Do you feel like an adult?

It’s interesting how I went to Waldorf school and my parents raised me quite liberally, yet nothing quite prepared me for the feeling of being a grownup. Let me explain.

Yesterday, I was walking to the Sunday farmer’s market at around 10:30 in the morning, and I suddenly heard this voice in my head saying “oh, stop pretending like you’re a grownup! You’re still a kid. You should be binge-drinking your parents’ money away, claiming it’s some university social you must go to! You shouldn’t be getting up early in the morning just to go to the market and buying next week's vegetables…” At that moment, I really did feel like I was pretending to be a grownup, as if I was some little boy playing a more elaborate version of house with his friends.

I think this feeling is mostly because I didn’t go to university and live in a dorm. I didn’t have a stage between living at my parents' cozy house, where toilet paper and food magically appeared if I wrote it on a shopping list, and me supporting myself off of my own salary. I didn't experience living separately from my family and going to classes and lectures, where I pretend to listen while earning a lollipop hammer in Candy Crush Saga.

It is one thing to know intellectually that you need to buy deodorant and washing detergent, and a totally other thing to have to buy it with your own money, so you can smell nice and have clean clothes in the morning!

I can almost literally feel myself growing up and becoming more mature every day. I’m thankful that I can experience this here is such a beautiful city and culture, and with supporting friends from all over the world.

A.D.