GTL Germany and the post-vacation blues
reluctance to return to the MIT life
Vivian Hir–The Tech
I hadn’t expected that adjusting back to my MIT life after GTL* Germany would be rough. On my plane ride from Germany to Boston, I couldn’t help but feel pensive and sad that the experience came to an end. I knew I had to return to MIT because GTL Germany was meant to be a short-term program — my primary role as an undergraduate student was to take classes and do research, not to teach high schoolers and have ample free time for the rest of the day. In other words, my laidback life in Germany couldn’t last forever.
Logically, I told myself that I should accept my return to the busy MIT lifestyle, full of assignments. However, emotionally, I lingered on my wonderful GTL Germany experience, which felt like a long vacation to some extent; although it involved preparing and teaching classes, I had a lot of free time to relax and explore with my friends.
When I got back to campus, I was happy to live in my comfortable dorm room and see my friends, returning to a familiar place where I understood the language and ate food more suited to my palate. Despite this, I missed some aspects of Germany: the quaint houses that dotted the peaceful landscape on my train ride, the windy cobblestone streets in the old town of Regensburg, the breathtaking view of Nuremberg from the top of the Imperial Castle, and so much more.
This feeling of melancholy persisted after I returned to campus. I didn’t have words to describe my unique situation, nor understand why I was feeling this way. The closest emotions that came to me were yearning and nostalgia, like the time I felt sad that my summer in Taiwan was coming to an end. Why couldn’t I just move on quickly and accept my normal life again?
Instead of thinking about my plans for the next semester, I kept adding destinations to my travel bucket list, even though I knew that reading about the various cities of Europe and scanning the map was silly and useless. It wasn’t until a few days after the trip that I noticed I was experiencing the post-vacation blues, a feeling of sadness that comes after a vacation ends. When I reflected on my happiness hangover, I realized that my reasons were unavoidable.
Although I like living in Cambridge, its novelty has faded after more than three years, which is inevitable after one settles down. Sometimes, I feel like I have already explored most of Cambridge and Boston. On the other hand, Germany was a novel experience for me. Each day was an adventure, from eating new dishes to exploring new places. I truly embraced the spirit of carpe diem during my time there. With just sixteen days in Germany, I made the most out of my limited time, visiting nearby cities like Munich and exploring Regensburg, where I had lived.
This different setting provided me the opportunity to do things I otherwise wouldn’t have done at MIT, which I greatly appreciate. For instance, I allowed myself to indulge in food and drink without feeling guilty about my decisions. Eating out added up, but I was satisfied with the gastronomic experiences that allowed me to appreciate the local cuisine, from deer meat to pork shoulder. I let myself buy delicious bread and pastries at bakeries and try new cocktails at restaurants and bars.
What stood out the most, however, was the instant friendships I made with the five other MIT students in GTL Germany. Despite coming from different backgrounds and not knowing one another beforehand, we became very close within a short period of time. The camaraderie I developed with my friends encouraged me to be more light-hearted and humorous, traits that I often overlooked in the past.
Over the course of the program, we developed many inside jokes and one-liners for each person in the group. Besides teasing one another in daily conversations, we also bonded from playing group games — my friends liked poking fun at my inability to lie in Among Us, W was teased for being the most American, and we made frequent jokes about M’s expressive hand gestures when he apologized.
Jokes aside, I also appreciated the deep conversations about our backgrounds and how they shaped our present selves. I still think about the nice dinner we had at an Italian restaurant as I listened attentively to my friends discussing their various cultures, learning about different customs and practices. Maybe it was the dim lights and the wine, but I enjoyed the close knit, personal intimacy of the conversation. Although we could meet up at MIT, finding shared time to hang out would be difficult, and we wouldn’t be together as often as in GTL Germany.
I continued reminiscing about GTL Germany through the last week of IAP, but I gradually overcame the post-vacation blues and returned to embracing my normal life at MIT by the start of the spring semester. Yes, I am back in the same place, living the same lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean life is boring here. In fact, it is far from boring; I look forward to the new events, conversations, knowledge, and milestones in my last undergraduate semester at MIT.
Likewise, I am grateful for many things here. I love running around the Charles River. I cherish French House for its home-cooked dinners and tight-knit community. Classical music concerts at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Jordan Hall have been one of the best experiences I had here. I won’t forget the many author events at Harvard Book Store where I listened to my favorite authors share enlightening ideas and left feeling inspired. I cannot see myself attending undergrad somewhere else; I have truly found a second home here.
*GTL stands for “Global Teaching Labs,” an MIT program in which students teach STEM subjects abroad during Independent Activities Period (IAP).