1) YOU LEARN HOW TO PACK YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN 1 SUITCASE

The first time I moved abroad I had a couple of suitcases, some boxes and I had to move everything by car…. Then I moved further away and I could only take 1 suitcase and a bag as I was traveling by plane… Then I moved even further and I had to pack everything in just 1 suitcase… When I left for Southeast Asia the only thing I brought with me was an 8 kg backpack.

2) YOU NO LONGER SPEAK ONE PARTICULAR LANGUAGE

Learning the local language is something you’ll have to do in most cases when moving abroad. There are some countries where most people speak English, however, learning the basics of the local language is not only useful, it shows respect. And not only do you learn a new language or a couple of them – if you’ve lived in more than one foreign country, you also mix them all up… Every now and then I have to ask one of my friends how to say something in Croatian (which is my mother tongue) – cause I mix all the languages I know up, and I can’t remember something completely basic.

3) YOU BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE

I don’t mean physically. I guess you could become more flexible physically as well – if you take some yoga classes. I mean – more flexible as a person. The most important thing to understand when traveling or moving abroad is the fact that YOU chose to move to a different place and that YOU have to respect that country’s rules. YOU have to adapt to the culture and learn the local language or at least try to learn some basic stuff. And no matter how weird all of that new stuff may be – remember that YOU came to another country – it didn’t come to you.

4) YOU HAVE 2/3/4… OF EVERYTHING

Depending on the number of countries you’ve lived in – you have multiple SIM cards, multiple credit cards, multiple currencies in your wallet… You have electricity adapters for various parts of the world, and a whole bunch of other stuff you’d never get if you weren’t moving around like a gypsy.

5) YOU START MISSING THE LITTLE THINGS BACK HOME

I have this funny relationship with the Balkans. When I’m home for a longer period of time it irritates the freaking life out of me. But when I live abroad nostalgia starts kicking in at the weirdest moments and I do stuff I’d never do back home, like: listening to traditional music and crying; telling everyone how lovely the place I come from is and smothering them with photos of Croatia; supporting football and handball teams (and trust me I don’t know jack about sports); craving the traditional food, trying to cook traditional food, realizing it’s easier to buy a plane ticket and come back home for dinner than cooking it on my own.

6) BUT WHEN YOU COME BACK YOU’RE NOT SURE WHETHER THAT’S HOME ANYMORE

The worst thing about going away is being far from your friends and family. So every time I came back to visit (once or twice a year) I was super excited about spending time with them. However, you start to realize that this might be the place where you were born, where you grew up, a place with a lot of memories, a place where a lot of people you love live, a place you’ll always be coming back to – but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your home. You start to realize that your home is wherever you feel good, that your home does not have to be in one place only. You become more of a citizen of the world, and less of a citizen of a certain country.

7) YOU HAVE FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD

Even though it’s kind of a bummer to get really close to someone and then take separate ways, having friends from all over the world is truly magical. Saying goodbye never stops being hard, Skype calls suck, receiving an answer to a text while you’re sleeping – cause your friend on the other side of the planet just woke up sucks… But you feel as if these people carry a little piece of your heart everywhere they go and you carry a little piece of theirs.

8) MATERIAL POSSESSIONS LOSE THEIR VALUE

I don’t know whether it’s my Zodiac sign or simply the fact that I’m a woman – but I kind of adore shoes. And clothes. And my hair straightener (I even brought it to an archaeological excavation so I’d have nice hair digging up bones). However, the more you move, the more you travel – the less you need. And quite soon you realize that material possessions in comparison to the experience you gain traveling have no value whatsoever.

9) YOU EMBRACE CHANGE

Traveling as well as living abroad means change. All the time, whether you’re ready for it or not. It’s funny how you start embracing it and stop being afraid of it so much. It’s funny how suddenly change feels way better than the routine. And it’s funny how more often than not you get addicted to change. After all – the only thing that’s constant in life is change.

10) YOU LEARN TO LIVE OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I don’t know how many times I decided on doing something and then once it started thinking: “Why the hell am I doing this?!” Like living in a tent for a couple of months at archaeological excavations, spending time with lizards and funny  looking insects in the tropics, or moving to a small, religious and a very strict city… But every time the “Why the hell am I doing this?!” phase passed I realized that that was the best decision of my life, and I experienced things I never would have experienced otherwise. Yeah, it’s nice and cozy to have fun and enjoy stuff inside your comfort zone – but only those who have stepped outside of it know that true magic begins once you cross that border.

The post 1O THINGS THAT CHANGE ONCE YOU’VE LIVED ABROAD first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post 1O THINGS THAT CHANGE ONCE YOU’VE LIVED ABROAD appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

While scrolling through social media news feeds we might feel as if so many people have done way more in their life than we have. We might feel as if there’s so much more we need to do just in order to keep track with others. Some people have traveled the world, some people have great startups, some people make money from posting photos on social media and don’t have to struggle with boring 9-5 jobs. That, followed by “inspiring quotes” and “life changing” statements make people believe they need to do so much more or else they’ll fall behind in life.

