Do you believe in the law of attraction? I was only half convinced, until the day I rode a horse, dressed in traditional Kyrgyz clothes, into my own wedding in the mountains.
From near-depression to my first taste of freedom
At 25, I started my own brand, Little OH! handmade jewelry. It was one of the biggest turning points of my life. Back then I worked in an office and was close to depression, and for the first time I felt freedom, creativity and a sense of fulfilment.
Over the next ten years I flew abroad to promote the brand, and had more time to backpack around the world, traveling independently through more than thirty countries. The most unusual of them was Kyrgyzstan, which lifted the veil on mysterious Central Asia: unspoiled Silk Road landscapes and warm, funny, hospitable people left a deep impression on me.
"Did you ever imagine your life would include something like this?"
My Swiss friend Angie asked me this. To her, our traditional wedding in the Kyrgyz mountains was incredibly cool: riding in on horseback, building our own yurt, wearing traditional clothes.
Soaking in a hot spring, I thought about it for a moment: actually, it wasn't that surprising.
- I probably own thirty to fifty books about mountains.
- I've always loved minority cultures: Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, Tibet, northern Thailand, Yunnan…
- I never wanted a white Western wedding dress. Traditional clothes and weddings, on the other hand, always made me excited.
The next chapter
It was the law of attraction that brought me all the way to Kyrgyzstan, a country surrounded by the Tien Shan. My heart is full of gratitude: my life has turned to its next chapter, and together with Bek I look forward to it and work at shaping the days ahead.
Life is full of surprises like this. I accept every setback and challenge, and when I want to give up on a mountain climb, I tell myself:
The pain will pass, the beauty will stay! Just hold on a little longer!
