The Two AM Club: "Collecting Stories: A Discussioncast on Embracing Diverse Approaches to Raising Children Around the World.

"Beyond Convenience: Choosing Growth Over Comfort"

• Moeava and Svenja • Season 1 • Episode 16

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Our season finale!!!!!!

Our family is preparing for yet another transformative journey, as we plan to relocate to a new country. While professional reasons and the necessity to depart from Dubai initially drove our decision, our hearts had already been yearning for change. With Svenja's pregnancy and the birth of Munanui, we opted to postpone the move temporarily, but now, the time has come for us restless souls to embark on a new adventure.

Our primary focus remains on nurturing our child's resilience amidst change. We refuse to settle for mere convenience; instead, we embrace the growth that arises from overcoming challenges. Despite having moved across six countries in the past, this relocation marks our first as a family unit. With a toddler in tow, our reality is swiftly evolving, and we eagerly welcome each moment, acknowledging our fears while also recognizing that they will fortify us as individuals and parents.

Our relocation extends beyond the physical act of packing boxes; it's a holistic endeavor aimed at simplifying our lives, reconnecting with nature, reveling in fresh open air, and reclaiming a sense of normalcy.

As we gear up for the upcoming season of our podcast, we extend our gratitude to our loyal listeners for their unwavering support. Together, we not only share our own journey but also shed light on the inspiring narratives of fellow families, embracing the occasionally chaotic yet beautiful tapestry of family life.

We strive to live life, not just as a lifestyle!

Moeava:

Hello and welcome to our podcast, the 2am Club.

Svenja :

The hunney Bunnies.

Moeava:

Hello my love, how are you doing. Hello All right, so this is going to be a really fast, quick podcast, right Actually?

Svenja :

I kind of feel like talking. You always feel like talking.

Moeava:

Tell me the contrary. You're right. All right, but I mean what's been going on? Do we want to do a podcast right now?

Svenja :

Well, let's just give a little bit of an update.

Moeava:

I mean, okay, the biggest update is we are finally moving, exactly, we are moving to a new location To a new country, exactly To be disclosed To be disclosed later on. Yes, and that's why we've been off the podcast radio. How would you call it? Radio waves? I guess would be the thing Right.

Svenja :

Our rhythm got a bit interrupted. So many things were happening and yeah, but we're very excited it's going to happen by end of this month and we just wanted to say hello, tell you guys, we're still here. The podcast will continue. Don't give up on us.

Moeava:

Because a lot of people were actually asking, like, what was going on? What's like why isn't there another podcast coming out, and stuff like that. And so we were overwhelmed by the amount of work that, even though it's our sixth move, right. Right, but it's still a lot of stuff that needs to be done Breaking contracts and all the other stuff.

Svenja :

It's also mentally to be honest, right. So as much as we are used to it, but just the excitement about it all.

Moeava:

Exactly, this is Muna Nui's first move.

Svenja :

Yes, first, and by the way, we're not talking move like move houses.

Moeava:

Yeah, it's not like from Dubai to Abu Dhabi or something like that.

Svenja :

Exactly, it's the sixth cross country move in 13, 13 and a half years that we know each other. So, yeah, we're super, super hyped, we're so excited we can see. Yeah, we needed that.

Moeava:

But we also wanted to give a little bit of a how this happened, especially the finding of our beautiful home.

Svenja :

Are we going to talk about this now?

Moeava:

I think what's important is kind of to give this little snippet of how we are as a couple, and we literally found a home Yep, online Yep. We said let's contact the.

Svenja :

What's this?

Moeava:

So radio frequency, is it telephones?

Svenja :

Well, it's fine.

Moeava:

Come on, life is not about editing.

Svenja :

Isn't that what you're saying?

Moeava:

So, sorry, sorry, there's a little interruption. So we found this house, I found this house.

Svenja :

Yep.

Moeava:

Svenja contacted the landlord. We got a digital tour of Can you also film me, oh?

Svenja :

my God, so needy.

Moeava:

We did a digital tour of the place and we just said, yep, we'll take it right away, just like that it's. It reminds me of our time in Japan, where we also rented the house before knowing, before even living there, like it was one of those.

Svenja :

I mean, you have never even been to Japan before.

Moeava:

Yeah, we've never.

Svenja :

I was. I remember I have been before.

