Faust Year On the Move - 🙏 Europe, Bring on SE Asia

Hi from Ubud, in Bali where we’re living alongside the monkeys. It’s been almost two months since the first update explained the context behind the year-long trip and thoughts on the initial couple of months. Tye chronicles our daily adventures on her Instagram. Thank you for your responses to the last one. It filled my tank, so if you have a second, please drop me a quick line with an update from your world and/or any reaction to the post.

We’re now on day 111, more than a quarter-way through the trip. So far, we have visited seven countries…

• Spain (Madrid, Cuenca, Valencia, Granada, Marbella, Menorca, Mallorca)

• Croatia (Cavtat, Split, Hvar)

• Montenegro (Kotor)

• Bosnia (Mostar)

• Greece (Milos, Santorini, Crete, Paros, Athens)

• Singapore

• Indonesia (Sanur, Uluwatu, now in Ubud for a month)

The kids still can’t recite all the countries, but they get closer each time we ask them. Rowe is always first to shout out, “Mont-ne-en-negro!”

The overarching theme for the first two months was ‘hard, but so rewarding.’ That theme continues, but the hard has subsided. This is also true without camps or schools. I think this is due to a few reasons.

First, Tye and I are getting smarter about everything. This includes discipline about creating free time for each other, moving traditional schooling activities to the kids’ peak times (first thing in the morning), and giving ourselves compassion when we feel we’re dropping on the World School Parent Leaderboard. 

The compassion one has been big. I considered this from a batting-average standpoint when trying to give myself a break after I ‘reacted unfavorably’ toward Rowe.
It was bedtime after a long day, and Rowe snuck up behind me and put his finger in an undesirable place despite having told him 100 times that stuff wasn't cool. I lost it on him. I had been so good all day, keeping calm and talking through things with the kids. That day, I was probably batting a unicorn .800, yet after that episode, I felt like I had struck out for the whole day. I thought about it more — we're just getting parenting at-bat after at-bat, and if you look at the batting average, considering so many attempts, we’re doing pretty well. So that has been an unlock for me, the realization that striving for a perfect batting average is not the target, and I’m getting on base routinely with Tye hitting clean up.

Second, the kids have developed a tougher coat around what to expect with unstructured routines. Rowe, while still hard, has mellowed out. They know their roles on travel days and more look to be helpful vs. anchoring. “I don’t want to do that!” has become less frequent as they have had more cycles of leaning into unknown activities (and have more trust in Mom and Dad). 

Third, Tye and I have also developed a thicker skin. For the predictable one plate/cup broken a day, it’s not such a trigger anymore. The brother-sister daily laughs around butt cheeks at bedtime are expected. Our reaction knives have dulled. And it’s not that we have become numb to it, but we’re also seeing it offset by growth and pride in how they are evolving their communication with others. Lou is the first to say “Hi” to a stranger and respond with a “How are you?” while looking them in the eye. Rowe is not so far behind her. I go into this more below in the themes section.

Finally, what feels most apparent in hindsight is that we’re picking up on what makes a complete, intentional world school day. In Greece, and specifically in Crete (our favorite place in Greece and maybe the trip so far), we started getting much better at seeking experiences that expanded our horizons. The ‘best beaches’ initial search was replaced with modifiers like ‘farms, classes, farm to table, cooking, pottery, sanctuary, etc.’ This led to some of the most memorable and educational experiences, like spending the day at a snail farm or learning about drone bees at a bee farm. And indirectly and more impactfully, being exposed to the most interesting and welcoming people.

Regarding people, Greece cemented something for me. The people in a location play the biggest part in my liking vs loving a place. I have the same feeling about concerts. The Greek people are amazing! They are so friendly and love kids. The kids learned to expect the almost guaranteed smile, high five, or head pat when walking around.

Here are a couple of fun stories from Greece.

