Here only after you brought out part 2, sorry my friend been too preoccupied with my own madness to see that you've shared something so vulnerable, it was an absolutely beautiful read...I don't know how this would sound as a Nigerian who's still getting used to the colour metrics of the world. But I always thought you were German with a very VERY strong tan or mixed German. When I saw brown kid something clicked...lol
hi Dee, no worries! Appreciate that you checked out part one :)
Well I am so German presenting these days and also feel German identity wise, that it is hard to tell apart. But believe me, the Germans know that my skin color does not belong, still get hit with the “where are you really from” once in a while.
But being from South America, sometimes skin color there is also ambiguous so, it’s all complicated I guess lol.
Oh my. The core reason of why you wanted to go, that really resonated with me. I went through something similar during uni for when I went on exchange halfway across the world; I faced a similar tension with my parents & needing that space. I'm glad you managed to convince them. (the same guilt your mom felt was evident in mine at the time too)
Glad you were able to see yourself in this Michelle. For uni once more I also chose to go as far away as possible for an exchange, there seems to be a pattern here lol! Looking forward to taking you along for the journey :)
I love how you spoke about your need to leave and the overwhelming feeling while also acknowledging how your mum felt. It’s so beautiful and touching! I cannot wait for the next part. You write sooo beautifully Matthias 🩵🥹
Ohhh that means the world! Thank you so much for reading.
It truly was an emotional challenge back then, but somehow it saddens me more today. Sometimes in your youth it feels like that you and your feelings are the only ones in the world, why care about your parents?
Today I have a totally different view. Maybe something to explore in some writing as well.
Wow I cannot wait for the next part!! I am so drawn in by your story and the way you tell it. There is a massive amount of resilience and vulnerability in this. Well done on this beautiful piece and thank you for sharing it, Matthias
I can understand just wanting to leave in an environment that maybe feels a little overwhelming with a big life change and possibly people talking about it. I'm excited to read more!
What makes this piece so powerful is that it understands reinvention not as vanity, but as survival. The desire to leave home is framed with so much honesty....not as rejection, but as a genuine need for space to figure out who you are outside of everyone else’s expectations and projections. Only child over here as well, so this really resonated! You capture the emotional intensity of being fifteen incredibly well. There’s a tenderness throughout the piece that makes the reflections feel deeply authentic. Incredible piece! Thank you for sharing!
Matthias, thank you for sharing your story so honestly!
I grew up an only child too (for the better and the worst ahah) and there were many aspects of your teenage years I can relate too, especially the part of wanting to escape, and have space for yourself. My escape happened through books and studying hard, which in a way shaped who I am today and now I can look back on it and feel grateful :)
oh and books are a wonderful way to escape!! thank you for being part of the journey Annabelle, looking forward to hearing what you think about the parts to come :)
Sheesh, young Matthias was looking gangsta, I see you 😎
And this is a wild story! Definitely could not have done the same at 15. I think I was still focused on trying to just get to school on time at that point 😂
Interested to see how this plays out in the next parts!
What an exciting story, I’m so glad you’re sharing it! I can’t wait to see how it continues: my daughter also won a scholarship to the US at 15, and went through exactly the same thing. I think that if you haven’t lived it, you can’t even begin to imagine the courage it takes for a 15-year-old to get on a plane alone into the complete unknown. Most adults wouldn’t be able to do it either.
I’m glad you got to experience it too, and I’m really looking forward to the next part!
Ohh how great is that, I wonder how different her experience was many years later. It certainly takes courage, but as a teenager, in some cases you are much less in you head and just do things.
It’s funny that you say at that age you’re less in your head and just do things — and yet I know someone who can’t convince their 18-year-old to go on a two-week language course, say, in England. So believe me, it took real courage on your part too, you just had it in you, which is probably why you don’t fully appreciate it. We never marvel at our own qualities, because for us they’re just… the baseline. But actually they’re not!
Thank you for sharing something as honest and as raw as this, Matthias.
Your story is inspiring, truly. To see such bravery from someone so young is quite rare, and it does help explaining why you’re as cool as you are today 😅
I’m sure excited for the future installments and to learn more about this amazing opportunity!
This has sucked me in so absolutely I was genuinely sad to hit the end of this chapter! Your perspective is necessary, I can’t wait to see where it takes us!
Here only after you brought out part 2, sorry my friend been too preoccupied with my own madness to see that you've shared something so vulnerable, it was an absolutely beautiful read...I don't know how this would sound as a Nigerian who's still getting used to the colour metrics of the world. But I always thought you were German with a very VERY strong tan or mixed German. When I saw brown kid something clicked...lol
hi Dee, no worries! Appreciate that you checked out part one :)
Well I am so German presenting these days and also feel German identity wise, that it is hard to tell apart. But believe me, the Germans know that my skin color does not belong, still get hit with the “where are you really from” once in a while.
