Interview mit Olive Green Anna: Minimal life, Tiny House Bewegung und alternativer Lebensraum
1. Anna Baer : Van life
In dieser neuen Blogreihe berichten wir über Freunde und Bekannte, die dem 2ZKB-Dasein den Rücken kehren und einen andersartigen Lebensort gewählt haben. Vielleicht nur für einen Sommer lang. Vielleicht als Zwischen-, Zweit-oder Dauerlösung.
Anna und Dominik Baer sind so ein Paar und Team, dass sich vor einer Weile einen Van gekauft hat, um diesen tour- sowie urlaubsmäßig umzubauen.
Anna ist für mich die Verkörperung des alternativen Lebensstils. Sie kam vor einigen Jahren über den großen Teich nach Heidelberg, um ihre große Sandkastenliebe zu heiraten. Beide sind Musiker, oft auf Tour, wenn sie zuhause sind, arbeiten sie als Lehrer und Künstler. Daneben hat Anna noch einen erfolgreichen Vintage Shop, z.Zt. nur online, und sie produziert ihre eigene Naturkosmetiklinie. Zusätzlich kollaboriert sie zwischendurch an einer alternativen Modekollektion und braut ihr eigenes Craft Beer.
Annas Antworten werden demnächst übersetzt. Bis dahin viel Vergnügen mit dem englisch-deutschen Interview!
Q: Anna, ihr seid diesen Sommer mit eurem Van unterwegs. Wohin geht denn die Reise und wie lange wird es dauern? Habt ihr ein Ziel?
Anna: Hi Julia, thanks for asking all about VanLife. It's a really special experience.
Part of Scandinavia is our summer goal. We played shows in northern Germany and Denmark in our first two weeks on the road and now we are having 3 weeks of vacation, in Sweden and Norway. Our final goal, before we head back south, is Bergen, Norway and fjord country. We've heard such wonderful things.
Q: Wann kamt ihr auf die Idee, euch einen Van zu kaufen und daraus ein Musik-Wohn-Mobil zu bauen?
A: We have always wanted to spend at least a summer in a camper/wohnmobil. It was on our five year plan we noticed from 2012. Dominik has also always dreamed of having us travel as a duo playing his music and being on tour for a while. So, last winter when we decided not to buy a house we put some of our savings aside for a camper van. We lucked out with one with 6 seats and a partial interior. We have done a lot of interior renovations and the motor has been significantly repaired since we bought it.
Q: Um einen großen Trip zu Planen müsstet ihr euch sicher sehr reduzieren und das Volumen für Gepäck und Lifestyle Dinge genau berechnen. Fiel euch das schwer?
A: I moved to Germany with two suit cases, and we lived in a tiny 50 square meter studio flat for our first two years of marriage, so living with few things, and in close quarters was known to us. We just had to go back to the question of, what do we need?
We brought a ton of music equipment. We were playing a tour, so we needed that. Almost the whole storage space under the bed is instruments, sound equipment and Dominik Baer merch. We were not minimal in the music department.
We each have two little wooden boxes of clothes. 5ish books each, journals, minimal art supplies, a few games, and some food and cooking equipment. We even have a little cooler and a toilet. It's all very small but it makes being on the road for several weeks comfortable and cozy.
Q: ihr seid jetzt gerade in Skandinavien unterwegs! Habt ihr etwas wichtiges vergessen?
A: I can't think of anything we have forgotten. We have mostly everything we have needed in our little home on wheels. Friends, maybe, but we'll see them when we go back home.
Q: Kannst du dir vorstellen, dauerhaft in einem mobilen Heim zu wohnen? Und wie sieht Dominik das?
A: Yes, we dream of being on the road for months at a time. We are expecting our first baby and we think babies like to be in motion and in nature so it could be a great place to spend its first years of life. We love the simplicity of life in the van, so we're hoping to spend a lot of our parental leave on the road. We'll see how it works when the baby comes.
Q: Tiny House movement wird auch hier in Deutschland immer öfter gegoogelt / beliebter. Was meinst du: Woran mag das liegen?
A: I think people are interested in living more simplistic lives. Trying to be more present in life, not focusing so much on things, but on experience. I love waking up in a different place every morning and spending time doing things that make me happy. Having fewer things to take care, of and dust, make more time for adventuring, and living!
I think we (as a people) are also beginning to be more intentional about what we buy and the impact we have on our environment. Consuming less and creating less waste can be positive changes for the environment.
Q: Hast du noch einen Tipp für alle, die auch ein #vanlife leben möchten?
Start saving up now! Make a list of attributes that are a must have in your van... How many seats? Do you need a lot of storage space? Do you need a shower?
Then take a look at how much something that would fit you, would cost. That's your savings goal. Then pick a place/area you've been wanting to travel to, and set a realistic, wonderful, reachable goal! Best of luck.