“…and so ends the short undistinguished career of Puzzle Pieces of Bremen”

Time is a fascinating thing. No matter what you do, it keeps on ticking. And so the time I’m here in Bremen is ticking its final tocks. With less than 24 hours in the city, I am finally starting to appreciate that yet another chapter in my life has finally come to an end.

I’ve had a mixed experience this time, and frankly like all times prior, in Germany. For some reason, I can’t seem to find my place in this country. It would be easy to blame external factors like a worldwide pandemic, or the lack of chemistry with people in close proximity. But taking the easy way out is rarely the right way. Truth is, that the mismatch that we feel with certain places is the consequence of our own lack of adaptation to the context we find ourselves in. So with that in mind, I wonder what it is that blocks me to find peace here…

For peace to materialise a battle needs to be fought, and for months I fought the battle of “should I stay or should I go.” Yet now as a ceasefire has been called, I am now quite happy to leave again. Every time I move, I think I am done, that this is the last move I have in me… yet there I am moving again, and feeling very pleased with the experience. Leaving is always hard, but arriving is always so sweet. And so the cycle begins anew.

So tomorrow morning, Puzzle Pieces is leaving the person she was in Bremen behind, to arrive back home in Sweden ready to evolve into a new and improved self. But we never leave any experience empty-handed. Gratefully, I’m bringing with me my new life lessons, the encounter of new friends and of new work opportunities. To each and everyone who I’ve met these six months: thank you for the happy memories that made me laugh, thank you for the difficult conversations that helped me grow, and I’m sorry for those moments in which I failed to greet you in the struggles that some of you were battling. Whether it matters to you, I cannot say, but I will take all of these experiences with me and use them to the best of my ability to grow as a person. Thank you!

New adventures await.