“I don’t need no proof when it comes to God and truth, I can see the sunset and I believe”- From the song “Heaven” by LIVE, one of my favorite rock bands.
(Picture taken in Ibiza, August 2007)
Believe!!! That is exactly how I feel: I just BELIEVE: no ifs or buts, no questions asked. I believe that you can accomplish everything you set your mind and heart to do when you believe in yourself, you believe that God will guide on your journey and, as I do today, believe that everything happens for a reason (for you to learn from the experiences – the good and the bad – along this journey) at the time you are going to gain and learn the most of out it; just as it happened to me.
I’ve decided to take a break from packing. This room looks as if a bomb had exploded with almost all of my belongings lying on the floor and me standing in the middle of all of it and thinking what would be the best way to maximize the use of space in my suitcases. I definitely need a break. Tomorrow I take the flight back home to Miami which means I’ve arrived to the end of this amazing adventure. When I started this blog (the very same day I was taking the flight that would bring me to Munich) I made a promise to myself to make it just a means of sharing my day to day life experiences while living in Europe and not to make it one of those philosophical/existentialist writings where you question not only yourself but everything that surrounds you with the intention of finding an answer for things that do not necessarily have one. And I think that on a big extend I’ve been truth to that promise, except for a handful of moments when I had to stop and reflect on what I was living and I just had to share it. Well, this is definitely one of those moments: the end of a very exciting year filled with lots of happy, fun and emotional moments and experiences and lots of valuable teachings. A year where I’ve lived so many wonderful things I can’t avoid to think back on what a journey this has been, how many things it has left me and everything that I have learned from it.
Almost one year ago I arrived in Munich with a suitcase filled with dreams and expectations but also with many uncertainties: living arrangements, school and classes, meeting people and making new friends, what to do during my free-time, places to visit, etc. However, sooner than what I expected my doubts and fears began to fade away, everything worked out itself without any problems, the experiences began and I started collecting the intangible and invaluable souvenirs of this trip. I connected with the German culture and language, a culture that means so much to me and that was such a big part of my life while growing up and which to a certain extend still is today (I can be so German sometimes). I learned and improved in the French language, something that I had wanted to do for a very long time. I met lots of wonderful people along the way from whom I learned a lot and with whom I shared happy and exciting times and; people with whom I developed friendships, friendships I hope will remain over the years despite the distance between us. During this year I was extremely happy and felt very lucky that life gave me the chance to share time with old friends from my childhood, friends that are more like brothers and sisters to me; and extremely blessed to have from the very beginning the caring and loving words of encouragement and company from all of my friends (which also include my family and co-workers) from my before-I-took-a-sabbatical-life. And last but not least seeing all the amazingly beautiful towns and cities across Europe I was able to set a foot on and learning from all the new cultures I encountered. I had all the time in the world to take all of this and reflect on what I want next in my life, reshuffle my priorities and set new goals and dreams for the future. All in all this sabbatical has been one of the most enriching experiences in my life; one that I will treasure forever, one I wouldn’t trade for anything.
So now that the end is near, am I sad??? I have mixed emotions. I’m sad for leaving a world where I’ve had so much fun and have lived life to its fullest. But I’m conscious that nothing lasts forever. Life is full of moments; some longer than others. And this was just a moment: a great moment in my life where I’ve enjoyed every minute of it; a year that has with no doubt left a mark in my life and one that I will treasure forever. I once read that the melancholy is the happiness of being sad; and that is exactly how feel. But just like Dorothy said it in The Wizard of Oz "there is no place like home". After traveling like a gypsy for the last 2 months, living out of a suitcase, sleeping in a different place almost every night (som less comfortable than others) and catching always a train a bus or a plane I feel physically tired and I’m longing for being home; with my family and friends. And I’m very excited about the uncertainty of everything that awaits for me in Miami and how my life will be after getting back.
I arrived with the dream and hope of making Europe my playground to realize it is just another sandbox. The world is the playground…one that I’m dying to play in. And at the end, was this all a dream? Yes, it was a dream of someone who wanted to get out of the sandbox, someone who wanted to get out of the bubble she had always lived to go and explore a part of the world with the hope of seeing magical places, meeting charming and mysterious characters, spending time with enchanting friends , and living thrilling experiences. I was part of that dream, and that dream was part of me. It was a dream that became my reality.
Almost one year ago I arrived in Munich with a suitcase filled with dreams and expectations but also with many uncertainties: living arrangements, school and classes, meeting people and making new friends, what to do during my free-time, places to visit, etc. However, sooner than what I expected my doubts and fears began to fade away, everything worked out itself without any problems, the experiences began and I started collecting the intangible and invaluable souvenirs of this trip. I connected with the German culture and language, a culture that means so much to me and that was such a big part of my life while growing up and which to a certain extend still is today (I can be so German sometimes). I learned and improved in the French language, something that I had wanted to do for a very long time. I met lots of wonderful people along the way from whom I learned a lot and with whom I shared happy and exciting times and; people with whom I developed friendships, friendships I hope will remain over the years despite the distance between us. During this year I was extremely happy and felt very lucky that life gave me the chance to share time with old friends from my childhood, friends that are more like brothers and sisters to me; and extremely blessed to have from the very beginning the caring and loving words of encouragement and company from all of my friends (which also include my family and co-workers) from my before-I-took-a-sabbatical-life. And last but not least seeing all the amazingly beautiful towns and cities across Europe I was able to set a foot on and learning from all the new cultures I encountered. I had all the time in the world to take all of this and reflect on what I want next in my life, reshuffle my priorities and set new goals and dreams for the future. All in all this sabbatical has been one of the most enriching experiences in my life; one that I will treasure forever, one I wouldn’t trade for anything.
So now that the end is near, am I sad??? I have mixed emotions. I’m sad for leaving a world where I’ve had so much fun and have lived life to its fullest. But I’m conscious that nothing lasts forever. Life is full of moments; some longer than others. And this was just a moment: a great moment in my life where I’ve enjoyed every minute of it; a year that has with no doubt left a mark in my life and one that I will treasure forever. I once read that the melancholy is the happiness of being sad; and that is exactly how feel. But just like Dorothy said it in The Wizard of Oz "there is no place like home". After traveling like a gypsy for the last 2 months, living out of a suitcase, sleeping in a different place almost every night (som less comfortable than others) and catching always a train a bus or a plane I feel physically tired and I’m longing for being home; with my family and friends. And I’m very excited about the uncertainty of everything that awaits for me in Miami and how my life will be after getting back.
I arrived with the dream and hope of making Europe my playground to realize it is just another sandbox. The world is the playground…one that I’m dying to play in. And at the end, was this all a dream? Yes, it was a dream of someone who wanted to get out of the sandbox, someone who wanted to get out of the bubble she had always lived to go and explore a part of the world with the hope of seeing magical places, meeting charming and mysterious characters, spending time with enchanting friends , and living thrilling experiences. I was part of that dream, and that dream was part of me. It was a dream that became my reality.
2 comments:
Wow!
Por eso te admiro NEGRA ve...!
Me quito el sombrero!
Un besote!
Que hermosuraaaaaaa!! Tambien te admiro mucho y me alegra habernos vuelto a reencontrar!!
Ayer no pudimos hablar bien, me entiendes perfectamente pues viviste esos momentos!!
Te llevo en el corazon calidamente!!
te quiero mucho!!
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