Moeava:

But I mean, that's kind of who we are as a couple it's. We just jump into that. We know we felt it in our hearts. That was a place where we wanted to be with our son and I don't know. You know, the other day a friend of ours, she said that the universe always winks its eye at us. You know, remember.

Moeava:

I remember that yeah and, and we always talked about the fact that we make things happen, we make things work, but somehow the universe always wings at us. I guess this is a nice way to say it.

Svenja :

Yeah, but we also just do, I mean yeah but that's what I said, right, we just do we just do? I think we do not, and this is something that has been going through my mind a lot in the past days and weeks. Do not act out of fear.

Svenja :

That's that's just don't, don't let fear take over, do what. Yeah, just sometimes you have to follow your heart. That's exactly what we're doing. So we're so pumped. I mean, we saw this place, we loved it, we took that video tour. We're like, okay, let's sign, let's do it. It is now or never. So what am I gonna wait for? Something better comes up? No, we love it, it's us and let's just do it. And yeah, I think, like you say, we once we signed that contract, I think, yeah, I think once we saw the house right right after the video tour.

Moeava:

We knew we knew we like yep, we'll take it right away and and yeah again, I mean without this closing now the location.

Svenja :

But people have been telling us oh my god, do you know the situation everywhere in the world? Rentals are up, inflation, it's so difficult. Da, da, da, so again, yeah, you, you, you just get this, this fear From your surroundings.

Moeava:

But I mean you also get the fear from the fact that we're moving out of Dubai and how many people are like, oh my god, all the convenience you're going to lose. And I mean Life is not about Conveniency.

Svenja :

Oh, did you see the reel that I shared with you?

Moeava:

actually, it was yes, about hardship amazing.

Svenja :

Not about hardship, it was just about things don't come out of convenience. Of course yes, they don't good things Don't come out of convenience. I mean, convenience is good to a certain extent, but good things don't come out of it.

Moeava:

And I also don't want to teach Muna Nui just to stay because it's convenient. Yeah, yeah, this is not. This is a lesson for us, but we never were convenient people. I mean, we left Hong Kong and it was super convenient.

Moeava:

Yeah, this is and we loved it and we loved it and we're not gonna stay here just because of it's convenient. Yeah, there's, there's no need, and I also don't want him to. I don't want him to learn that. I don't want him to be that kind of person. At least, if he wants to do that later on in life, that's on him. But the lessons we want to teach him convenience is not that thing.

Svenja :

Yeah, and I think it's just been time. I mean, we have been here now around about exactly four years and it is just so funny and how similar we are. We just flourish when it comes to change. I mean this is just so awesome and we're not scared and we're actually yes, let's do it, let's get it done, let's move, let's get our stuff packed.

Moeava:

We are moving on March 1st to our new place, but we were supposed to be in Shanghai for two weeks. Unfortunately, when I knew, we got hand-foot mouth disease. So another parenting lesson. Buy flexi tickets if you can.

Svenja :

Yep.

Moeava:

And just be ready Also for the hotel Also for hotel and just be ready that sometimes your plans don't happen. That's just what it is. So we had to cancel our flight, but it was just to go to say we were supposed to be in Shanghai for two weeks, come back, be another week and a half until moving countries Yep, most people would be freaking out, like when we told people would be going to Shanghai, then come back, then we got the movers, then we're leaving. They were like, oh my God, like how are you gonna do all that? And we're like, yeah, it's fine, it's super easy, there's no stress.

Svenja :

And I have to say it is so interesting also to realize how things change in the world, or how things change now with the moving that things are more digital. I can clearly feel that there's apps and, yeah, you have, yeah, things just change the way they're done. And it's also just very interesting to see, yeah, and it's just I don't know. We just love this kind of stuff, even, of course, it's annoying, it's exhausting. I do feel that mentally. Yeah, a lot of things went through my mind and you also reflect. Maybe this is also something why we like it, because when you start packing, you go through memories together. You go through the memory lane on what happened. I remember us I don't know, maybe two weeks ago when we decluttered.

Moeava:

Our 30 second rule.

Svenja :

Exactly, not 30 second rule.

Moeava:

Yeah, three second rule, sorry, 30 seconds. I mean, we would still have so much stuff.

Svenja :

Exactly so three seconds time to decide whether we keep or we get rid of it. And, yeah, we saw so many old pictures. I even oh my God, that was the thing I was happiest about my old computers. I have this super, super old computer. I got it, I think, yeah.

Moeava:

Got him bitching.

