The cycle - and what comes after

What they say is true: there is a certain cycle that happens when you live abroad.

First everything seems exciting and new. When the routines begin to set in, you start to feel irritated with everything around you that's different from what you are used to. Eventually you get over this phase, and you start accepting your surroundings. I think I got to this point only when I got over the homesickness in June, so now I'm in this phase where everything is all well and dandy. 

And now I'm leaving in 9 days.

For me Kenya wasn't as strange and new, since I had been here before. The more difficult thing was to get used to not being at home, not to rely on someone the minute I had a bad day, not to be surrounded by people who know me and who I love. This to a 29-year-old feels very co-dependent and childish, but the friends I've met here have explained to me that what I have gone through is totally normal - it's just the cycle.

It really is a shame that I have to leave RIGHT when the going gets good: work-wise it's the worst time to leave. My projects are just about to get interesting and I don't have a job waiting for me in Helsinki. Luckily there are all those dear friends and family, that I cannot wait to embrace, so that evens up the scales quite a bit. :) 

 But going home means taking a step back from this lifestyle of international business and partying, and jumping into the shoes of the broke, full-time student - shoes I've never actually worn before (I've always worked). I'm definitely not looking forward to stressing about studies - this 6-month break from them has felt gooooooood.

However, finally getting my Master's degree is a top priority right now. Nothing motivates me more than something that happened to me a few weeks ago:

 I applied for a job as a junior consultant in Helsinki and I even got an interview, but didn't make it further because I have too much studies left. I got some great feedback, though - according to the recruitment agency I have the right work experience and a suitable personality for this kind of work, so if I only get my degree, I will be qualified for that kind of positions. So yey! 

Since living on a budget doesn't appeal to me, like, at all, I will be pursuing interesting job opportunities, though. But the way I see it, only a job that truely takes me forward on my career is a legitimate reason to postpone my studies at this point. 

 So onto the studies!