Eriks Zweeds Dagboek

Two minds merged together literally and metaphorically speaking.
 
Steffi, like Laura, I want to thank you for the many nice talks we had, the things we did together, how sometimes so few words were needed to understand each other, how you gave me the feeling of being there for me without me ever really needing to rely on that, how you always, always managed to stay yourself through every situation. I admire your personality and will never forget you.
I wish you a lof of succes with all the adventures you're taken on now and later. Hope we'll see each other again one day and have loads of stories to tell each other, still being able to do so in Swedish.
 
Jättekram till dig, min vän!!

Enkele dagen voor Midzomer is ook Steffi terug naar huis gekeerd, waardoor ik voor (een korte tijd) de enige EVS-vrijwilliger in Lidköping werd. Een erg vreemd gevoel ... Dit was al de derde keer dat ik iemand naar de luchthaven vergezelde en deze keer was de terugreis erg pijnlijk omdat ik deze keer helemaal alleen in de auto zat. Met Steffi verdween ook een stuk van mijn EVS: het stuk waarin ik mijn ervaringen, frustraties, geluk en verdriet kwijt kon aan personen in dezelfde positie als ik, wonende op slechtes 200m van mijn huis.
 
 
With Steffi leaving just a couple of days before Midsummer, my adventures in Sweden were really coming to an end. It meant the end of a certain aspect of my EVS in Lidköping: the aspect of having two people in the same position as I, with whom I could share happiness, sorrow, frustrations, stories, sadness, ... and much more like I could with no one else considering my EVS. No people other than Steffi and Laura will ever better understand what I've been trhough throughout this year in Sweden I realise now. For about ten months, I had two German "little sisters" and that was a nice comfort, I assure you, altough it mostly meant me looking out for them emotionally (I consider myself the Emotional Wailing Wall for Germans these days ...).
Surprisingly enough a very emotional goodbye on the airport with me having to admit that this "Aachener' Mädchen" grew on me a lot more than I'd like to admit ...

Een overzicht van de afscheidscadeaus die het team me gegeven heeft. Je zou voor minder een traan wegpinken, niet? De kader is een verzameling karikaturen van alle teamleden van het IV-Programma met de tekst: "Erik, vergeet ons nooit". Alsof ik dat zou kunnen ...
 
 
A view on all the goodbye presents I got from the team. It really made me go very silent as I was overwhelmed emotionally. The text on the pictures with the cartoon figures of the team members says: "Erik, never forget about us". As if I could ...