Electra Felicitas von Tannhausen was born on the first of August 6.000 meters above ground on the descend of Lufthansa flight LH 587 from Cairo to Munich, 18 days before the estimated delivery date. Her father was stationed at the German embassy in Egypt and when his wife was getting close to the delivery date, she was flown home to Germany, so that their daughter be born at home. But fate decided differently and within 28 minutes after the start of the first cramps from labor, middle in the air she started to cry in the front rows of the business class.
Living with her grandparents till two she joined her father, an embassy attaché responsible for economic questions in his posts all over the world. Four years in the states, seven years in Beijing and then two and a half year in Mombasa. First a very active girl always running round and keeping her mother and nannies in constant action, she lived the carefree live of a pampered only child. That all changed at Christmas when she was eight, when her mother was diagnosed with MRS, and special evil kind of the illness. Within one year, her weekly trips to the tennis class, to a gymnastic class, to other activities were canceled and she stayed at home in the afternoons, together with her mother and her books. Her only activity was ballet, as her mother always had a love for that sport and during that times of the week just took a few pills more to see her daughter train. Her mother lasted another six years and died within her family, much to the grief of husband and daughter. But this bonded those two even closer together and her father took care to be there for his daughters, if possible. He also had a good hand in finding other people who would take care of her, if he was otherwise occupied. Sometimes a secretary, sometimes someone from the security detail. But the illness of her mother, her frequent moves to other countries hampered Electra and she became more driven to learn, to read and without many friends, just… loose contacts at school. When her father was sent to the German embassy of Japan, first Electra lived with him, but lacking an adequate school her father found a small flat in a very good neighborhood for her close to a better school, took care that close by were trustworthy people and sent her on her own to the new place.