But being from South America, sometimes skin color there is also ambiguous so, it’s all complicated I guess lol.
Glad we got that cleared up haha!
Such a good read so far! I'm excited to join you on this journey! 🫶
I am so glad to hear that, can’t wait to share all the twists and turns!
Oh, I am so very excited! This first part really captured me.
Oh my. The core reason of why you wanted to go, that really resonated with me. I went through something similar during uni for when I went on exchange halfway across the world; I faced a similar tension with my parents & needing that space. I'm glad you managed to convince them. (the same guilt your mom felt was evident in mine at the time too)
Looking forward to how this unfolds Matthias!
Glad you were able to see yourself in this Michelle. For uni once more I also chose to go as far away as possible for an exchange, there seems to be a pattern here lol! Looking forward to taking you along for the journey :)
I love how you spoke about your need to leave and the overwhelming feeling while also acknowledging how your mum felt. It’s so beautiful and touching! I cannot wait for the next part. You write sooo beautifully Matthias 🩵🥹
Ohhh that means the world! Thank you so much for reading.
It truly was an emotional challenge back then, but somehow it saddens me more today. Sometimes in your youth it feels like that you and your feelings are the only ones in the world, why care about your parents?
Today I have a totally different view. Maybe something to explore in some writing as well.
Excited to take you along the story :)
Wow I cannot wait for the next part!! I am so drawn in by your story and the way you tell it. There is a massive amount of resilience and vulnerability in this. Well done on this beautiful piece and thank you for sharing it, Matthias
oh thank you Landon!! I would love to have you along for the journey, thank you for reading :)
I can understand just wanting to leave in an environment that maybe feels a little overwhelming with a big life change and possibly people talking about it. I'm excited to read more!
yes, and that was exactly it. Looking forward to taking you along :)
What makes this piece so powerful is that it understands reinvention not as vanity, but as survival. The desire to leave home is framed with so much honesty....not as rejection, but as a genuine need for space to figure out who you are outside of everyone else’s expectations and projections. Only child over here as well, so this really resonated! You capture the emotional intensity of being fifteen incredibly well. There’s a tenderness throughout the piece that makes the reflections feel deeply authentic. Incredible piece! Thank you for sharing!
ohh thank Maria, appreciate you taking the time to read and leaving this thoughtful comment. Glad you stopped by :)
Matthias, thank you for sharing your story so honestly!
I grew up an only child too (for the better and the worst ahah) and there were many aspects of your teenage years I can relate too, especially the part of wanting to escape, and have space for yourself. My escape happened through books and studying hard, which in a way shaped who I am today and now I can look back on it and feel grateful :)
I can't wait to read the rest!!
oh and books are a wonderful way to escape!! thank you for being part of the journey Annabelle, looking forward to hearing what you think about the parts to come :)
Sheesh, young Matthias was looking gangsta, I see you 😎
And this is a wild story! Definitely could not have done the same at 15. I think I was still focused on trying to just get to school on time at that point 😂
Interested to see how this plays out in the next parts!
thank you for reading Dido and yes trying to look as cool as possible but far from it lmao!!
What an exciting story, I’m so glad you’re sharing it! I can’t wait to see how it continues: my daughter also won a scholarship to the US at 15, and went through exactly the same thing. I think that if you haven’t lived it, you can’t even begin to imagine the courage it takes for a 15-year-old to get on a plane alone into the complete unknown. Most adults wouldn’t be able to do it either.
I’m glad you got to experience it too, and I’m really looking forward to the next part!
Ohh how great is that, I wonder how different her experience was many years later. It certainly takes courage, but as a teenager, in some cases you are much less in you head and just do things.
Thank you for following along!
It’s funny that you say at that age you’re less in your head and just do things — and yet I know someone who can’t convince their 18-year-old to go on a two-week language course, say, in England. So believe me, it took real courage on your part too, you just had it in you, which is probably why you don’t fully appreciate it. We never marvel at our own qualities, because for us they’re just… the baseline. But actually they’re not!
Well, I guess that could be true! I guess a tough situation can bring things out of you that you weren't aware of. Appreciate your thoughts on this :)
Thank you for sharing something as honest and as raw as this, Matthias.
Your story is inspiring, truly. To see such bravery from someone so young is quite rare, and it does help explaining why you’re as cool as you are today 😅
I’m sure excited for the future installments and to learn more about this amazing opportunity!
I think, the strong desire to leave and the bravery (or carelessness even) was circumstantial. But nonetheless, I went on that journey.
Thank you for reading Karin, as always, so glad to have you follow the adventure.
This has sucked me in so absolutely I was genuinely sad to hit the end of this chapter! Your perspective is necessary, I can’t wait to see where it takes us!