Blended reality

Ok, as I promised, I will talk a little about the importance of blending in and meet the locals when you travel and why you should try traditional food.

First, I have to say that I am pro responsible travel – because being socially and culturally aware when you travel around the world, and being able to understand how you affect the places you visit,  it’s pure common sense – something that we all should embrace.

Push your own boundaries of comfort, go out there, discover the immense diversity and beauty that exists in the world. Live it. Feel it. Don’t judge it.

And am I talking as a traveler, not a tourist (it’s a matter of preferences).

 

A traveler is the one who involves themselves in the places they visit, instead of a tourist that only scratches the surface. Traveling, for my point of view, is the cure for hate, all those stereotypes and ignorance – things that are holding this world to become a better place.

So, why blend in wherever you travel and meet the locals?

One of the things is that this will show that you have some cultural understanding and respect for that place and its people. If you are traveling to a total different country, culture or continent, then try to learn a few words in that language – you’ll connect better with the locals and they will appreciate your effort. Also, depending on the country and its customs, dress respectfully and google a bit about their traditions – like things that may be offensive to them. Think about, while you may have grown up in a dreamy homogenous society with “normal” customs, a simple trip to the other side of the world will show you a completely different way of life and behavioral expectations.

By choosing to live like a local, to blend in rather that just being a tourist, will offer you a super different life perspective. And you’ll suddenly stop being on the outside, trying to look in, but you’ll be right there, with them. And by doing this doesn’t mean you are abandoning your identity. It means that you are becoming a world citizen.

Take time and talk to the locals, you’ll find the best stories. Especially from the older ones. They will be happy to remeber the good old times and share those memories with you.

But, gotta say it, the best part about cultural immersion is discovering that despite our differences, we are inherently the same – we all have dreams and hopes.

We all smile and cry. Happiness and suffering have no language, gender or beliefs.

They are a universal feeling that makes us connect.

 

Then, is the fun part, the one when you are mistaken for a local and people ask you for tips and directions. Love it. Or when you meet a famous singer, like I did, and you start playing chess in an ordinary shop in Tel Aviv.

Those are the memories you wanna take with you.

Another thing about blending in, is to shop localy – when it comes to eating, sleeping and buying souvenirs, choosing where you spend your money can have a huge impact on the local community. By shopping locally you are not only creating a more authentic travel experience for yourself, but you are also helping someone create a better life for themselves, instead of sending your money  into the pockets of shareholders and business directors. Experiencing the local culture is an important part of traveling and that’s why we travel, to live different experiences, right?

Last but not least, blending in will also help you not to be mugged, hahaha.

Now, why you should try traditional food?

Why would you fly thousands of kilometers to end up eating in a McDonalds that you can find anywhere in the world?

Supporting the local community is quite important, not only for them but for you too.

Eating familiar foods and only visiting the main attractions isn’t going to give show you the real place you traveled and you’ll leave knowing nothing about it. Local food means history, childhood memories, unique flavors that will connect you with the place. With the people. Because, trust me, food brings people together and it’s amazing what you can tell about a culture just trying their food.

I’m not surprised when people say that ,,the kitchen is a place where you can travel to any country without having to ever leave your house”. So, try the local food, my friends, take ideas with you for when you get home.

By buying local food you are helping smaller, traditional farms to survive and will bring authenticity to your travel.

Also, if you wanna eat out, try to find  non touristy restaurants, where you can eat like a local – cheap and tasty.

You also have the option to buy from street vendors  – probably not the healthiest option, haha, but you’ll be surprised how many unbelievable meals you can find for a few € or $.

Resuming: our actions can have a massive impact on the world while we travel. Make sure it is a positive one, because nature doesn’t need us. We need nature.

Once in a while…

Once in a while, I take a break from myself – because, besides my happiness and my willing to stay freaking positive everytime life gives me a shitty moment (not the healthiest thing one can do, trust me on that),  myself if full of worries and demons. Yes, don’t put that face. Myself is too busy being there for everyone, anytime. And that is ok, yes, but sometimes is too much. You forget to be there for you too and when you’re not there for you, you can’t be there for others  – so you step away, slowly, then you wake up one day,  lost and broken, and there’s no one there for you – and that’s ok too because we are supposed to be enough for us, to be self-sufficient, they said.

Well…

Self-sufficient my ass – we need love and I’m not talking about that kind of love from a relationship but the one that makes us smile and stay confident. Like a cold beer, you know what I mean? Or could be a friend, the lady from the market, your trainer, a man holding the door for you, stuff like that, sorry, a love like that.  We need to be supported, no matter how silly or weird is our dream, our situation, our thing that moves us. Our ”that’s why I’m still here”, ”that’s why I’m still holding on”. Everyone feels different. We like different things, we believe in different things, we act in a different way – but that is not a reason to judge or to finger point. We can be united in differences.

