The weeks before I left on this journey were quiet intense and they were a travel back in the past.
I’ve served in the German Air Force for 13.5 years. There were many things to consider and to think about before leaving. A lot of paper work had to be done and it was quiet hard to say good bye to my team at work and all the former co-workers and friends I’ve worked with during my time on duty.
In addition I moved out of my apartment without moving to a new one. I selected the most essential things and brought them in my old room in my parents house and sold almost half of my belongings or got rid of them. It felt like sorting out or cleaning a life. It also felt like a journey in the past finding many things which are linked to certain memories and moments. I kept the most precious ones. All this gave me a feeling of freedom. It felt good to downsize to the things I really need and relate to :) I've noticed again that we tend to buy so many things we place somewhere in our apartments or houses we actually do not need.
Not only things, but also contracts, insurances and data (letters, pictures..) on my computer were “reorganized” and downsized.
It was a quiet challenging task to select the things (mostly clothes) which will end up in my backpack. I tested packing in August when we spent three weeks in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland so I knew what’s expecting me. I kind of optimizes the packing plan from the summer trip for the big upcoming journey. The last question was about the technology. I decided to bring my laptop with me to be able to edit photos and videos and to continue volunteering for the NGO “Ring Of Hope Uganda” (www.ringofhopeuganda.com) and if help is needed for the International Air Cadet Exchange, IACE (www.iacea.com). Moreover it was a must to bring my camera with me and the iPhone with a world wide data contract / plan.