Epilogue - Brno

Some eight months or so ago I would have never imagined that leaving Brno would be this hard. Correct. I am leaving this town for at least some time (or maybe for good, who knows…). I remember like yesterday, how I sat on the buss on my way from Vienna on that dark March Sunday night. After a never ending ride in the darkness, I was finally greeted by our beautiful illuminated land mark, the Petrov Cathedral. However, the town seemed kinda gloomy there and then. I was early so I sat on the bench on the buss stop hoping that no local crazy person would approach and start harassing me or anything nasty like that. Luckily the only person to approach me was Eva, our VP ICX, who took me to my first home, Trybova 4. From there I then rebounded through Pellicova 27 flat to the Zabrdovicka Inc. where I have been happily living till now.


A lot has happened during those months but most importantly I’ve met some wonderful people, with who I have the pleasure to share all my experiences. The Brno people, other trainees, colleagues, local friends, AIESEC folks etc. are the glue to keep each other going in times of home sickness, disappointments, frustration and other tough moments. The same way, this crowd highlights the good times and sharing those brings an extra edge on the joy we experience here. Gosh, did that sound cheesy or what! :) But that's how I see it. I hope I will be able to meet as many of you again somewhere somehow.

I have experienced how it is to be different. Even if I in one of my posts claimed that Czechs and Finns aren’t that different, there are still differences enough to make you ponder. One of the greatest skills of a humanbeing is to be able to detach oneself from the context and question one's own behavior. Why do I think like this? Why do I act like this? What is it in this environment that makes me thinks/say/do these things? I personally have gone through the whole scale of emotions from wanting to kill myself to those belly tickling infatuations. It only proves that every single moment of my stay here I've been very much alive. I have learned alot, if not as much professionally as I would have wanted, but certainly about myself as a person. I am leaving this place with still some words unspoken, some things undone, some questions unasked, some answers unfound. But all the same, I am leaving with my heart and soul full of fantastic memories. There has always been something to do, someone to go with, someone to talk to. I will miss the parties, the trips, walks, talks, the laughs, coffee & beer moments, random hanging out with friends, answer searching sessions :) and so much more. Leaving is tough, yes, but the longer you stay the tougher it will get.



So thanks guys!! I will miss you all…

The upcoming Monday I take off from Vienna airport and hope to land safely to Colombo Sri Lanka.

Message In a Bottle...

Gosh, it is the middle of October 2007. I am 26 years old. I am making this note into my virtual diary, a blog as they like to call it. My diary lies on a complex collection of electric circuits that form a huge parallel universe, a web that is world wide. After 10 years or so there probably won’t be any remark of this line ever been written. The memory remarks in the network are vulnerable, they fade as quickly as they are written there. Tons of digital content, hypertext, audio, motion, etc. populate the bands every second. My posting is nothing but a whisper in the digital cacophony.

During the past year I think I've gotten less than 10 touchable messages; cards, letters ‘n’ such. Maybe a few cards before Christmas, two from my mom from her travels and one from a friend when I graduated. I think there were no letters what so ever… No, hold on. Yes, I got a letter with some pictures from Anja, a German friend. All together these cards and especially the letter are the most memorable ones of all my messaging. Hmm… of course I didn't respond to this letter the same way, but by sending an email.

I am sometimes dead scared of what will happen should the www one day stop existing. There goes all my correspondence, my contacts, my networks. Heck, that would be a true catastrophe! It is a kinda scary thought that all my stuff is scattered around the world on different servers, to which basically anyone can have access, if knowing how. But yea, mobility is the trend of the day and it so seems that I am changing my address every few months. It would be very difficult to keep everyone updated of addresses etc. stabile things. In the virtual universe one is always at reach.

Sometimes All You Need Is an Elvis Impersonator To Make You Happy

It happened some two weeks ago. Me and my flatmate were heading home after again one stressful week at work. We decided to take a random walk in the centre before stepping into the tram. The main square seemed like a nice place to loiter for a while as the local wine producers’ autumn harvest festival was still going on. There were little booths selling local produce as well as all sorts of carnival stuff, like balloons. There was also a stage hosting all kinds of cultural performances to keep the crowd entertained. Anyhow, we were walking towards the square, kinda bored and just minding our own thoughts when we heard some familiar music. At that point we noticed “Elvis” climbing up to the stage in full Elvis gear looking as Elvis as an Elvis could look. We ended up following the whole 45 minute performance despite of the rainy and cold weather. The voice and moves where there and this Elvis totally rocked his Czech audience. Heck, he even spoke the language! :) The slightly bored after work feeling of ours was quickly wiped away. So it only needed one Elvis impersonator to shift our moods to the weekend gear.

There would have also been some additional entertainment available, but we saw the add too late... :)