Down the Rabbit Hole

"Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end; then stop."

A beginning is not only a beginning: it is also an end (and v.v. - dûh). In this case, the beginning of my adventures underground were the end of a long, arduous period of goodbyes, that had already begun around the time of UCU's Class of 2005's graduation, ran through many awkward breakfast partings and some wonderful evening gatherings, and reached its relatively silent climax on the last Friday and Saturday before my departure (and one Monday thereafter), together with the last few people I had forced to stay with me to the end... (I should take care not to sound too much like JC Superstar - sorry for that, girls.)

I feel I was made to travel. But I hate goodbyes and acquaintances. But what, on closer notice, does remain of travel, if you take away departure and arrival? Not much, does there?: this is my home now, like I had a home (or four) a month ago.

Well, that's not quite true of course. The first difference is that both my feeling of heimweh and my sense of freedom have grown. Every new visit adds an item to the lists of places and persons you want to return to. But every new visit also adds a reason to be confident about yourself, apart from the connection you have to your whereabouts. Here I thought I might refer to Seneca again, for the ones who have missed the first time, and might happen to be the ones most keen on Latin quotes!

"at cum istud exemeris malum, omnis mutatio loci iucunda fiet; in ultimas expellaris terras licebit, in quolibet barbariae [!] angulo conloceris, hospitalis tibi illa qualiscumque sedes erit. magis quis veneris quam quo, interest, et ideo nulli loco addicere debemus animum. cum hac persuasione vivendum est: 'non sum uni angulo nata, paria mea totus hic mundus est'"

The second bit of the joy of travel is of course the part in between goodbye and hello: it's when you're On the Road (or, better still, on your bike or in your boat;-). It's what next chapter, hopefully, will be about.