Winds of change for the nest

Dear readers,

Writing a farewell article is not an easy matter, partly because I wish I didn’t leave, but also because writing a farewell has a very personal element, and sometimes writing from a personal perspective is harder. When one writes about oneself the result is neither objective nor practical, but emotional, nostalgic. I will begin, then, by sharing that nostalgic part and I will be honest: it makes me sad to stop writing on the blog because that means, more than leaving behind an excellent Minijob, closing my cycle as a student. My days of endless reading, eating at the Mensa, and feeling like an apprentice of life are coming to an end.

Autumn is the time of changes and renewal.

I wrote my first article on October 10, 2022, almost two years ago. Much has happened since that moment: three owls left and three new arrived; We decided to go for more content on Instagram and TikTok and we have had videos with few views, videos that have gone viral; We have witnessed the birth of many great student initiatives, among them: Dinner Hopping, Vegane Hochschulgruppe, Picnic Pals… and we have been present at unforgettable events, such as the International Day or the Vietnamesischer Kulturabend… I know new groups and more events are coming, and that the people to whom I have passed my baton will continue to encourage and enjoy their actions. So I leave grateful for you: students, readers, fellow owls, active agents of a vibrant community. With your enthusiasm for the University, you’ve taught me that together we can make from the student experience something rich, diverse and memorable.

But in addition to nostalgia and recounting what happened, as I write this article I reflect on what an END, a CHANGE, being a STUDENT, being an ADULT means to me. Despite feeling that soft sadness of what is leaving, and that uncertainty about what is coming, I am not afraid of renewal. I am a person who has grown up marked by change, who has always ventured into the unknown, into what comes next. I try to remind myself that if you don’t move, you get stuck or lose your balance, like on a bicycle where in order not to fall you have to keep pedaling.

Doing the math, I have moved house 18 times, 7 of those times have been to different cities, three have been to other countries. I have had several career changes, I started in Tourism, followed Political Science and International Relations, then Environmental Sciences, and ended up in Literature. That’s without getting into the topic of romantic relationships. The saying goes that the only thing permanent in life is change. Some have not been by my own decision, but I consider that all of those changes have had a positive impact on my character development. At least that’s the story I’ve decided to tell myself. So, although part of me is sad to say goodbye to the blog, another part (the one that has decided to embrace the change and welcome it home) is excited for what’s coming!

A new writer will arrive for the blog, with many ideas and fresh eyes. Very soon you will be able to meet Antonia. And for me, although a lot has changed in these two years, there is something that has remained: the desire to direct my work towards young internationals who are beginning to make Bremen their new home. In my first article I wrote about the reasons „why I’m interested in directing an owl’s gaze specifically at all colleagues who have migrated or dealt with multiculti situations.“ I am pleased to confirm that the Tania of today continues to have that same concern and conviction. My next step in life will be to join the Holalemania! team. An organization that focuses on the recruitment and integration of professionals of international origin in the medical sector of Germany. As I see it, it is an opportunity to share my migration experience and the skills that I have been developing in recent years with people who need it. I am excited to accompany them in their first steps in Bremen, just as we do with the blog for university Erstis, but now with efforts aimed at job placement. I would like to continue writing about this, so perhaps I will take on the task of reactivating my personal blog.

So I also think it’s true when they say that not every change is a new beginning, some seem like that but in reality they are a continuation of what you have been doing, perhaps in a new place, a new career, new faces, new habits, but ultimately a continuation of your essence. So there is no need to worry, energy is not lost with the change. The writer Wislawa Szymborska once said: „every beginning is nothing more than a continuation, and the book of events is always open in the middle.“ In this sense, the story is not yet complete, but what we see is only a fragment of something that has to continue maturing. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again in the next chapter?

Good luck in what is coming, be it a change, a closure, a new beginning, which in the end is all part of the same. The important thing is to keep moving forward. And just like Sarah, I am not going to miss the new topics relevant to the Uni in its future editions. I will remain a faithful reader and you should too. Once an OWL, always an OWL!

Always yours,

Tania.

The only permanent visitor in life is change.