Rückkehr ins Vaterland (Return to the Fatherland)

Tomorrow I am returning to the only place I consider "home."

As a Third Culture Kid, I do not have the luxury of calling any place my hometown.
We moved from my birthplace (Baltimore, MD) when I was 6 months old so I don't think that qualifies as more than that, "birthplace."
The great thing is though, that I can select ANY of the places I've been as my hometown if I choose to be optimistic about it.
Munich, Germany is the place where I stake such a claim.
It is where I spent pretty much the longest stretch of residence during my formative years.
And boy was it formative!!!
Having lived there from the tender prepubescent age of 15 sprouting into the pseudo-adulthood of 21, I learned many things about life and love and angst and various vices during the Regan Era.
The dollar was strong.
The Euro didn't exist.
Neither did the internet or cell phones.
New wave and metal bands ruled the airwaves.
Parents were seemingly absent - as if it were a period piece written and directed by John Hughes himself.
Fuck you, Ferris Bueller.
You wish you had this much adventure!

One of the things I cherish most about my time in Munich, is that it is where I learned it was okay to be me.  Weird, artsy, intelligent, nerdy me.
The German culture seemed to embrace and nurture these qualities.
The people in our tightly knit community did too.
We are all still very tightly knit thanks to Facebook - love it or hate it.
It also taught me that it was okay if people were different, you still loved and respected them because they were their own unique little selves.
That seems to be missing today - people believe if someone doesn't believe the same religious, political or sports nonsense that they do, then they are the enemy of you.
This is complete and utter horse shit.
But I digress....

Munich is where I met my soul sister - sister from another mister; Marika.

I just turned 16. She was 15.
She was smoking cigarettes with my older brother.
How we became friends exactly, I can't say.
We didn't have many classes together but apparently something just clicked.
The universe conspired and that was that.
Turns out we had very similar home situations and attitudes.
We both loved Prince and would listen to Dirty Mind and Controversy on the turntable at her house ad nauseam.
We read the same books and comic books.
She was a musician and I was an artist.
We were both into gymnastics and working out.
Typical workout routine:
smoke on the walk to the gym; hit the mats to do some stretching and tumbling; take a break to go smoke; hit the free weights; take a break and go smoke another cigarette; play a few rounds of racquet ball; smoke cigarettes on the walk over to the bar; cool off with a few cold beers - perhaps a shot or two if the workout was a particularly good one.
It's all about balance.

 

 

Tomorrow I will be returning to my hometown for the first time since I left.
I will be staying with Marika at her mother's home.
I am giddy with anticipation and nostalgia.
Those were the absolute best days of my life.
It was where I found my life line.
It was where I found out who I was and not who I was expected to be.
It's where I told everyone to fuck off, this is me - love it or don't.
It was where I learned no one has to like me but myself and I need to be myself regardless of anyone else's opinion.
Most people don't make these discoveries until well into adulthood and some never lose their insecurities enough to ever fully be themselves.
Munich taught me to say "fuck that"
I think Marika and I learned that at the same time - growing painfully into that awareness together in sometimes dangerous but always interesting situations.
We have traveled the world together sometimes without leaving home.
I think the greatest thing about Munich though was meeting her.
Everyone should be so lucky (especially people in our unique situations) to have a best friend for life.
The person you can call day or night.  The person who walks through fire with you. The person who celebrates joys with you and you give it back to them in equal measure.
This is why I am so excited about this trip....
The two of us back together again in the place where it all started, for the first time since it all started. May the memories and growth continue over beers and laughter - PROST!