This article was originally written in German and translated into English with the help of AI.
16 months ago we decided to join. 4.5 months ago we started. And now the Traveling Village chapter in Asia is over. Just like that.
The whole conscious process of deciding, preparing and looking forward to it is now in the past. And so is the experience itself. It makes you realize that everything comes to an end at some point. No matter how crazy, long and extraordinary it is. A feeling of finiteness sets in.
Intense until the end
As expected, the last 2.5 weeks in Busan were really intense again. On the one hand, we were tired — restless nights thanks to cold(s) and first wobbly teeth — and emotionally already a bit drained after 4 months of community and coliving. On the other hand, we, and the whole Village, wanted to really make use of the final weeks. So our schedule was pretty packed. The highlights:
a very soothing trip to Gyeongju — over 1,000-year-old royal tombs hidden under grassy hills — and 2 nights with our friends in a Hanok, a traditional Korean wooden house, surrounded by nature
a short and fun boat tour with the Village along the coast of Busan at dusk, followed by mochi ice cream
one last big Spikeball tournament with a successful outcome ;-)
the farewell party that Michaela and I helped plan. A full success, with great performances — the TV3 song, AI photo mashups … — and a very loose dance party overlooking the skyline
a visit to the baseball stadium of the Lotte Giants, including fried chicken & beer. Baseball is one of Korea’s favorite sports
a worthy birthday celebration for several men from the Village with a catamaran tour, karaoke bus and mini-hike. And a wild ending in a club …
the Busan Sand Festival right in front of our door, with huge sand sculptures and a fitting workshop with a sand sculptor for the families
diving into Korean bath & spa culture — also with lots of rules here — at the water park and sauna
several BBQ evenings on our rooftop terrace, including live music from the “Village Band”
our last night in Korea in a crazy, huge resort hotel at Seoul airport, including an indoor theme park and art exhibitions …
Even though time flew by, we never really warmed up to the big city of Busan and Korean culture until the very end. A technologically highly developed country that puts a lot of value on performance, appearance — K-Beauty — and rules. In my view, this leads to a certain superficiality, conformity and lack of charm. On top of that, by the end we were simply full of the city. Too many neon signs, people, noise, smog and unpleasant smells.
We made it count
But we definitely used the time and fully squeezed everything out of this experience. At times maybe even a bit too much. We fully leaned into the community life and had many beautiful moments. But we also felt the intensity. By the end, all our energy batteries were pretty empty. So now we are simply looking forward to a quieter time at home, at beautiful Schliersee.
Having a home …
… feels good. A place you can return to. A place that feels familiar. Something that sounds so obvious, but isn’t for everyone. Some of the families from the Traveling Village just keep going. Without a homebase. New country, next Airbnb. And even though that sounds tempting, right now I am just happy that I get to sleep at home tonight. Let’s see how long this feeling lasts …
Time for reflection
This adventure has definitely shaped us and will surely have an influence on how we design our life in the future. But for now, it is time to shift down a gear and calm the nervous system a little. To let the impressions settle and digest this whole experience.
I am definitely very grateful that we got to have this experience.
