Heimat

As mentioned in my previous post, I spontaneously flew in my heimat for a couple of days. Heimat is German and does not have a proper English translation. This is because it is a feeling and as we all kind of know, those are hard to describe. The closest English translation would be home, but that translation is as far off as South Africa is from the South Pole. Loosly, Heimat is a concept constructed of past experiences and memories of a certain place, a place you know inside out, and for me my heimat is Berlin.

It is weird to observe how Berlin - once my heimat and home - is slowly becoming this place both near and far, comfortable and uncomfortable, relaxing and stressful. I have the street-smartness, but I don't know the streets anymore. Or, let me rephrase that, I know the streets but not the people living there.

Nonetheless, I had a wonderful couple of days - I spent valuable quality time with family and friends: My grandmother, mother and I went to one of our favorite lunch places called Vapiano and then enjoyed a boat tour on the river Spree, I went out with two of my closest friends, paid a visit to the zoo, hung out by the lake to endure the city heat and as always spent far too much money on shopping.