^{Alle Texte in diesem Bereich werden von Studierenden verfasst und ändern sich regelmäßig.}

"Kommen Sie von Woanders?"

von Sierra Diamond, aufgeführt als Teil von 'Intimate Subjects', Festival Demokratie 2020, Pumpenhaus Münster

­­­­­[Mitglieder der Klasse werden im Publikum platziert und sagen die kursiv gedruckten Zeilen, jedes Mal von einer anderen Person. Sierra sagt ihre Zeilen von einem festen Punkt auf der Bühne aus.]

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

At first I am a little stunned, because I never had this question (really an incredibly common question that every foreigner learns within the first few weeks of learning German) asked with this specific wording. Yet her face is looking very expectant and everyone else is silent and so I understand that she does want me to answer and so I ask myself the question: Komme ich von wo anders? And it is hard to control my own face during this moment,

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

(which feels already like some enormous about time has passed even though I know logically it hasn’t or maybe it feels like no time has passed at, like I am in a timeless vortex consisting of only myself and this question- really a quite normal question that I have been asked a million times but never with these specific words which prickle against my skin and I realize suddenly that this question has always felt somehow thorny).

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

Because the thing about this question that I didn’t realize when I fresh into a few pages of Kapitel 1 five years ago is that this is not only a question. Kommen Sie von wo anders? And every single time I introduce myself anywhere this question hangs there greasy and heavy in the air because if I introduce without answering this question which is implicit in my introduction anyways, then someone will ask me the question.

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

And maybe the way they ask the question is worse than if I would just handle the question for myself, put it out of its misery from the very beginning like a mercy killing and offer the information as if I am willingly doing it. And it is exactly in situations like this where I didn’t own up to the big mac in the room myself where the way someone else handled the question is in fact worse than taking care of it myself.

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

And eigentlich ja, komme ich von woanders but the first answers that come to mind are like the Moon or a submarine deep under the sea or the very tip of the north pole and I don’t think this person meant for their question to sound like this or maybe they did.

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

But regardless of what they meant I am here now and I have to answer and if I say ja ich komme aus der Mond then I don’t know what happens after and if I answer how they want then it is done its over and everyone sitting here knows where I come from and none of these people will ask me again and isn’t there comfort in that? That I don’t have to expect this question again.

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

And so I guess somehow I just decide to answer and the words fall out of my mouth like they did a  illion times before and I try to make my face look pleasant about it even though I can see now that this question has loomed over me for years like a man in a trench coat following me at night and I don’t know how much longer it will take until I can turn a corner and finally lose him.

Kommen Sie von wo anders?

Ja, ich komme aus der USA.