During my first week in Bremen, at the beginning of my project, I often told myself to comfort myself that I only had to hold out until Christmas and then I would decide whether I wanted to carry on. It may sound harsh, but it gave me the courage to make a fresh start in a world that was foreign to me at the time. Some eleven months later, I now look back on this ultimatum with some disbelief and pity, because I have had the most fascinating, eventful and fun year so far.
The last four months at Freizi have felt nostalgic and a little like a final spurt. I had an incredible time right up until my last day at work. Every bus or car journey to the Freizi was filled with anticipation of a variety-packed and probably pretty crazy working day. The last four months of the project were also filled with various workshops, events (such as a cultural evening planned and realised by me, with support of my colleagues :)) and so on. The summer was dominated by the holidays-programme, where I had the opportunity to go to a lake with our people, visit Metalhenge or go to an amusement park, for example. My
time at the Freizi was rounded off with the ‘Special Olympics’ – a nationwide sporting event for people with disabilities, for which our athletes had been preparing for months. My final farewell party made me realise once again how wonderful the months at the Freizi were, how awesome the people I got to know are and how grateful I can be for my colleagues. The Freizi taught me a lot. Above all, I am now more familiar with how to deal with people with various disabilities, how to show authority (more or less- compared to before), how to take responsibility and how to keep a cool head even in challenging situations. Like every employee, I had to spend a day in a wheelchair to familiarise myself with the positions of the users in Freizi. I now have a changed perspective on the world and can say that the work has given me experiences, lessons and interpersonal connections that I will never forget.
I’m leaving the NK flat with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. While some things about my then new home took a bit of getting used to at first, I’ve built up such a familiar relationship with the place by now. I had so many memorable moments there, had endless conversations with my flatmates on the balcony, met other volunteers and friends and so much more… The project has brought me into a crazily diverse circle of people. Seeing off friends from last year one by one was a crazy enough feeling – the fact that I’m now in this position myself is even crazier.
Whilst at the beginning of my project I had no idea where it would take me by the end of the eleven months, I can now finally say that I have a firm foothold and an idea for the next few years. Since my last report, I have been looking for a place to study – after much back and forth, moral dilemmas, endless conversations and headaches, I have listened to my heart and decided to stay in Bremen to study psychology. What I vehemently denied almost eleven months ago has now come true. I have grown so fond of the city, but above all of the people here, and have built up a pillar here, so it felt like the right decision. Even though the process up to this point has been pretty agonising, it has been more than worth it so far – my moving is behind me and now I can look forward to the start of my studies.
When I scroll through my gallery now and look at the photos from the last few months, I see a lot of downbeat photos of the university application process, study materials for the aptitude test and screenshots of websites, but the photos that catch my eye all the more are the ones of the trips with the Freizi, of the journeys I’ve made through Germany and Europe in the last few months, and of the wonderful friends and people I’ve met. As I look back on the last year, it feels a bit like a dream – unfathomable and even a bit too good to be true. I walk through my everyday life with a fresh mindset and will do my best to maintain this state for as long as possible. This project is one that I highly recommend to everyone. As difficult as the beginning may seem, for me at least, things have fallen into place as if by magic and I am very glad that I never seriously considered my time ultimatum.
