Today was a bit of a will test. I needed to get from Anklam to Rostock because my wife Carolin was arriving there in the afternoon so that we could celebrate her birthday together. I started super early and was on the bike by 7:45 am. The first bit to Greifswald was still ok despite of the headwind. But then it started to rain cats and dogs. To make things worse the road on the remaining 40km to Stralsund consisted to 95% of cobblestones GDR-style. This was a true endurance test for man and material. I was soak, wet and tired.
After Stralsund was reached, I boarded a train and arrived in Rostock just in time to meet Carolin at the train station.
Interestingly, my Brooks handlebar tape dyed my hands during the rain.
After some very necessary laundry work and a warm shower, we had a lovely evening together at the Rostock harbor.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate Carolins birthday in Rostock. This will also be my first day off the bike since 11 days.
About 30 years ago, two zis scholarships helped me to broaden my horizon, expand my understanding of what is possible, and develop more self-confidence. zis is a non-profit organization that has been awarding scholarships for study trips to young people between the ages of 16 and 20 for more than 60 years. Today, the word we use for tenacity and grit is resilience - and I've made it my profession, to help managers around the world to develop more of this inner power.
In retrospect, the experiences I've had on these trips to Scotland and Iceland have been priceless for my development. After having had a childhood with some challenges, I learned that I could cycle 1,700km on my own and get wet every day without despairing. I have learned that I was able to get along with only 300 € for 4 weeks and still had a good time. I have learned what it's like to be threatened with deportation and how to get an interview with the President from such a crisis. I have understood that limitations are primarily constructs in our heads, and I want to make these insights available to as many adolescents as possible.
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