The time has finally come—we’re about to head off. We are sitting on the plane to Bangkok with mixed feelings, where we’ll be spending New Year’s Eve. In early January, we’ll continue our journey to Christchurch.

We used this past Christmas break to truly connect with dear friends and family, enjoying beautiful moments together, dwelling on fond memories, and dreaming up plans for the years ahead. It was a really emotional and teary goodbye at Regensburg station with my kids and our parents just before. We won’t be seeing each other in person for a while now.”

On one hand, we are excited about all the new experiences and people we’ll encounter in the coming weeks and months. On the other hand, we are incredibly sad to be leaving so many loved ones behind for such a long time. But thanks to WhatsApp, we can stay in touch despite the long distance.

After the stress of the last few weeks, we are looking forward to finally being on our way.