Heimwehlos...oder?

This week was a very busy week. My friend Danny came last Saturday. Throughout the week, I tried to show him Klagenfurt's finest: the city center, lake, mountains, and all of my friends. Every time I introduced him to new people, they asked him how long he'd be staying in Europe. He'd answer, "One week." Their next question was where he was going to visit next, and when he answered, every person was shocked. Everybody was amazed that he was coming to Europe for only one week, and that he'd only be visiting Klagenfurt. Maybe they didn't understand that we are very good friends. After all, how many people can say that they got to Austria for Spring Break? I sent him packing Friday afternoon, and this morning, I received confirmation that he made it home safely.

School, of course, also happened this week. My classes are starting to really kick-off, which I love because it gives me something to do. I find it difficult, however, to study my grammar book or do my exercises for my speaking course because I'd much rather learn from the people I talk to daily. One of my greatest friends here comes from Germany. Talking to him teaches me more than most of the exercises from a grammar book. I like school, though, just not the homework. I think that's ok. (Don't worry Mom, I'm getting all of my work done that needs to be done.)

Not only did I welcome Danny to Klagenfurt this week, I also welcomed Spring. The weather all week was absolutely wonderful. I feel tacky writing about the weather, but it's beauty is worth noting. I enjoyed sitting down with my friends several times in the city center at an outdoor cafe. I tell you what, drinking coffee in the Alps during the beginning of Spring is one of the most relaxing things you can ever experience. That's enough about the weather; it was really nice, and it's getting warmer everyday.

Another important part of the week was sport. Yesterday, I went to an Austrian League soccer game. The local team plays in one of the nicest stadiums in all of Europe, but their play on the field doesn't exactly match the quality of the gigantic UFO-like structure. They are really bad. The last time the team won a game was in September. They are bad. Lucky for us, they won yesterday too. All 2000 of the fans in the stands built for 40,000 people were going nuts. It was actually really exciting, but I think that Cedar Falls High School might be able to give the club a good match. Not only did I get to see my local soccer team win, I also watched UNI take down Kansas in the NCAA tournament. Well, I didn't actually watch them win, rather, I was on a website where the score refreshed every couple seconds. It was, nevertheless, very exciting.

You see, this week was a busy week. More important than sport, weather, visits, school, or anything else that happened this week was an idea that I've had in my head for awhile that continues to concrete itself more and more each day. That idea, one that I've spoken of before, is the idea of home.

What is home?
Where is home?
Is there actually such a thing as home?

I don't know if I have any answers to those questions, but I have opinions. The cliche is that home is where the heart is, but where is the heart? I mean, is home just a house, or a city, or a country, or a person, or a language? I don't think so.

I watched a movie this week called Garden State. You may have seen it. It's good. If you haven't seen it, watch it. In the movie, the main character says, "You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore?...It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist." I think that he has something going there. It's the same thing that Herman Hesse says through the Steppenwolf and Ernesto de la Serna writes about in his diaries.

Maybe home isn't here?

We certainly have houses and communities, families and friends, but I don't think that is actually our home. When I left Cedar Falls, I wrote something in my diary. I wrote, "During take-off, I said goodbye to the country, but I felt more like I was going home than leaving it. Maybe I won't actually find home, but I'll get to search for it...Someday, I will find it, but until then, my only guide is my homesickness."

I don't know if any of this is making sense to you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how perfect things seem to be in my life at one moment or another, there is always some little thing missing. That's ok, though. That little void in my life is a constant reminder that there is more waiting for me. There is more than just what I eat, touch, see, hear, or smell. This life is more than just this earth. My Home is somewhere else. I forget that too often, but the idea of where my Home brings me back to the truth.

That's a lot of writing about something that may not be interesting to you at all. I just wanted to write about it because it's always in my head. This week is going to be much quieter than last week, I hope. Sometime soon, I'm going to be moving to a new building, which happens to be right next door. There, I'll live without a roommate. I'm excited, but I'm really going to miss the community. I hope you have a great week this week. I also hope that all of you welcome Spring into your city this week. Tschüss.