My father repeatedly told me that I couldn't trust anyone in the world except my own family and one or two friends I would meet along the way. These values were deeply ingrained in me all the way through school, and trust and respect for other people were even more difficult. I was a misanthropist, and through the lens of my values, my deeply held beliefs were confirmed. Until one day, a new student, Simon, entered our class. He was very popular with his classmates, which in turn aroused my suspicion. One day, after I had briefly gone to the cafeteria, I returned and looked in my notebook. There was a drawing of a hot dog with my name on it. I looked around angrily, ready to punch the person in the face and punish them for their drawing. How could someone be so disrespectful? Simon spoke up, and I chased him through the entire school building. After school, he bumped into me and asked me what I was going to do that day. "Playing Star Craft," I answered and invited him to my house. That was almost 15 years ago, and since that time with the hot dog in my school notebook, we've become best friends. Respect, friendship, and love have bound our bond ever since. Today, I'm his daughter's godfather and have finally landed in Berlin. I've gone from being a misanthropist to being a friend of humanity. Today, I respect and value every person. We are all one, and that makes life so much easier. The photo on display shows the two of us in front of my mother's house in Munich. It's one in a series of 10 photos we took in front of the house every year.
