Reflection of one year after....

This post supposed to be on January 16th, that day one year ago I left Germany with my two backpacks to start a completely new life. But I was a bit busy the last days and finally here it is.
Reflection of one year after....A year full of joy and happiness, some tears, some doubts, but with a lot of new experience, new ideas, new me.
I left into a completely new situation, having no idea what is going to expect me and first went to Goa/India again, to finish my 500 hrs Yoga Teacher training. The time in India (6 weeks in total) brought me back into my daily ashtanga practice, I met many new lovely people, I taught 2 weeks every morning the Ashtanga Led class afterwards, which deepen my english teaching knowledge to the maximum.
And then on March 2nd I arrived to my new home, Bali. But as well, always when I planned something, at the end everything turnt into something else. I planned to stay 2 nights in Canggu,  then go to Seminyak, Uluwatu, Nusa Lembongan....before I finally move and settle to Ubud. One year later I still live in Canggu and don't plan to move from here anymore :-) Canggu completely got me and after trying to stay 3 weeks in Ubud, I realized that I don't want to live there anymore. Meanwhile I have an own place in Canggu, 2 rooms, bath, kitchen and I feel at home everyday when I open my door and see my lovely hippie crib. My home is very simple but I love it.
It was not easy finding a job here in Bali and everybody who pass by here and always ask me, I want to teach yoga for 3 weeks I just can smile and answer: forget it! You need to stay here for a while as Bali is always testing you and only if you are really ready to tune into this beautiful island with the huge energy, then you will get the chance. I got my first chance at the lovely The Canggu Studio and I am thankful to Alli and Pablo for this chance till the end of my life. But as nothing is constant but change, I left the studio and nowadays I teach two classes everyday in two amazing places in Canggu.
Not going to mention once again that I found such a perfect and lovely family here, a bunch of people from many parts from Indonesia, as well as friends from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

What did I learn from the one year away from Germany?
- Happiness is not having many material things. For me happiness is having less, but spending the most time with people I like, eating, singing, laughing...
- Don't rush anymore. Relax more, spend time with yourself. Job is important, yes, but it's not the most important thing in life.
- Share! Share everything you have. Especially food. And never ever be selfish again. The life rewards you back for this. This is maybe the best thing I learnt from the people here in Bali. Even if they have nothing, they share the last portion of rice with you.
- Do the things you like and never ever give a shit what another people may think about you. I especially mention here my new hair :-) of course I got some messages (from some people I don't even call friends) if I now got completely crazy, especially in my age :-) I just say here: Better be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. And btw I don't care if you like my hair or not.
- People come and go. Not everybody can stay in your life forever. Appreciate and be grateful for those who do, and let go on everybody else who is not supposed to. I talk here about friends.
- Always keep your heart open, everyday is a new day for something beautiful.

Many people ask me when I will come back to Germany. For the moment I don't plan to come back anymore...But I sometimes miss some things, like my parents and friends, my cat and some food so I may come for a short visit.

My 2016 in pictures:

500 Hrs Yoga Teacher Training Goa/India, yeaaaah!

First day in Canggu, Bali

First house mates and friends

Bali Spirit Festival in Ubud

Crazy scooter rides with Ruth

Gili Air again and again and again....

First proper motobike ride

Visa run Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

40th birthday (with swollen eye :-/)

Lieblingsmensch

First surfing (and the last one :-))

Dreadlocks....

and my dreadlock friends :-) loads of Reggae music

and last but not least, my Bali family

Rainy season

Rainy season is fully ongoing here in Bali. Driving the roads at the moment, you see more or less just the raincoats on the bikes. The local people told me that it started this year a bit earlier than usually. And I always answered "Aaah that's so ok, a bit rain, no care, because it's still warm". Yes in fact it is...comparing to Europe. But when you are used to the weather here, getting wet on the scooter feels super cold. I never thought, I would be very happy about my only pair of socks here in the evening.
It is my first rainy season living in a tropical place. And this is a new experience and lessons I had to learn. F. e. never close your wardrobe, always leave everything open and use the AC more....as everything is humid and mouldy. As I just opened my backpack I got shocked....all leather things, my belt, my purse and a bag...mouldy! But ok, it's normal. And at the end these are just things I never used.
The amount of rain is huge...I never had that hard rain like here. At some points I would be happier about a boat, instead of a motobike :-) Our surf camp got twice completely flooded, as the river brought a big swell with it.

But there are also good things in the rainy season. I finally have a lot of time to read my books, chilling in my new chillout area in the living room I created (never thought, painting a mandala could be so calming), playing chess at our warung or listening to the guitar playing of my friends, we sometimes even dance in the rain outside :-) this is a completely new feeling of freedom.

What's else new? I had visit from the Wasner brothers from Ulm :-) the guys travelled thru Bali and stopped for some days in Canggu. What a fun we had.

And I finally have my first very own motobike :-) It's a kind of a modified scooter, or better say a scooter, which likes to be a crossmachine :-). It has not really a proper light (backlight doesn't exist), no speedometer, no fuel gauge, it's loud and quick. But it's mine and I love it!

Small escape...

"I gotta get away sometimes(get away, get away)

I got to get away

I gotta slip away sometimes(get away, get away)

I got to slip away to my special place..."

