August 2008

As I grow older, I find there are more interesting and complex ideas in life that deserve attention. With this knowledge, new experiences and (especially this year) new cultures to explore, I have the overwhelming urge to join the hundreds of millions of bloggers online and share my experiences. Check back often for the uniquely quirky scrawl of Andy Holland.

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"Philia: To Friendship"
Friday, 8th August 2008, 08:08 GMT

The final chapter of my year abroad is being written. As friends return home to their families, I reflect rather deeply on their sublime nature, and thank them for this truly treasured experience. 

I have just three short weeks left before my Erasmus year concludes and I return to the UK. I can hardly believe that it was almost ten months ago that I first arrived in Kiel and met some of the most amazing people I think I will meet in my life, found a foreign city I could call home, experienced cultures I never even considered before, and began a year that I would never forget. It seems just a week ago that I was stepping out of a small plane at Hamburg airport and searching anxiously for the Kielius, which would take me to my new home. Conversely, it seems a lifetime ago that I last enjoyed "permanent" life in the UK. I think this is a testament to the success this year has been for me, both academically and personally. This is the first part of the concluding chapter to my story abroad.

The Journey Begins...

I turn back the pages of this little biographical tale to September 2007. I was a small child, waiting nervously for a flight to a foreign land that lies just over five hundred miles away. At this point in my life I was somewhat naive and required a glimpse of the bigger picture. I certainly found that shortly after I arrived in Germany.

I quickly adjusted to life abroad in a way that any rather shy person would, by seeking out the familiar within the unknown. For me, the familiar materialised in the form of three beautiful friends, with whom I enjoyed cherished, fun, and wonderful times - for this, I’m eternally grateful. Nevertheless, with the familiar came the unknown.

"The unknown is the province of the student; it is the field for his life’s adventure, and it is a wide field full of beckonings". - Lincoln Steffen

And indeed, without the unknown I wouldn’t have had experienced the adventure that this chapter of my life has been: new faces, new cultures, a new language, and a new emotional intensity. The phrase "thrown in at the deep end" is oft-used for relatively trivial events, but here it genuinely captures the thrill and excitement that was bestowed upon me at the beginning of October, November and December of 2007. As the new, unknown people I met quickly turned into life-long friends, I began to cherish every new adventure with them, knowing that in all probability, our time together would not last very long. This experience alone has given me the power to enjoy each day for what it is and strive to make each day memorable.

Hamburg's Binnenalster By Night - ©2008 andyholland.co.uk

To these special friends, who have been true companions for the last year, I hope that our geographical separation will not weaken our relationships. The internet is a truly unique tool - let us use it to water the roots of our friendship; even if I don’t write or speak for a while, I’ll think of you now and again, your families, your lovers, your children and (quite further down the line) your children’s children. Friendship is after all "the only cement that will hold the world together". - Woodrow Wilson

Here’s to friendship: to those friends who I found 'familiar' and those who previously belonged to the 'unknown'. You’ve all graced my soul like no others have done before - and for that, I’m eternally grateful...

"A sad thing in life is that sometimes you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and you just have to let go". - Anonymous

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Previous Posts

"Seventy Four Miles per Hour" - 25th June 2008
"Totally Stereo" - 14th June 2008