Saturday, August 3, 2013

A Pointless Ramble (Now With 100% Extra Rambling)

So it's August 3rd.
I find this very odd. My completely rational reasoning? To me this date never existed. I know hat sounds crazy, but stick with me on this one.
For the first time in about 2 years I'm not counting down to anything, be it counting down to leaving home and heading to Germany or vice versa. In my head life didn't exist past the end of July. This time last year I couldn't see past leaving for Germany and as I thought spending a year being lonely and miserable. 3 weeks after leaving I was trying to deny the fact that time was slipping (rapidly) away.
Now it's over and I'm trying to adjust to that. To the fact that having a chat with people will no longer be popping over for a cuppa but will require an internet connection and a screen (and before anyone breaks out the 'Back in my day....' speech I am well aware I'm lucky to have that much a'ight)
My only dealings left with Germany, for now, are getting results (any time you want guys. Tick tock.) and apply for my Transcript of Records. Expect an angry rant RE: Bureaucracy in the next few days.

I guess this post did have a point after all. Since I (in theory) set up this blog 1. As a way to keep track of everything I was doing and be able to look back on it when ever I wanted and 2. To give advice to future ERASMUS students. I  realise I failed miserably but you're the one currently reading this so who's the silly one in this relationship?
So this is my advice regarding going home: No matter how much you detest/detested the idea of going you will miss your host country. Like it or not it's a place you're going to have spent a year of your life which is quite a sizeable chunk. You're going to have met fantastic people that you're going to have to say bis später to, but as I've already mentioned it doesn't have to be goodbye if you don't want it to. Thanks to the magic of Skype if I mention them maybe they'll pay me for advertising? anyone that wants to can stay in contact. The magic of the internet. Well that and cat videos.
I think the biggest piece of advice I can give you is something that hadn't even crossed my mind: don't expect to just fit right back in to home life. You've been away, developed your own routines and ways of doing things, didn't have to answer to anyone and made your own calls on pretty much everything. You may think you'll slot back into your place at home and maybe you will, but for me it was, and still is a different story. Home may still be the same but I most certainly am not, and you know what? That most definitely isn't a bad thing.