Nostalgic melancholic and other parting feelings

So, today it's exactly three weeks to go in Leipzig! Weird feeling after spending a Saturday at the university at an intensive seminar on African new art forms. I wanted to go a radio play festival this evening but it's raining, raining and raining outside and it seems I'm staying home. My Argentinian roommate just arrived home after a week in Barcelona, Tomas is also not home for two weeks, so the house has been very quiet this week.

I have been feeling quite sentimental the whole week at the university as I most likely saw many people for the last time. I seem to have been getting to know many of the African studies students only during the last month, of cource. But who knows, maybe we'll meet at some other point in life - like me meeting Hanna from Kenya here. A couple weeks ago in the traditional African studies summer party I enjoyed the lovely African Studies students choir singing traditional African songs and dancing. That evening I found out that unbelievably many African studies students have some kind of connection to Finland. Friends or visits or something. It was almost surreal.

During the coming three weeks I'll be busy writing my loong essay, I also have a oral exam on German nature poetry on Thursday. But otherwise I'll be just enjoying Leipzig and meeting people who I still want to meet before I go. Like my old roommates or going to get drunk with a couple African studies students (which we agreed on today). And Laura is coming next Saturday for four days, and a week after her Carin, and then I'll start my road trip Prague-Nürnberg-Amsterdam-Helsinki.

In general I'm very content with my semester in Leipzig. Except for the chronical things, I have been healthy (not even a cold!) and seen an experienced and learned a lot. I have also met a lot of people and made contacts. So I have almost nothing to complain. Really. Maybe a bit of loneliness sometimes but otherwise I'm totally happy. And I think my three last weeks are going to be just fine also. I'm menthally preparing myself to coming back to Tampere and it's also feels nice, getting back to my own house and seeing Viivi. This time being away from Finland hasn't been so total as in Kenya or the Netherlands, as internet (Facebook, skype) has kept Finland close-by. There are also new challenges and things waiting for me in Finland, like municipal politics and becoming an aunt ;).

From now on it's just going through my things - what do I want to take with me - and visiting museums and taking pictures and hoping the summer weather comes back soon.
Today we ended the seminar in a very nice way: of cource due to technical problems and lack of coordination two hours later than planned (normal at the institute), but with a good feeling and a glass of bubbly. For one of our teachers it was the very last lesson she was giving here and that's why we drank the left-overs of her fairwell party champagne. I think this was an excellent way to end also my carreer at the University of Leipzig. From now on just smooth transition slowly towards Finland!