arctic-cycler.com

First it’s a year. Then it’s months. Then days. And then the emotional rollercoaster ride really starts. You say goodbye to friends, one after the other over a period of a couple of weeks. You go to familiar places for the last time – constantly. And random emotion wells up. While running along the canal in Eindhoven yesterday, I thought of my mother. She died of cancer 9 years ago, but she is still here with me. I squeeze her hand, and she smiles back.

My colleagues at work gave me a lovely farewell. I now have a video of them and where we worked, for when I feel lonely, a long way from home. My close friends have been with me a lot in the last weeks. Tomorrow will be my last day with them. My father and family in Australia are there, supporting me on my trip back home. I love them.

This morning I woke up in a new life. And it is amazing! I was at the Green Pedals kick-off at the Willemspark school in Den Haag. It’s like seeing kids at Christmas – running around – looking at my tent, my bike, and my stuff – my only possessions for the coming 2 years. I look at their excitement and curiosity – how they are open to experiencing a world that is magic. And they know and want to live in a sustainable society. They will inherit the planet, and it will all be OK.

Tomorrow morning I will leave Eindhoven. I’m already unemployed. Tomorrow I will be without a humble abode. I’ll be ‘op de fiets’ – cycling. I have a lump in my throat. It’s really happening – now.

Farewell at Philips