Happy 40th birthday to me

It was easy always saying how old I was...Until the day came some days ago, when I turned 40. It sounds old, isn't it? But I saw many weeks ago a very nice quote saying "They say we not age by years but by stories we have to tell". Yes, absolutely right and I have a lot of them to tell. And yes age is nothing but a number at the end, as I never feel like I am 40 already.
Turning 30 ten years ago was way harder. I was always thinking like, with 30 you have to finally get serious, maybe settle down, and I was always saying now I am old, I could not even have blue hair again. You see I was pretty silly when I turned 30, cause since then I got crazier than I ever was before.
My birthday started in the morning with a completely swollen and closed right eye :-( I couldn't believe that a mosquito bit me in the night that bad. So I went to my 2 classes that day as a one-eyed Jack. Had a lovely breakfast with my 2 beautiful friends Isi and Bella, followed by some apple cider at the beach afterwards. As my very good friend Seno had also birthday, the whole squad met at the Od Man's Bar at 5 pm for the happy hour and some beers and wine. Forgot to mention that, of course, it rained like crazy that evening.
A bit more tipsy that maybe I wanted, my birthday ended at a live reggae performance, my favorite band played a lot of my beloved reggae songs and happy birthday for me, we were dancing and singing. The evening ended of course the way my last birthday parties always ended...but what happens in Canggu, stays in Canggu :-) and for this reason absolutely no pictures from the reggae place :-)
Big big thanks to everybody who called and texted me that day, I got so many lovely messages from all over the world. And even if I had such a great day here with my Bali family, I kept all my friends and family from home in my mind and heart <3

Isi and Bella and avocado :-)

Mango Apple Cider....cos champagne is soooo mahal (expensive)

Before happy hour...dress yourself proper for the scooter ride in the rain...Juda and Bella

Happy hour is ongoing.....Bella, Isi and Budy

My twin Seno and me....happy birthday my friend

Isi and Budy

Isi, Bella, Alena, Malika, Vindi, Seno, Maan and Juda

With Antoq...or Bagong :-)

Dreadlocks

And here they are...My beloved dreadlocks, I was dreaming about so many years :-) Most of my friends texted me yesterday and they exactly knew, what was the next step on my "one day" list.
I was dreaming having dreadlocks for many many years, but my office job, of course, didn't allowed me having some and I had also a short hair cut for the past 15 years. But as soon as I knew I will go, I started growing my hair. And today finally my maybe biggest dream turned into reality.

One day....

Some time ago I started writing a list with things I would like to do one day... Some of them were more "would love to" some of them were "facing my fears". Meanwhile I did a lot of things I never thought I would to...And today is the day when I am going to do something I wished nearly my whole life....Guess what point is going to be true today?

Life is a game

The past 2 years were not really good for me. I had to do so many decisions, I had to fight for some of my rights, I lost 2 friends and my beloved cousin too early, I had to deal with my inside, if I am doing everything right, leaving my previous life, my cat, my friends and family behind me and start something new. But what is really the right decision? You can only reflect afterwards and say yes or no.
So since january this year everything changed, my job and my private life. Absolutely everything. Never even having an idea how many possibilities and how much easiness my life is going to bring me. Today I feel easy and life doesn't feel heavy and serious anymore. It is simply a game.
Leaving my "old" life behind me taught me so many things. There will always be people who are going to critice you or tell you what is the best for you. Yes, how I like this!!!! Only you can do and decide what is the best for you. To be honest I just don't care about this. Not anymore. I did earlier, tried to be friend with everybody and wanted all to like me.
The last two years felt so heavy to me. I spent so many hours at the office (some of them just for nothing, but to be the entertainer for a boss, who was thrilling us with all his idiotic ideas), tried to be on time to my yoga teaching, tried to meet my friends, to be there for my parents. How many times  I just felt down in my bed and slept. I was tired, I absolutely had no time for nothing anymore what I call my passion. I completely stopped painting. I stopped be creative. I even speed up my own yoga practice just to save some time. Was it all worth, all the money I earned (and I earned pretty good)? No it wasn't. Because I wasn't happy. Since I changed everything, and started following my passion, life seems to reward me with so many good things. Everything just happens when it's time.
Earlier I tried to be perfect, my apartment has to be perfect, my clothes, everything in my office. Nowadays I don't care anymore if I have 2-3 kilos more, I even don't really wear shoes anymore and my hair is messy. But yes, this seems to be me, and I finally feel happy with myself and I am perfect how I am and not how media and people want to see me. I got really lazy, a feeling I never knew before and shall I tell you something? It feels pretty good (ok, ignore please this one point from my previous post :-)) I only do things when I am in the mood for them and not because I have to. My favorite word since I live in Bali is laterrrrrr (of course with a rolling r ;-)
My magic rule today is letting go. Letting go on the past, situations and people in my life. If people or friends are meant to be in your life, and it doesn't matter how many years you were friends, they will stay there, it doesn't matter how far you are or how often you stay in touch. If you don't learn to let go, a heaviness will always follow you.
Life is pretty simple! It's your own decision how complicated you create it. Life gives you everyday new chances, new signs, it's just up to YOU, if you follow them or not.
This post is not meant to thrill you to go the radical way as I did. I just want to encourage you, to follow your passion, not to take life to serious anymore, at the end we all have to go one day, so try to create this amount of time as easy and happy as you can. Don't take everything to serious, take a deep breath and relax. And you will see, how easy everything just starts being.

Be happy, be silly, be wild at heart!