WHY ALONE?

The only thing that is incomprehensible to my father is: why alone? To him, it would be so much nicer if I wouldn't travel alone: "If you have to travel that far at all, travel with a partner!"

My previous experiences traveling alone have been very positive. It's incredibly exciting and liberating. Freedom (actual and absolute) is something I experience only then. For trips with one more or several other persons, there is always someone with different a agenda or need. This is not in and off itself bad - on the contrary - sometimes that's very pleasing. After all, everything is better when shared, especially experiences. I have no intention to travel like a hermit. I want to offer spontaneous chances space. Hypothetically: if I was in Helsinki and a band touring Finland would allow me to come into their bus in exchange for tour pictures, I would want to do just that. Even if the band does not have space for my travel companion.

A big part of this trip is going to be about self-discovery. What interests me especially is how I deal with the loneliness that I will be exposed to on a trip like this. I want to know what I need to live when I have to fulfill only my own needs and tastes. I'll never find that out if there is someone who can clear stones out of my way or find solutions for my twisted little brain.

As a counterpoint to the lonely road, this blog will serve as a connection to Germany and the world. I need a digital home if I don't have a physical one. It's a way to keep the communication flowing and keep a log of all the things that I have experienced. I hope to enter into a dialogue with friends, acquaintances, and strangers. I want to have a place where I can show my photography and share what I learn. A place where I can share when somewhere in the world somebody steps up. When everything fails and the fall is deep, but the landing is soft, because out of nowhere cotton clouds appear and soften the blow. You know, the kind of situation that never happens until it does...

Therefore alone.