Pre departure
“Once lost, your youth will be lost forever.”
Before making big decisions in life, I chose an 18-month internship program in Denmark to both work and experience life in Northern Europe. Denmark is known as one of the happiest countries in the world and has a high quality of life. I easily felt this happiness from the first days I set foot in Denmark.
The Danish people are gentle, kind and like to help others. Every time I waved to them, they responded with a friendly smile. Reasonable working hours, 37 hours a week and 25 days off a year. Free and high-quality education system. Free health care, each person will have a personal doctor. Developed public transport system, clean environment, fresh air, beautiful scenery in all four seasons. Hygge lifestyle emphasizes the warmth of the family, happiness comes from the simplest things. Safe society, people trust each other.
I am so grateful and happy to live here. I wish I didn't know so much and could just continue to enjoy my peaceful life in Denmark.
However, in the last months of my internship, I had a period of time when I was not really happy. It came from my mind, imagining myself like a winter frog soaking in a pot of warm water. It was comfortable, it was warm, but the frog did not realize that the pot was boiling. Living in the comfort zone for too long made me feel frustrated. I was frustrated with myself.
Because I was smart enough to realize that it was time to escape the “mouse trap”.
“You won’t get rich renting out your time.”
Other people are very enthusiastic about telling you what to do, how to behave, how to live. However, before following those instructions, look at who they are like, do you want to become like them?
The twinkling stars in the night sky not only remind us of our short time on this Earth, but also of the vastness and infinity of the universe. In the silence of the night, the light of the stars may have traveled thousands of years to reach us. And when we look up at them, maybe those stars have disappeared and are now just ghosts, or maybe they will continue to exist long after we have left this world. It is a connection between the past, present and future. It is both humbling and helps us understand that, no matter how short our human lives are, we are still part of the big picture of this vast universe.
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” - Confucius
21 days of cycling, sleeping under the stars, and no social media = my life = vagabonding my younger years.
