Glad You Called 5: Roller-Coaster Year
Originally, I thought of writing this piece right after my Final exams at the end of January 2020. That was more than 8 months ago! Straight after exams, however, I went on a two-week long social project in Kenya. Then, the coronavirus arrived in Europe. After the idyllic first couple of weeks of quarantine, being home and spending quality time with my family, things started to get more than real as university coursework and job interviews took up all of my time. After an internship in the summer, here we are… well into autumn season.
Finally, I am sitting down to look over some of the notes I have made throughout the last months and make an attempt to complete this fifth instalment of the Glad You Called series. Initially the title was “The 400-metre Sprint” since the exam sessions, as well as the hectic last days of the semesters, resemble quite closely the 400-metre sprinting races I used to participate in. The long sprint would be so exhausting, that for the last 150–200 meters (the last couple of weeks of the semester), I could only manage to clench my teeth, keep my eyes on the finish line, and drive forward without even feeling my legs anymore. The last meters always sucked, but then it was all over and I felt relieved.
But I decided that such a description would do the last twelve months or so no justice… Because it was not all so gloomy and tough. Yes, it is definitely true that there were a number of challenging moments, especially in 2020. However, there were also a lot of highlights. Because the last twelve months, since I began my Master studies, have been a remarkable collection of ups and downs, I decided that the year resembles a roller coaster much better. I hope that simply reading about some of my roller-coaster moments will help you, too, to reflect about your own last twelve months.
Blogs, vlogs and other digital content outlets often only talk about the positives and boast a happy lifestyle, especially if you stick to those on social media. Well, for me the “downs” were numerous, perhaps more than ever before. While the beginning of my Masters was a positively energizing experience, the rest of my fall semester was less so. On the academic side, there were a lot of sleepless nights. What’s more, I would often find myself stuck somewhere between “me not being good enough” and “things not living up to my expectations.” Ever felt like that yourself?
On the career side, I experienced several setbacks as I was not getting any internship offers for the summer, even before the corona pandemic had started. Then, when COVID-19 arrived, I was once again not getting any internship offers. And the vicious circle continued throughout the months of partial lockdown. So, careers — not that encouraging… you get the point.
On the personal side, despite arriving in a new place for my studies, I managed to forge good relationships. However, a relentless force of assignments, exams, interviews, a virus and a lockdown separated me from my newly found friends. Some of my close friends, I still have not seen and it definitely feels like it’s been ages. To sum up, the last twelve months have been quite the bumpy ride for me.
But here come the “ups”. In terms of the storm in my academic and career life, it all passed. I managed to complete my academic year successfully and even went on to find a summer internship at the very last moment. The most important realization when it comes to university and careers is that now, putting my previous worries in perspective, they really seem like less important issues than I previously imagined. This is one of the key takeaways from this crazy year: it has helped me realize what is most important. And if nothing else, I can certainly say that I have gotten to know myself much better thanks to the experiences of the last twelve months. Of course, things change but at least for now, I have some clarity going forward.
I guess I already stepped into the personal side of things, so let’s continue. Aside from getting to know myself better, I built strong relationships during corona as “some friends” became “close friends.” This experience continued over the summer, or maybe it was the very reason the summer turned out the way it did eventually. I also got to know others better, people around me (especially from my studies) with whom I would usually not talk to so much. Going to Kenya with a wonderful team and raising a 500-chicken coop from scratch was also a life-changing experience and a memory I will cherish, always. Did you also do a side project yourself? And it needn’t be something epic, it could be the most symbolic of things, if it matters to you.
Come to think of it, the last twelve months don’t sound so bad to me now… And these are just the “ups” I had the space to write about in this short blog piece. This is it: the roller-coaster ride seems to be coming to a halt, for a less eventful autumn semester. Who knows, most probably another crazy journey is about to begin as I watch the first leaves fall on the ground outside.
Looking back at my roller-coaster year, the best moments really felt like I am going up in the narrow car: smiling, heart pounding and adrenaline rush kicking in. The worst parts often felt scary, like I was free-falling, almost flying out of the ride.
Look, maybe you have had better or worse past twelve months than me. At the end of the ride, though, I believe that it is about looking back, weighing up both the good and the bad, and moving on with what you’ve learned and all the great memories you will keep forever. That’s what it’s all about, right? The journey!
Yours truly,
Glad You Called
