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Harriet Online as a guest at Jeanette Neidhardt-Rosenberger's residential school
Letting go and making a fresh start in Africa for our idea of life and home is a topic that fits in well with the residential school. After all, the Wohnschule offers anyone who wants to find out and learn what living means to them personally and ask themselves how they want to live and live, a varied programme of workshops, lectures, seminars - and a blog. Jeanette conducted the interview with me for this blog. And we are delighted if we can inspire not only the participants of the Wohnschule but also you, enjoy:
J: You sold your home and have been living in the trailer since 2022 - what motivated you to take this radical step?
H: A little back story: Even before we got together in our late twenties, each of us (my husband Stefan and I) travelled a lot on adventurous trips. And so our long-distance trips together, lasting several weeks, were always our highlights, the memories of which we still carry deep within us today - memories of vastness, nature, adventure, time, a reduced life and togetherness. Then everyday life, jobs and self-employment took over more and more, the intervals between our trips became longer and the duration shorter. We both built up, moved and achieved a lot - and lost a lot in the process: time, health and freedom. The years were similar and just flew by. What remained was the longing for more freedom, well-being and self-determination.
Suddenly a car accident stopped me 4 weeks after moving into the new house. Everything could have been over from one day to the next. Slowly, the thought of questioning our way of life crept in. And Corona three years later, with all its human, social and economic pain, made us voice these quiet thoughts. We took a closer and deeper look at our lives, which we don't know how long we will be allowed to live - even together. And we realised that ours has far too much of the external, material and externally determined and far too little of what our souls really need.
Then it was a single question that prompted us to take this step: When and where have we always been happiest? And the answer was the decision:
Living in nature, travelling, getting to know countries and people, in silence, discovering habitats and animals. With a lot of time and materially reduced.
We are going all-in: letting go comes before freedom.
J: What does "home" mean to you today - without fixed walls, but with a constantly changing horizon?
H: For us, home is in nature. We don't just travel around, we also live in many of the places we discover. This freedom to simply stay spontaneously for as long as we want is a luxury for us. Being there with our trailer, experiencing the times of day/night and seasons, the weather, the rhythm of nature, animals and the many details up close is wonderful. Our life takes place outside - even our kitchen from the trailer is outside.
For us, a home is not tied to a fixed place that we have chosen for ourselves, such as back in Germany. A home can be anywhere: wherever we like it. Where people welcome us. Or where our current inner need is most satisfied: Sometimes it's the rugged mountains or green valleys, then the blue sea. Sometimes the vastness and silence of the desert, then the wild bush.
This changing horizon opens us up. We feel at home, enjoy and let go again. For the next home.
J: What inner changes have you experienced since you have separated yourself from so many material things?
H: A lot of material things were apparently important to me, as interior design was also my profession. I was proud of our beautiful house, which was completely customised to our needs. I enjoyed beautiful objects, colours and materials - and still do.
But the abundance of material things only makes our lives full on the outside and has nothing to do with a fulfilled life.
Today, instead of sitting in an Eames DAR from Vitra, I sit in a camping chair, eat from an enamel plate instead of Danish porcelain or enjoy a hot shower, even without a roof, mixer tap and underfloor heating - and I'm happy!
J: How do you still create your space in the trailer that gives you a retreat and a "home"?
H: The trailer interior is simple and suitable for off-road use, yet designed to be cosy in line with the guiding principle "form follows function" 😉 It was important to us to be able to use all areas and functions simultaneously by both of us without having to convert them. So we also created two separate areas that offer privacy: A large bed in the back, which also serves as a lounge area - I like to lounge here to listen to music or write, for example. And at the front of the trailer we have a dinette (a combination of a table and two benches facing each other).
We love our trailer home, which gives us shelter in the wind, rain or from wild animals. We enjoy cosy evenings inside when it gets too chilly outside. There is also winter in Africa.
