’t wanna lost contact with you!

Now the next adventure’s knocking on the door. Brazil. Again. After five years of abstinence and betrayal (Central America but not Brazil) I’m going back to the country where I always felt the most comfortable. I hope don’t do another face plant like I did with, arriving with too great expectations. I as badly prepared as anyone can be. I know at least that I fly tomorrow. But I forgot the time. Don’t know when to take the train to Frankfurt, haven’t noted down the number of the persons who’s gonna pick me up from the bus stop, I don’t know where the usb-cable for my camera is and where I put the sun cream. But I’ll do it somehow.

Oh, and tonight I gonna stay in Marburg, another blast from the past. I went to college here. It’ll be interesting to see who’s still here. (It’s just an hour away from the airport, closer than Hamburg, that’s why I decided for this stop over).

Next time from Brazil. If the ash cloud lets me go.