Where are you coming from?
I am coming from Kenya where I was volunteering in a center for women with HIV. But generally I am travelling right now. I have been travelling for over 18 months. Before I started travelling I lived in the US, in Hoboken NJ, right next to Manhattan, New York. And before that I lived in Sydney, Australia. But originally I am German. I always think “Where are you from?” is a complicated question because despite being German, I didn’t grow up in Germany.
Why are you travelling?
Because I can. Maybe because nothing is tying me down. No job, no relationships, no properties, no financial burdens. In a way I am completely free and I am taking advantage of it. Having said that, I was quite exhausted from my job. I really really needed a break, a vacation wouldn’t have helped. Changing jobs wouldn’t have helped. So it was time to just pack and go and find the person that got lost in between responsibilities and job pressures. Time to find myself and remember what it means to live life and not just to function.
Having said that, I always loved travelling and knew that one day I want to travel for more than 12 months. So basically the time had come to make that happen. To explore the world and not just go on a holiday. To stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone and to learn about different cultures, to meet different people ….. or like minded people at the same time. I have always had an interest in different cultures, languages, habits, traditions, food, music etc….in learning how to look at the world from a different perspective. How to solve the same problem differently. Or maybe what I considered a problem, is not a problem elsewhere. For me it is eye opening how little you need to be happy. In a way that is very enriching already. In a way travelling makes me a more tolerant person, because I am used to people in all kind of shades with all kind of behaviours and I have been in so many different situations. In a way I feel I have seen it all, so no matter what happens, it doesn’t stress me anymore.
Whats your next destination?
I wish I could say something exciting. But the truth is that my trip is coming to an end. Right now my next destination is called Germany and finding a full time job. In the back of my head I am worried I wont be able to live there because it’s not diverse enough. I love the diversity (and the weather!) in Tel Aviv, New York and Sydney. So in the back of my head, there is a plan B spinning. And if I’d say I have no travelling list ready for my next vacation, it would be a lie. Places like Istanbul, the Pyramids, Columbia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Ethiopia are on the list… I guess the more you travel, the more you learn about great places you haven’t been to yet.