So, what I mean is that we need to get busy for us, living. Work for that moment of glory by going out, kick ass. Life is not all glitters and sparkles, who says different, well, perhaps is f****ng trying to sell ya something. Don’t be afraid to accept your flaws and deal with them. Don’t cover them up in that crap called positivism and expect them to go away – it’s like wrapping a shit and expect to be the best present by putting a gift bow on top. Don’t be afraid to get a bit dirty – dirt is satisfaction, merit, engagement. Easy ain’t quality.

So don’t go with the flow, create waves.

 

 

 

 

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o p t. p. m.

Am un tic, asta ca să îi zic cumva – înainte să ajung acasă, eu mai având încă o bucată bună de drum, încep să mă joc cu cheile. Probabil e nerăbdarea de a mă vedea în ceva lejer, de a încuia undeva  vocile acumulate de-a lungul zilei încapul meu.

Ajung acasă și, primul lucru, îmi scot picioarele din pantofi, ah, pășesc pe parchetul rece –  știi senzația aia, nu? Mă duc drept în baie – dau drumul la apa fierbinte. Respir.

Apuc totuși să dau play la ceva muzică – Nicolas Jaar, are nenea ăsta un fel de a cânta, bre… îmi pun un pahar de whiskey, nu de alta dar merge cu muzica, iar vinul am impresia că e depresiv în astfel de momente. Chestii marcă personală. Nu e o regulă.

În scurt timp, mi se umple de aburi

uitasem de apă.

Sub duș, simt eu, parcă ar fi o altă viață. În primele minute încerc să uit de tot, apoi, treptat, îmi reprogramez agenda – aia da, aia nu. Aia azi, cealaltă mâine. Jaar mă ascultă. Suntem doar noi și alte câteva milioane de gânduri în aer. 

Ies.

Mi-e bine

așa că pun de o salată – roșii cherry, brânză de vacă, nuci și salată verde. Pun și o bucată de somon pe grătarul încins. Parcă prinde viață bucătăria. Vecina e cu aspiratorul, superb. Un fel de efect special pentru muzica mea de fundal.

Nu-i bai.

Știi, sunt genul care are nevoie de spațiul și liniștea sa, de cele mai multe ori și mai ales în ultimul timp. Îmbătrânesc, zic eu. 

Mă pun să scriu…

doar eu, Jaar și Jack. 

Ne e bine.

w i l d s p i r i t

He said, you taste like hot, black coffee and fresh cranberries.
This is how I’ll remember you.

You’re wild and free, yet so grounded.
You’re the wild woman that undresses her mind, her soul, yes, because you know the worth of what you offer.

I love your complicated simple way to be. Your love that feel like wings above the ocean.
Your smile that hides so much what you’ve been through.
You’re little eyes and those tiny wrinkles whenever you smile.

I love that you stay faithful to yourself, that you don’t settle your wild spirit for material things and things built of structures, with rules and a bunch of stereotypes.
With you, you know, it’s kinda different.
You grow through and with your scars.
Those life tattoos.

You’re not afraid to love with that broken heart fixed with some tears, red wine and some cheap scotch tape.

I am

I am the crazy woman that will love you no matter what. The one that has tons of changes of humor.
I am the woman that have been hurt so many times but, even so, I don’t hurt back.
I am the woman who will text you a „take care” message.
The woman who will stand up for you.
I am the woman that you’ll say „damn, she’s crazy but I love her”.
The woman that will share her coffee with you.
I am the woman who runs wild, and wild is my kindness.
The woman that will dance with you when you’re sad.
I am the woman that you can’t buy.
The woman that feels free around nature, that feels the waves like sweet kisses.
I am the woman that sleeps under the clear sky.
That prays to the stars and God.

I am.

 

 

I’m like a w.i.l.d.f.l.o.w.e.r

I’m like a w.i.l.d.f.l.o.w.e.r

Trying to survive with nothing and to anything out there. And yes, perhaps I’m not like other flowers from your garden. With their colorful petals, so beautiful and loveable – almost perfects.
But I, I’m not that easy to catch.
People usually only see my thorns.
But I am more than that.

Strong on the outside, but fragile on the inside.
And I need love too.
I need to feel protection, not because I can’t protect myself, no.

I simply love that feeling.

I stand wide open,
spinning in circles like a tiny tornado, dancing with my pointed thorns in the wind,
breathing in the heavens of the earth.

