Rootlessness
How do you define home?
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has been going on for more than 200 days.
Since then, more than 11 million people have had to leave Ukraine.
200 days without a home. And more than 3 million people are back in Ukraine despite the war because they don’t want to lose their homeland.
Tatjana Kiel, CEO of Klitschko Ventures and co-founder of #WeAreAllUkrainians said the following in her speech at the Gründerpreis: “For me, the home was always less a place and more a feeling, people, situations.” When her friend and colleague Wladimir called asking her for help, she realized that ‘home’ is suddenly a place after all.
These words touched me personally very deeply. Even as a non-Ukrainian, it was at this very moment that I realized once again how important home is and what thousands of people experience painfully every day.
What does home mean?
By definition, it is the country, part of the country, or place in which one was [born and] brought up or feels at home through permanent residence (often as an emotional expression of close ties to a particular area). Without home also means without roots or rootlessness.
As a 7-year-old, born in East Germany, I was advised by my parents, teachers, and by society in the broader sense, that I could only make something of my life if I left my homeland. That’s probably where my inner urge to move away came from. Everything else was a mental step backward for me.
A few days ago, a work project took me to my old home for 48 hours. Meanwhile, I’m back with my family and my children in my new homeland and for a long time, I’ve felt homesick and noticed my roots again.
After 2 days in my old homeland, I also realize how important these roots are and how much it means to me to preserve them. Not only for me but also for my children and the many people who want to have a place to come back to. For a short visit or to settle and live there.
After all, home is a place, one that needs to be protected, whether it’s a new or old home.
What does home mean to you?
