And then came Hamburg…

I had been planning this holiday for so long that I was scared shitless that it would all go wrong and regret it for a long time, so I tried my hardest to keep my expectations low, so I wouldn’t be so disappointed when things turned out a bit less exciting than I expected. Fortunately that never happened, and the two weeks just flew past and it left me wanting more.

First of all the course was quite productive, I managed to remember a good deal of all the German I had forgotten in the last 7 years… I probably should try to write something in German to prove it, maybe I’ll try…

Then there was a bunch people I met at the Goethe Institut, other students, that helped me enjoy up to the last minute of it. There was always something organized for us by the Goethe in the afternoons, and that often led to having a few drinks, or dinner, so getting homework ready for the next day wasn’t always easy.

And the city was very interesting too. Forget about Reeperbahn, I didn’t have time to go out around there… I’ve never been to Vegas, but to me it was the German equivalent, a bit too much neon and fake excitement for an old prude like me. But the small bars around St. Pauli, quite charming and individual, or the popular Sternschanze were more to my taste. The only thing I regretted was not having a cocktail at a posh rooftop bar with views to the port of Hamburg, but that required too much initiative or preparation, and we all know that’s not my forte. But, hey, I’ve had more Astra beer than I ever thought I would, I ate the best cheesecake in the world, and enjoyed a lot of walks around the city (both with and without guides).

I would also like to think that I’ll manage to keep in contact with some of the people I met. I’m thinking of one person in particular, but I could be referring to anyone, really. Because that’s what happens in these cases, you get quite close to someone, I guess there has to be some kind of connection at some level, but you think you’re stronger than you really are, concentrate on having fun and not worry about consequences and then, one week later, try to say goodbye without making a big fuss. And the thing is, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, people will make a small effort of pretending things are normal when they really are not, and we all know you’re not going to see them again, which is always a shame, but we all need to go back to our own lives and jobs, and all those people will only be a blurred memory in a very short time.

So eventually comes the time when you have to go back to work and readjust to your old routine, in my case that happened far too soon, when your body is here but your head is still trying to get round to the fact that you’re again in the same old place with the same old people. On Friday I went to class and said goodbye to everyone in the evening, flew back on Saturday and went back to work on Sunday morning, what a marathon after two weeks without a proper rest. And this it’s not a bad place to be… but. There is always a but. In this case I had to listen to someone tell me that what you experience during a holiday has nothing to do with living in the place, and that I should come back to planet earth and stop daydreaming. I can’t say it didn’t feel like a slap, but that doesn’t make it less true.

As a summary I’ll say, the course was too short, the city is a great place to be, the people made everything much more fun, the hardest thing was realizing that life is not a permanent holiday and, finally, despite the fact that it wouldn’t be the same, I still want to try a transfer to Bremen.

And until then, I need to keep my head high, and enjoy the lovely people around me, that don’t deserve to hear me moan or see me go scarily quiet getting lost in my own thoughts. Life goes on, and who knows what tomorrow awaits for us.