f i r s t d a y i n u b u d
17 september 2025 ubud, bali
i still remember the first morning i woke up in ubud.
the first thing i did was open the curtains of my little wooden room. then i climbed back into bed and looked out at the banana plants, palm trees, and jungle just beyond my window. in that moment, i knew i was exactly where i was supposed to be and somehow, i instantly felt that i would fall in love with this place.
from that moment on, bali felt a little like home. like arriving. and i still carry that feeling with me today.
...
but the story really begins the evening before.
after a long journey from germany, i had finally arrived in bali. my nervous system felt completely overwhelmed and exhausted. i carried all the goodbyes and sadness with me, but also the excitement for everything that was waiting ahead. when i arrived at my little wooden room in the heart of ubud, i suddenly felt incredibly alone. it was already dark outside and rain was pouring down. the kind of darkness where you can barely see what is only a few meters away. i ordered a curry with tempeh and a slice of carrot cake to my room, hoping it might make me feel just a little better.
deep inside, i knew this journey would become something beautiful and life-changing. i trusted that from the very beginning. at the same time, i felt a deep respect for everything that was still unknown.
that evening, i wrote in my journal:
“after a 28-hour journey, almost no sleep, little food, but many tears, i arrived in ubud — in darkness and rain. now i am lying here in my first little airbnb room, crying. i feel overwhelmed and lonely. but i also know that i chose this. and that beautiful adventures are waiting for me. i simply need a little time to arrive, to adjust to this new environment, the distance, and the jet lag. until then, i repeat my mantra: i am open to new experiences and i trust the path.”
the next morning, after almost ten hours of sleep, i opened the curtains and looked straight into the jungle. i climbed back into bed and simply watched nature and i felt it immediately.
this place is magical and it will change me.
a place that will shape me. a place i will carry deeply in my heart and return to again and again.
that morning, i started my day with breakfast, incense, and a long journaling session. overwhelmed with gratitude, i wrote:
“it's crazy what ten hours of sleep can do to a person. now i'm sitting here and i could cry — not because of homesickness, but because of gratitude that i can be here in such a beautiful place. that i have this incredible yoga teacher training ahead of me. that i am doing something so good for my body and soul. that i chose this life for myself and dreamed about it for so long. this morning it became real for the first time. i opened the curtains and looked out onto this beautiful balcony surrounded by jungle. i lay back down in bed and felt completely overwhelmed — overwhelmed with gratitude, motivation, inspiration, and self-love. i felt exactly right, exactly where i was supposed to be.”
less than twelve hours earlier, i had been lying in the very same room feeling overwhelmed, lonely, exhausted, and unsure.
and suddenly, everything felt different.
even though nothing around me had changed.
but somehow, i had arrived, in bali and in myself.
