January 2011
Kandern, Germany - getting ready to leave
16 January, Art Factory
We have been staying at the Art Factory with Rick and Mary Beth Holladay for the last 2 weeks. We sorted through the last stuff that we brought from the house. In and amongst administration, wrapping up our life in Germany Willie wrestled through the tedious process of trying to obtain our Sudanese and Syrian visas through an agency in Berlin. We are behind schedule, but we realize it is better to have a base, a warm one, from where we can complete the final preparations. It is freezing cold outside and it would have been very difficult if we were already on the road.
Leaving Kandern was more difficult than anticipated. Our original plan was to leave during the first week of January. We received our new passports the end of December, 3+ weeks later than anticipated and we could not apply for any visas until we've received the new passports. It was therefore best to stay in Kandern where we had a warm room; we could also finish final sorting, packing and administrative stuff.
Sorting, packing in the art factory room
Click Play:
Leaving Kandern was more difficult than anticipated. Our original plan was to leave during the first week of January. We received our new passports the end of December, 3+ weeks later than anticipated and we could not apply for any visas until we've received the new passports. It was therefore best to stay in Kandern where we had a warm room; we could also finish final sorting, packing and administrative stuff.
Sorting, packing in the art factory room
Click Play:
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We've test packed the car a few times: first time around we were excited - we had more space than what we thought.
Second time: several boxes did not fit. Now we will repack and try tomorrow again. By Tuesday it's got to be in or out, because that plan is to leave the 19th January which is Wednesday.     |
18 January 2011 Tuesday
Kandern, Germany
How do I feel? Excited, apprehensive, uncertain, definitely a little afraid...maybe even more than a little...
Excited - this is quite a different adventure and honestly not something I've ever dreamed of
doing; not because I would not have wanted to - just because it was out of my realm of things possible to do - it was impossible.
I was in Namibia exactly a year ago when the seed of the dream was sown in my mind. The sower? Willie.
The soil?
Riddled with stones of but's and how's with which Willie was peppered for months. I look at the glass half-empty, so it was not difficult to branch off the main road onto small sidetracks of ''it is simply not possible''
The seed germinated, in spite of the stones, through Willie's persistence.
Impossible gradually morphed into maybe-possible as I watched the car's conversion in June. Maybe-possible to possible! when I watched Barney (our CEO's) excitement when Willie shared his vision. Excitement was stirred into my heart, gradually overcoming my resistance.
Apprehensive and uncertain: I am uneasy and fearful, at times, for what might go wrong. Many of our family and friends have expressed the same concerns. Several of the
countries on our route had safety issues in the past as well as currently - it
is only realistic to consider the risks. Does that mean I rather not go?
No...but I do think different about things, and I will share more about
that.
Conversion Video
Excited - this is quite a different adventure and honestly not something I've ever dreamed of
doing; not because I would not have wanted to - just because it was out of my realm of things possible to do - it was impossible.
I was in Namibia exactly a year ago when the seed of the dream was sown in my mind. The sower? Willie.
The soil?
Riddled with stones of but's and how's with which Willie was peppered for months. I look at the glass half-empty, so it was not difficult to branch off the main road onto small sidetracks of ''it is simply not possible''
The seed germinated, in spite of the stones, through Willie's persistence.
Impossible gradually morphed into maybe-possible as I watched the car's conversion in June. Maybe-possible to possible! when I watched Barney (our CEO's) excitement when Willie shared his vision. Excitement was stirred into my heart, gradually overcoming my resistance.
Apprehensive and uncertain: I am uneasy and fearful, at times, for what might go wrong. Many of our family and friends have expressed the same concerns. Several of the
countries on our route had safety issues in the past as well as currently - it
is only realistic to consider the risks. Does that mean I rather not go?
No...but I do think different about things, and I will share more about
that.
Conversion Video
Look back and remember:
We left later than planned. It is such a huge leave - leave Europe to travel for 6 months to Swakopmund in Namibia. So many questions, so many uncertainties: we are facing the unknown, roads and countries not traveled before.
Insa came to say goodbye and Rick prayed for God's protection over us, the car, our
journey.
Click Play for Photos
Goodbye videos
The last thing we did before we left Kandern was to deregister at the Rathaus - thus deregister from our life in Europe!
We had to mail our newsletter to supporters as well as the headlights of the car to a friend of
Willie's from a post-office in France. It was after 2 when we were done and we knew we would not be able to travel too far as it starts to get dark by 5pm. Campsites in Europe typically do not open before April, so our first night on the road was spent in a parking lot in Wintersdor, Rastatt (less than 200 km away from Kandern!)It was already freezing cold and Willie and Hugo had to pitch the rooftop tent in the dark. It took a long time because none of us really knew what we were doing. Willie and I were in the rooftop tent and Hugo and Sammie in the car.
It rained and snowed during the night and it was freezing cold. 5am Willie woke up with a wet shirt! We had no idea where the water came from, but the mattress was wet! Finally Willie realized that we did not put the poles for the rain cover in...so the water happily dripped onto the floorboard during the night and the mattress eagerly absorbed it. Well, that is school money - hopefully we will not have to pay that again.
Wintersdorff - 19 January
20 January 2011 Wintersdorf to Berlin
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We arrived in Berlin after a difficult drive through snow, rain and lots of construction! The
campsite in Berlin was open, but we decided to go to a was so bitter cold. Look back and remember:. We stayed in the same hostel that we stayed when we visited Berlin with my mom and Oom Gerrit summer of 2010. - 2 days We moved to the Berlin Youth Hostel in the center of the city 2 days later. It became more expensive and boys and girls were separated, so we moved to Amstel house where we stayed the rest of the time. |
Look back and remember:
We were 1 week in Berlin when I wrote this update. Conundrum update 26 January 2011:
Update 26 January 2011
Berlin: snowing...!
Status: Inertia
Reason:
We've applied for Syrian visas and have not heard from them yet. Yes, or no will
affect our travel plans majorly. Yes: we can continue as planned. No: we will
have to reroute.
In 3 countries - Sudan,
Ethiopia and Syria one has to secure visas before arrival at the border. Willie
and I received our Sudanese visas a week ago, and we've applied for Syrian visas
through an agency in Berlin. We are currently waiting to find out whether our
application for Syrian visas was successful. We will have to make a different
plan for Hugo and Andrej since they do not have residency in Germany
anymore.
Willie and Hugo went to the USA embassy on Friday
where new pages were put into Hugo's passport.
The visa agency told
Willie that we will not know about our Syrian visas before Tuesday/Wednesday
which is today. This far we have no news yet. There is a feeling of helplessness
and frustration with this kind of waiting, because there is not too much we can
do other than WAIT!
