#02 Thoughts: Movement equals finding Belonging

22.01.2025

Found at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. It is one of their old media campaigns - a fish on a bicycle. Below it said: A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle! Amen to that.

After 6 months of beautiful experiences, a life full of excitement and newness, I made it back to Europe with a full heart and lingering anxiety about what my new/old life will look like.

I was surprised to find out that I am quite happy to be back - even the cold Dublin air felt refreshing. It didn’t take me long to start missing Australia though. It’s not the cities that make Australia so great. In fact, the cities are not special per se and often feel like a strange mix of British and American architecture styles. It is difficult to pinpoint what personality each city in Australia has. Melbourne to me feels like the creative, wanna-be alternative sibling, probably has a bipolar disorder, has unhealthy levels of coffee consumption, one too many OP-shops, a bunch of workaholics and a severe vitamin-d deficiency similar to the one many Western Europeans have during the winter. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Berlin; Melburnians love their techno (although they would be disappointed to find out that the techno they are listening to is far too distinct from German techno), they have their own version of the Berlin-bangs (Naarm bangs?), and they have a lot of funky bars, cafés and shops. They even have a Berlin Bar in CBD*, which is divided into West and East Berlin, capitalist vs. communist inspired drinks.

And yet, my anxiety caught up with me pretty quickly. In times like these, it is difficult not to feel scared about political developments. I never liked defining myself over nationality simply because I have too many. And my family never stayed long enough in one country for me to feel as though it is right to define myself as ... (insert nationality). My family’s history of immigration always felt like a gift disguised as a curse. More often than not it is an opportunity, to reinvent myself again and again, to relate to different cultures and different places and different people.

The feeling of not-belonging will always be a core part of my identity. Perhaps that’s why I abandoned the wish to fit in altogether. It is also what shaped my adoption of a universal feeling of spirituality - the world is my home and borders are a man-made illusion. I am of the earth and the earth loves me.

Anyways, that’s it for now. Because I noticed that I struggle to keep motivated to keep posting, I’ve decided to post whenever I have inspiration to write, even if it is not perfect.

P.S. coffee in Europe tastes like absolute piss now that I’ve experienced coffee culture in Melbourne…

*Naarm is the Aboriginal name of Melbourne

*Berlin Bar: https://berlinbar.com.au

*CBD in Australia is just the city centre ^^