It’s extremely popular to travel nowadays. Not only popular, it’s necessary. Not only necessary, it’s an unspoken must. Airfares are cheaper, the world is way more connected and there’s this “traveler title” that people seem to think of as something prestigious. Truth be told, it just means you’ve had more diarrhea than those who haven’t traveled as much. More often than not, I’ve heard people say: he/she must be fabulous, he/she must be very interesting, he/she has such an amazing life, he/she must be enlightened, he/she knows so much, he/she is so experienced – after all he/she has traveled the world. And I’d have to highly disagree with that way of thinking – traveling doesn’t make you any better, only you can make yourself better.

A plane ticket and thousands of kilometers do not make you understand life, only your attitude towards it can help you understand and accept some things. Traveling doesn’t make you learn if you’re not open to learning. Traveling doesn’t open your eyes nor your heart if you yourself aren’t willing to open them. There are loads of people who have traveled far more than most people ever do, but aren’t particularly open, deep or enlightened. I’ve met loads of world travelers who were genuine shallow pricks. I’ve also met many people who haven’t moved a lot, yet their perception and understanding of life, the way they treat others as well as themselves is truly magical. And most importantly – you don’t need to travel, you choose to travel. And if you’re not into travel, you’re not a fan of changes and your timeline isn’t full of photos from all over the world – you’re still good. You still get to be a deep, open minded and accepting person. Not everyone has to enjoy mosquitoes the size of a fist or sharing a bed with lizards.

A change of a location doesn’t necessarily change your state of mind. Stamps in your passport and all the kilometers you’ve crossed don’t make any difference if you don’t decide to make a difference. The core of who you are and what you carry inside of you doesn’t change with a 15 hour flight. If you’re a genuine prick there’s quite a possibility you’ll remain a prick even after a 15 hour flight.

If I’ve learned something from living abroad and traveling it’s that it didn’t make me any smarter, deeper or a better person. It did give me new experience though. And what I decided to do with that experience was totally and exclusively up to me. Only when you’re open to learning, accepting and understanding things might change – whether you decide to travel or not. And in the case you do – only then traveling might enrich you, rather than just enriching your Facebook profile.

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Sometimes I think the Balkan peninsula is bipolar in a way. There are times when there’s no place on Earth I’d rather be. At these times I’m laughing my heart out with the most warm hearted people. At these times I’m eating the best food in the whole wide world. At these times I feel so close to everyone here, even if we just met. At these times I feel like we’re one big family. At these times I adore the passion in this area. At these times I admire the hospitality of the people. At these times I love how much we’d do for each other.

Then there are these other times. At these other times the Balkans couldn’t possibly make me more angry. At these other times I can’t believe there are so many smart, educated people willing to work, but unable to find jobs. At these other times I can’t even comprehend the negativity and the inertia coming from this area. At these other times I can’t understand the rudeness coming from the people who work in customer service. At these other times I feel sad and disappointed because the few people that do have jobs aren’t getting paid for their work. At these other times I find all the Balkan yelling and screaming extremely off-putting.

More often than not, the Balkan people are “mistaken” for being crazy. When I studied abroad and lived with foreign flatmates – every time I Skyped someone back home, one of my flatmates would come to check if everything was OK. I’d be surprised as I just had a normal conversation, but they thought I had a huge fight as the Balkan people tend to yell and scream, rather than talk normally. They found our ways of communication crazy. When a Croatian guy I’ve never met before brought my suitcase from Croatia to Kuala Lumpur for me, my foreign friends were shocked. “Why would someone you don’t even know bring your stuff to the other side of the planet?” – they asked. For us it was normal – we want to help each other. They found helping someone you don’t even know crazy. When I’d meet someone I thought was nice and she/he needed a place to crash – I’d offer my place immediately, even if we just met ten minutes ago. My foreign friends found that kind of hospitality crazy.

So maybe we are crazy. Maybe we’re all bipolar just as the peninsula is. We either love or hate. We either laugh like crazy or scream and cry. We either help each other in ways others cannot even imagine or stop talking to each other for the dumbest reasons. Don’t blame us though, we come from the Balkans – we just can’t keep calm. It’s the peninsula’s fault!

The post WE CAN’T KEEP CALM, WE COME FROM THE BALKANS first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post WE CAN’T KEEP CALM, WE COME FROM THE BALKANS appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

As I walked away from the flea market the feeling of happiness and comfort continued to overwhelm me – and I owed it all to the simple sound of music, the lyrics, the smell of the air, the sun, the voices in the street, the light breeze, the twirl and the smile on an old man’s face. I couldn’t help but wonder why we ever stop noticing the smell of the air, the colors of the sky, the sounds of the streets or the kindness of people. I couldn’t help but wonder why we seem to be stuck in a roller coaster of things that seem to carry way more weight than they actually should. And while the roller coaster of our death serious jobs, extremely fast pace lives, very busy schedules, important deadlines, never-ending WhatsApp and Facebook messages, insignificant information overload, high importance emails and the constant chase for a better tomorrow seems to move at warp speed – do we ever stop to smell the flowers?

