Ich liebe Hamburg!

The weather was unbelievably weird. But despite such erratic climate, nothing could really spoil our last 2 days. The inevatibility of leaving Hamburg and never to return as students hung over our heads. Therefore every minute counted, every moment was cherished – the last time to ride the bus or the train, the last time to eat at Luk Thai Imbiss, Man Wah or Mei Man, the last time to study at our favorite spot in the Rentzelstrasse Lounge, the last time to eat our favorite ice cream (which we found out was actually Italian gelato), the last time to buy from Plus, etc etc . Thus, a picture taking frenzy ensued at every Hamburg spot we managed to visit. Indeed, it was hard to say goodbye to the things that became part of our lives for the past 240 days.

Each one had an interesting way of dealing with farewells. One friend suggested that we stop by a tree and carve our names on its bark then revisit it after a few years. Another suggestion was to bury a time capsule. I actually made another friend cry by being too serious and asking all sorts of questions about the future. It was really hard to say goodbye and even harder to confront the uncertainties of what lay ahead. (The lump in my throat was not be excised that easily as I discovered once I was back home).

If my stay in Deutschland was a respite from the harsh realities of my so-called ordinary life, then what a great escape it has been! (even without having witnessed a live World Cup game for which I had to content myself with snippets from BBC and CNN as the stupid cable stations here refused to carry the games for free...but that's another story)