H.O.M.E.

So I finally got myself away from Germany. I had been religiously counting down the days, thereby making them go by even slower. But somehow I pulled through. I don't even want to think back on how irritating the past few weeks have been. Moving out of my dorm was a challenge. I was met by the harsh German bureaucracy- my lease was terminated, but I had to stay in town for some more paperwork. That is to say, I had already given the custodian/ caretaker my keys and needed to spend another night in Tübingen. Thankfully my friend and neighbor let me spend a night in her dorm. I had issues with my trains, with the snow and travel traffic, with family obligations, with packing, with overweight suitcases and all the things I had to leave behind. My grandpa drove me to the airport, driving unimaginably slow through the falling snow on the autobahn. My airplane was delayed due to snowcapped wings. But I managed to lift off into the air at a reasonable time. After my flight, all others were cancelled. I made it out just in time.

Flying 12 hours to San Francisco wasn't even so bad. It didn't matter that my legs were swollen or that my body had reached a new level of dehydration. Plastic-tasting airplane food, arrogant Lufthansa flight-attendants, immigration lines, hotel shuttle delays with grumpy passengers, thirst, a bad night's sleep, more baggage trouble, more delays--none of it really mattered, because once the plane taxied, I  saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time in nearly half a year, and almost cried. I watched it tirelessly from my window seat. It stretched on and on, and captured the early morning rays of sunlight, so that it took on a yellow-white color below the sun, and that amazingly rich blue otherwise. It was the first time in months that I've been able to really exhale and let go. Finally, closer to home. Endless blue. It brought such a tranquility and peace.

The five hours vanished before I could fully grasp my whereabouts on 'cloud nine,' and Mauna Kea peaked through the clouds, with a teeny speck of snow on its summit. Something pulled on my insides. I wanted to jump up and say, "Hey, look!! It's Mauna Kea, it's Mauna Kea. The tallest mountain on earth, measuring from the seafloor! That belongs to my state, that's where I'm from. Look, I'm home. It's all okay." Even though I'm not from the Big Island, I experienced such a strong connection to the place. Then came Haleakala poking out of the clouds, and Maui appeared in front of me. We started our descent and the pineapple fields came into view, along with the glorious red dirt and country roads. I needed to get out of the plane, even though Maui isn't my home either. Another stressful recheck and gate-search passed fairly quickly, and I boarded the plane which would really take me home.

Hawaii Kai, Koko Crater, Ocean, OMG

We took off and flew along the southern coast of Molokai and so so soon thereafter, I saw Koko Crater. And this time it really did bring tears to my eyes. My favorite mountain was sitting there like a strange, green satellite dish, opening up to the north-east and catching the trade-winds. I saw my neighborhood, the area where I used to go to school, all the beaches, Waikiki, the Financial District, Pearl Harbor, the runways of the airport. We glided so close to the water, I could nearly see the grains of sand and then 'slam! rush! Screetch!' we landed. We Landed, We Landed!! I was home at last! Waiting for all the people to clear out of the plane seemed to last an eternity. I basically sprinted to baggage claim- I actually don't even remember that part... I just heard a shriek and saw my sister streak across the hall to meet me in a rib-cracking, nearly-tear-spilling, jumping-up-and-down-for-joy hug. And she gave me a lei. :')

We drove off. Everything was so bright. I couldn't believe the colors! I thought I was hallucinating a bit, because everything seemed digitally enhanced, or painted with acrylics. We didn't drive home. We drove to Kokua Market, our favorite little organic shop. They have the best variety of local organic food. It smelled so fresh. I was breathing in the life of amazing chard, beets, lettuces, taro, mangoes, bananas, papayas, avocados (they don't really have a scent), japanese eggplant, (now I'm getting hungry) and tomatoes that didn't look light-deprived.

I met up with my neighbor buddy and we watched the sunset together. Back to my old favorite routine!

We made a beautiful salad at home. The kind that I had missed so much! Finally my body was eating real food, grown locally and with love. It tasted amazing. The jet-lag kicked in and I passed out at 8pm.

On my bed, with love

I woke up yesterday at 7:15. Made coffee in the garden, so as not to wake my mom. I cleared out the weeds from the geraniums and spotted the most delicious-looking dandelions under one of my avocado trees. I picked them, washed them, and later made them into a salad for lunch.

I went for a run around 9. My first run since December 1st. My lungs didn't burn, instead they welcomed the humid air. My skin soaked up all the moisture and smiled. It felt amazing. And the sun winked at me the whole time, laughing a bit at my ridiculously pale skin.

first pasty-skinned run in months...in my sister's room!

Now for that salad:
Fresh dandelion greens from my garden, with local beets and carrots, some pumpkin seeds, strawberries, and a little bit of goat cheese, with a dressing out of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a bit of dijon, salt, pepper, and a dash of lemon extract. Oh, my god. It was so refreshing. Those dandelions really spoke to me. Man, that salad tasted amazing. (Now I'm really hungry.)

Dandelions, shredded beets and carrots, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, lemon-balsamic dressing..mm

Afterwards I took a walk with my sister through the neighborhood. We sat at the edge of the marina, overlooking the introduction to the ocean and chatted. Then I joined her in walking the dog of some kids I used to babysit. And all the time we were speaking English. I recognized familiar faces, neighbors waved, store-employees welcomed me back. I crashed at 7:30pm.

Jasper and Me

Woke up at 3am and now I'm getting hungry and wondering whether anyone else in my house is awake. It's a glorious new day and I'm in Hawaii! Time to go beach!