Love,

you cannot hold me under the same dark roof you flourish in.
I am a wildflower.

I need the the sky, the sun, the air, the freedom.
The freedom to love. To love you as I am.
As I know. As you are.

As we feel.

I am a wildflower.
And in all flowers,
Wild or not,
There is hope. There is love.

And no matter where you came from, where you grow, how you look or what you’ve been through, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

 

 

 

Silence speaks loudly.

Love, just like freedom, is dirty. You can’t play and expect to get clean out of it. And now, your heart lies down on the floor and your mind is breaking walls.

Your emotions will get lost in the dust.

And all that silence will break you in two.

I have messy thoughts. Messy feelings. I know. Still, I love that I have learned to trust people with my heart, yeah, even if it will get broken. Keep love in your heart, no matter what. If it’s not today, perhaps tomorrow you will need it. For sure. Don’t let it go away. Letting go is so damn easy, but to hold back, not so much.

There’s no boundaries or barriers when we talk about people and love. Any kind of love. Anne Frank said, ,,despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”

And we are, that’s why we make mistakes, that’s way we try to make it better, to fight for something or, sometimes, let things go.

And if the purpose ain’t to be happy, then what is it? We run, we hide, we question ourselves. We make it all so complicated.

The sad thing about life is that when it ends, it ends for good. All at the time. We lose everything at once. So why lose it all being alive? Why not give it a try, a chance? There are times when time speaks for itself. But I prefer to speak for myself, before anything else.

I like silence, but only when it connects more than words, but when it’s there to distance us, I don’t.

I need noise in my life. That kind of noise that makes you feel alive, loved. Happy. That makes you wanna laugh, cry, shout, get up, fall. Start all over.

And yes, I like dirty love. I don’t seek perfection in love. I want messy, dirty love, with ups and downs, but I want it there. Every day.

Emotionally unchained…

I need new hopes. A new destination. Love. But not that kind of love. My kind of love. A love that allows me  to travel, to laugh, to stuff my eyes with wonder, joy, people, places.

To know who I am, where I am and where I wanna go. 

And I need myself back. I really do miss those moments of epiphany when you prepare for a next step in your life. A next journey. And as Rammstein would say, Ich hab’ keine Lust, I don’t feel like… like waiting anymore. 

I need something great, new, outrageous, like when everybody tells you ,,don’t do it, what a waste…”. Bloody hell, just mind your own business. 

Life is so damn strange sometimes. Well, most of the times. With me for sure.

It throws things at us like a freaking tennis ball machine, that we can’t even possibly believe or understand they could be good in any way, we can’t believe it’s what’s supposed to happen to us.

Blessings in disguise, I told myself once. Yeah… I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I have been listening to the same song, like all week. Stuck in my head. I think it’s meant to replace someone, something.

You know, I don’t miss things. I miss feelings, states of mind.

Everything is gonna be just fine. Yes. I put my last hope left that everything will be just fine. If no, I’ll have my money back. 

Same sky

We see and live under the same sky, but we have different stories. Different destinations. Yet, at some point, somewhere, somehow – we connect.

We love. We smile. We dream. We hope. Fall apart and stand up again. Because no matter what, we can. We are worthy. We are never too much. Too far. Too late. We are enough to can. We can find that strength in us to move on, to accept and love ourselves. Love each other. Build moments. Todays. Tomorrows. Learn from our yesterdays.

We deserve to love and be loved.

Sky ain’t the limit. It’s only the proof that everything is possible.

 

 

Save tonight

I want coffee. A lot of coffee. I don’t want to be stuck in one place. I want to be surrounded by music. People. Noises. Colours. More coffee. More noises. Light. I want to smell salt water, warm sand, clean air. Dirty city air. Sweat. More salt water. More sweat. Love.

More café con leche.

I want to hear the sound of our steps. People rushing. Dreams coming true. More people. Phone calls, ice cream melting. I want Spiderman kisses. More kisses. I want an upside down day. A day to save. Not a date. I want memories. Happiness. More memories. I want love. I don’t want to be sorry.

Laughing. Silence. Questions interrupted by a kiss. More laughing. Joy. You. Feelings. More you. I don’t seek perfection, I seek authenticity. Issues. Courage. I want to live.  To be. I want imperfections.  I want to allow myself to be imperfect and vulnerable. Strong. More courage.

I want today. I want this moment. I want it. I need it. I have it. More today. Colours. Love. More colours. The sound of life. A heart pumping. Lips kissing. Spiderman kisses. More kissing.

Steve Jobs said, ,,You are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart.”