[:nl]De Human of the Earth van deze week is de Nederlandse Iris Overgaauw. Iris en ik hebben elkaar leren kennen in Zarautz, Spanje in de zomer van 2012, toen we daar beide leerde surfen. In de daar op volgende jaren kwamen we elkaar af en toe tegen op het strand in Wijk aan Zee of op feestjes. Maar eigenlijk volg ik Iris, haar reizen en haar inspireren levenstijl grotendeel op haar blog The Sea is My Cup of Tea. Iris is een inspiratie voor mij en dit is haar verhaal:
My name is Iris, I am 23 years old and the place I call home is The Netherlands. The first time I experienced the rush of travelling was on my first solo trip to Cornwall, England. I was meeting up with a great artist I met (Tom James, check out his music if you can!) and planned to give WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, red.) a try. The initial plan was to stay one week, but it became six. I discovered a feeling of freedom I didn’t even know I was looking for.
I must say, even after visiting many amazing places like the Himalayas in Nepal, the South of India and different islands in Indonesia, my favorite place in the whole world is still Cornwall (and I’m afraid it will always be). I don’t know if it’s the beautiful cliffs at the seaside, the local pubs, all the artsy souls or because there are so many eco-projects and organic farms, but I fell in love!
Once I’m in another country I love to use public transfer if it’s available. Sometimes that means being squeezed in a way to crowded bus while bumping your way there and sometimes it’s enjoying a relaxed trainride. I am currently in Sri Lanka and trains here are great! I like to sit at the open doors and enjoy the views! Anyway, it’s pretty much always an adventure.
I think travelling showed me how tense I was before. Without knowing it, I was worrying about a lot of things. If I would get that train connection, if I packed all the right stuff, if people would like me, if I was doing everything ‘right’? Travelling has been my teacher and it has learned me to relax, it’s all good as it is and I found my own way by realizing that.
One special gesture from a stranger that has touched me was quite recently when we were in Lombok (Indonesia) and stayed in a small town called Gerupuk, because that’s where the surfbreak is. There was not much to do in the town and there was just a little small restaurant (it was literally about two meters wide) so we ate there almost every night. More and more people came and ate there too. They were so happy that they gifted us a bracelet and a ring with an (awfully big) stone. We always had great conversations with them and they helped us with learning Bahasa (Indonesian language).
I guess I am really lucky on how I can fund my travels, because have an online job, which earns me just enough to pay for my basic needs while travelling. Started it when studying and because I like working location-independent I never stopped. I also graduated as a yoga teacher this summer and soon I will teach yoga here in Sri Lanka to get more experience with teaching. It will be a source of income as well in the future.
Thinking of what I miss most while traveling I must say, my mom! And maybe the weather as well. I’ve lived under the sun for almost a year now and I’m ready for some rain and cold, so I can cuddle up in big sweaters with some tea, candles and a good book. I am actually not kidding. I love autumn and winter! Almost everywhere I went turned out to be totally different form how I imagined it! You can never know what it will be like until you’re there. You can read all the books and stories available, but to know a place you must explore it yourself! I have been wanting to go to Australia but I never seem to get there! It was the original plan to visit Australia this year but plans changed and I ended up visiting other (amazing) countries. I hope next year I’ll have better luck. Would love to go with a Working Holiday Visa and stay a year or so! The plan for now is Sri lanka till spring and the next trip will be touring around Europe in a van this summer. It will be my first time in Portugal and we will also visit BOOM festival 2016, which I am very excited about! One last thing I want to say is if you have a restless feeling somewhere inside, but think travelling is not for you, because you’re scared or you think can’t afford it or ‘now is not the right time’ or whatever you’re thinking, just go! You’ll do amazing! Dankjewel Iris! Wil je meer over haar weten of net als ik haar reisverhalen en tips over een natuurlijke levenstijl volgen? Check haar blog of volg haar op Instagram!
[:en]This weeks Human of the Earth is the Dutch Iris. We met each other in the summer of 2012 in Zarautz, Spain, where we both learnt to surf. In the years that followed, we ran into each other at times on the beach of Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. For the most part, I follow Iris, her travels and inspiring lifestyle on her blog The Sea is My Cup of Tea and other social media she uses. Iris is an inspiration for me. This is her story:
My name is Iris, I am 23 years old and the place I call home is The Netherlands. The first time I experienced the rush of travelling was on my first solo trip to Cornwall, England. I was meeting up with a great artist I met (Tom James, check out his music if you can!) and planned to give WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, red.) a try. The initial plan was to stay one week, but it became six. I discovered a feeling of freedom I didn’t even know I was looking for.
I must say, even after visiting many amazing places like the Himalayas in Nepal, the South of India and different islands in Indonesia, my favorite place in the whole world is still Cornwall (and I’m afraid it will always be). I don’t know if it’s the beautiful cliffs at the seaside, the local pubs, all the artsy souls or because there are so many eco-projects and organic farms, but I fell in love!
Once I’m in another country I love to use public transfer if it’s available. Sometimes that means being squeezed in a way to a crowded bus while bumping your way there and sometimes it’s enjoying a relaxed train ride. I am currently in Sri Lanka and trains here are great! I like to sit at the open doors and enjoy the views! Anyway, it’s pretty much always an adventure.
I think travelling showed me how tense I was before. Without knowing it, I was worrying about a lot of things. If I would get that train connection, if I packed all the right stuff, if people would like me, if I was doing everything ‘right’? Travelling has been my teacher and it has learned me to relax, it’s all good as it is and I found my own way by realizing that.
One special gesture from a stranger that has touched me was quite recently when we were in Lombok (Indonesia) and stayed in a small town called Gerupuk because that’s where the surf break is. There was not much to do in the town and there was just a little small restaurant (it was literally about two meters wide) so we ate there almost every night. More and more people came and ate there too. They were so happy that they gifted us a bracelet and a ring with an (awfully big) stone. We always had great conversations with them and they helped us with learning Bahasa (Indonesian language).
I guess I am really lucky on how I can fund my travels because have an online job, which earns me just enough to pay for my basic needs while travelling. Started it when studying and because I like working location-independent I never stopped. I also graduated as a yoga teacher this summer and soon I will teach yoga here in Sri Lanka to get more experience with teaching. It will be a source of income as well in the future.
Thinking of what I miss most while traveling I must say, my mom! And maybe the weather as well. I’ve lived under the sun for almost a year now and I’m ready for some rain and cold, so I can cuddle up in big sweaters with some tea, candles and a good book. I am actually not kidding. I love autumn and winter! Almost everywhere I went turned out to be totally different from how I imagined it! You can never know what it will be like until you’re there. You can read all the books and stories available, but to know a place you must explore it yourself! I have been wanting to go to Australia but I never seem to get there! It was the original plan to visit Australia this year but plans changed and I ended up visiting other (amazing) countries. I hope next year I’ll have better luck. Would love to go with a Working Holiday Visa and stay a year or so! The plan, for now, is Sri Lanka till spring and the next trip will be touring around Europe in a van this summer. It will be my first time in Portugal and we will also visit BOOM festival 2016, which I am very excited about! One last thing I want to say is if you have a restless feeling somewhere inside, but think travelling is not for you because you’re scared or you think can’t afford it or ‘now is not the right time’ or whatever you’re thinking, just go! You’ll do amazing!
Thank you Iris, for sharing your story! If you want to know more about Iris, her travel stories or her tips on natural lifestyle, check out her blog or follow her on Instagram!
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