Time always seems to go by faster than you might think.
In a blink of an eye, I've been in Germany for 10 full years already.... What a ride it has been! Damn, 10 years? And just like that? Sometimes, it does feel like as if I had been here for my whole life, but when you look back, it's been "only" a decade. Not sure how exactly I should feel...?
10 years are enough to shape someone into a new person, yet something also has never changed. Looking back, I absolutely had no idea how my life would turn out, where I'd be, what I'd be doing, and what kind of life I'd be living. Sometimes I think, maybe it's easier to move forward when one doesn't set a specific goal and just go wherever life might take you. Nahhh, that's probably something one only dares to do when they're still young.
10 years are a short period of time when compared to one's whole life. I'm only glad and grateful for the old me in 2013 for having made the boldest decision to come to Germany, paving the way for many decades to come. These past 10 years have witnessed the entire process of me growing, maturing and also countless struggles. During these 10 years, I went from a more or less lost undergraduate to a Master graduate in Germany, and then to an employee here, and then went on to become a husband of a not perfect but great man, building own own family with 2 cats and a dog (as of today). Would I be living the same life, if I did stay in China instead of going abroad? Unfortunately, there's no way to find out, and there's no "if". What I do know is, I've earned what I have today, and I cherish that.
I've done pretty well during this first 10 years! And I know it's a cliché to say I can't wait to see what the next 10 years have in store for me, but I am indeed looking forward to that! :D
Here's to the 10th year anniversary in Germany to myself and also to those who have loved and supported me all this way with their faith in me. Cheers!
With love.