Heimat

Heimat in German means something like the place where someone is at home. It's not just the country or town where one lives, neither the so-called fatherland in English, la patrie in French or anavatan in Turkish (which is, by the way, interesting since it means motherland - in comparison to the English fatherland it's something more feminin and maybe fertile obviously). Well, to be honest, this all is not a linguisticly totally tearproof definition of the term Heimat, but it reflects my own thoughts about it. Maybe it's even not the place where someone is at home, but a place where someone feels at home.
And now that I had quite a lot time to think about my state of being (but, unfortunately and "excusingly" without having to have enough time for writing more on my blog), I might say that there could be several places where someone can feel at home. With all the new and interesting friends in Istanbul, all the places that I got to know and all the situations that I was in, I felt like having found some kind of spiritual Heimat there. And currently that I'm back with my family, my elder brother, grandmas and relatives, and of course the friends I knew from former times, I had a similar feeling again. Of course, it was a little different, too, but to which extend I can't say.

Anyway, I think that one reason for my newly discovered Heimatgefühl (feeling of being at home, which is, I think, something different than Patriotismus/ patriotism), is that my family and friends in Ingolstadt and Munich gave my the feeling of being warmly welcomed again. Lots of people that I didn't see and talk to for one year hugged me, were interested about my well-being and wanted to know lots of things about Turkey, Hamburg, and if my future now is going to be with them again. Especially the last question can be an indication for their honestly meant welcoming, and made me feel good being back with them.
So, I may tell my distinguish readers the reasons for not having written anything the last weeks:
First, after returning from Hamburg, I spent some days in Munich and Ingolstadt for seeing my family again. My live started to be special again on September 16, when the 176th Octoberfest of Munich, the world's biggest fair and beer festival started. Well, it's totally not something to be proud of having spent six days out of eight at the Wiesn (which is the indigenous' name for the festival) and having spent these days, let's say, intensively, but, for those of you who may have a feeling of festivals like this, my decision to go there more or less regularly might be comprehensible. For the others I hope that photos I put on my photo-page will be persuasive to deliver from my bondage.
And it might be obvious to understand why I decided to leave for a one week holiday to the Austrian mountains the other day. There, near the Tyrolian town of Kufstein, my family has a small house standing lonely in the open countryside. After two days of swimming in icy lakes, three days of hiking in the mountains, and one week totally of fooling around the other hours I was free of all Wiesn-crinkles again.
With my parents I went to Ingolstadt again, then, where I now have spent the last week, including my birthday on Tuesday, 10 October. By the way, thanks for everyone who sent joyful greetings and wishes to me!!! (The others who forgot to do may go to hell by the way!)
Here in Ingolstadt I had my days getting up late at noon, starting the day with having lunch, doing some Internet stuff, reading four books, and meeting friends for chating (and as you might expect, for partying and drinking, too).
It was some really, really joyful days, and thank God for giving me this time for relaxing and enjoying life. I may stress this point since from tomorrow on life will change dramatically: it will be the first day of this year's university winter term! Tonight, my brother and me, we'll leave to Munich (of course being equiped with clean clothes and lots of food by our mum) and we'll fear the next morning to be rainy and gray when we'll have to cycle to our seminars.

Despite these sad and almost killing news I hope to inform you about my first university experiences in my next post. Furthermore I hope that everybody's fine and keeps on keeping in touch with my negligibility.

Best wishes to everyone
Lütfü