From searching to finding direction

““Colourful and painful”“

In my last blog ‘Living off the beaten track’,
I wrote about my experiences with host families abroad.

They were romantic, enriching and educational, but also raw and painful. Perhaps even, above all, painful. During those years, I was searching for my way and, at times, felt lost. I longed deeply for direction, but it wasn’t yet clear to me.

What was always present, however, was a deep inner compass: the willingness not to avoid my own pain, but to face it. Where there is friction, there lies growth for me. Where something is stuck, something wants to be set free. Underlying that movement was a powerful drive, and it took me across boundaries time and again, both literally and figuratively.

Living in other families and cultures acted as a mirror in this process. I stood momentarily outside my own assumptions. Detached from the prevailing language and certainties. It is precisely that position that can reveal what otherwise remains hidden. It accelerated, deepened and gave direction to my awareness, if that were possible.

Looking back, I can see that none of it was by chance. Everything prepared me for the work I do now and for the path I have yet to follow here.

The magic of languages
I have always felt that languages would one day play a role in my life again.
Tuning into another person in a foreign language always triggers something sparkling within me.
Like a small child at play!
I didn’t know how this might eventually take shape, but the potential was clearly palpable.

Levendige inspiratie ⭐️ ⭐️
Now – years later – something is beginning to sparkle.

On the return journey from my most recent trip, I drove through Switzerland.
A place, nestled between mountains and water, caught my attention.

The tranquillity.
The space.
The way the surroundings naturally slow you down.

It breathes and invites relaxation.
I could feel this immediately.

Switzerland has always appealed to me.
I’ve had concrete plans to work there before, but they didn’t come to fruition at the time.
Now it feels different.
Not yet as a concrete plan, but as a direction that is presenting itself.

The mountainous landscape, often combined with water, possesses a quality that fits seamlessly with the work I do. The tranquillity of the place does, as it were, already do part of the work.

Ideally suited for leading group tours(!)
Although I currently still work in a one-to-one setting, this feels like an idea with real potential.

What makes it feel particularly right for me is that several threads come together here.
The languages I have learnt – German, French and Italian – are spoken here.
Something that once began out of curiosity and without a clear destination – but which has involved years of effort – now seems to be finding its place.

As if experiences connect with one another in hindsight 💫

Whilst Switzerland feels like a potential fit for my work, I am strongly drawn to France when it comes to living. Somehow, I can already picture the places clearly in my mind.

At the moment, they are still just ideas and images, accompanied by a distinct feeling.
You could say: a fertile ground where inspiration begins and direction takes shape.

Something I have been waiting for for years.

I now recognise the clarity and vitality that come with it in a heartbeat.
Given the commitment with which I continue to hone my language skills, I have a strong feeling that it won’t stop at ‘ideas and direction’.

That means I might well turn it into a project in the future.
After all, the opportunities have already presented themselves.