Homesick

Yesterday, we watched TV. We saw a docu about a German family returning home after they have lived for three years in New Zealand.

How can you leave that country anyway?

I miss the seagulls that tear plastic bags apart. The lights at the pedestrian crossing that only turn red when you push the button. The silly utes that roam the streets. I miss entering the youth hostel and saying hello to the staff. I miss going to work and being greeted by pukekos. Getting take away coffee. Or butter chicken. A glass of Sav in the evening with friends. The accent of the people in the lab. Coming home to our little flat. Driving over the harbor bridge. Reading signs that say "Takapuna", "Papatoetoe", "Remuera" or "Mangere". Norfolk pines. Too much UV. Shortland Street. Breakfast with Paul and Pippa. 2 liter milk jugs. Braeburn apples. Lots of Asian people on the streets. Milo bars. Pete telling stories. Rutenes visiting us for no reason. Waitakere Ranges. Mynas running off the street. Endless suburbs. But most of all, the friends.

It so funny to observe how the same thing happens again: more than two years ago we arrived in Auckland. We were really frightened. Every move was a big effort. Finding a flat, opening a bank account, getting to know people, exploring Auckland. Tasting the new food, finding our way through foodtown. And slowly, slowly we settled down.

Back home, it seems even stranger. We know the country, but we are not yet at home. It's like visiting the old neighborhood you grew up in ten years later. You still know the secret places, but they lost their magic. You recognize sounds, shapes, smells, but they don't lead you anywhere. And all that tells you "hey, home is just around the corner". But it ain't.

I guess it will take two or three months. That's what it took in New Zealand.