The summer was just wonderful. I worked on an interesting project, I learned a lot, I met many fun, smart, and inspiring people and got to know some of them well. I made a lot of good friends and I'm sure we'll keep in touch and meet in the future. I will see first of my friends from CERN in a few days in Prague, then we'll go to Oktoberfest to Munich...
The difficult thing was to say good bye and accept that everybody is leaving. I never said goodbye for so long to so many friends. And I think I did say goodbye to people I cared about several times in my life. Our class from high school still regularly meet and we keep in touch. I also still get to meet my friends from (radio)orienteering. It's a little more difficult to see my friends from Union but I do my best and keep in touch with several of them and we visited each other a few times. And I am sure we will make the CERN reunions happen, because we are smart and rich now :)
So what's the problem? The thing is that everybody was at CERN, I could spend time with whoever I wanted to, and everybody lived basically in the same building. Do you feel like going to the pool? Hanging out? Drinking some wine? Watching a movie? Everything was super easy. And things tend to be more difficult at home. Not everybody lives with so many friends around, and has so much time and money to do anything they feel like.
Now what is the cure to the post CERN depression? Make my life back home as awesome as the life I had at CERN. Now it's super clear what's important and what makes me happy. So what do I need? I already live in dorms with my classmates and spend the nights doing sports and going out with them. I love it. I try to work on things I find exciting. And I need to start traveling more again, because it just makes me feel alive.
The life after CERN exists. It's a little weird in the beginning but it can be a good starting point in making my life as exciting, enjoyable, and meaningful as possible.
There is not much to add actually. I can't say anything about post-CERN depression, I am still here! All I know for now is that it's also not nice to stay here when everyone is leaving, but you know that, as you were not the first to leave. And I'll actually have it easier. I don't enjoy my project, all I would want to go back to are the people, but I'll have whole September to deal with it slowly, because I'm leaving last. There will be a whole month still in CERN, but without Summies. To ease in the shock of going back. But I really like your idea of making this summer a sort of a turning point in your life, make it amount to something. I don't think you could get anything more from it - amazing memories, great friends and a better life from now on. I hope I will remember this idea in October. ;)
ReplyDeleteYep, I think it feels so weird because it's so fast. More gradual leaving would be less intense. Enjoy the rest of your stay at CERN!
ReplyDelete