Das Globale System

Neuwied / Rhein on a wall display in one of Saigon’s nightlife spots -
wherever one stays, it is always Neuwied somehow, the global centre.

After Switzerland 2008, Ho Chi Minh City 2009 became the second version of ‘The Global System’. The concept of a global lifestyle combined with maintaining old friendships and mutually beneficial visits slowly starts to work out, even if small bumps remain. It was meant to be the Ho Chi Minh City Chaos Weeks this time - which it indeed became. We both thought we would have been well prepared to chill, but in fact we weren’t. We had a list with a hundred activities but in most of all cases it was impossible to make choices. However, it became great days with many old stories, new scenarios and arising questions.

online games in a countryside village in the far outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City

a motorbike day trip to Cat Lai

During the whole week we had near-zero sightseeing. Activities rather consisted of eating out, lazing away the days in coffee-shops, cruising along boulevards with no aim, a bit of clubbing and one motorbike-daytrip to the countryside – a realistic insight into a typical week of expat life in Saigon, though.

somehow I didn’t like this evening bringing together too many worlds, however,

food was great as always at that place…

Our stories form abroad have crossed for the first time out of Europe. Somehow, it was all unreal; just as Solothurn at that time had also had some illusive character. It’s always that fast, one comes, one goes - as if one was never there and all was just a movie scene. We are pursuing this transit-life in search of something, and with every single day the original ‘home’ becomes less imaginable. I perceive this as loosing important roots. In a way, it results in a kind of eternal transit. I have no idea whether this is good or not, whether one gets finally settled one day, somewhere, with circumstances that allow so. The coming summer in Germany will give opportunity for a review of the whole concept, and of ways made so far and directions to come. There will be all the old locations, Neuwied, Bonn, Dierdorf, new ones, such as Aachen, and as meanwhile usual, it will again be in another omen. The people will come together, friends, that more and more live their own life - be it farther or closer to the historic focus. It was at Tan Son Nhat airport when the dawn broke over the sky and the city noise diminished for our farewell. Richard left as fast as he came. It was a great week. Thank you, Richard. It was my greatest honour!

airport farewell: “Rich, I guess and hope you will chose the pic with the sunset for your blog, then we have one capturing well the two of us and one capturing well that nice sunset in the background…”