We were coming off a fantastic month in Croatia, exposed to the most beautiful beaches and water on the Adriatic Sea, while the kids experienced such a cool and unique Field School Camp. Flying from Dubrovnik to Milos (our first stop in Greece), I was in a funk. I even apologized to Tye, letting her know I didn’t know what it was. Maybe I was Europeaned out or craved routine, but I knew I was not my best self. This lingered the following day, and we took it easy, just chilled on a nearby beach.

At the beach, this Tarzan-looking 5-year-old, full of fun energy, was skipping a ball in the water. I had seen him come in with his family on a dingy from their sailboat anchored offshore. I turned to Rowe, encouraging him to ask him to play, but Rowe firmly refused, and so did Lou. I told the kids to follow me, approached the boy, and gave him my favorite sign in the world — the sign to throw me the ball. He obliged and whipped it over. After a few back-and-forth throws, he came over full of confidence and said in almost perfect English, “Where are you from?” Lou jumped at “Austin, Texas” and told us he was from Israel. The kids quickly became friends, and his dad eventually came over. They also had a 9-year-old girl and a 5-month old (living on a sailboat!). They left Israel to live in Crete, Greece, sailing around the islands for half the year. They asked us if we wanted to sail with them the following day, and we said hell yeah.

The following day was incredible. They picked us up on their dingy, on this small cliffside beach. We learned how they live on the boat. We jumped, swam, flippered, and snorkeled. We prepared and ate a fantastic Greek lunch. We sailed to a famous cliff-jumping formation and ended at a delicious restaurant alongside old floating houses.

We also had unintended learnings. I broke their only ladder by applying force vs common sense (I still feel so awful about it). Lou flushed her poop into the sea while we were swimming. Rowe (and their son) did not listen to the captain's instructions and opened a heavy door that fell on their toes. There’s more, but the gist is that it’s no joke living on a sailboat.

Their older girl, Berry, looked like Lou’s older sister. She couldn’t believe Lou hadn’t read Harry Potter, promoting how fun reading can be with the right content. She pushed Lou to jump off a high (and safe) cliff, and showed Lou how delicious sardines can be. So much of that interaction sticks with Lou today.

Tye and I absorbed a lot about how they navigate education and what boundaries they enforce vs. encourage autonomy. Our conversations filled a few open questions we were able to have better answers for.

The day was the perfect remedy I needed to rid my funk! 

The next day, Lou looked up and said, “Hey, Dad, if we didn’t go up to that boy and ask him to play catch, we wouldn’t have gone on the sailboat and had that fun day.” I chuckled while giving her an emphatic “That’s right!”

Here’s one more Greece story before going into some bullets on the four themes of the trip.

After Milos, we ferried to Santorini, a unique place built into the cliffs. It’s cool, but also a bit touristy and confined if you prefer more open spaces like me. There is a famous 6-mile hike from one town to another called the Fira to Oia hike. We decided to go as a family, with the plan to put Rowe on my shoulders if needed. The plan lasted less than a mile before it was clear it wouldn’t work with Rowe (said very nicely). Tye encouraged me to go solo with Lou, and I took her up on it despite feeling guilty.
The following 5 miles were so fun. No phone, no distraction, just Lou and me with heads down, the occasional quick chat, and rest to take in the views. It was hot, and she was the only kid out there. After very few complaints, we ended the hike in Fira and sat down for a well-earned Greek lunch.

During lunch, something inside me said to ask her, “Should we just walk back?” Most people hike one way and then take a taxi back to their accommodation. She instantly responded, “Oh no!” I said, “I think you can do it.” She said, “No!” I laughed and left it at that. While wrapping the meal, she looked up and said, “Ok, let’s do it. I want to walk back.” I asked if she was sure because it may be hard, but she affirmed that she was excited about it. We finished lunch, stopped at the market across the street to grab some fruit, and took off. There weren’t many people on the way back. It was the peak afternoon hotness. But it was so great. She just put one foot in front of the other and walked. Every now and then, she would have a thought and ask me a question about life I didn’t see coming. Like what happens to cats when they die 🤷🏻.
I realized we had just achieved a massive milestone in her development—the ‘she can hang’ stage. So, although it’s sad to think about her getting older, it’s also exciting to take on much more with her.

