Schwelmo's Welt

I am getting 31. Thirty one!! Can you imagine that?? This is already over 30! Well, when I think back what I thought about 30 when I was a kid and I compare it with my status now…it is nothing like it. I imagined having a house, car, job and family including kids. Well to tell you the truth I have a car. Its real granny like but it brings me from A to B and back (where A is Palmy and B something else {beach i.e.}). I don’t have a job but getting paid to study. I live in a house but share it with others. I am still flatting and I can’t see a family coming up. But I am reasonable happy! While growing up I learned that you could be happy with not many material things. All you need are a good group of friends and family. You need something to do but not necessarily earn much money. Just enough not to worry. I feel privileged to been grown up in a western society country not to worry about starving, being able to say what I want (even if it doesn’t make sense) and the opportunity to go to school and University (well, while I was going to school it mostly sucked). Most people in this world are not able to afford a car, not to speak about education and I guess that will not get much better.

If I compare my life now and 5 years ago not much went worse but a few things improved. Five years ago I was on the other side of the world. I had night when I have day now. I was flatting with 3 other lovely people on a main traffic street in Duesseldorf. Now I am flatting with 3 other lovely people in a house with garden in Palmy. Five years ago my birthday was in one of the coldest and rainiest month of the, now it is in summer. Five years ago I was vegetarian. Now I am vegan. Five years ago my belly was smaller. Five years ago I needed to drive 3.5h to the beach and it was in Holland with ugly buildings and lots of Germans around it. Now I drive 30min to share the beach with Germans and Kiwis (and French, Italians, Chileans, Belgians …) but not as many. Five years ago my nose was blocked with diesel dust now its pollen. Five years ago my English didn’t really exist. Nowadays it is fine after two beers. Five years ago I had a girlfriend but wanted another one. Now I am still looking for another one. Five years ago I was worried to get bald. Now I am worried to get balder. Five years ago I had a bike accident. Now I might lose a tooth because of this. Five years ago I started smoking, which I still do. Five years ago I mainly drank Alt, now it is Guinness. My music changed from 80% punk and 20% Ska and reggae to 50/50 and a bit of country and Irish. Five tears ago my hangovers became increasingly bad nowadays it is still getting worse. Five years ago I had contact with most of the people I call friends. I made new ones and hope that in five years not too much will change as well.

# posted by Schwelmo @ Friday, February 17, 2006