Bittersweet endings

University is out for the semester. Courses are over and done, whether I passed my finals or not. Results won’t be brilliant, but hopefully good enough. I gave up the high-grade-chasing game a long time ago, since I really quite enjoy having spare time. There are so overwhelmingly many fun things to fill it with.

Moved out of my student room this week, and in a few days I will be leaving this place which has been my home for the past half year. The beautiful, shaken, construction site of a city called Christchurch. I love it to bits, along with all the lovely people I’ve made friends with here. 

The plague I’ve been down with for the past few weeks is giving way at last, and I feel my energy gradually returning. Joy and rejoicing! It makes such a difference that I realise I shouldn’t be taking my health for granted. If you haven’t got your health you haven’t got anything, indeed.

I’m spending this last week here hanging out with awesome people. Roleplaying, boardgaming, swordfighting, movie-watching, snuggling, making out, partying, exploring. All those things I love so much and that make me feel like I belong. This is home now.

But I’ll soon be pulling up the roots I’ve grown here and go back to where I came from. It hurts. It always hurts to leave someone or someplace you’ve gotten attached to. Because it’s scary. I’m having nightmares about going back to Sweden only to find that the place has changed completely and that no-one remembers me anymore. The same fears are creeping up on me regarding New Zealand. That I will be forgotten as soon as I leave and that the friendships with people I’ve connected with will fade to nothing before long.

But that’s the risk in any situation, not only for travel. Nothing lasts forever, and in many cases that is much more of a blessing than a curse. Life itself is fragile and will pass, so either nothing or everything will have been worthwhile. I’m going to go with the latter. I don’t want fear of loss stopping me from enjoying life or connecting with people, because that’s no way to live. Every moment is worth experiencing for its own sake, regardless of any possible prices of pain. I’ve found that the joy gained is so much greater.

Besides, since there are never any guarantees for anything, there is plenty of room for hope of future re-meetings. No expectations, for those quench the soul. Just hope.

Love and endings,

Winterdragon