When we finished the hike, I told Tye how grateful I was for giving me that day and encouraged her to repeat the hike with Lou after a day of rest. And they did! Lou was excited to take it on, and Tye was able to have the same shared experience.

Ok, onto the themes. Ahead of the trip, Tye and I chose four themes to have intention around. Here are some reflections on those themes.

Theme 1: Create compassionate and resilient kids.

This one continues to dominate and take up most thought cycles, especially as summer has ended and Tye and I feel the pressure to be the school calendar teachers and not let the kids “fall behind.”

The theme also feels outdated and should probably just be evolved to ‘Raise capable, good humans.’

Then, the next question to ask ourselves is, ‘What makes a good, capable human?’ (beyond compassion and resilience). And how is education defined within this context?

Before this trip, my answer was passive, muddled, and evenly distributed. Something like this…

Beyond our nightly bedtime reading, literacy and numeracy (i.e., schooling) were primarily outsourced, and the human circle was mostly about making sure the kids always said please and thank you.

Now, as the teacher and having more time to think about it, it feels obvious to be heavily weighted to the human circle — a circle requiring much more distillation and a unique definition for every family. Also, a circle with a not-so-obvious answer in how schooling plays a part (a place of privilege to be, I know). The circles seem like they should be more representative of something like this.…

The outer circles feel straightforward, but Tye and I have work to do to think about what should be added to our human circle. I’ve seen this exercise play out similarly with some friends who took the time to establish their family core values. I know families that recite them every night at dinner, which I have always thought was pretty cool.

My parents met us in Paros, Greece. At a local taverna, over wine and raki, we went deep on this subject, specifically around schooling. We discussed what they did right, what they would have done differently, and anything they regretted. It was great, and I felt so lucky to have it!

The main takeaway they had around schooling was the power of the networks it created, both in relationships and a community of people with shared ambition. This seems to be the common, dominant thread when I talk to others about the topic. Most don’t remember what is taught, but we value the friendships created and how those relationships push us forward throughout life.

All of this has motivated me to learn more about alternative schooling and what we would craft up if we engineered the schooling we think is most applicable in a different world than when we were kids. A schooling that also needs to create a vibrant, like-minded community around it.

I thought Chatgpt’s table nailed it on the first try when asked to create a grid around what to question about traditional schooling in raising capable, good humans (an irony to using Chatgpt for this, I realize). It just feels like there is merit to question it all

So, has the trip expanded how we fill in the human circle?

Yes. This trip has magnified the importance of using every opportunity to watch and teach the kids how to communicate with others. Something seemingly obvious but feels different when you state it out loud.

We’ve gotten better at looking for any overlap here and stepping back to let the kids talk. Some simple examples…

Adult: “What’s your daughter’s name?”
Us: “Ask her.”

Adult: “Where are you from?”
Us: “Rowe, where are we from?”

Waiter: “What will the kids have?”
Us: “You can ask them.”

Kids: “Daddy, I need to go the bathroom.”
Us: “Ok, well go ask someone where it is.”

Kids: “I want to play with the toy that boy has.”
Us: “Go ask him if you can play.”

Kids: “I want ice cream”
Us: “Okay, go ask how much it is and come back and tell us.”
Kids: It’s two euros.
Us: Ok here is five. How much change should you get back?

You get the idea. Perhaps this is the best part of the world school experience (and just traveling in general). The kids have many opportunities to gain confidence in their voice as their main tool.

With that, we can add ‘communication’ to the center circle. We look forward to continuing to build it out and think through how we structure schooling around it.

Theme 2: Be our best selves with each other.

Tye and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary last week in Ubud! We still like each other :).

