Homesick already! (But look, it's my tram route!)

As I pack up all the belongings in my flat, not only do I contemplate burning everything instead, and dancing around the bonfire (or putting it all out for hard waste collection, which wouldn't be so satisfying without the dance), I also feel just a tiny bit... homesick.

Yes, it's true. I'm starting to miss Germany, before I've even left. Then again, I used to miss Canberra, and everybody (except those born there, who've never left) knows that Canberra is a boring old hole full of public servants and oversized roundabouts. And yet, I missed it when I left. I missed the comfortable habits, familiar haunts, the second-hand book fairs... and yes, my pleasant public service job.

Relocating to a new town or city, a new state, and especially a new country changes every aspect of life. It can be a frightening prospect, not exciting like a holiday, because there's no option of going "home" again. (And moving isn't relaxing, either: the preparations are so time-consuming and wearying that I haven't even been near my blog in nearly a week. Ooh, dear.)

Every move gives me somewhere new to miss. Leaving Germany makes me homesick for everywhere I've ever lived, for every hope, every dream of settling down somewhere and being comfortably boring forever. I miss, too, the thoughts I've had that are tied to the places I've had them in. All those little reminders of people and experiences get left behind when you move. In a new place, I won't have the comfort of walking past my memories every day.

Obviously, England promises an easier life (for starters, I ought to be able to communicate with people properly), and a society I can be more actively involved in. Once again, I'll be able to understand TV shows and newspapers and answer the telephone without a feeling of dread.

But, on the other hand, I'll never again watch the seasons change in Park Sanssouci, or scoff Milchschnitte when I'm hungry late at night. I won't hear this announcement when I get off the S-Bahn, because there won't be an S-Bahn:

The footage on that one is a bit wonky, but perhaps if I just listen to the sound on an endless loop it will help me sleep better at night once I hit the UK. (Either that, or I'll go mad.)

I'm not sure who films all these public transport trips, but a quick glance at YouTube leads me to believe that the train/tram spotters make up a bigger group than I would have expected. Or, alternatively, there could be just a small band of very enthusiastic guys filming public transport everywhere and watching their own videos thousands of times, plus commenting under countless pseudonyms. Hmm. It might be possible.

At any rate, here's another video: the tram (Potsdam tram 91, on its way to Bahnhof Pirschheide) stops at the end of my street at approx 1:30. If I ever get desperately homesick, I can just look at these, I suppose... thanks, all you YouTubing public transport fans. You perform a valuable public service!