I know I will surely be back some day

Sunday, 16 March 2014 – when I first strode out of Flughafen Frankfurt am Main, I said to myself: “Be cool, it is just a 5-month exchange period and it will be long gone before you even notice”. And indeed it was. My stay in Remagen has passed by so fast that even my biological gauge thought it was just yesterday when I came here. Yet now, when everything is about to end, it dawns on me that my feelings aren’t a touch of relief but an overwhelming feeling of retrospect and regret – the feeling of being departed from something that has already been a part of your life.

For the most frequently-asked question: “How did you like Remagen?” I would probably say “enough” – I have gained enough experience, made enough friends, learned enough new stuff, tried enough bratwursts, tasted enough beers to make my stay in Remagen something indelible.

Yet there are a few things that I liked more than enough:

I love the way classes are organized around the campus: up to 20 students per class, very well-equipped classrooms and befitting lecture contents. Lecturers are very supportive, always ready to answer any pop-up questions or queries, and the most amazing part: they all remember your name!

I love the International Business Stimulation course where we had a real business contact with a Brazilian partner and where we experienced an authentic Brazilian night with Brazilian delicacies, Brazilian cocktails and the fervent Brazilian Forro dance.

I love having been a part of team Sprachen/Internationales – the team that has assisted me so much during my stay and has spiced up my life here in so many different ways – with all the lovely pieces of memory: the time when the lamp in my room broke and I got instant help from Frau Korpp; the time my internet cable snapped, and all the phone calls Frau Neukirchen and Herr Faulstich made to seek help for me; the Photoshop lessons by Dr. Borgmann; the Open Campus event and the International Week when we had to toil over for weeks.

I love the swimming complex right next to the campus where we had the privilege to enter free of charge – with manifold of interesting stuff: a sunbathing yard, diving boards, water slides, snack stands…

Throughout my life, I have been to quite a few places, said quite a few goodbyes. But there are just some places I can’t just articulate the word “goodbye” because I know I will surely be back some unknown day in the future.

Bis bald Remagen! – Bye for now Remagen.