2/22/2022 0 Comments The Expat ExperienceNext week is our 3 year anniversary of moving to Germany and this week Drew and I will say farewell to our favorite Aussie couple in Berlin as they set out on their next life adventure. To say they will be missed is an understatement. They always knew that Berlin wasn't forever...It was simply an experiment. I meant to type "experience" but my fingers typed "experiment" and that got me thinking... What's the difference? An experiment is a method used to make a discovery. It's the process of asking questions. It's curiosity and learning through testing. It's observation and analyzing your results. An experience is a happening which leaves an impression on you. It's the process of living through an event. It's the knowledge gained by actually doing a thing. It's the way it feels to observe the unfamiliar. Moving abroad has been both an experiment and an experience for me and Drew. This experiment started with the question "Will you marry me and move to Berlin?" We have been tested. We have observed. We have learned a lot about ourselves and each other. I'm happy to report that the results have been positive. This experience has been enlightening. I let go of the familiar to pursue the unknown. I shed old layers and found new parts of myself. I was met with the reality that it doesn't matter how light you pack or how far you travel, all the baggage you want to leave behind will still show up with your name tag dangling off the handle and only you can unpack that overstuffed suitcase. How's that for enlightenment?!! Not all those who wander are lost is a popular travel quote. I believe most wanderers have experienced loss though. Maybe that's the point of wandering: To process what has been lost and discover something new along the way. Wander is defined as moving away slowly from a fixed point in an aimless direction. As a child growing up in Texas, we were told not to "wander off" when playing outside. (Yes, with an accent!) Maybe that's what we do as expats---Slowly wander off from what we've known, what we've always believed about ourselves and the world around us. The last 3 years in Berlin has given me the space to experiment and experience so much wandering. I started typing this as a mental detox because I haven't truly processed that our friends are actually leaving Berlin. It has turned into a written tribute to the experiments and experiences that make us who we are, that take us from one chapter to the next and lead us to new places and new people.
To Hanna & Alex, I wish you all the best as you wander off. I'm so glad that Berlin brought us together and I look forward to many more adventures with you! Love, Stevi Follow the adventures of Hanna & Alex, their pup Felix and their rad vintage van here. >>> @_herbertthevan
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