” Uhhhhh yeah! – We are freeee!!!” Me and my classmates gathered on the small parking lot of our high school. Yes we finally made it, we all finished successfully high school. We lie happily in each other´s arms and just celebrated this moment, which we have waited so long for.
The high school in Baden-Baden, Germany was a special high school, here I could graduate within two years, since I did a special kind of middle school before. Two years passed so quickly… Nevertheless, in these two years I built a strong bound to this place here and especially to my class mates. Since Baden-Baden was far away from my home place, a small village in the Black Forest, I had to move over there. The first time of my life I was without my friends and family. The beginning was very though, I didn´t know anybody and felt lonely quite often. But slowly, I opened up and now after two years I feel so close to all those beautiful people in my class. I loved going to school and enjoyed every day in class! But now,… now everything will end. I looked at the faces of my classmates, I now them so good. I don´t want to miss them. It´s so hard to imagen that we all split up now and don´t see each other any more… We are one big group – one unit….
Additionally, I don´t know what to do next. Some of my class mates want to go straight to university, but I have no idea what I want to study and just study without a reason, doesn’t seem senseful for me. Moreover, I don´t want to go back to my home village again. Things changed in the last two years, my parents just separated and the contact to my old friends almost cancelled. This was my new home and my class mates were my new family and friends, but now I have to leave them again… To be honest I am so sad and feel lost and lonely, with no place to go, no place to call home.
I don´t know why and how it came to my mind. But a few weeks ago, I decided to book a flight to New Zealand and apply for a Work&Travel Visa over there. And now… now are only 10 days left, I´ll go back to my dad´s house, get all my belongings sorted, pack my backpack and start my journey – hopefully the journey of my life!
Steffi Storz 