Groningen,

you were once a place unknown to me,

simply a name, a faraway place.

Until one day,

I decided on you.

You were going to be my home for the next three years.

I was ready to exchange the comfort of my parents’ home,

for the big, scary unknown.

For long, I longed to a place like you,

a place to discover parts of me I never knew existed.

With like-minded people and university courses,

showing me new paths of life day after day.

With moving here, came a sense of euphoria.

Your picturesque streets,

your cafés around every corner,

your diversity and open mindset,

your magnificent sunsets

and the endless unforgettable nights.

But to every honeymoon period comes an end.

With the trees turning orange,

The days shorter,

and the weather colder.

I sat by the window.

Asking myself why,

why did I leave home?

Feelings of loneliness

and incapability

started creeping up.

I longed back to

the early days.

But there it was.

‘t was mid october,

I was biking through the city,

one night after class.

The sun was starting to set,

Christmas lights lighting up the city.

And I realize in that moment

All these highs and lows

are part of the process

of making this town

My home.