It feels like it was last week. I packed my things, emptied my room, signed the last flyers and ate my last supper in our Kakao Community near Würzburg.
The reunion with Anka in Colombia and the joint trip to Ecuador, Guatemala and who knows where else were on the agenda. Cocoa here, cocoa there and maybe a little vacation over there.
WHOSHHH!
We are back in Germany.
I rub my eyes as if it had been an intense yet pleasantly warm dream. And what exactly makes a dream a dream and reality reality? Now I'm sitting at the same desk, doing the same work.
I've gotten a little tanned and a little relaxed too, apparently...
WHOSHHH!
We are back in Germany.
I rub my eyes as if it had been an intense yet pleasantly warm dream. And what exactly makes a dream a dream and reality reality? Now I'm sitting at the same desk, doing the same work.
I've gotten a little tanned and a little relaxed too, apparently...
But what did this trip teach me?
On the one hand, I realized that I can no longer travel to a country without a goal and a clear intention, as I used to. I need an intention, even if it is something "passive" like relaxing, otherwise I go to bed dissatisfied at night. I also realized how important it is for me to exchange ideas with like-minded people, even abroad. I think the ideal situation is a good balance between locals and people who are consciously on their path, be it a spiritual, humanitarian, creative or revolutionary one.
I have noticed that, unlike before, a large part of the spiritual offerings in so-called hippie places do not appeal to me or inspire me.
Community projects and innovative and sustainably created spaces, on the other hand, always captivated me. I realized that this is the direction I want to go and sometimes run in.
On the one hand, I realized that I can no longer travel to a country without a goal and a clear intention, as I used to. I need an intention, even if it is something "passive" like relaxing, otherwise I go to bed dissatisfied at night. I also realized how important it is for me to exchange ideas with like-minded people, even abroad. I think the ideal situation is a good balance between locals and people who are consciously on their path, be it a spiritual, humanitarian, creative or revolutionary one.
I have noticed that, unlike before, a large part of the spiritual offerings in so-called hippie places do not appeal to me or inspire me.
Community projects and innovative and sustainably created spaces, on the other hand, always captivated me. I realized that this is the direction I want to go and sometimes run in.
I also learned how challenging and at the same time rewarding it is to interact and cooperate with the indigenous population. And I was able to see that it is possible to protect rainforest areas threatened by the mechanisms of our market economy through clever use and to give the indigenous population incentives to do the same. (Props go out to Jan and the team at Original Beans )
The last and perhaps most important lesson that comes to mind is that of my roots. As a child of an immigrant family, growing up in social housing and on the fringes of a prosperous society, I never felt rooted anywhere. Until today.
The last and perhaps most important lesson that comes to mind is that of my roots. As a child of an immigrant family, growing up in social housing and on the fringes of a prosperous society, I never felt rooted anywhere. Until today.
Because thanks to the trip and the associated absence from our Kakao community, I felt for the first time what it is like to have a place that grows with me and needs me the way I need it. I am happy to be back here in Germany. Because this is the place where I see my purpose and my task right now.
Maybe you're here too and ready to shake things up a bit with me? Get in touch.
With love, your Mischa
Photo credit: Yana