I am back from a wonderful holiday with a couple of my daughters, and ready to move on with the podcast stories. Maybe you saw my photos and reels, of all the fun we had. While I was away, it dawned on me, it’s been 4 years since, I have left Germany to travel. As a family, and on my own, we had always travelled around Europe, to the UK, to the States and we even went once
to Guatemala. Spending time in other countries, and meeting new people, makes such a difference. It gives us a fresh perspective on our own lives.
Not only have these past few years been intense for the whole world, but also for me, in other personal ways. A popular song says
it all; “You know it’s not the same as it was in this world, as it was, as was.“
The changes I experienced, opened up a door for me, to join the podcast world. It was a chance to tell my story, based on by German autobiography, but this time in my own language. It has been refreshing, challenging, and even resulted in new friends and renewed contact with old friends. Most importantly, it has given me the opportunity to freely speak my mind, which is in itself unique. From my experience over the years, this is not something to be taken for granted.
On my vacation I sat by the pool listening, and watching the wind, in the palm trees. I was wondering what kind of influence this time away, would have on my writing.
A priceless moment, was watching my young granddaughter happily swimming, to the music of her auntie. So there we were
three generations, on a Spanish island, relaxing by the pool and listening to a song called, ”Like Me” that Debby had written.
My blond granddaughter, floated on her air mattress, singing along to the chorus; “Where are people like me, like me, like me. Like
Ariel, under the sea, that’s me, I swim but on the inside, I still try to walk like all the others. So where are people like me, like me”
That image reminds me of the phrase, ”like a fish out of water.” It lands on the dry sand, forced to learn a new way of breathing, of
talking and existing in different world. That fish, or mermaid, needs a miracle to stay alive and flourish. That’s kind of how it is acclimating yourself, to life in a different country.
I was actually surprised that my daughter Debby, who was born and raised in Munich, wrote a song about feeling like an outsider. Of course all my five daughters have grown up in Germany. They had the advantage of having a German dad, going to public school and gradually becoming integrated, into the German culture through their jobs. Now I am wondering how this American - German heritage will affect my grandchildren.
