Was ist für dich Heimat? What is home to you?

Heimat, which means "home",  is one of my many favorite German words. In German, the word does not just mean a house on a cul-de-sac. The word Heimat has a much more complex, deeper, and broader definition than that.

 I remember when one of my German teachers asked my class the same question a few years ago.  I was still going to Cäcilienschule Oldenburg Gymnasium at that time. It was a few weeks prior to Christmas break when the theme "Was ist für dich Heimat?" was circulated around the school.  There were art projects, essays, and speeches that were centralized on this topic.

"Was ist für dich Heimat?" he asked.
My answer was: "Heimat ist für mich, wo die Familie ist und auch wo ich geliebt bin".
(English Translation: "Home for me is where my family is and where I am loved.") 

I still live by my own definition of Heimat. For me, home is where I feel comfortable--where I can be myself and still be loved.

 I have, overtime, come to believe that Heimat  is not just one place. For many people, Heimat is a multitude of places. Heimat for me consists of three parts: my hometown (Duvall, USA), Seattle, and Oldenburg, Germany.  I have friends and family in all three places. I am proud to say that I come from Microsoft's founding city. I love the fact that I grew up with horses, pigs, and chickens in my backyard. I love that I know what the northwestern German word "moin" means.

Heimat can also come from your favorite songs, movies, and television shows. It can come from architecture. Even your daily routine can be your Heimat.  Heimat does not just come from a the people who love you, but also from anything that surrounds you.

 I decided to go around and ask our bloggers what Heimat is to them. Sarah said simply "familie!". Dorothy's response was "Heimat is wherever I feel most comfortable. For example: when I am at home with my family, or with people or in a city that I love".

Now, I ask my readers the same question: What is Heimat to you? 

This is a question I will be coming back to from time-to-time.




Bis Montag
Hilary 

Why Germany? Warum Deutschland?

When growing up, I never had an interest  in German culture and language. When I dreamed about traveling to Europe, I thought of Paris, London, Rome, and Barcelona. I grew up as a Seattle-American with Polish and English blood running through my veins.  I adopted my father's witty, British sense of humor and my tastebuds yearned for my Papa Topoleski's traditional, polish cooking. There was nothing in my background whatsoever that would trigger an interest in Deutschland. I grew up without curry wurst, brotchen, St. Niklaus Tag, and saying the word "or" or "achso" at the end of every sentence. 

That changed, however, during my sophomore year of High School when I heard about a once in a lifetime study abroad opportunity in the school announcements one morning. "Want to live with a welcoming host family, travel the world, and gain a diversity of friendships?" asked the announcer. "Then this is the program for you! Become a Rotary Youth Exchange Student today!"

"Could this really be my calling?" I thought to myself. I hated high school and wanted out of it as soon as possible. I thought I would regret passing on an opportunity like this. Who needs homecoming and prom when you're living in another country, learning a foreign language, and immersing yourself into a culture different from one's own? 

My mind answered those questions for me. Before I knew it, I was in the process of applying for this said study abroad opportunity

The application process was long and strenuous, but it was rewarding. Three months after submitting all of my doctor, school, visa, and parental consent forms, I received the long-awaited letter in the mail from Rotary International about my country assignment. 

 "Congratulations!  You will be living a year in Oldenburg, Germany!" 

I didn't know a lick of German. The only foreign language that I knew was high school level Japanese. I will admit,  I was scared to go abroad. What if nobody liked me? What if I couldn't immerse well? What if I couldn't emotionally handle my new change of lifestyle? What about my friends and my family? Before any of my questions were answered, I was on a plane from SeaTac to the Bremen Flughafen. 

I remember my first day at German school. I was so nervous and scared. My peers would not even glance at me, let alone greet me with a warm "guten tag" or "hallo". As the American, or "Ami" as Germans call us, I felt like a pariah.  Living in the same town my whole life, I had no clue what it was like to be a new kid until then. Not only was I the new kid, I was the annoying foreigner.  I felt lonely--like a dunce sitting in the corner of a classroom. I remember coming home everyday crying my eyes out and wondering what I have gotten myself into. 


As the year progressed, however, my new German life improved. By mid-year, I had friends at school and I was able to converse in German. I ate brotchen and käse and rode my bike to school every morning without a fuss. By January 2008, I had enough courage to intern at Staatstheater Oldenburg, the local theater in town,  where I sorted musical pieces and found props for upcoming plays. In June 2008, I participated in my first Model U.N conference at the Oldenburg Model United Nations (OLMUN) where I represented Switzerland on the Human Rights Council. I loved Model U.N. so much, that I ended up joining the Model United Nations team at my university when I returned. 


So I would like to return to my original question: WHY GERMANY? In other words, why do I feel the need to promote German/American relations as well as German/American heritage? 

 At the age of sixteen, I went to  Germany knowing nothing of the language, having no friends or family, and having nothing but a suitcase in my hand.  Being the shy little girl that I was at the time, I felt completely lost in this new world. Though the experience was difficult, I would never go back in time to change anything.  Germany transformed me from a mommy's girl into a confident individual. Being a Rotary Youth Exchange Student was my calling; it was my destiny. It has made me the human being that I am today. I don't need German blood to love Germany and to celebrate German customs. Germany is apart of me and always will be--genes or no genes. 

And, for that reason, I feel the need to help preserve German/American culture and heritage in the United States. Through blogging, I am hoping to fulfill this need.  Every monday, I will write a piece about German heritage in the United States. Throughout this school quarter, I am hoping to interview German/Americans, attend German related events in Seattle, and to promote the Think Transatlantic campaign. 

AUF GEHTS DEUTSCHLAND!!!!!


Bis Montag 
Hilary