Home and Away
Welcome back to paradise.
Arriving back at the sunshine coast felt really special. After seven weeks of discovering countless spots of Australia, this place remains our favourite.
Without a doubt, Queensland is beautiful. The state is called the sunshine state for a reason but that is by far not ours for coming back up here.
We already lived here for three months last year, but had initially planned to stay in Melbourne as from December on until we go back to Switzerland. Don't get us wrong. Melbourne was a lot of fun! We met a bunch of great people, caught up with old friends and got in some valuable racing experience.
Nevertheless, if there is one thing we learnt along this journey, it is to be adaptable and dare to fail. If you really feel like changing something, do it.
Irrespective of the outcome, trying is what matters.
Only a few weeks into training at the sunny coast, we both knew that this is more than what we could have ever asked for. Offering a strucutred training programm, a supportive surrounding and truly passionate people. This is our place to be, if we want to grow in our sport. Realizing that our original plan is no longer what we wanted, took a bit of nerves. Eight months abroad may seem long, but once you have settled, the time flies! As we want to get the best out of these months, flexibility is fundamental. Having said that, the decision was clear and we had to re-organize quite a lot. Thanks to incredibly helpful people, a lot of unexpected support and trust in us and our mission, we found a new place to stay and could hardly wait to make our way up to the coast again.
At the end of our unforgettable family trip, we packed our things and started heading back north to Queensland where we arrived a bit over a week ago. Just now, we can both tell that this new plan was worth every doubt we had. Living and training with locals, we really get to know the country as it is. It is the pure lifestyle of living at the east coast and training from dusk till dawn. Giving our best every day and trying to improve in all aspects of being athletes feels irreplaceable.
Switzerland seems to be a foreign word for some people over here. Current events at home, such as carnival - our fifth season, three kings day, watching alpine ski races in front of the TV or snowy mornings do not make their way to this side of the world. To be honest, missing out on these things, currently does not bother either one of us. Even less than we expected, as we met people who share and understand our interests. People who strive for excellence with passion for dreams not many at home or anywhere else understand.
Life is not going to last forever.
If you can, live it the way you want. Always remember, that if you follow someone elses path, you won't leave any footprints.
Every morning when we wake up, we keep in mind that this period of living the dream is limited. Day by day, we appreciate what we can currently call our life and go out there trying to be the best version of ourselves.
We might be far away but this starts to feel like home.
(yes, this last line is inspired by the australian televiosion soap - wanting to prove everyone, that we really get to know down under.)