Iintsuku ezili-100 kukhenketho lwehlabathi

'Traveling means crossing boundaries, including your own.' (Wanda Rezat).

Today we are 100 days on the road. Crazy how an initial crazy idea has become reality. All the time-consuming preparations, Madlin's decision to give up a great job, and saying goodbye to all our loved ones was a leap into the unknown. We didn't know what we were getting into, whether it would be good for our fresh marriage, and whether it would all be worth it. But the last 100 days have shown us what courage can achieve, because we can proudly say that pushing our own limits and taking a leap into the unknown has paid off for us!

In the 100 days that we have been traveling, we have grown even closer as a couple. We are a stronger team than ever and have gotten to know each other even better. We do a lot together, but not everything.

We are grateful that our travel time so far has been mainly filled with good times. We only had to go to the doctor twice and Madlin had an accident. That's it! We believe that things could have been worse and harder for us.

Our journey is full of highlights, such as swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines, motorcycle tour through Vietnam, and a day with the elephants in Thailand. Not to mention the great encounters with people from all walks of life. We have never felt unwelcome or cheated during our travels.

Besides all the beauty, there is also a major downside for us, and that is being far away from all our loved ones. It took Chris significantly longer to feel it, but now he also misses home and everything that comes with it. There are days when Madlin is plagued by homesickness. We both hoped that it would fade over time, but it hasn't and that's okay. We have to accept the situation and make the best of it.

In the last 100 days, we have not only missed birthdays and other celebrations at home, but there have also been difficult times that some dear people have had to go through, without us being able to be there for them in person. During this time, we felt very helpless and worried. However, we are grateful that bad news was not kept from us and that we did not find out about it later. Madlin made this agreement in advance with her parents, brothers, and closest friends. Even though we are currently far away, we still want to be part of the lives of our loved ones, just as they want to be part of our journey. Highs and lows are part of life, and nothing is so bad that it cannot be shared with family and friends. It has always been clear to us that we would fly home if necessary or if we felt it was necessary.

Thanks to today's technology, a video call is no longer a problem, and the time difference does not stand in our way. We always enjoy conversations with our friends and families. Some calls only last a few minutes, others an hour or longer. Sometimes we just talk about trivial things, tell stories about the past, experiences, or discuss politics or other topics. For a brief moment, we forget that we are thousands of kilometers apart. We are grateful for our families and friends!

In the last 100 days, we have traveled to six countries, slept in twenty different places, spent a night on a train, and visited many places. Our journey has already taught us so much! When we packed our backpacks, we were overwhelmed. We were concerned about not having enough or not being prepared for all eventualities. Now we have learned that you don't need much to be happy. We sent some things back home. We also quickly learned that the world is beautiful. Sometimes you have to change your perspective to see this beauty, but that's what makes our journey so exciting. Indonesia was our first country. Already here we noticed that people living in Germany often don't know how good they have it. Including ourselves! When we are sick, we go to the doctor and the health insurance covers many costs. When we become unemployed, we have a minimal basic security, and in old age, we have a pension. We all know that these benefits are not enough to live on and that private provision is essential, but in many parts of the world, there is no such social system. People are completely on their own, no matter what their situation. Even though we know that we need our jobs to secure our lives in old age, we do not miss a structured everyday life. We enjoy living in the moment and going with the flow. We know that this opportunity is unique and will probably never come again. The many sacrifices we had to make to afford this journey have paid off for us. Nevertheless, we miss a familiar place - our home. A place where we are not only close to many of our loved ones but also a place that gives us comfort and security. We have learned to appreciate how important our home is to us. Chris, in particular, was never so aware of this before.

The effects of COVID-19 are felt all over the world. Many connections by ship and plane are still restricted or no longer exist, and the existing connections are more expensive than before. We also underestimated the global inflation in our cost calculation. This means that we will probably not be on a world trip for twelve months, but that doesn't bother us. At the moment, we don't know exactly when we will be back home. But we know that all our loved ones will be there and will welcome us with open arms.