Today, after three years and one month, I handed over the keys to my first apartment away from my childhood home. It marks the end of an era worth reflecting on.

My living situation the past few years wasn’t common. I lived alone in my childhood apartment since the end of 2017, after my father sadly passed away. He was supposed to still live here part-time, after my whole family moved for job reasons in summer 2017. When my family moved, many family belongings, which accumulated there over the years, remained, making sorting and managing it a significant task.

Moving into the new apartment in March 2022 was a crucial step – a chance for independence in a new environment. It was my fresh start, motivating me to find a better job. I aimed for 100% remote work because I had realized I work best and feel most comfortable working this way.

This new apartment in Braunschweig wasn’t just a brief solo stop. In November 2022, my girlfriend (now fiancée) and I moved in together in Kassel because she was studying there. I decided to keep the Braunschweig apartment for visiting the office, staying when we visit her family, or for a change of scenery, when needed.

Adding another layer, I was also still dealing with the childhood home, requiring ongoing effort to maintain and clear out. For a significant period, I juggled three places: where I lived (Kassel), the one I kept (Braunschweig), and the one I was clearing (childhood home). For a while, this complex of addresses and keys defined my life.

Now that my fiancée finished her studies, we moved back to Braunschweig, into that same childhood apartment. The cycle is complete. After years of managing multiple places, it feels strange having only one place to oversee, one set of keys, one apartment to clean. The strangeness aside, the relief is huge. It feels like removing a heavy weight from my shoulders.

The move went smoothly last weekend. A major task continues: unpacking everything. We combined belongings from Kassel, Braunschweig, plus items from my childhood home. There’s an overwhelming amount of stuff here, for example, we had three microwaves! Every so often, I feel like a hoarder… But going through things, deciding what stays, and throwing away what we don’t need is hard, but so liberating. It’s a big process, but I aspire to be a minimalist.