Goodbye Groningen

            Well, here I am at the end of five wonderfully enjoyable months in Holland! I just can’t believe it! We ended the semester with a bang as Han Yue, Sanau and I gave our final presentations and polished off the exam/evaluation week with a wonderful group dinner at a local restaurant with all the students and staff. I was horribly sad to say goodbye although I was comforted to know all my newfound friends wouldn’t actually be too far away.

            Also, I went to France! I have a dear friend in Lille who is also studying whom I met while in India. We have been looking forward to a reunion for quite sometime now and finally had the opportunity a few weeks ago. I hoped a train from Groningen and we spent a whole weekend chatting, walking, eating cheese, drinking wine and catching up.  Much to my delight, I discovered she lives in a very small room in the city center where we had a picnic dinner on the floor when I arrived. The next day I met her charming/handsome French boyfriend and the three of us took a little road trip across the boarder to Belgium! We visited the small city of Courtrai, where it rained on us mercilessly until we had to take refuge in the town’s beautiful central cathedral. To dry off we stopped to have a nice coffee and snack (which included some dearly dark Belgian chocolate) to refuel before exploring the rest of the town. The following morning her and I went on a nice run by the canal before I hopped a train back to Holland. What fun! Thanks Mansi and Fredrick for everything! I had such a lovely time!

            When I returned home it was all winding down and slowly packing from then on.  I had many farewell coffee dates/lunches/dinner with many friends which included making authentic Chinese dumplings with some colleagues, a hot-pot date with Han Yue, homemade Kenyan Curry with Sanau and her girlfriend, stir-fry and apple pie with Gerben’s parents and countless more.  Plus, I was able to make excellent use of my newfound free time with numerous long put-off sewing projects and recipe experimentations. What a relaxing last week!

            My last day was very bitter sweet. Boyfriend and I had coffee in our favorite overhanging café followed by a few rounds of pool (where I was beaten mercilessly), and in the evening we went out for sushi and wandered the city a bit so I could say all my goodbyes to my favorite place. My wonderful landlady drove me to the airport the next morning and as I caught my train I found myself thinking yet again how lucky I was to be a part of such a wonderful place. It was if the whole city was sending me off as the new snow from the night before left the earth crisp and crusted in glittering white. To polish it off the sun came up early and reminded me that Groningen isn’t going anywhere any time soon. It also reminded me I now have deep connections there, and above all I am not done with the lovely little city. Not even close. Groningen said it would wait for me and my heart whispered, “Fear not. I won’t be long you know.”

            Of course those of you who know me, are well aware I am like this. I easily become attached and drawn into the places I live. My home lies wherever I can place my purple bedside candle, my blue-glass flower vase and Charlie’s doggie bed. I have no doubt that whatever awaits me in Vilnius will be no less spectacular. That comfort doesn’t lessen my fondness of Holland, just the tightness in my chest at leaving it. So for now I have packed my monster suitcase, said my goodbyes and continued on to the next chapter of my life. Vilnius here we come!!