Summer of stories
Sara – August 2018
Thanks to my incredible team, I was able to take a few days off and get a real change of setting. Before I left, I was struggling to take in and process any new information since we have been learning and working so much over the past months. I was sure that I needed some quiet time at the beach to get my thoughts sorted, and I wanted to read and write and think.
Looking back on my time in Portugal, I did, more or less … none of that. Instead of alone time, I decided to travel with friends to places full of interesting people from all over the world. We hopped from one hostel to another, socializing with awesome people. Our generation, traveling as much as we do, we have all experienced those kinds of trips where you stay in colorful hostels, sleep in large dorms, and meet new people every day. So we know it. We’ve always loved it, but at some point we might tell ourselves that we need quiet and privacy on holidays in order to get a balance to our day-to-day stress. But is quiet and thoughts about the issues at home what we need to relax?
Moreover, do we need quiet and time alone in foreign places that are exciting and bear the chance of exciting encounters?
What strikes me, now that I am back, is that being on this kind of trip where you get to know new people every day did not tire me down, but built me up. Listening to other people’s stories forces you to think less about your own problems. But even more importantly, at the same time, it still helps you analyze your own story. You quickly get into the practice of pitching yourself and processing people’s reactions to it. My friend very wisely said that these encounters help you to reflect your own life in a way no friend or coach could ever do.
For me this was the first time staying in hostels since I founded CoWomen. Looking back, I have to say that I was talking much more enthusiastically about our dream project at the end of my trip than in the beginning. Maybe because I gained energy from the fun things we did or the awesome people we met, but maybe it was just very helpful to get out of the ecosystem in Berlin where everyone is a founder and where I was in a similar setting. Don’t get me wrong, I could not wish for any other place to live at the moment, or any other community than the one I surround myself with, but on this trip, I learned that a change of setting can also mean a change of community for a few days. And this change can help you forget the daily issues and instead work on the bigger picture of your own story.
Even though I felt completely filled up on impressions when I started the trip, I feel refreshed and ready to start a new week in the chapter of CoWomen now!
At CoWomen, we want to strengthen the exchange and cooperation between networks. I now know once and again that having a colorful community is extremely important for your own development and this can only be achieved by being open and merging networks together. I’m looking forward to put this in practice. Let’s start cooperating!
