Leaving Germany

Today is the date I marked with a big red cross in my calendar last summer. It seems like an eternity ago. My pockets are promisingly empty. No single key to take with me. Everything is safely stored away, and all my existence is boiled down to my body and 27 kg of luggage: 20 kg permitted check-in baggage plus a carry-on bag.

Can you imagine shrinking yourself -- including what "belongs to you" -- until you nearly become a point in space? This is a little how I feel today. An astronomical singularity from which -- perhaps. hopefully -- a new something can expand from scratch. A life that will resemble the old but will also be different in unknown ways.

It was a good, cleansing experience to free oneself from "ballast" and to concentrate on the "bare essentials". The thought of facing some months without the myriad of little things I had collected to make my life pleasant and comfortable fails to scare me. I take a little secret pride in being able to "let go" like that. Certain things I can and will re-buy in the new continent, but I don't expect to find myself shopping much for things such as household items for example. I will have to make do with less, and all on my own, and that's a pretty good challenge.

Honestly, I have no specific expectations and no clear plan to follow. If I were religious I'd say I trust in God, but I'm not, so I just trust in opportunities that will come up. Unexpected ones will be the most welcome. My improv theatre really helped me in taking this approach. And I have already begun to use the popular Australian phrase: "No worries."

My flight is with Korean Air. From Munich 10 hours to Seoul, 5 hours break, and then another 10 hours to Sydney. Not too long for a trip half around the globe actually. The same journey had taken the first Europeans who made the way 8 months by ship. I'm leaving Wednesday night and when I'll arrive it will be Friday morning, due to the 10 hour time shift.

My parents drive me to Munich Airport. The fields are still snow-covered. Bye, bye, Germany!