july; the end of a chapter - bachelor's degree in Romania

The gleaming sky has darkened, leaving out the penetrating rays of lights that brightened the sky just an hour ago. I am now in the plane, leaving Romania for good (maybe?). 

I still can’t believe that my chapter in Romania has ended. Just a month ago, I finished my final exams in Romanian, just 3 weeks ago, I submitted my bachelor’s thesis, just 2 weeks ago, I defended my thesis in Romanian and got full mark for it, and just 24 hours ago, I graduated with a CGPA of 9,89. 

I am still yet to process everything. Especially since I’ve been in and out for the past 2 weeks- my days have been filled of me just living in the moment, cherishing the time together with my beloved Indonesian friends- who I consider as my backbone and second family here in Romania.

Though I am saddened by the fact that I will no longer share the laughter and tears together with them all- in the journey of navigating our ways as suffering-international students in Romania- I am glad that I got to create some intense-beautiful memories in the end. I am glad that I opened up to people more in the end, to let my self to experience the beauty of human intrapersonal relations, to soak in genuine friendship, and to just be ‘human’, for once- after closing myself off for years. 

I am glad that I got to spend my ‘final moments’ in Romania well, with the right people and right feelings (:

‘All good things need to ends for new to come’.

Goodbye has always been the hardest- no matter how many times I moved through countries, meeting new people, befriending them, and leaving them again. The chorus from ‘No one noticed’ by the Maris encapsulate this feelings perfectly 

‘Come on, don’t leave me — and then I’ll leave without a trace…’

- a yearning song by the Marias that's replaying in my minds at all time.

I genuinely believe that every soul we encounter in life comes because of a reason- whether it is just a brief encounter, or a long one. No words can express how grateful I am to the kind people I met during my 4 years abroad- 3 years in Romania and 1 year in the UK, and few weeks in between Croatia, Germany, and France. Though maybe they are not meant to stay in my life forever, every soul has left such a deep impression in me- with lessons and grace that I'll always carry even after we part away. 

I feel truly blessed to have met different beautiful souls- to learn something from them- sometimes unsaid, just from their subtle gestures, or how their eyes light up when they speak up from the depth of their hearts.

I am always a mosaic of those who I encountered and loved.

I find this to be the most beautiful way of explaining these phenomenon I felt (:

Thank you Allah for this blessings, I can never repay these as Your humble servant. 

The only thing I can do is to reciprocate the kindness and continue this chain of kindness to those I'll meet after- to act just like the polymerase in the PCR reaction (yes such a bad science pun- but of well what do you expect from a biochemistry graduate?) 

Now as I am landing to Dubai, everything feels more real now. I will have 19 hours more to go before arriving home in Malaysia. Though I am saddened by the fact that I am closing of a precious chapter of my life in my 20s, I am also excited to go back to my root- to mend what’s left behind, and to reminisce how far I’ve came (:

May Allah ease everything, amin.

In the sky over the sea to Dubai,

Heba

16th of July, 20:33 Romanian time