A reverse chronology of my life

2008 – The year of change we can believe in
Where everything is new – the flat, the job, and the year is not even over yet

2007 – The year of travel
Where my carbon footprint is more than ruined after trips to Ecuador, South Africa, China, Vietnam – and Scotland

2006 – The year of arrival
Where I try to settle (and instead grow my passion for nonprofit technology)

2005 – The year of flexibility
Where I juggle four jobs in three countries, and have no money to show for it

2004 – The year of graduation
Where I get over my broken heart, and nearly miss the Edinburgh festival

2003 – The year of departure
Where I don’t get my dream job, and instead go abroad (and stay there)

2002 – The year of committees
Where I travel to hundreds of meetings, write proposal and try to be useful

2001 – The year of sustainability
Where I go to Gorleben, work for Greenpeace, join BUNDjugend, start the Kurs ZukunftsPiloten and campaign for peace

2000 – The year of geek-ness
Where I commute between Scharnhorst and Bremen to learn about bits and bytes

1999 – The year of activism
Where I help to mobilize against nuclear power in Germany

1998 – The end of an era
Where I finish school, my grandma dies, and Helmut Kohl is finally sent to retirement

1997 – The year of the clowns
Where a small circus tours to teach about development, and I play the diabolo

1996 – The year of programming
Where I teach myself BASIC and decide to go into computer science

1995 – The year of ambition
Where I try to get into a United World College, but fail

1994 – The year of teen-oblivion
Where something must have happened, but I forgot

1993 – The year of perspective
Where I go sailing, and meet my first vegan, feminist and punk

1992 – The year of water
Where I learn to surf, and am otherwise terribly bored in Tunisia

1991 – The year of fair trade
Where I start spending my Friday afternoons volunteering in the local World Shop

1990 – The year of English
Where I travel to Scotland to meet my penpal Elaine

1989 – The year of buses
Where 18 km distance to school mean getting up at 5:45

1988 – The year of Winnetou
Where I bury myself in Karl May novels, and play cowboys and indians

1987 – The year of service
Where I join my first summer camp, and regularly go to church

1986 – The year of Chernobyl
Where playing outside suddenly became dangerous

1985 – The year of the alphabet
Where Frau Rahm teaches us how to read and write

1984 – The year of Eike
Welcome to the world, brother!

1983 – The year of construction
Where we move into the house my parents built themselves

1982 – The year of Kirstin
Welcome to the world, sista!

1981

1980

1979 – The year I’m born

(hat-tip to Jason Kottke for the format)