22 Dec 2025

What Remains After Goodbye

-If being born is the biggest act of creation, what are you supposed to do after that?

-Do things and be happy about it my friend 🙂

This was how I started my motivational letter for the ESC project, and I made myself a promise that before I turned 20, I had to leave my country, to contribute to something much bigger than myself. It felt like a deadline carved into my own story — a little dramatic, maybe, but who cares?

-Take a look at my flight booking history, scan the boarding pass, and access the Spotify playlist for this final flight — a blog post where I reflect on my past four months.

-Please fasten your seatbelts and relax : )

…

Sona and I finally arrived in our city. We unlocked the door to our cozy little room, and only then did it hit me — I was thousands of kilometers away from everything I had ever known. I told myself:

–I am not the one who’s changing….only the country is.

Sure, that was a little silly of me lol.

Just like I stepped out of my previous life, casually, Sona and I stepped out of our room. There they were: Joel with Mishi and the cats weaving between our legs, and Juliane, with the most genuine, warmest, prettiest smile I had ever seen in my whole life. That was my real welcome to Romania — not just a place on the map, but a home

Life is a bit like an airport. You think you’re heading to one gate, and then suddenly the screen flashes “Gate Changed — please proceed immediately.” And there you are, running with your bags, not sure if you’re even on time.

And, running with my bags, I realized that life is so much bigger than I thought. And okay, as an ex-astrophysics-hobby nerd, that should’ve been painfully obvious. I mean… galaxies, black holes, expanding universe? Yeah, yeah, I get it, that’s big. But still — somehow, standing on a random street corner hits me harder than any telescope ever did (I got hit by telescopes, that’s why I know:)).

I was insanely lucky that our Care2Travel gave us the chance to travel. And trust me, every trip, every train ride, every overpriced cappuccino in a city I couldn’t pronounce, every opportunity, I literally squeezed everything out of it.

I used to think traveling was about collecting the usual tourist checklist, but it is really about collecting people.

Meeting kids from camps, sharing silly jokes, listening to strangers who suddenly felt like friends — it all added up. Every person I met left me with a little gift: a glance, a laugh, a piece of life I didn’t even know I was missing.

Change is scary… but that’s the whole point 🙂

You may now use electronic devices. On behalf of [ohmygodwhatishappeningairline], we thank you for flying with us :,(