Stranger in my own city

I love Munich. Munich is “home”. I have no genetic relationship with this city but most of my memories were shaped here. It is my focal geographical point, the place that I’ll always come back to. Yet, after having moved away years ago and although my parents and closest friends still live there, even Munich seems to have distanced itself from me. I feel estranged from the town that used to be mine. Many people I knew have themselves moved on and find themselves scattered all over the globe. The familiarity of the places and the people, that made Munich home, vanishes a little more each time I come back. I’m at the airport in the desert of Qatar, waiting for my next flight to board. My feelings of excitement and anticipation are mixed with apprehension and dread. Will I feel completely disconnected? Have I grown such strong roots in Manila, that “homecoming” won’t feel as such anymore? I hope I’ll never forget where I come from and I’ll never loose my connection with my city of birth. I’m a Münchner Kindl (Munich Child) and will always be. But I have to accept Munich as my past and cherish the memories that I connect to it. And I will embrace my future in Manila and dream about the possibilities that go with it. Anyhoo... For now I'm just excited about 3 weeks of R&R.