Svenja :

I wrote my bachelor. No before even I wrote my bachelor thesis on that. That's how old it is, so it's like 20 years, I think.

Moeava:

Like really old.

Svenja :

Like really Wow, 20 years.

Moeava:

Did I just say that, yeah, you're old?

Svenja :

Wow, no, it's not, it's almost, but not that old, I think, maybe 15. Anyways, it's a very old laptop and I know it doesn't work anymore, but I knew that there's some pictures on it, or I just wanted to make sure we're not throwing something away where there's some data on it that I might want to have. And you brought it to this technician and, oh my God, I got all the pictures from ages ago and I was so, so happy and this super Svenja style the pictures were sorted by month and year.

Moeava:

Yeah, I mean really great technician. The fact that he sorted everything by date and by year, that was.

Svenja :

No, no, no, that was me, because I saved the things like that. Yes, of course he just copied the folders. But funny, svenja, of course, as structured as he is, she sorted it already like by year, month and location, I think. So yeah, I mean, that was just so cute. So, yeah, I mean, this time that's also changing right. So you declutter not only physical things but also digital.

Moeava:

Yes, oh wow, I didn't think about that, but yes.

Svenja :

Yeah.

Moeava:

Yeah, I mean, I even had to go through the phone because our iCloud, our cloud was too. It was full. Yeah, so I also had to declutter digitally. Wow See, Our first digital decluttering.

Svenja :

Yes, it's funny, holy shit, I never thought about it and remember my old phone. I mean unbelievable. I have this old Nokia phone that I found this one, I think yeah, was from roundabout when we went to, or when I went to China in 2010. I charged it, turned it on. It's working.

Moeava:

Yeah, those phones work.

Svenja :

So cool so good. And I was so happy because I found the number from an old, old, old friend with whom I studied and I lost contact with her and I know she's not the social media type, so I couldn't find her online and I tried already several times, but of course she still has her old phone number.

Moeava:

Yeah, but, and this and then she was also the only person I've ever heard you say she's super smart.

Svenja :

Oh, yeah, she is, she's amazing, like she is Wow, yeah, she's, she's just very rare and she reminds me remember so many details from our time of studying. Yeah, so yeah, I you know this is. This is something, yeah, that's fun about moving.

Moeava:

Yeah but the decluttering this time, the three second was pretty fast. I mean there was a lot of stuff that there was not as much stuff as before. I have to say we've really cut down on buying a lot of stuff and I think the beautiful part also, we learned that and we applied it to Muna Nui stuff and yeah, to be honest, right now where we're at with what we need for Muna Nui, it's on the. It's like boom, it's perfect.

Svenja :

Yeah, like we are so practiced, now we also know exactly what we're going to bring into the luggage, because we've been traveling with him now so much.

Moeava:

So, we know what we need we really keep it to the strict bare minimum, because at the end that's really all you need. All the extra Fufu stuff is useless at the end, so much money gets thrown into that. And just wasted.

Svenja :

I'm really happy that we really yeah, it's I mean yeah even the, the baby bed, right where we decided to buy one that we can change according to his size. We can use it as long as possible.

Moeava:

Yeah, then it turns into a desk afterwards, I mean exactly.

Svenja :

So I mean, yeah, that is, that is. Yeah, I'm also very happy about that. I think the biggest decluttering happened in my closet simply because of the changing of my size after having Muna Nui. I still don't fit in my old stuff and yeah, so I kept really the minimum. Where, where kind of the target jeans, you know, let's see well what I'll get.

Moeava:

But Leni and Arlene are happy because they get all your clothing, the shoes and all that stuff.

Svenja :

Exactly. I know it will be in good hands and so that's why I was also happy. So, yeah, I think that was the declutter story. So any, somehow I feel, well, we, everything's under control. Somehow I feel there's still a lot to do. But then I also feel, because some things you just can't do too early, right, so it will get more stressful. The close side is towards the moment. What do we?

Moeava:

have left we have do, which is the internet. That's really fast that we can do online. Then we need to drop off the TV box, get our deposit. Guys, if you're moving countries, remember one thing get your deposit back, because a lot of companies they count on the fact that you forget about it and then they just keep your money. So we have to each other. That's the land. The registration of apartment, that one we don't need to do, the landlord can do that.

Svenja :

Yeah, or we can do it, we can do that.

Moeava:

Virgin, that's the telephone, that's online.

