All the excitement around our trip, the wedding, the anticipation of new things to come has pushed other feelings aside. But now that the date where we are actually going to leave is drawing closer, and as we start to feel changes happening in our lives, other feelings suddenly surface: a little melancholy, a little sadness and also a little fear – because, the beginning of something new also means the parting from the existing.

It is sad that we will have to say goodbye soon to friends and family – to people that mean a lot to us and that have played a major role in our lives so far. We won’t be able to see them regularly from now on; we won’t be able to follow their lives and to observe how they feel.

There is the fear that friendships may not last due to the parting and the distance whilst travelling. What will be if we see our friends again in two years?

There is also a little melancholy when visiting places for the last time; places where you have good memories of, where you had great moments, and places you always simply liked very much (strangely, the negative experiences somehow tend to fade after some time).

We hope that those friendships and the contact with people that mean a lot to us will last despite the distance and all the new and thrilling experiences that are awaiting us.

The outlook on what lies ahead is exciting – however, a little sadness, fear, and melancholy remain…

Sunset in Lucerne

Background: there are only two weeks left until Heike is going to leave Switzerland, the country in which she spent the last ten years. Apparently, the departure from the familiar surroundings she has come to love has evoked some sentimental thoughts and feelings…