Living between Countries - On Leaving, Returning and Finding Comfort in Strangeness
“Do you miss your family?” This is a question I hear a lot when I am living abroad and it’s not easy to reply with a simple yes or no. Yes, it is challenging leaving behind your loved ones, especially when moving away for the first time. No, I am not grieving a loss, because I know they are still there, texting with me, calling, telling me about their lives and vice versa. One or two years ago, my mum and I were walking the dog, wandering the vineyards on the outskirts of my small home village in southwestern Germany. “I have already begun to accept that when you visit, you are only a guest in our house,” she said. For a moment, my heart sunk a bit in my chest, but then I understood what she meant. I have left the nest and even though this place will always be my home and my roots, I have moved on. I see going abroard as a great privilege. That's not to say it doesn't come with a variety of different challenges, especially when you just finished school: You’re far away from yo...