We met in the common room at Lukonmäki to celebrate Christmas together and to meet each other one last time before some of us would leave Finland. Berk will leave on Tuesday, while Jasmin and I will stay a little longer before going home. There was a special atmosphere right from the beginning, as everyone knew this evening would be a farewell as well.
We all brought specialities from our home countries to share. I brought Gritibänz, a traditional Swiss pastry. Jasmin brought her famous cinnamon rolls, which she has truly become known for during our time here. Berk prepared Çiğköfte and Börek. I can highly recommend all of them – everything was delicious, even though Berk’s Çiğköfte was quite spicy and my spice tolerance is rather low.
We listened to Christmas songs, talked a lot, laughed, and shared memories from the past months. No one really wanted the night to end, because ending it would also mean saying goodbye. There was a sad touch to many happy moments, knowing that these might be the last ones either forever or at least for a while. As we (and the Germans) like to say: You always see each other twice in life.
We sang karaoke together, took group pictures, played a Greek “clapping” game, and of course enjoyed plenty of food. Despite the sadness of the farewell, we truly enjoyed each other’s company until the very end. It was a very emotional, cozy, and memorable night – the perfect way to end our time together.
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