Life is a journey: Live it (Part 54)
The other autobiography
After ending the last sentence I got on my bike to ride to Oxford to post the letter there. It was a nice ride along the River Thames. Just behind Abingdon a light struck me. I stopped and got off my bike. I closed my eyes. It was like being born into something. Born in the UK as a seed not as an embryo or later a baby leaving the mother’s womb. I know that this moment was the most intimate moment of my life with myself, and it is hard to explain or describe. Therefore was this very special moment. There was a bright shining light. I always think it must have been like when Jesus Christ presented him to his disciples after his resurrection on the day of Pentecost. I was truly born in England. My gosh, what a great moment.
After I had looked down on myself, I decided to celebrate that day as my new Birthday. I reached Oxford, found a letter box, dropped in the letter, walked around the Covered Market, had a stroll around a few Colleges, sneaked into some lecture halls, bought Champagne and Crisps at Tesco before heading back to Sutton Courtenay. Lucy Champagne was in the kitchen smiling at me. She hugged me hearing I was born new again. As an elderly nun, she knew how important that moment was for me. Now I was one of them. Little did I understand at that time that a long religious journey lay ahead of me. We all came together in the big dining room and celebrated my new birthday. We laughed, danced, ate and drank the two bottles of Champagne. It was a great time.
To understand the meaning of that event I must fast-forward. Time passed by, winter was cold and spring came early. All my job applications proved to be fruitless. After three years with no success in the UK except for my little, little ATC Autogenic Training Centre with a postal address in Abingdon nothing of a reasonable future insight for me. I decided to move back to Germany. I had my bike, my typewriter and three pieces of luggage to carry back to Germany. To book the ferry I went to Abingdon to see a Travel Agency. It was the second week of June 1987. I asked for a ticket in two weeks. She gave me a ticket leaving Harwich on June 21st to arrive in Hamburg the following afternoon with DFDS.
Happy having the ticket in my pocket and the matter settled did I got on my bike back to The Abbey. Just after I had crossed the narrow bridge on the way to Calhum with the JET project in reachable distance I stopped. I looked up to the sunny skies. Nine months I told myself. Exactly nine months from the day I was about to leave the UK and the year before when I celebrated my new birthday born in the UK. It takes a child to be born exactly nine months. I was as stunned and happy as it could get.
On the ferry, I left my cabin and stood at the back of the ship. I saw Harwich disappearing in the distance. When we were on the open sea in the English Channel I looked up into the skies and my heart sang for joy. It was not the feeling of having lost something, not having made it in the country of my dream, the country I call home. Instead, it was right so right. I found myself in the UK. What a wonderful feeling! What a great privilege. Other people live life anyhow and on their deathbed still wonder why. I was blessed and knew why. The road to complete my exciting journey had just begun. I sang all sorts of songs to praise God, life and myself.
PD Dipl.-Pol. Karl-Heinz Heerde (Political Scientist and Historian, Hamburg University 1980-1985), married to Alberta Heerde born Mensah, Ashanti from Kumasi with Ewe roots from Volta Region, Ghana, Entrepreneur and Author of several novels, the new constitution draft for Ghana and various Articles.
Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here."