Svenja :

No deposit D y. I still have to figure out that's the the water electricity. So there, I remember there's a quite big deposit on this one. So we have to check how that works.

Moeava:

Yeah, the, the are. The motorcycle is D registered and emptied and ready for leaving. We got the guys coming in for the painting and we got the movers coming in. Yeah, so it's pretty much set. The only thing we're still missing right now is we still need to do a podcast with some people that I really want to get on the mic before we leave for next season, and just packing for us while we wait for our container to arrive in our secret location.

Svenja :

Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's see how that goes. We definitely also want to keep you updated on the way because I think it's, it's just a good experience to share. How do we feel about this moving cross country with the toddler? Because, yeah, we will have not all the perks, he and their, all his toys, all the you know it will be living out of the luggage.

Moeava:

We've been pretty good training on that. Like you know, when we leave the house, he gets two toys. When we go on a trip somewhere, two toys, two books, and it's really that's it. Yeah, that's really all what it is. So on that, I'm really not worried, yeah.

Svenja :

Yeah, yeah, exactly, let's, let's. Yeah. No, I'm not worried, but I still. I think it's interesting and nice to share. Yeah, for sure.

Moeava:

I think, I think for next season. The one thing is there has been people asking us those especially giving birth this year. Some of our friends asked us like, ah, so what is your list of stuff? I think this would be a really good talk later on about the stuff we got for having a newborn. And then how is this whole moving countries with the newborn, going through, finding nurseries and all that other stuff?

Svenja :

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And also I'm so excited to see how he will react. Is it because now, well, as as Mo mentioned, he got hand-footed mouth so he wasn't in the nursery for two weeks and he is actually already saying the names of his nursery friends? So I mean, and this morning, when he wanted you know, he loves his scooter and went, but when I said the names of his friends in the nursery he was fine to leave the scooter behind. That means, I mean, he really connects this with something very positive and yeah, so let's see how this will go when we move, how he will. I believe actually it's not going to be any issue, because he loves traveling, he loves planes, and whenever, actually, we were packing luggage, he was so excited and he wanted to go. And when he sees a plane.

Svenja :

He says Nepal yeah. But yeah, I think it's, but it's, it's very positive, exciting yeah.

Moeava:

Yeah, I'm really, I'm really looking forward to.

Svenja :

Same. Really, I'm really looking forward to the challenge and this is something new and something happened.

Moeava:

This is so us, I think I mean that's why it's the restless coconut is my Instagram, because we're just restless people Like once. Yeah, I mean we always said, in case we wouldn't have had one anyway, we would have already left Dubai two years ago. Yeah.

Svenja :

Yeah, yeah, I think that we would not have stayed for a year.

Moeava:

So for sure, yeah, I agree, but I just can't wait.

Svenja :

Can't wait.

Moeava:

And also.

Svenja :

we can't wait to yeah.

Moeava:

Tell everybody we're going to remove it.

Svenja :

Exactly, and yeah, keep on like and getting back on the regular podcast, yeah, so the next season, so season two will be coming out this year.

Moeava:

For sure There'll be some changes. We want to. We still continue in the family theme and with guests coming or us going to them, but there are some things that we kind of we saw season and that was another decluttering of the podcast and and the evolution of our podcast, right where we wanted to go and what we see it, when we see it going. So we have also next year. I mean this year's podcast will be also a little bit different from last year's podcast.

Moeava:

Yeah so a lot of new stuff coming in this year.

Svenja :

Exactly, exactly, 2024. Here we come.

Moeava:

Exactly.

Svenja :

Started a bit sick. You remember I was sick and I got sick, so I felt January was sick. But yeah, we'll get there. We'll get there. Yeah, and super, super, super excited, actually super happy to be here now talking again in front of the mic.

Moeava:

I really, I really miss this. It's me too, I really.

Svenja :

It's, yeah, it's a part of us now.

Moeava:

It really is All right, guys. Thank you so much again for listening to our season one and we're going to say thank you already for listening to us in the future on season two, and we can't wait to share all of our stories and share the stories from the other families that we meet along the way. And thank you again, my love. I love you, thank you for the beautiful life you give to us. Just in case I didn't say it, but this is all because of you.

Svenja :

Thank you, my honey bunny, I love you, and thank you for being so crazy together with me.

Moeava:

I don't know who's crazier, you or me. You're the one who married me.

Svenja :

I'm figuring that out.

Moeava:

I love you. I love you too, my love.