After 20 years back in Neubrandenburg: Where is the feeling of home?

After 20 years back in Neubrandenburg: Where is the feeling of home?

Neubrandenburg, Deutschland - The return to Neubrandenburg can sometimes appear more like a return to the unknown. After 20 years in western Germany, a family recently took the step to return to their old hometown. The author of this story describes the challenges and hurdles associated with this fresh start. As nnn.de reported after seven months. The initial price shock remind you of the differences between the two parts of Germany, but is not the main reason for your uncertainties.

social contacts are obviously more difficult to build in Neubrandenburg than expected. Compared to lively cities like Cologne, everyday life in this small town is strongly structured. While new acquaintances can be made quickly in the Rhine metropolis, the north -east Germans seem to have a completely different mentality. "A certain seriousness is in the air here," you could think. The relationship development takes time, and spontaneous meetings are rare. The old badminton association, in which the author was previously active, has not yet been visited. A friend who has also returned to the city has hardly any time.

feelings of home and identity

The question of identity and homeland arises not only the author, but also many others who have returned to East Germany for various reasons in recent years. As can be read in an article by Deutschlandfunk Kultur , theater maker Rika found less back to Neubrandenburg in the west after 20 years. Unlike the author, however, she felt little homesickness. Her view of home is not bound to a geographical place, but to a certain period of time, especially the 1990s that was shaped by fears.

These different perspectives on the feeling of home and identity are also part of a larger cultural context. 30 years after reunification, many East Germans ask themselves how they define themselves. According to bpb.de , East German identity was only shaped with reunification and has since developed in a tension between the experience of disadvantage and appreciation. To this day, many East Germans feel marginalized and not fully integrated in their identity.

The way to integration

The author of the return story now has to deal with the consequences of his decision. Apart from the difficult contact, everyday family life also plays a role - despite the proximity to your own parents who have never moved away from Neubrandenburg, you have long since built your own structures. You meet neighbors and sometimes an old friend again and again, but the challenge remains to be permanently integrated into the community.

From all these experiences and observations, it becomes clear that the return to the home city not only brings nostalgia with it, but also the need to reorient itself in a changed society. The author still has a lot in front of him, he describes in his next column a deeper feeling for his surroundings and the new challenges that the home brings.