Not Today Danny! Not Today Blog 1
For most of my life, I lived in Germany until I decided to become an expatriate in South East Asia. Visiting every country in South East Asia, taking part in the Tokyo Marathon, earning 1500 $ a week driving a tractor in Australia – this all wouldn’t have happened if I had stayed in Germany. Welcome to Not Today Blog.
Hey! It’s Danny. Let’s change the world 🌏
I am Danny. I am 25 years old, born and raised in Germany. My mother is Indonesian, my father is German. 10-year-old Danny’s dream was to become either a professional Handball player or win the X Games. For my whole life, my favourite things to do were sports, meeting friends, going to school (to meet my friends) and going camping in Italy. Oh, and partying.
When I turned 18, I thought I needed to get rich. I started reading self-help books like “The Winners Laws – 30 Absolutely Unbreakable Habits of Success: Everyday Step-by-Step Guide to Rich and Happy Life”. I quickly learned what being rich really meant to me. Through Tim Ferris’ “4-hour-work-week” I discovered that the freedom to do whatever I wanted, wherever I wanted, was my definition of being rich.
2015, I became an Electronics Technician. A bad one too! Haha! Instead of pursuing a career in electronics I packed my bags and left Germany.
(International) Best Friends
I loved being on the road. Seeing new places and making new friends was incredible. One of my highlights was when I met Danny (yes, we share that name) in Vietnam. My friend Seb and I made him ditch his non-refundable flight back to England and join us to go to Australia. He ended up staying in Australia for 2.5 years!
Meeting locals in Asia made travelling special. They taught me a lot about the culture and showed me what true kindness means.
I went back to Germany in 2016 to see my family and friends. That same year my family and I decided to move to Indonesia. I have been based in Jakarta, Indonesia ever since.
After a year or two, my friends from back home must have realised that I wasn’t going to move back to Germany any time soon. They started visiting me more frequently in Asia ever since, which I loved.
Tight Spots
The year before I left Germany was intense. During the day I was an Electronics apprentice. At night I was studying Business Administration. I was running on 4 hours of sleep, not knowing which of the two I wanted to pursue.
Being abroad has had its downsides too. Adjusting to environments can be tough.
One time I ran out of money in Australia. I had minus 40 EUR in my bank account. Dealing with Asia’s pollution and poverty was hard at times. And the girls I found most interest in were usually living on the other side of the world.
These situations needed adapting! In Australia, I rapidly managed to find myself a farm job. One and a half weeks later my new Australian bank account showed + 990 AUD. The week after that, it showed + 1,863 AUD. And then 2,963.20 AUD!
The kindness and raw happiness of people in Asia showed me that no circumstances should ever stop you from smiling. My friends taught me that every place in the world was just a flight away. Friendship and love don’t know distance.
Being abroad has had its downsides too. Adjusting to environments can be tough.
Why Not Today?
Today the “Been”-app on my phone shows that I have visited 10% of all the countries in the world. That is 21% Europe, 23% of Asia and 6% of Oceania. My desire to see new places is higher than ever.
Living in Asia enables me to visit Singapore, Bali and many other places within a couple of hours. Life is short. There is no time to procrastinate on the things that make you happy.
So, why not today?
Why not today sign up for that class, start with that sport, or simply book the flights to one of the places you have always wanted to visit.
This is my new blog. The Not Today Blog. I will frequently upload stories about adventures, sports, creativity, silence and living abroad. You are more than welcome to return to this page every now and then to read my new blogs. Or if you want you can sign up here for my monthly newsletter. (Don’t worry I’ve got a life too, I swear won’t spam ya x)
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I have mentioned a few books here. If you want to know more about my favourite books, click here.
(Oh, btw I never won the X Games; I never became a professional sportsperson.)
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