End of 2005 already?
After the frantic confusions of my train journey from Bucharest back to Belgrade, which also involved lateness of taxis to the station and lots of anxious moments, even before the journey began, it ended up being very delayed in reaching the final destination. I hadn't had any sleep either - not the best preparation for a night of celebrations.
When I arrived in Belgrade I headed to the office of the Serbian Students' Union, which had been commandeered as accomodation for my friends on the night of the 30th. We spent a long time catching up and it was a good few hours before we ventured out into the city, quiet and empty in anticipation of the big night.
One of our first stops was the top of the Kalemegdan Fortress, where we had superb views over the river Sava and the other side of Belgrade, peaceful now but later to be engulfed in wild festivities as the new year came in.
For midnight we went to the Republic Square, packed with people, many of whom were throwing about fireworks and bangers - often into tight crowds quite dangerously. Vendors selling these were everywhere to be seen and were doing good business, as were the stalls trading in beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages. Our ears were ringing by the end of it, but there was a fantastic atmosphere and when the countdown reached its climax we witnessed serious uproar.
The first thing that came into my head, as I was surrounded by all the chaos and noise, was that this didn't seem right to me. 2005 had gone so fast, it didn't feel like it was time for 2006 already. There should be at least a couple more months left. The whole thing of being devoid of Christmas spirit was similar, it didn't feel like the time was right for that either.
My life has been so busy, especially since finishing exams and school, and I've occasionally struggled to keep up with everything. I've hardly been at home for three weeks continuously and have really enjoyed all the travelling. Being at the UN and in New York was amazing - something I will never forget - and I suppose it was the main focus of the last six months of 2005.
Every experience I've had has brought something unique, memorable and educational in a practical sense. I honestly believe that, in terms of life, I've learnt more in the last months being on the road, particularly the last few weeks in Europe, than I did in the whole of my academic education for 18 years or whatever it was. I've also realised this year out is the first proper break from education I've ever had.
Last year brought so many fantastic experiences, people and memories. I am hoping 2006 will be just as good, but it has a lot to live up to. 2005 was the most important year of my life so far, but I think the next is going to take over that honour. After returning home from this period of travelling, work has really got to start seriously. I've got an endless list of things to do, which will take some months to hammer down. After returning from NY I thought I'd be able to work on all of that, but the new opportunities for travel came up and I couldn't resist. So my focus for the early part of 2006 has to be getting settled and progressing with serious matters. Maybe after that I can travel again...
When I arrived in Belgrade I headed to the office of the Serbian Students' Union, which had been commandeered as accomodation for my friends on the night of the 30th. We spent a long time catching up and it was a good few hours before we ventured out into the city, quiet and empty in anticipation of the big night.
One of our first stops was the top of the Kalemegdan Fortress, where we had superb views over the river Sava and the other side of Belgrade, peaceful now but later to be engulfed in wild festivities as the new year came in.
For midnight we went to the Republic Square, packed with people, many of whom were throwing about fireworks and bangers - often into tight crowds quite dangerously. Vendors selling these were everywhere to be seen and were doing good business, as were the stalls trading in beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages. Our ears were ringing by the end of it, but there was a fantastic atmosphere and when the countdown reached its climax we witnessed serious uproar.
The first thing that came into my head, as I was surrounded by all the chaos and noise, was that this didn't seem right to me. 2005 had gone so fast, it didn't feel like it was time for 2006 already. There should be at least a couple more months left. The whole thing of being devoid of Christmas spirit was similar, it didn't feel like the time was right for that either.
My life has been so busy, especially since finishing exams and school, and I've occasionally struggled to keep up with everything. I've hardly been at home for three weeks continuously and have really enjoyed all the travelling. Being at the UN and in New York was amazing - something I will never forget - and I suppose it was the main focus of the last six months of 2005.
Every experience I've had has brought something unique, memorable and educational in a practical sense. I honestly believe that, in terms of life, I've learnt more in the last months being on the road, particularly the last few weeks in Europe, than I did in the whole of my academic education for 18 years or whatever it was. I've also realised this year out is the first proper break from education I've ever had.
Last year brought so many fantastic experiences, people and memories. I am hoping 2006 will be just as good, but it has a lot to live up to. 2005 was the most important year of my life so far, but I think the next is going to take over that honour. After returning home from this period of travelling, work has really got to start seriously. I've got an endless list of things to do, which will take some months to hammer down. After returning from NY I thought I'd be able to work on all of that, but the new opportunities for travel came up and I couldn't resist. So my focus for the early part of 2006 has to be getting settled and progressing with serious matters. Maybe after that I can travel again...
posted by Frederick at 22:00
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home