Farewell, Hanover

In 2013 my path lead me to this beautiful city in the north of Germany - which, after a protected childhood in the village, was a huge step for me. Now, after six years I'm packing my bags. Goodbye, Hannover. Take care.

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It is the beginning of May 2019, my boyfriend along with my parents and I are packing my belongings in the moving van. My bed, my couch and a few precious other possessions which I won't take with to South Africa, are moving back into my parents' home, a village 70km away from Hanover. A former child's room becomes a mixture of a living space and a bedroom - a retreat for days, weeks, maybe even months at a time. This, after I enjoyed the citylife to the fullest. I am very happy to be able to recreate a safe little harbor at my parents'. Some of my furniture is being moved for the second time - I've owned it since I lived in a shared apartment. Happy and proud of what we have achieved together, I look at this room of mine, at my parents home, which seems to be something completely new now. I can't believe how well all the pieces fit together and how they create such a beautiful picture. Wow, we did it!

After this exhausting but successful weekend we headed home to our apartment in the city, which is almost empty now. On our way through the city we passed the Maschsee (a big lake in the middle of the city), the new townhall and I saw the tower of the church that stands across the road of the shared apartment that I once lived in - and all of a sudden something dawned on me. Not only do I have to say goodbye to my family, friends and colleauges but also to this city, that was such an important part of my life. Even though I look forward to the future, a fair amount of melancholy sneaks into my thoughts. How do you properly say goodbye to a city? How do you say thank you?

Oh Hanover,

I guess no one except for you and me will ever understand how special our relationship was. I came to you with just enough selfconfidence to dare take the first step into this big world, even though I was not 100% convinced that I'd make it. Now, almost six years later, I'm leaving you, to continue my journey. From the village into the big city and from there to the other side of the world. Thank you for everything and goodbye. Until we might

meet again.