– You learn a lot more about life when your surroundings change around you. I don’t get to experience that by living in a normal apartment, says Gurgîn Bakircioglu.
He has previously been a presenter at Sveriges Radio and SVT. Now he welcomes outside the car in a sunny gravel parking lot just outside the center of Stockholm. He apologizes – not that his mobile home is a mess, but rather that he cleaned up before the visit.
– It’s never usually this clean, tidy and empty here, he laughs.
Everything crashed
After four years full-time in various campervans, and five long road trips around Europe, Gurgîn Bakircioglu now lives the “van life” part-time. He rents out the motorhome when he doesn’t need it, and then lives in a collective together with his girlfriend, dogs and cat.
– It didn’t work so well that one of us lived in an apartment while the other traveled around in a van. We missed each other, he says.
But even if he once again has a house key, his life is very different from what he had before 2016. Then he was employed by Sveriges Radio, and lived in a loft apartment with his then roommate. When the relationship ended, everything fell apart, and Gurgîn Bakircioglu got worse and worse.
The dream life became a nightmare
– I have done a class trip. I grew up with a strong feeling that it was important not to end up at the bottom of the hierarchy. So after schooling, conscription, a master’s degree in journalism and almost ten years of steady work, the life crisis became a way out of something I had chosen, but did not enjoy at all.
Because even though Gurgîn Bakircioglu had what he thought was his dream job, he was plagued by a feeling that he was missing out on the rest of his life. Every single holiday he spent as far away from everyday life as possible, and as soon as he was back in the office again, he dreamed of spending more time in the forest outside the window.
– There is always something you can shop for to reduce anxiety. But a couple of times when I was driving to work, I was forced to stop because it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. I realized that my dream life had become a nightmare, he says.
Rated tent
Gurgîn Bakircioglu then decided to calculate how much time the job actually required. The full-time position was one thing, plus the rest:
– I realized that I used 22.5 unpaid days each year – almost the whole of February! – on transporting myself to a job that I did not enjoy. It just felt empty.
The first step was to find a more affordable home, as it was the expenses of the apartment that required him to work full-time. He considered a tent (“cheap but cold”) and a houseboat (“difficult to find a boat space”) before a motorhome appeared as an alternative.
– Today, van life is an entire lifestyle. But then, in 2016, people only lived in motorhomes if they had no other choice. In other words, you were seen as a junkie, even if the living arrangement was self-chosen and was about freedom, he says.
The adventure
With the motorhome in place, everything else went quickly. Gurgîn Bakircioglu got rid of both his apartment and his possessions. Erikshjälpen, a thrift store charity, collected almost everything he owned. Two weeks into the motorhome life, he still hadn’t figured out how to flush the toilet, but his zest for life was back.
– It felt like I learned how everything works all over again. I couldn’t live on autopilot anymore. Life had become an adventure!
In the first months, Gurgîn Bakircioglu saved up a financial buffer by living in the motorhome and lowering the cost of living in general. His new home was often parked in the parking lot outside of work. Then, after ten months in the camper, he quit.
At one time he had exactly 45 possessions in a bag. He describes this experience as extremely tiring, but says it was important to prove to himself that he didn’t need a lot of things. Then came the next insight – that now he had plenty of time.
– It was awful. I was forced to think through what I should actually spend my life on.
Leaving the hamster wheel
Gurgîns Bakircioglu’s advice for those who want to explore other ways of living and living:
Try first, if you can, to reduce the employment percentage for a period rather than resigning from your job. See what happens to your life. Perhaps you discover some old interests again? Look over your finances. Where does the money go? Take stock and consider whether any large, unnecessary expenses really add more meaning to your life. Or is it about things you indulge in because you work so much? Consider whether you can live in a different way. It doesn’t have to be in a motorhome. Maybe collective is relevant? There are plenty of large houses that can accommodate many people, who can therefore live very cheaply.
Will build
Gurgîn Bakircioglu currently gives lectures, works with radio, TV and podcasts on a freelance basis and writes about climate issues in various contexts. He was recently in Brussels, invited as a Swedish representative to a network of sustainability profiles.
Today, he therefore lives a “van life” part-time. He often only uses the car to park and spend the night in a nice place, preferably around Stockholm. Alongside life in the mobile home and the collective, he is looking for a plot of land.
– I want to build a tiny house settlement for others who are like me. I want to become less dependent on the outside world when pandemics, inflation and other things hit, and build a community where we can learn to share resources.
The life crisis was the starting point for something new and meaningful.
– Life on wheels is much more unpredictable, while also being more interesting. It is rarely completely comfortable, and it has made me more alert and aware.
Vanlife-tips
These are Gurgîns Bakircioglu’s tips for others considering “vanlife”:
Take it at a leisurely pace. The most common mistake people make at the start is trying to experience everything at once. You quickly become exhausted, as the impressions become too many, and it is tiring to pack up and take down everything in the car every time you go on. Save resources. You don’t need to shower as often, and it’s not so smart to wash dishes under running water. Expand your horizons by giving and receiving help. People who live in cars are incredibly helpful, which is very useful when, for example, you need help with a leaking water pipe. Sharing knowledge is also important. Camp in a way that leaves no trace. Respect nature so much that you even pick up after others. Then you will also avoid sour looks from those who live in the area. It is fascinating to see how others have built their cars, but some become obsessed with the material and only talk about insulation and vehicle controls. It is more rewarding to dare to be vulnerable when meeting new people – and to talk about things other than the car.
2023-11-28 20:18:03
#Opted #expensive #housing #life #wheels
