Keeping up

The last 2 – 3 months have been a rush. I’ve been flying all over Europe, rushing from one place to the next, barely sleeping in my own bed. At the end of October I was in Romania for Halloween, straight through to Greece for work. Then after one night in my own bed I had my holiday in Iran for 2 weeks. Shortly after work brought me to Barcelona. Then I decided to go back to the Netherlands for Christmas and after a few days at the office, I went on my ski holiday. So much has happened that I haven’t even had time to process it all.

At work I’m still trying to round up all summer related things, while also preparing for the next summer. In my personal life I’m trying to figure out how I feel about my living situation, although I’m not sure it matters since I am barely here anyway. And I’m still writing my stories about Iran, putting photos in my album, while I snap new ones of new adventures. My brain can barely process all that is happening and perhaps that’s not a bad thing, since I can easily get overwhelmed with it all.

Last week I stepped on a plane to France for, what I think, was a much needed holiday. The whole ride I thought about work, about what I needed to do and wanted to achieve. My brain didn’t stop and I even took out my laptop while waiting for the transfer at Geneva airport. Then a drunk English/Russian guy, about 10 years older than I am, is trying to get a date with me. The conversation is quite entertaining. When my transfer arrives I have no problem leaving him though. On the bus things still keep popping into my head and I make notes on my phone as a reminder. Then the bus arrives in La Plagne. Finally!

Dinner is still on, so I check in quickly and make my way to the dining room, where I join a table with two girls. Both of them are travelling alone as well and we decide to go skiing together the next day. One of them even turns out to be my roommate. Last year was the first time I travelled with UCPA and I am so happy I found out about this. It’s perfect for solo travellers! The accommodation in La Plagne is super nice. We have a 4-bed dorm that is comfortable and looks new and clean. There is a big ski storage room with lockers for each room and boot heaters. There is a bar and a big terrace. And we are right on the slopes!

On the first day I ski with the two girls and we explore a fair bit of the ski resort. La Plagne has mostly blue and red runs, so the terrain is pretty easy. The sun is shining and it feels like it’s spring already. We do end up finding a piste that throws me off guard. At the top it says ‘difficult piste’. Once we are on it I actually say: “This isn’t bad at all!” Halfway down the piste is another sign. ‘Watch out. Minimal snow cover’. Well… that one freaked me out. There were rocks and brown patches everywhere. I knew I was perfectly capable of skiing this, but the sign got into my head and made me ski like a beginner. But we got down.

Work was completely off my mind and I was able to let go of everything. All that mattered was the snow. You get into a nice routine of getting up around 7.30AM, having breakfast, getting ready, joining class or ski on your own, have lunch, ski again, shower, eat, have a few drinks and sleep. Everything is taken care of and you don’t have to think about anything. The week was perfect, with perfectly groomed slopes and sunshine like it was March.

I had half day lessons and we covered something different every day. The first day mainly focussed on the right stance. On the second day we went into carving. On the third day we did short turns. But my favourite day was the last one. For some reason there were only 4 of us. Our instructor took us through the trees. It was an easy tree run, but it still looked intimidating. The French guy at the front stacked it and we all learned to take it easy. I got through it alright and got a confidence boost. Then the French guy decided to call it a day, so there were only 3 English speaking people left.

The rest of the afternoon was great. I asked if we could ski more bumps, so we went to the beginner mogul field next to the piste. I may not have looked very professional, but I felt great hopping over the moguls in a fairly steady rhythm. We kept going and found natural half pipes and bits of off piste terrain that challenged us somewhat but didn’t stress us out. I can’t believe how quickly the week flew by. On day 4 I had a tough time. My calves were killing me, but I pushed through and the muscles loosened up. I felt myself get stronger every day. It was tiring, but satisfying and on day 6 I didn’t want to stop. I was devastated when I handed my skis back in.

I’d met so many people and heard so many ski stories. I’d sat in the sunshine, eating lunch on the terrace, as if it was summer. I played card games with other skiers in the evening and joined the silly games at the bar. I definitely got my confidence on skis back, as well as my passion. A week like this got my mind off work, but made me doubt all my decisions.

I miss this life. I wouldn’t want to teach again, but to live in the mountain, in the snow. I really want to find a winter where I can take a few months to live in the snow and ski every day. To reach that level where you can conquer pretty much anything on the mountain. To make it look effortless, like my instructor. I miss the fresh air, being active, and feeling alive! For now nothing’s going to change, but I am looking at another week in the snow this year.

Tomorrow I’m back at the office. I’ll have to let work back into my head. I’ll be in the office for all of 4 days. Then I’m off to Canada. It’s for work, but still, it’ll be a different environment. I’ll never stand still. Life is busier than ever. I’m just trying to keep up with myself.