Von Oliver Huber
Four friends – Henrik, Wayne, Rolf and I, lads brimming with energy – would often climb around the rocky overhangs and cliffs on the Puerto de La Cruz sea cliffs after school. By chance, we discovered several cave dwellings belonging to the Guanches, the indigenous people of Tenerife, amongst the lava rocks. And our find was something special.
Having packed them into plastic bags, we proudly handed the bones we’d found over to our geography teacher at the British Yeward School Tenerife. We walked to school barefoot every day. Walking through Taoro Park was always one of the highlights of my day.
Back then, 53 years ago, our impulsive and adventurous father decided to set off for Tenerife with his five children and his third wife nach Tenerife. We siblings were between two and 14 years old at the time, and therefore flexible and adaptable – just as young people tend to be.
No sooner had we arrived in Tenerife than we were on our way back
We had a knack for making language friends, feeling at home and getting to grips with local customs after just half a year. Barely 500 days had passed. No sooner had we put down roots than our father broke the news – which was a major blow to us children – that we would have to return to Germany for financial reasons.
What followed was one of the hardest goodbyes of my life. Not only did I have to leave behind the foreign land I had grown to love, but also the island with all its magic.
Back in cold Germany, we felt as though this return had been a form of disciplinary transfer. Perhaps it was the combination of my youthful energy and the island’s magic that plunged me into a growing, intoxicating longing for the lost paradise of Tenerife.
Returning to Tenerife after 53 years – this time for good
Later on – by which time I was married with three children – my family and I were able to look back on countless holidays in Tenerife. Yet even on the return flight, that all-too-familiar feeling of longing came over me once more.
Over the past 40 years, my wife and I have often dreamt of emigrating. Yet our circumstances always seemed to stand in the way. But life eventually smiled on us and, 53 years later for me, we have made our dream of living on the island a reality.
We’re right in the middle of moving house now. Our belongings are packed into boxes full of the joy of a long-awaited dream. And the gratitude that we’re still able to experience all of this together.
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