It's been a while since our last blog, but trust me the prep work has gone on without stopping! And let me tell you - it's been a whirlwind of an experience in all aspects. The fact that re-doing a van is hard work is an understatement. It takes time, awesomest of friends, big-time financial resources, and a lot of patience. Thanks for sticking with us and here's how it's been so far.
Okay, the fact of the matter is nothing's come easy, yet the progress is remarkable. Right off the bat - the finish line for all the prep for a test trip is getting close! Yay! However, the journey hasn't been easy and the progress is all but linear. It seems like whatever project is taken on, it reveals two-three other new projects to tackle. And it's been like that since the end of October when I purchased the half-done van. At times it seems like a never-ending process when you're buried under a new wave of obstacles to cross to get something done. Yet when you step back and take it all in from another perspective, the progress is awesome. Just reflecting this on my own life, I can see how much a perspective change can actually give hope and fuel + propel dreams even further. Despite of wanting things to be progressing linearly, most of the time that's not real life. We're all on a journey and setbacks are part of it, whether we like it or not. Yet if we continue on despite the setbacks, we're taking huge leaps toward fulfilling our dreams and living life to the fullest. With each setback paving the way in the process. And as soon as we take a step back to see the big picture, we recognize the victories together with the setbacks and see how far we've come. To be clear, I'm not grateful for the obstacles or pain or setbacks on the way - I'd much rather have the process + progress to be linear, yet I get that sometimes life is out of our control and it's my choice to either keep going + learn along the way or simply throw in the towel. And having the bigger picture and goals + dreams planted deep within my heart, I refuse to do the latter. I recognize it's a journey, I'm progressing, and I'll keep going. All because I have my 'why' figured out and I know it's all worth it. Not just the goals, but the process, too.
Just something to think about. I might write a longer post on my 'why' and all that's been going on with my own personal healing journey but for now, I'll leave you with this - most processes that are worthwhile aren't linear, so with each setback take a step back and recognize your progress.
Okay, enough about the deep thoughts - here's what's been happening with the van so far. Most technical aspects of the van itself - motor, gearbox, axels, electrical stuff, etc, is completed and in good working order. Took the majority of the time, tho! That's where most of the details fixed revealed another two-three immediate needs to be fixed. It was frustrating. So much so we had to reconfigure a lot of plans and working schedules. Patience was key. Also, that's where I personally went back to the drawing board so to speak to re-evaluate all my decisions. Lucky for me, my heart and mind were still content and I decided to trust my gut + move forward. Again, that's why the 'why' is so important - it keeps us going when we may feel stuck. Okay, so the technical aspects of the driving components of the van are finally mostly done. That left us (me + the friend who's been doing most of the grunt work) to tackle the 'living' part of the van. Thinking that was gonna be mostly 'cosmetic' changes could not have been more off. Yes, design-wise it's mostly good. In the practical sense, tho - simply put, 'not at all'. All the electrical wiring + logic was way off. So much so, we had to take all of it down, including a starlight ceiling to put the vent in. After hours upon hours of studying different electric schemes and solutions, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered batteries + controllers + BMS + solar + inverter + a ton of other things. Most of it was from other countries coz there simply weren't any options in Estonia. Absurd, I know. This means a lot of the budget was simply spent on shipping. Keep that in mind when you're building your own! When things finally arrived (batteries took close to 2 months!), there's still a lot of confusion as to what fuses to use, how to keep the design civil (coz all this should be done before the interior works, not after), etc, but things are finally looking up. The battery box complete with the battery management system and heater pads is done, solar (4x100W) is up on the roof, the starlight ceiling is put back together, the vent has been installed properly, etc. What's left now, is to finish the wiring, make sure it all works, and re-do a bunch of the interior. The last one includes inventing more indoor storage options, coz I'm gonna travel with a rather big dog and her traveling cage is taking up more space than I'd like to admit. All in all, I've doubled what I originally intended to spend on the van, but the confidence in a good electric system is worth it. The finish line is already visible in the distance and the prep continues. It all looks like a total mess, still, but I promise, it's about to get there! My 'why' behind the project and leap into the unknown stands firm and I'm SO grateful to be able to do this. Also, I'd never be able to get so far without the friends around me - thank you!
Talk to you soon!
Kadri & Elli
Just something to think about. I might write a longer post on my 'why' and all that's been going on with my own personal healing journey but for now, I'll leave you with this - most processes that are worthwhile aren't linear, so with each setback take a step back and recognize your progress.
Okay, enough about the deep thoughts - here's what's been happening with the van so far. Most technical aspects of the van itself - motor, gearbox, axels, electrical stuff, etc, is completed and in good working order. Took the majority of the time, tho! That's where most of the details fixed revealed another two-three immediate needs to be fixed. It was frustrating. So much so we had to reconfigure a lot of plans and working schedules. Patience was key. Also, that's where I personally went back to the drawing board so to speak to re-evaluate all my decisions. Lucky for me, my heart and mind were still content and I decided to trust my gut + move forward. Again, that's why the 'why' is so important - it keeps us going when we may feel stuck. Okay, so the technical aspects of the driving components of the van are finally mostly done. That left us (me + the friend who's been doing most of the grunt work) to tackle the 'living' part of the van. Thinking that was gonna be mostly 'cosmetic' changes could not have been more off. Yes, design-wise it's mostly good. In the practical sense, tho - simply put, 'not at all'. All the electrical wiring + logic was way off. So much so, we had to take all of it down, including a starlight ceiling to put the vent in. After hours upon hours of studying different electric schemes and solutions, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered batteries + controllers + BMS + solar + inverter + a ton of other things. Most of it was from other countries coz there simply weren't any options in Estonia. Absurd, I know. This means a lot of the budget was simply spent on shipping. Keep that in mind when you're building your own! When things finally arrived (batteries took close to 2 months!), there's still a lot of confusion as to what fuses to use, how to keep the design civil (coz all this should be done before the interior works, not after), etc, but things are finally looking up. The battery box complete with the battery management system and heater pads is done, solar (4x100W) is up on the roof, the starlight ceiling is put back together, the vent has been installed properly, etc. What's left now, is to finish the wiring, make sure it all works, and re-do a bunch of the interior. The last one includes inventing more indoor storage options, coz I'm gonna travel with a rather big dog and her traveling cage is taking up more space than I'd like to admit. All in all, I've doubled what I originally intended to spend on the van, but the confidence in a good electric system is worth it. The finish line is already visible in the distance and the prep continues. It all looks like a total mess, still, but I promise, it's about to get there! My 'why' behind the project and leap into the unknown stands firm and I'm SO grateful to be able to do this. Also, I'd never be able to get so far without the friends around me - thank you!
Talk to you soon!
Kadri & Elli
