To be honest, making the decision to go to the Kur was a big deal for me! First of all- how was I going to be away from my babies for so long? I’ve traveled without them before, but I think the longest I was ever away was just nine days... three weeks was an entirely different thing.
Logistics
Considerations for timing and logistics were major factors when it came time to decide if this was something I was really going to do. Fortunately, both of my kids are in care during the day (full day Grundschule and Kindergarten) and my husband was super supportive of me taking this time for myself. That being said- there are still lots of logistics to coordinate! While I am away, my husband can’t travel for work, so we need to clear that calendar. I also needed to consider my work schedule. As I am a solo-preneur, if I’m not working, no one is covering for me… so I needed to be sure to schedule my classes and commitments in advance or after my return. There is also the school calendar to think about, along with the weather. As all of the locations are so far away, and tend to have a bit colder weather than we have here in Frankfurt, I wanted to be sure that I was planning to go when the weather would be getting warmer and I would have some sunshine to keep me company. The last thing I wanted to was to be seven hours away from home, by myself, in the dark and the cold. So I needed to aim for Spring/early Summer in terms of timing. This was also important because I didn’t want to go once the school holidays started. My husband and I already share the summer coverage when the boys are home, but to go during the school holidays and put that full responsibility on him felt not only unfair- it meant we wouldn’t have enough days off work for a family trip later in the year. I also, if possible, wanted to avoid missing any of my kids birthdays and the start of school. So- when a spot came up with a start date of April 31st, the timing was just about perfect. The only hiccup was that there are so many holidays in May, so it’s a bit of extra work for my hubby, and I wasn’t sure how that would be accommodated at the Kur facility. Still, it checked 90% of the boxes so when the application was approved, I accepted the invitation.
Then the next phase of considerations really started buzzing around in my head…”Is my German good enough?”, “Will I be able to fully participate?”, “Will I get along with the other women?” etc. I’ve never done something like this before, taken so much time by myself, let alone in another language! My head was spinning with worries, and with gratitude and excitement. This is not something that would ever be available to me in America. My health insurance company had approved for me to take a three-week vacation as a preventative measure before my health took a turn due to stress. My only expenses were a 10 Euro daily co-pay and the travel costs to the clinic (which may be reimbursed). What an incredible gift! How could I not do it? And…. What if…what if… what if….??? In the end, I didn’t book my train until TWO DAYS before I was set to leave, because I was so worried about the language and the dynamics of the experience. I was afraid to be the only foreigner, and afraid I would feel lonely or trapped. And- there was only one way to find out! In the worst-case scenario, I could come home early (but then your insurance doesn’t necessarily cover the expenses) and in the best-case scenario, I would get some peace and quiet, my nervous system would regulate, and I would leave with some new tools to manage life back at home.
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