This winter, three of my friends are leaving Berlin for good. That sucks. Berlin is typically just a phase for most people, and I suppose for these three friends of mine, this phase has ended.
All of these friends happen to be Israeli (two of them form a couple, but the couple doesn't know the third), and they all are heading back to Israel after living in Berlin for several years (at least five years). This sucks for me since this means my circle of friends here in the city gets reduced, and as I am not a young person anymore, it's harder to make new friends. I need to figure out how to rectify that.
It also makes me reflect on my own stay here in Berlin. Yes, I am more than 9 years here in the city, and it has been long enough to earn citizenship. I was raised with a diplomatic background, so I am used to moving all over the place over and over again. So I ask myself: is Berlin the end of the line? I would like to say no to that question. But for now, I am fine staying for a bit more.
I don't want to feel left behind. I don't feel like that for now, but I also know that if I don't do anything, I would start feeling like that if other friends also leave. This means I need to perhaps make new friends. I need ideas for that. But aside from the friends angle, I suppose I still like what the city offers me. We'll see how long I would have that opinion, or whether I would change my mind at some point.
