Going to work, back to reality or however you want to call it

Just because I am back in my home town it doesn't mean that travels are over. For many travelers I got back to reality - meaning the end of fun. But having a regular life doesn't have to be bad - not at all.

During my world trip one of my aims was to find a place where I would like to live for a couple of years. And only now, being back home, I finally realize and discover the beauty of that place. And what I also recognize is that each place wherever it is in the world offers advantages and disadvantages, chances and risks, happiness and disappointment.

Being back and living an ordinary life can be fascinating too if we organize it in an exciting way. That might include my everyday cycling trip to work through forests and fields, where I can be in nature smelling the blooming flowers of different kind of trees and bushes as well as watching some sleepy animals that cross my way. Many people declare me crazy cycling one hour to work and one hour back. But being in nature, taking this time for myself, satisfies me.  After work I can decide to make a detour exploring other paths to the direction of my home town. And of course I got lost not just once. But this is fun, not stress. 

On the weekends we should use the possibility to get to know the hidden treasures our region has to offer. In Australia, Brazil and Argentina we covered large distances without any complaint, back in Germany we seem to be comfortable and lazy. Let’s change it!

So far we`ve visited Amsterdam, Frankfurt for the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, Traben-Trabach with its vineyards, Trier for a city tour, the Vulcan Eifel region, Paris, Texel an island in the Netherlands, Hamburg, …

Pictures will be posted soon.

looking back: round-the-world

A brave explorers dream was to see the entire world with its stunning, unique, gorgeous and poor sides. The huge curiosity and eagerness for knowledge about “the others” fired the dreamer’s imagination and the desire to witness the difference with one’s own eyes. 

But even a whiff of these euphoric ideas was alien to the dreamer’s family. Not only the chain of thoughts encountered resistance and fell on deaf ears but also the openness to experience as well as the wish to learn as many languages as possible. Already back then the little explorer knew that with knowing a language you will get access to society and to people’s hearts. 

Many years have elapsed and the little dreamer thought: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And when the time was ripe, he plucked up courage and went on his way. 

She was more than ready taking the step beyond our secure “normal” life to face reality. Life has a lot more to offer than personal gain and the run for luxury. Life outside our protected world opens your eyes if you try to see and understand different cultures and getting access by respect learning more about and from them. After getting in touch with reality it won’t let you forget it. 

The experiences I made with local people in Third World and developing countries give me more than anything I can ever buy. The memories and the intensive afterglow give me gratefulness and happiness. All our problems and issues seem to be nothing compared to the life of the majority of the population. I gave up all my material things to keep the young explorers dream alive. Without regrets! Because this is the most valuable treasure I’ve ever dreamt of. 

written by Heike Molatta