There Is No Way Back

A week before the beginning of the great adventure it turned out that my EVS accommodation will be in a castle. Unbelievable. The next (this time rather negative) surprise was waiting for me on the spot: not only was the place in the suburbs of Vienna, but also it was a girl's dormitory. The emptiness of the corridors, the kitchen and especially the horror-film-like basement with the washing machine all made me doubt whether I'm really at the right place at the right moment. I only had one hope: my Russian neighbour supposed to arrive sometime Friday evening.

And here she came. With an Austrian mentor she arrived loud and laughing until she reached her room. I heard the key turning in the lock, and as soon as she opened the door, storming in the room... all the lights went out. Blackout – in the whole district as it turned out later. "Whatever" – she said and dropped her luggage, closing the door behind herself. After a short introduction, the three of us: the Austrian, the Hungarian and the Russian went out for a night walk in the neighbourhood. No lights, just the stars, the quiet city, the nature and some special talks.

This is where our story started. After the dramatic introduction we lived at the same place with the same people for half a year. She was the girl next door. I heard her Skyping in Russian with her family and friends (someone told me she swears a lot when she speaks Russian). She heard me editing the radio interviews I made. Still, none of us was suffering. The only time I felt like I don't want to be around was when I stepped into her Indian sandalwood smelling room. The solution was rather easy: I just suggested to meet more often in my room.

Besides the strong smells, she had other special habits as well. Like coming back from shopping with two kilograms of apple which surprisingly disappeared within three days. She was drinking tea all the time, but no alcohol at all. Just to break another stereotype: the girl from the paradise of Vodka staying with everything that is non-alcoholic. Still, she was the best dancer I have ever met – being totally free, moving with the rhythm, people around just couldn't stop looking at her.

Regardless the harsh weather in her hometown in the Northern part of Russia, she has such a warm soul that could melt up glaciers. I was glad to get from her energy and share it with others. Our never-ending talks about people, life and the future gave us both power to go on with dreaming and to be strong enough to fulfil our dreams. On the other hand, we always saved each other in bad times.

I learned a lot from (or with?) her. She thought me how to break my chains, how to get over my fears and how to be more open. She introduced me to the world of Couchsurfing, the universe of travellers, surfing and hosting each other abroad. With this community she opened a door for me that brought lots of important people and crazy adventures into my life in the upcoming years.

After all, it is never easy to get to the end of something. Even though you know your roads will cross in the future, at the same time you are sure that it will never be the same experience again. Coming back from my last working day, I directly went to her room. She opened the door with red eyes. We prepared very similar presents for each other with some photos to remember. And both of us started crying immediately knowing that something is just breaking apart forever. Only one sentence can give me relief in such situations ever since: "It's never a goodbye, it's a see you again".