"I am a returnee," says Daniel Elias Böhm about himself. I used to travel here and there during Easter and Christmas. It's always the time when one returns home. But now it's a real homecoming. I once wrote a song called "Greetings from Zittau" I stood on the balcony and reminisced about all the parties we had here. The connection with home has always been there. In fact, you feel like you're at the end of the world. Because you feel time passes slower here. In the first years, my parents kept my room exactly as I left it. It was really eerie. It was like a memory. Like reliving the heartbreak of my first love, which ended on this balcony. It was strange!

Now, new doors have opened for me. In a few years, I can manage my father's bowling bar. Actually, I'd still like to travel. I always asked: is that all what there is? Have I seen everything? In theater school, I had this idea to perform at least once in every federal state. But then I simply changed my goal: now I perform here as a guest actor and can still achieve that wish. I'm not a big traveler, but I think Germany has so many interesting corners - dialects, people, customs, food.

When my girlfriend and I decided to return, I initially doubted and wondered if it was the right decision. Because I thought I already knew everything here. But since there are no longer any national borders, I see that there are still things I don't know - especially in neighboring countries. My best friend now lives in Liberec, and thanks to him, I've met new people who speak Czech, English, and German. Rediscovering home is like "home version 2.0". That also means I brought with me what I learned over the past eight years. Now I'm in the age when I can say: I'll contribute to something and bring fresh ideas to this area. The opportunity to create something is a positive aspect of this region. The advantage of a returnee is that my previous connections still exist here. Whether it's people from the past or people I meet now. I have more contacts now, and we support each other mutually. That's the advantage. Because in Esslingen, I hardly knew anyone - except people in my theater world.

Less is More

Actually, I don't care where I am. The question is, how do I co-create the area I live in, what new things can I discover? I like that so much is happening in this small region. In the summer, there are festivals everywhere, something is happening in every village - and people go there. Theater is popular, which is not a given. In some areas, people hardly ever go to the theater. There are live bands, nature beyond the hills - everything is here. In Esslingen, I was woken up by cars in the morning, now it's cows who wakes me up. Sometimes I feel like the world is still ok here. Even though some people say Žitava is dead and empty. But there are enough people who see it differently. Maybe you earn less here than in other federal states. Having less and still feeling better - that's still possible here. I feel that there are many people who know they won't get rich here, but they are content with life.

Together Without Borders

I appreciate the rural area. In the city, there's often an oversupply, but here there's still room for something new. I'd like to create offerings for families in children's and youth theater in the area. I also want to offer musical events that provide people with a space to unwind and open up. The good thing is that you can be creative here. It bothers me that many can't order in Czech restaurants in Czech. I started learning Czech, but I still can't form sentences. But it's a beginning, showing neighbors that you're making an effort - and they appreciate that. Once I stood at a gas station and said one word wrong, and a Czech woman corrected me. That's just a nice coexistence. That makes me happy. It's still said that we're just a small region. However, there are so many ways to connect with each other. In my father's bowling bar, we could offer many more events for Czech and Polish neighbors. We just need to inform them about it.