But very often - like our whole lives - retreats also take place outside: there is plenty of space for a yoga mat and gym, for a chair for reading or listening, paths for running and sometimes for mountain biking.
J: Were there moments on the road when you missed your old home?
H: Even if it sounds almost unbelievable - no, not a single moment! Not for either of us. I'm a bit surprised myself, I had expected that there could be moments like that.
But they didn't materialise - no missing the house, which is only 5 years old, no missing the harmoniously designed furnishings and furniture, no missing the comfortable equipment and utensils, no missing the multitude of clothes, shoes and accessories - nothing, on the contrary: I feel free. And light. Because little also requires little time and money for purchase and care. And not missing them shows me that these things are not really important and that our decision is absolutely right.
J: What have you learnt about yourself since you've been travelling - away from routines, furniture and fixed spaces?
H: A lot - our new life is not just a journey to Africa, it is a journey to ourselves.
For example, I have learnt to live fully in the here and now. No more plans and control, just let life happen. With this trust and openness, I have been able to experience an incredible number of wonderful encounters, fascinating places, exciting adventures and unforgettable moments that I could never have planned 😉
So much more fits into our lives than what we have pinned down by our outer and inner corset.
At the same time, I deal with unforeseen events and challenges in a completely different way. There's nothing to be worried about, because they can no longer disrupt plans. They are simply there. And want to be solved quickly. Because in our reduced lives, a problem usually has a direct impact. I am now even better at this than before: finding and implementing solutions!
I have also learnt to focus on life and the obligations surrounding it, not the other way around. I have found what I must have been looking for for a long time: to shape my life in a self-determined way.
J: If you were to settle down again one day, what would your new home look like?
H: The thought of settling down and building a house again is still a long way off, but I'm gathering lots of ideas in my head through travelling and my experiences in the various home locations and visits to hospitable people - once an interior designer, always an interior designer 😉 Thanks for the question, it now puts these inspirations on paper:
At the moment, I see a small, cosy farmhouse in a mountainous landscape with green oases, an unobstructed panoramic view and the sea on the horizon. Built in a U-shape on a platform so that it can nestle into the landscape, its shapes and unevenness. Large (sliding) doors lead from all areas onto surrounding, interconnected wooden terraces, some of which are slightly translucent. Inside, the house is open to the roof and perfectly orientated towards all points of the compass:
To the east, towards the sunrise, a separate area for the bed and bathroom with an additional outdoor shower. To the north (here in southern Africa, the sun moves across the north to the west) is the open-plan kitchen and dining area, which is extended by the central terrace (atrium/patio open to the front) with brick barbecue, sheltered from the wind by the side walls of the U-shape. A wood-burning stove/fireplace inside provides warmth in winter. Ribbon windows on the south side. To the west is the living area, which leads over footbridges to the fireplace and seating and sundowner areas scattered around the grounds.
The farm building is designed in natural (typical local) materials and natural colours with dark contrasts. Reduced, functional furnishings with comfortable, harmoniously moulded new and used furniture. A mix of African-rural-Scandinavian, inviting and cosy.
Dear Jeanette, thank you very much for the great interview, your interest and our exchange. I really enjoyed it and I'm delighted that we've stayed in touch, even at a distance, since we met over 10 years ago through our jobs!
Jeanette is an interior designer, lighting planner, expert in home psychology and founder of the Wohnschule. You can find more information about her here, feel free to follow her:
Possible questions for your personal journey of discovery:
Do you know exactly how you want to live and live?
Is there anything that doesn't feel good about your current home?
What is missing?
Have you ever asked yourself whether what you have set up still suits you?
Possible questions for your personal journey of discovery:
Do you know exactly how you want to live and live?
Is there anything that doesn't feel good about your current home?
What is missing?
Have you ever asked yourself whether what you have set up still suits you?
2 responses
It's nice to know that you have found your home in "being on the road". Bon voyage to new adventures!
Thank you very much dear Freddie 🥰