My phone got stolen earlier this year – the same phone loaded with about 90% of my notes on what to write about in this blog. It contained half-baked drafts and the kind of travel pictures I swore to print one day, but will never ever have the chance to do so. I literally felt like someone hit delete on my sentimental memory bank. Losing all of it stung, but life does its thing, and we simply are not always in control. And maybe we don't need to always be.
While sifting through the remnant digital mess from that old phone (backed up a few, thankfully), trying to organize what little remains, it hit me: I haven’t written here for ages. But I have solid excuse for that, mainly, writing somewhere else, for something else. As a PhD student, my days are now split between the relentless lab-working, technical writing, and publishing, ehem. Peer review is no joke, getting your work put under scrutiny (like some tree, people throw rocks at) is humbling and a far cry from the freedom of blog-writing, where words just spew and spill out aimlessly, mindlessly. Scientific writing requires backing up every thought with facts. But I can't say I hate it. There is a certain pride in knowing I’m contributing something useful, no matter how little, to the world. If you’re curious, here’s my first lead-author write-up: link. Yes, you're right, intentional shameless plug right there.
Going back to why I’m actually back (but maybe not for long) – it’s to mark the end of an era, actually a personal great at that. I had the privilege to attend my masters’ graduation ceremony, a whole year ago in Tartu. But I guess I didn’t really need my lost phone's notes to remember how it felt to be able to say how grateful and downright ecstatic I was. Definitely a full-circle moment, formally closing that chapter I half-given-up at some point in my life.
I guess this is me, simply saying that Tartu will always be that magical place I never expected it will be, along with all the wonderful people I met along those Estonian frozen streets and walked across the dreamy Emajogi river, no matter how few they were.
Cheers to happy endings!