Speaking of communication, the largest hack in the last couple of months has been around how we communicate with each other. We routinely say something to the other, and then the other responds with, “I have no idea what you are talking about??” We just assume the other person is in our head. This then causes frustration. We now try to respond with one word, “Context.” It’s been nice. It comes with less emotion, and by addressing the overall issue, we are both getting better at establishing context upfront.

We flew from Athens to Singapore (a 12-hour flight), a much-anticipated and dreaded flight on a low-budget branded airline called Scoot Airlines (the only direct flight from Athens). Ahead of the flight, I jokingly reminded Tye that in this situation, she was Michael Jordan, and I was Dennis Rodman. I wasn’t going to score 50 or hit a last-second jump shot, but I was there to clean up the boards. It turned out to be as easy as it could get. The seats were fine. The staff was friendly. Rowe slept a good chunk of it with no meltdowns. Kids had their first cup of noodles experience without spilling boiling hot water all over the place.

Theme 3: Lean into family adventures (the good, the bad, and the boring).

We doubled down on the farm experience in Bali and spent the night in the rice fields. We were with another family from the UK with two very lively boys (5 and 8).

We learned about Balinese rituals and food harvesting, roasted corn on a blazing fire, and slept outside under mosquito nets. The experience was a range of emotions: fun, interesting, boring, and hot, but overall, it was a great experience. We were wiped the next day.

Perhaps the hardest part of this whole thing is filling idle time without relying entirely on screens. However, it’s been good for pushing us to seek out, learn, and try new activities.

Lou and Rowe have taken to chess. Like with Uno, Lou can play Sleeping Queens for hours. We’re bringing back all the card games we loved as kids.

I can see going back to my roots and teaching the kids Magic the Gathering (still mad at my mom for throwing away my cards).

All recommendations are welcome here.

One more. I have shared many positive stories about Lou, and it seems only been critical of Rowe, but that is far from true. When he is in his zone, there is nobody more fun.

In Crete, we went to this incredible beach (Voulisma Beach). It is a long, pristine white sand beach with fun waves on this day. When we arrived and for the next five hours, the dude did not stop. He alternated going under the waves, kicking the soccer ball, skipping his other ball, and leapfrogging into the ocean. He became the beach’s favorite attraction — and watching people’s reactions to his not-a-care-in-the-world, innocent energy was fun.
As we wrapped up for the day, I will never forget him walking at a snail's pace, exhausted, with a huge towel wrapped around him, almost in an encore-type way. It had me cracking up.

Theme 4: Seek out personal exploration and professional curiosity.

Three quick bullets.

I love to surf. I’m not good, but I love it. When out there, it completely turns off the monkey brain. It’s also physically humbling. So, it was cool to get a few sessions in Bali. In Uluwatu, it was the first time I felt like I was getting up consistently. As I turn 40, I see it as a powerful motivator to keep progressing in both skill and physical ability. I can also see it being something special to share with the kids. They also surfed in Sanur and Uluwatu.

After playing tennis a few times in Spain and Croatia, I’ve played Padel three times in Greece and Bali. We are currently staying in Ubud, across the street from a cool facility. I plan to lean in. I’m pretty sure I’m going to like it, as it feels more open and dynamic than pickleball.

This week has been big. After six weeks with no camps or schools, the kids started school for a month at the Wood School in Ubud. So far the kids are loving it. It’s much needed and will allow personal time to go deeper into all the latest developments in this crazy-paced new world where AI changes everything. The most concrete area that has the juices flowing is around multi-modal workflows (voice, text, vision) that are ripe for agents to take over. This hits the hardest when thinking about the 100s of workflows we built out at FreightPros that now seem close to possible without humans (e.g., go to carrier website, pull up a document, confirm something, send communication to stakeholder).

I will leave you with something Lou said the other day that made me laugh out loud and reminded me to take in this precious time.

Lou: I have to go to the bathroom.
Me: Is it a one or two?
Lou: Is a one a pee and two a poop?
Me: Yes.
Lou: Well, I guess it’s a three then.

-Scott