Hoi Hoi Maastricht – A stubborn tear fell down my right eye’s corner as soon as the train started to make its way towards Amsterdam. I did the best I could to prevent her from cutting lose, but it wasn’t enough. There was something strangely sad about those blue signs with white letters where we can read the city’s name, warning passengers not to get lost.

Goodbye P-Building, C-Building, Arc-Building, FDEWB, city library, Twee Heeren, Meta, Highlander, De Kadans, C-1000, Albert Heijn, Aldi, Shamrock, Kruithuis, Mensa.

But, as the train took me closer and closer to Schipol, it also gave me back my peace of mind. It reminded me how much I won, how much I gained from this experience. The wonderful places I discovered, crazy situations I found myself in, the amazing people I met and hope to see again.

Suddenly, the tear wasn’t there anymore. It vanished into some newly acquired sense of inner peace. The sky opened up, the sun managed to overcome the traditional dutch clouds. A smile was back in my face. But that doesn’t mean it never showed up in my eyes again. As soon as the KLM’s plane begun to approach my home town’s airport, she was back. I had no idea I would be so excited about arriving in Lisboa.

D Day finally arrived, much more beautiful than I ever expected.