JULY 1983: My parents ask me to take my brother to the party with me. I say "No" and look him in the eye a little too quickly.

DECEMBER 1992: In a brown envelope there is a letter on red paper from Stefan. I have never read anything as beautiful.

SEPTEMBER 1996: I look out of the window onto Prenzlauer Allee and don't know how I'm going to survive the four years here – but I want to dance.

JULY 2000: We're standing in the middle of a tiny room – all I can say is one sentence and then I see Stefan crumbling in front of me.

JANUARY 2001: When I step out of the cool airport terminal in Mumbai, Sarah almost runs right into me. We hold each other, laugh and embrace. Suddenly I have a sister.

JUNE 2002: I buy a pregnancy test and check the time. It is midday. Manuel must be arriving in Bangalore now.

SEPTEMBER 2004: I eat pizza in Rome, the whole crazy company is there. We sing Italian socialist songs. Fa doesn't look at me, but our feet touch.

FEBRUARY 2005: In a cramped hotel room in Bytom I try rather nervously to prepare for the show and realise that I am about to fulfil all my greatest dreams.

APRIL 2008: My parents pay me a spontaneous visit. It is a sunny Sunday. We stand in the corridor and my father tries to tell me that he has cancer.

APRIL 2011: Bea phones me. The company is going to disband.