Home_Not Home?

Coming back from San Diego (the long-announced thanksgiving "vacations") I realize I am subconciously confused about where I am: I realized this during an early-morning discussion with Hui, which was about if it makes sense to call my mother at 7 am SD time: me insisting that my mom "lives in the same time zone now"!!

OK, true for HAMBURG, but Thomas: Discussing with Hui means I am in SAN DIEGO and that is minus 9 hours to Germany!!!! But I was SO sure I am right, telling me I was seriously confused. For the last 10 years travelling overseas and meeting old friends always meant snowy Christmas and Germany. Now it was sunny Thanksgiving and San Diego. The Keywords:

• Holidays-eat-a-lot
• Travel-far-away
• meet-with-friends

Seem sufficient to create a time warp and deep confusion about my origins and whereabouts. Just this time with an "inverse prefix" (can you say that in English?)

Is it the Green Card that magically creates a "Home" for the Thomas, the "Resident".... Hey, this time I got the "Welcome Home, Sir"-treatment at the border. In fact I will, as things develop (scientifically) try to create work-related reasons to come here several times a year. Weird how one becomes a divided personality between two countries after a while. I would have never expected that I become so attached to San Diego. But yes, of course a lot of things have happened here. Enough to easily fill twice the number of days. For me at least.

The main benefit of being a scientist: The "Travel Options".

I have to admit the departure was difficult this time. Not only the uncertainty with Hui and trying to get her somewhere near enough that a relationship makes sense. Also I had more time to think about things: The "first departure" in June was dominated by incredible hectic-ness and this kind of dwarfed by all the fore-bearings of new things to come: means, I did not have much time for reflection: very different this time.

Coming back and driving the all-too familiar, bumpy & poorly-repaired freeways (almost forgot) of San Diego and seeing people, business and all other life go on as before I left (...well, of COURSE!), is a very strange feeling, I can tell you. Like wearing an old pair of jeans which was forgotten in the closet for a long time. Frozen time. Oddly familiar. "Captain Thomas is experiencing a temporal anomaly". Actually I heard this before from others coming back the first time, but being in the situation is very different from hearing about it.

How sings Morrissey/The Smiths?

...I've seen this happen in other people's lives

And now it is happening in mine.

...I've seen this happen......

(that Joke isn't funny anymore. "Meat is Murder, 1985")

In my life since 1985 ;-), I had plenty of occasions to think of this song. Both Good and Bad.

Coming I realize how much I miss people, and the fact that with some very dear friends I haven't even had the chance to meet with, is very sad.