Apr 6

Across the border #2

From the W1555 Neighbourhood newspaper of March 2024, by Nienke. Translated by Honey.

We, Nienke and twin brothers Finn and Iwan live on W1555, Block A with cat Soes. Traveling is deep in our souls. An irrepressible urge to explore the world combined with great curiosity about what was, is and is to come makes us restless creatures.

Read more below the pictures...

Finn and I, son with gap year and driver's license and mother with a very busy job, left in November for a great road trip. We drove 6000 kilometers to the southernmost tip of Italy and back. We walked on the old earth full of stories. Finn was able to tell me exactly how the great power blocs shaped our world over time. We had fierce discussions about power, justice and the difficulties of living together. We shouted at each other about each other's driving skills in the Italian chaos and philosophized on the Sentiero degli Dei. We drank wine on medieval squares, swam in the sea and drove home over snowy passes. We are mother and son and well-matched travel companions.

‘Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking’

Once home we met Iwan in preparation for his big trip. With his love a few months to Asia. No idea when he'll be back and where he's going but full of his big plans. Last week we waved him goodbye. With a one-way ticket to Hanoi in his pocket, he stepped through the gate without looking back. Flying Out 3.0. When this child returns, he will not be the same as the young person who left. A mother's heart... Proud that he celebrates his wanderlust, but from the center of the universe I have shifted to the position of a North Star that shines a bit on its own foundation. That happened all of a sudden one day!

The biggest journey is undeniably that of parenthood. Without a map, I navigate this landscape with intuition and dedication on the compass. "No" turned out to be a desert island at times, the dishes a bridge too far, and the unfocused lives of adolescent creatures an important crossroads. And boundaries, they always have to be fought, explored and pushed. Just as Ronja the Robber's Daughter can only learn to watch out for the river while balancing alone above the raging waters. Full of confidence in the future, I think back to almost a century when, on the threshold of her journey, my grandmother was blessed by her father with the words; "Love in everything". Travel far and come back!

You can follow Iwan's journey on: www.polarsteps.com/IwanSeip