March 28th 2010. Time for an era to come to an end. After more than 6 months as an international student at the University of Lüneburg in northern Germany I found myself driving onboard a ferry bound for Sweden. I will remember and leave Germany with mixed feelings. I had so many expectations on what the semester would be like and now that its over, I can say that few of those expectations came true. Instead, it turned out into something completely different and I’m absolutely not saying that in a bad way. When life-changing things happen in a place that is not completely “home” (what is home anyway?) I just guess we learn from them in a whole different way. : )
Leaving hanseatic city of Lüneburg
Life can take us wherever we want – but only if we let it - and good things happen to us if we have the courage to let them happeen. Now that I look back, going to Lüneburg was a smart choice from all perspectives. I leave Germany with 36 ECTS points, 6 more than required for full-time semester studies in the European study system and hopefully I also passed the big test that will give me a language diploma in advanced German.
Studying for language diploma...
There are quite a few funny street names in Lüneburg... This house for example, from 1594, is located on "Street of the riding servant".
The last four days in Germany were like a dream – unexpected and spontaneous. Having put finals behind me, I enjoyed the last days with the people I’d become really good friends with. We were young and free and we were enjoying life. I went to nearby Hamburg with two friends and although we’d been there several times we were like tourists again, just wandering around without any plans. Suddenly we were spontaneously invited in the middle of the street to the grand opening of Swiss shoes and accessories brand Navyboot new store in Hamburg. The PR for the store was exciting and an example of thinking outside the box: Instead of inviting people to the opening, hired riksha’s picked up random people on the street and took them to the event, haha. In the evening a couple of more friends arrived and we had coffee by lake Alster in central Hamburg. I love and live for spontaneous days like these because they always lead one to unexpected situations and to people one would never have met otherwise.
Aija from Finland and Natalie from Germany in a riksha on Jungfernstieg in central Hamburg, taking us to the grand opening of Swiss store Navyboot.
Free champagne! Not so free shoes!
Strolling around lake Alster in central Hamburg in the evening
Unexpected things happened the rest of my last weekend in Lüneburg. Since 2006, German telenovela ”Rote Rosen” (Red roses) is set and filmed in Lüneburg. Many scenes are filmed out in the city but despite the fact that I lived more than 6 months in this tiny town and even next door to some of the actors, I never saw the film crew. Two days before leaving I ran into the whole film crew in one of the oldest parts of town and they were shooting a scene at my favourite café, “Anna’s café”. What are the odds? On Saturday, I enjoyed a long brunch at Anna’s Café with friends, talking about the last few months of our lives and what would happen next. In the evening, we went to a Brazilian bar with an owner that only lets in the guests that she feels like letting in. “If she likes you, maybe she’ll serve you” we’d heard and hence hadn’t had the courage to go there until my last night in town, haha. An era has come to an end. Photos: Anna Wiman.
An era coming to an end.
March 28th 2010. Time for an era to come to an end. After more than 6 months as an international student at the University of Lüneburg in northern Germany I found myself driving onboard a ferry bound for Sweden. I will remember and leave Germany with mixed feelings. I had so many expectations on what the semester would be like and now that its over, I can say that few of those expectations came true. Instead, it turned out into something completely different and I’m absolutely not saying that in a bad way. When life-changing things happen in a place that is not completely “home” (what is home anyway?) I just guess we learn from them in a whole different way. : )
Leaving hanseatic city of Lüneburg
Life can take us wherever we want – but only if we let it - and good things happen to us if we have the courage to let them happeen. Now that I look back, going to Lüneburg was a smart choice from all perspectives. I leave Germany with 36 ECTS points, 6 more than required for full-time semester studies in the European study system and hopefully I also passed the big test that will give me a language diploma in advanced German.
Studying for language diploma...
There are quite a few funny street names in Lüneburg... This house for example, from 1594, is located on "Street of the riding servant".
The last four days in Germany were like a dream – unexpected and spontaneous. Having put finals behind me, I enjoyed the last days with the people I’d become really good friends with. We were young and free and we were enjoying life. I went to nearby Hamburg with two friends and although we’d been there several times we were like tourists again, just wandering around without any plans. Suddenly we were spontaneously invited in the middle of the street to the grand opening of Swiss shoes and accessories brand Navyboot new store in Hamburg. The PR for the store was exciting and an example of thinking outside the box: Instead of inviting people to the opening, hired riksha’s picked up random people on the street and took them to the event, haha. In the evening a couple of more friends arrived and we had coffee by lake Alster in central Hamburg. I love and live for spontaneous days like these because they always lead one to unexpected situations and to people one would never have met otherwise.
Aija from Finland and Natalie from Germany in a riksha on Jungfernstieg in central Hamburg, taking us to the grand opening of Swiss store Navyboot.
Free champagne! Not so free shoes!
Strolling around lake Alster in central Hamburg in the evening