A trip of a lifetime that made so many of my dreams come true!
Not just one dream
When I was a teenager I was envious of people who had one big dream and who did everything to achieve that dream. They knew what they wanted to get out of life. And I? I had the feeling I should feel lost. Was I even allowed to have multiple dreams? To some this might sound silly, but I think in general and the way society is built, you get the feeling there is no room to grow and achieve multiple dreams. Personally… I am all in for a challenge! I love to explore my horizon and to live my dream. Plural. Maybe not at the same time, but one at a time is enough for me. Well most of the time at least.
However, one of the biggest lessons I learned is that the journey should be enjoyed if not more than the destination. Let’s be honest, if I have multiple dreams so multiple roads to travel on… I should enjoy the journey, cause I will spend most of my time on the go. Taking my time to enjoy the view, meet people and slow down. You have no idea how many dreams I made happen just because I took my time and then I knew the moves to make to my next destination. Either with a helping hand by people I met or skills I had acquired along the way.
Austria always on my mind
Back in 2022 I was close to packing up my life in The Netherlands and emigrating to Austria. Salzburg to be more precise. I was job interviewing and was very close to going back to a regular 9 to 5 job, until I decided this was not the path I wanted to be on. Yes, the moving part would have been amazing, but something didn’t feel right and listening to my gut has always been my number one priority when making big decisions.
But since I was incredibly close to moving to Austria and I had already done so much research, the country has been on my mind. I thought it would be lovely to spend some time there. This time however Vienna was pulling me instead of Salzburg. And yes, I know by staying in the capitol I don’t understand the country’s culture. I am very much aware. However, with just a 6 week stay during the busiest part of the year, I knew it would be best for me to prioritise getting to know the city very well. The time I had in Vienna must be one of the best in my entire existence so far.
Found my way to Vienna
The first day after my arrival when I walked into the city, will be something I will never forget. I got out at night to go see a classical concert. The streets were lit up with their December spirit. This was the very first time I got to meet Vienna and it was the best impression I could possibly have gotten. I had taken the S-bahn to Karlsplatz where I had the most amazing view of a Christmas market when walking out of the station.
I strolled down the streets on my way to the concert along the big Christmas bow on the corner, across from Wiener Staatsopper. At the Korea Kulturzentrum I was welcomed in both German and Korean. It was wonderful to practise my speech in these languages.
I don’t know how else to explain it, but that first night in the city truly set the tone of the rest of my trip. I met great people, got to work on my language skills, learned other skills, and started working on enhancing my craft. But most of all… I was living my dream. Living in a city I had never been to prior to me temporarily moving was probably one of the biggest risks I have ever taken in my life. What if I wouldn’t feel home? In case that would happen, I said to myself: at least you then have all the time in the world to write. Well I loved the city instantly, not just that, the city teached me how to fall back in love again with life after some rough few personal years.
Blossoming in a new city
The reason why this trip was so significant for me was because it was my very first trip under my new last name. For well over 28 years I walked around the world with a different name, with almost a decade of solo travelling under my belt. For this new start I wanted to go away for my birthday to celebrate a new yearly chapter in a city completely foreign to me. I am not going to lie, even though I like a challenge, it was also a bit scary to do so. This feeling was only there the night before I left my home country and left once sitting in the train taking me across Germany.
Scared or not, this was the reason why I could flourish in a new city, because I challenged myself and by going somewhere new I could find the meaning of the new me as well. Check my comfort zone, throw myself into an adventure and at the same time explore interests of mine both old as new ones. From going to the ballet to a classical concert, gaining new language skills in German and Korean at the same time. Challenge my writing by having taken a step back from my past, so I could bloom in the present.
Temporarily abroad, but forever changed
Here I am, living thousands of lives, because one is not enough for me. I want to live the dreams, not simply achieve it and move on. I want to see how it moves me, shapes me and what I can create with the gained knowledge. It for sure has made me a better writer, since I could take the time to explore anything I wanted. At the same time I had a lot of fun with all the small dreams that I could fulfill during this trip. For example living right next to Schönbrunn (aka Sissi’s palace), having a balcony seat while seeing the ballet, going to party at a museum at night and many more (small) dreams that turned into my reality.
In short, this was an introduction of achieving a bucket list goal of mine: temporarily living in Austria. Oh, and also other dreams I made happen while living in Vienna and why I bloomed in my time there.
Love,
Leave a Reply