VOICES FROM THE
The more things change , the more they st
compiled by Becky Tan
NEWCOMERS TO HAMBURG — A PARADOX OF EMOTIONS !
by Vivian Goff
FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE AWCH NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY , 1989
If you ’ re relatively new to the Hamburg area — a year or less — you have probably experienced the following unpleasant feelings at times . Frustrated , disoriented , fearful , stupid , lonely , angry , confused , disappointed , unhappy , bored . ( Oldtimers here have told me they still have these feelings occasionally .) But how about other times when a few good things have happened to interrupt the difficulties encountered in settling into this city and environs ? Times when you ’ ve felt grateful to be having this experience , excited about meeting new friends , thrilled that you actually communicated with natives auf Deutsch or that you successfully drove or took public transportation somewhere by yourself in the Hamburg area and didn ’ t get lost , happy to be able to travel around in Germany and other European countries on breaks and vacations .
I ’ ve discovered in my four months here that we newcomers seem to experience a mixed bag of emotions at first , which get continually tossed around and keep coming up like the numbers on dice that are rolled again and again . Some of us adjust more easily to this new culture . Others take much longer . But to some extent , it appears that all go through some type of mourning process for what we feel we have lost or left behind . For some , contact has diminished tremendously with parents , children , and other relatives , as well as friends . Others have left behind or given up meaningful jobs and careers . Still others miss their pets , their homes , or even their furniture which they weren ’ t able to bring with them . It ’ s really difficult if you fit into all the categories above !
This feeling of loss can be so strong and so painful at times that the comforting words of others or even one ’ s
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