“Follow your dreams, Jen!”, was Cathie saying while I turned around to continue towards the Atlantic Ocean. I never saw her again, and only later did I understand what this encounter and this simple phrase meant to me. I hardly knew her for a few hours and yet the encounter with her has left a mark and changed my life. It’s about these little special encounters with people which fascinate me.
So, I am Jen. I’m 27 years old. I don’t like summer, but I love autumn and winter. I love cats, snow, pasta, to clean up, sleeping, doing things for the first time and stormy weather. I was raised up in Recklinghausen, a town within the heart of an area called “Ruhrgebiet” in the very west of Germany. I studied molecular Biology at Ruhr University Bochum and just finished my Master’s degree. I love being outside in nature and experiencing adventures. As scaredy cat I walked from France through the North of Spain on the Camino de Santiago in 2015. This experience changed my life. Not only did I discover my passion for hiking, but also for traveling and languages. I love to meet new people and learn about foreign cultures. The world is full of friends, you just don’t know them yet. My goal is to grow in my experience and become the best person I can be. I just love to take my backpack and go. That’s meant freedom to me. The simple things in life makes me happy.
After my graduation in summer 2018 I went out to live one of my dreams. I sold all my stuff, grabbed my bicycle and went to Japan. There wasn’t any plan at all, but the imagination was to cycle as far as I can and maybe find a place to be someday. Well, I just trusted destiny and was excited where the trail was leading me. Accidentally, I found a job in Japan, an amazing project which hits all my scientific interested and it was too perfect to skip. So, I moved to Ōsaka. If there is any city I could choose to live, without any doubt it would be Ōsaka. Now, living in Japan I enjoy a very special journey: Everyday life.
In my free time, I really like doing sports. Without sports I feel kind of uncompleted. In addition to hiking I love rock climbing. Indoor, outdoor, it doesn’t matter. While climbing you have to fight your own fear and force your body to fully exploit its power. Once you hanging out in a difficult spot, trying to perform the next move knowing you probably fail and fall down it’s all about you to fight your fear and move your body to perform the impossible. You gather all your power and reach for the next hold. And suddenly you grabbed it, all your muscles are tensioned and you just did it. While climbing you just live the moment. That’s excites me. Sitting on top of a mountain, after passing a difficult climbing route means freedom to me.
My second great passion is Taekwondo. I started practicing as a child and the martial arts is my most important teacher. The lessons I learned had a high impact of my life and my journey. And luckily Taekwondo never stops teaching.
There is one special person in my life, which makes my heart jump. Always. No matter what he is doing. His nickname is Tigerli and he is my fellow. Just watching him makes me calm and happy. We understand each other without any words. We have several things in common. He likes to sleep a lot in my comfy bed and used to take a shower -together with me- every morning. I’m not kidding! He is very patient and never gets angry or scratchy. He is friendly and unbiased to every person and has a clever and beautiful mind which delights my every day.
Tales of trails 