New diploma, job & house (partner en pets included) + new desillusions + new prospectives

Since less than a week, I graduated as an architect-engineer (although I don't feel like being something like that yet), found a new roof above my head and a job.

Let's say the graduating didn't impress me too much. It's more like some formalities, with university officials that think you are an engineer, because they are, and they forget not the whole world is. The nice thing was seeing a bunch of fellow-students again and the drinks after that...

So here I am. Bye being student. Welcome to the world of the grown-up people...

To be honest, my leaving Maarten-as-a-student behind arouses double feelings. On the one hand, I always loved studying, the idea that you are still developing, being confronted with things/insights new to you, interesting people being idealist enough to be an academic ... But on the other: I have enough of education. I mean: don't put me on school benches any more please, and keep your exams, thanx.

I can imagine myself studying on some subject in some master program or whatever, but not at this moment. I think I need to see myself in other conditions first. But my hunger for study isn't over yet.

The next months, I'll be working in our university on the (post-)colonial architecture, urbanism, heritage, society, etc. of Lubumbashi, the most southern city of Congo. A professor, me and a multimedia specialist will develop a multimedial project that want's to reconsider the meanings of Lubumbashi's modernist heritage in a context broader than the Congo-Belgian one. It's not payed that well - but not worse than what I would earn if I started now in an architecture office / call it desillusion n°1 - but the subject attracts me, and the working environment also. I refused doctorate offers because of the wrong subjects, but this short period research project I won't let go by without taking it. Moreover: a meaningfull voyage to Congo isn't an opportunity I'll get everyday... (prospective n°1)

Later on I'll start my Praktikum/stage/internship/whatever in an architect's office.

Next tuesday I start my job. That's at least good for 1 thing: I won't be the one anymore complaining that nobody of my former study-colleagues hasn't time to do things with me at evenings or in weekends because they need to recuperate from working all the time and have to be fresh the next day... I'll be in this condition myself. (desillusion 2: no more free time).

Just like my new housepartner, Renee. Her working rythm will be unbeatable though: she get's up early and comes home late every day, cause she works in Antwerp and lives in Gent. I'm excited that I can share her house (prospective n°2). Just like the good old days, 2 years ago, when Frederic, Enrico, Renee and me had this super design-cooperation, based in Renee's house. It feels like yesterday, nothing much has changed, except that Renee's cat Rosa got 2 new friends: hyperkinetic Carlos and granny-style Minnie. And except that Enrico is living back in Torino and Frederic has been absorbed by Berlin, it's dynamics and detension, the Schnodderichkeit (brutality) of the Berliners and it's international love (also called Spaniards).

The FERM-project that Renee and I think of for the future (acronym of our names, in Dutch it's a Gent word for strong/impressive) will be a test for keeping contact and joyfull creativity, bridging distances and different timeschedules. Let's see if it works... (prospective n° 3)

Then 2 more very very nice weekend prospectives for the next months: visiting Elke in Switzerland (she works in Lausanne now) and our Berlin-Erasmus-Reunion in Madrid. Thanx SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express for your promotions!

Erasmus over, but not dead. Jeronimo from Valencia, Gustavo's en Xavi's friend now on Erasmus in Gent, could mean some new energy and continuity! Esperamos!

Ending (for now at least) Berlin / Switch

Hey,

time for a new blog post, and as you see, from now on, I might write here in english. Being back home, means my main 'audience' to be informed about me is 'international', though that word sounds too neutral: I keep the best memories of the german, french, spanish, and other people I met last year in Berlin.

Leute: dieser Blog ist jetzt für euch!! Aber nicht auf deutsch...

I believe english is a good compromise: belgian people might sigh as they have to switch to english, but they'll survive (won't you?) My Berlin-friends can manage too, just as Enrico and my besties. And one more reason: honestly: writing in english is still a lot easier than writing in german!

Some time went by since my last blog post. This month and a half, were not the most pleasant ones of my year in Berlin. For 2 reasons:

1. The bad combination of doing an Erasmus and making there your master's thesis was worst in the last months: other's had plenty of time and wanted to do all the things they hadn't found time for in the last year. (As an extra punishment there was this tropical weather...). We, the belgians, had to finish our thesis and say no to invitations or say yes and leave early and get a bad reputation (ask gustavo: according to him, belgians have two characteristics: they eat like an army and they are the first to leave a party....) I must say sara was the best of the three belgian thesis-victims. She finished 1st of august and partied on in berlin till last week. On the spanish dinner at Ana's place (see pics) I betted with her I could do similarly and finish 10th of august, but I lost my bet and worked on one more week... (Now I have to keep a safety distance from Sara, cause she has the right to shave all of my hair off, because I lost the bet....)

2. Getting to know people well, having a great time with them and caring for them, means a hard time when saying goodbye. The series started with juliette and francesc leaving, and ended with the spanish friends, who went interrailing through Eastern Europe. This pic on tis from the last brunch together (the berlin sunday ritual that I'm gonna miss...):

The final saying bye was with my flatmates Melanie and Kerstin.

I always I said I wouldn't shed no tears, cause I believe our spreading out over Europe again is no end of our friendship. I'm sure we'll meet again, if we mentally don't turn the page finally.

But saying bye appeared harder than expected, just as finding my way home again...

The last months had some good things too though:

1. Our apartment got a new happy-coloured kitchen (including a dishwasher, that moved out from frederics appartment into ours)

2. The thesis breaks, how limited they might have been, remained great.

3. Enrico, our Italian friend from Turino we got to know in Gent last year and had a great time with, literally came walking by in our street one day! By some lucky coincidence, he had found a place to live just one street from frederic and me!

4. Renée came for a weekend to make the Gent A12-team complete! (sorry nog eens Rennie dat ik je wat verwaarloosde, al had dat natuurlijk het voordeel dat Enrico je op sleeptouw kon nemen door Berlijn, zonder Vespa weliswaar....)

5. My thesis got finished, in a decent way I hope (I have to present it in 10 days).

6. I had a short, but very nice trip to Croatia, where I joined the interrailers from Dubrovnik in the south to Milano airport. Thank you Candela, Ana, Marta, Gustavo, Xavi, Carlos, Ale & Clement for the great time! It was a winning team, featuring some of my best Erasmus friends, some of wich are totally crazy (total verrückt!!!). To give an example: in Split Marta jumped in a train who's doors were closing and that was starting to ride. The train driver came to tell her personally how mad she is. We could only confirm, and love her even more after the incident...

(left: group in Split; right: Marta, aka la chica catalana agradablissima, pero muy loca)