Perception – 06.03.2022

How intensely aromatic nature can smell. Especially when the night has been cold and the forest floor warms up towards midday, a fresh, spicy, nutty, floral scent emerges. Then I sit on the horse’s back, sniffing, breathe deeply in the fresh, warm forest air, and cannot get enough of the smell. Even after heavy rain, the outdoors always smells wonderfully fresh and delicious. It probably looks quite funny how I walk around sniffing everything.

Being away from cities, noise, and cars for a longer period of time has made me truly aware of how much exhaust fumes, sounds, and the constant hustle actually stress me. I react much more sensitively and strongly to the “side effects” and all the different smells around me. You are constantly distracted and irritated by something.

I notice that my perception is slowly shifting towards smaller things. I notice more details and observe more. As if you start looking for an alternative to modern distractions such as TV, phones, and social media.

I am also becoming more and more aware of what a privilege it is to call Germany my home. You receive a good education, fair working hours, a good salary, reliable healthcare, you can enter almost any country easily, you are generally well regarded abroad, and the state supports you quite well if something goes wrong. In other words, the doors are open to do what you want, to try out what you want. If there are limits, they are often the ones we set for ourselves. We are free.

I had a very interesting conversation about this with a Dutch couple, and it made all of these things even clearer to me. They travelled for three years in their Mercedes van from the east coast of Canada all the way south to Patagonia. They have now moved to Chile with their young daughter and found their dream place in the valley of Cañón del Blanco. In the Netherlands, they lived in Amsterdam for a long time, and now they live in a tiny wooden house with a gigantic view over the valley. Mirla works remotely for a European company, something she already did during their travels, and creates documentary films. She did not study this profession but somehow found her way into it and absolutely loves what she does. Her husband Olaf is creating a place here where artists, musicians, and scientists can meet and exchange ideas, gaining a new perspective on the environment and people. For me, it was incredibly fascinating to hear their story, see the life they are building here, and how aware they are of the privilege they have. And I am also becoming more and more aware of how lucky I am with my own life situation.

At the moment, I am in Conguillio National Park, sitting on the beach of Lago Conguillio. Cristian gave Inge and me his car and informed his friend, who runs the park, that we were coming. We are now allowed to sleep for two nights at the campsite for free, and the entrance was also free for us. All of this was arranged simply through a voice message from Cristian. Super kind and an amazing opportunity for us to explore the park, because without a car it is quite difficult to get here. Sometimes I cannot believe how uncomplicated and kind people here are. Simply lending us his car for a longer journey and several days shows a huge amount of trust and belief in the goodness of people.

The national park is filled with ancient Araucaria trees, several lakes, the Sierra Nevada volcano, and the Llaima volcano. It is incredibly impressive to walk through this extremely old forest and watch the snow-covered peak of the Llaima volcano. This tree species is one of the oldest in the world and already existed during the time of the dinosaurs. Whenever you see such powerful, magnificent, ancient nature, it is impossible not to wonder and struggle to understand what we are doing to this beautiful planet.

The people and nature in Chile make me even more curious to see, discover, experience, and try more. This journey is also showing me what is possible when you step outside the system.

At the moment, I am reading the Lord of the Rings books and found a sentence by Éowyn that I find very inspiring:

“What do you fear, lady?” he asked.

“A cage,” she said. “To stay behind bars, until habit and old age accept them, and all chances of performing great deeds are irrevocably gone, and no longer desired.”

The sabbatical has truly been an “eye-opener” for me, showing me that you can shape and live your life the way you want to, and not necessarily the way society or the system tells you to.