Das war's (fast) schon mit 2005... There goes 2005 ...

Well, here goes 2005. Only a couple of hours and this old year will be over. What a year it was...

The year of my very first Paddy's Day parade ever, the year of many a good birthday party in Carlow, the year of the toughest house-cleaning I've have had to put up with :-P, Exams in a foreign language, a hard-working summer, many cups of tea, countless pints of the black stuff, the year of disturbing news, the London bombings, the year of a wedding I couldn't attend even though I had so much wanted to, ...
the year of the worst culture shock ever, when I returned to Germany, ... the year of a unsuccessful job hunt second to none, the year Germany got its first female leader, and a year of friendship - both making new friends and nurturing/exploiting old friendships.

So, a big THANK YOU, Go raibh míle maith agat, Merci beaucoup, Djakujem, Tausend Dank! to all of youse out there. :-)

Now, 2006 will bring a lot challenges with it. More exams - both in Germany and in Ireland, my German thesis and graduation in Hof and Carlow (fingers crossed), (hopefully) my return to Ireland and so on. I hope to get back on my feet money-wise. I'm looking forward to the soccer world cup in summer and to visiting many friends again. There's even a chance of a Lblock-reunion this year - we'll see. Anyway, the new year is nothing short of an adventure and I'm intending to face it :)

So, to all my friends and foes, family and my creditors :-D

Happy new year 2006, ein gesundes neues Jahr 2006!

Sven.