Today is what I'm going to term my first last-day. Owing to the odd circumstances of my impending departure I'm effectively leaving over two days. The eternally unbending SSH demand that I leave my room before 12 noon today, which I will, but unfortunately I don't leave Utrecht until about 6pm tomorrow. Luckily when my parents came to stay their hotel room had a number of faults, which, when subsequently complained about, resulted in them being offered another room for one-night free of charge. So later today I'm heading over to spend my last night here in some sort of comparative luxury.
It's hard at the moment to be cheerful about leaving this place. It's like anything, you don't appreciate it until you've left, but quite literally in the past days I've realised how much I will miss Utrecht. The year has been truly exceptional in so many ways and I'm so grateful that I filled in the form to apply, and looking back, I wish I was more enthusiastic in doing so. Still, I can rest happy in the knowledge that eight people are coming over from Cambridge next year, so the good experiences should be multiplied eight-fold next year, which is grand.
One up side though is that there are no shortages of good eating opportunities presenting themselves. On Thursday I went out for a goodbye lunch with Lobke, then had Emma and Fajar around for dinner as a last gathering of the remaining Mooting Crew. On Friday Andrew, Tineke, Chloe and I of us went out for lunch to celebrate the year and to have one last Duch pancake and in the evening Jeff and I went out for dinner in a little Italian place that I've walked past everyday but have never ventured inside. Today I'm heading off for my final appelbollen, and tomorrow morning I can gorge myself at the hotel buffet breakfast.
At least I'll leave Holland on a full stomach.
1 comment:
nice style of writing...
I absolutely agree with u on this: "you don't appreciate it until you've left"
I was in Pune for 2 years, for my Masters, n I miss it like hell... I was supposed to be going there yesterday evening/today morning, but couldn't go, since it's pouring like hell, in Mumbai. reading ur post has left me all the more nostalgic!
will keep coming back to ur blog!
I haven't written in a very very long time... don't know if I'm lazy, or it is a jumble of thoughts n emotions that i'm struggling with, in my head. But reading ur blog, makes me want to write, lest my memories r drowned in emotion, n lost.
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