We keep writing endless “to do lists” hoping we’ll be able to tick off as many of the things in a certain time frame. More often than not we set goals for ourselves that seem appropriate and accepted by the society, whether they’re appropriate and accepted by ourselves or not. And sometimes we fail to achieve them. More often than not that crushes our spirit. More often than not we feel rejected and underappreciated. More often than not we care about the insignificant way too much. More often than not we all want happiness. More often than not we search for it in wrong places. More often than not we fail to see that happiness is in fact in the little things that surround each and every one of us.

Just like every week, I’m writing my “to do list”. The only difference is – this one actually makes sense:

1. SMILE
2. HUG MOM
3. STARE AT THE SKY
4. KISS A BOY
5. TAKE A WALK
6. DANCE
7. RIDE A BIKE
8. LISTEN TO A FRIEND
9. BE NICE TO A STRANGER
10. STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS

The post STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

However, I feel like I am doing something right. The thing most people rarely think about is that we’ll all die someday, sooner or later. So as chaotic and fucked up our lives may seem we should keep reminding ourselves of that inevitable thing. Which is why each time I have to make a major life decision, regardless of whether it’s reasonable or not I ask myself the following question: “WHEN I’LL BE OLD WILL I BE GLAD I DID THIS?” If the answer is “YES” and this life decision will matter in the long run I know I should do it whether or not it will be horribly hard, whether or not it’s age appropriate, whether or not people might think I’m crazy, whether or not I might fail, which has of course happened many times.

Instead of living by the book of normal, I have decided to live by my book, regardless of the fact that it might be the harder path and that more often than not I’ll feel like a complete social outcast. Each path is filled with an abundance of life questions we inevitably ask ourselves. Here are some of the answers I came across on my path:

NEVER FEEL BAD ABOUT DOING SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF

Most of my jobs throughout the past 3,5 years were freelance jobs with a low income. Yet, every couple of hundreds of euros I’ve earned I spent on travelling. And I never felt bad about spending everything I had for that cause, even though people find spending the little you have on travelling around irresponsible. I find it irresponsible to withdrawal travel from my life because it enriches me in ways no material possessions ever could.

DEDICATE YOURSELF TO ONES YOU CARE ABOUT

Even though we’re caught up in our own stuff most of the time, make sure to make room for the people that matter to you. There are people who spend their free time with others, and there are those who free their time for others. Of course, this excludes responsibilities one simply cannot neglect. But I’ve always tried to be there for people when they needed me and the friendships I have in my life are the most beautiful thing one can wish for.

BE NICE TO PEOPLE

Even if you’ve had a horrible day at work, even though the cashier is rude, even though you don’t feel like being nice to someone with a bad attitude – DO IT. The effect one’s kindness has on other people is really overwhelming. You might not brighten just your own but someone else’s day too.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHOW HOW YOU FEEL

OK, so I’m the complete opposite of the relationship guru, actually, my dating history is quite a disaster. However, there is one thing I’m really proud of even if most guys didn’t appreciate it at all – even if it meant embarrassing myself (which most people avoid, and therefore find it easier to take separate ways than take action) I would make sure to show if I cared for someone. Playing games is supposedly the only way to get through the dating jungle alive, but I’d much rather be true to myself, even if it means making a fool of myself.

ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING

Since we’ve got only one shot at this thing called life, instead of wishing your life was different, do everything in your power to make it different. Of course, we can only do what’s in our power, but trust me, that’s also more than a lot. You’ll never know if something works or not if you don’t give it a try.

BE THANKFUL

Try to focus on the things you have in your life rather than on the ones you don’t. It’s a demanding task, but if you have a good look at your life I’m sure you’ll find a lot of things to be happy about.

CREATE MEMORIES

Regardless of all the photos and videos we take, regardless of the gifts and souvenirs we buy, the most important thing we’ll ever have are memories. Which is exactly why I ask myself the question mentioned earlier – to make sure I’m creating wonderful memories. I most probably won’t remember a day in the office, but the experiences I’ve lived and the people I’ve met through my travels will eternally remain in the colorful photo album of my mind.

The post Q & A first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post Q & A appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

In order to understand the concept I’m trying to introduce let’s make a little experiment: what if I told you to stand up and sit down right now? Could you do it instantly? Yes, you could. Because you can momentarily control the ACTIVITY of your body (it goes without saying that unfortunately there are those who cannot, but most people can). What if I told you to imagine a sandy beach with palm trees? Could you do it right now? Yes, you could. Because you can momentarily control your THOUGHTS (it is in fact quite difficult for women to do that once they enter a shopping mall, but we’ll go with the premises that it’s possible). However, what if I told you to cry right now? Would you be able to do it? Most probably not, at least not instantly. Because we don’t momentarily control our EMOTIONS. What if I told you to increase your heart rate immediately? You wouldn’t be able to do it immediately because we don’t momentarily control our PHYSIOLOGY either. So there are four components out of which the first two are momentarily controllable and the second two aren’t. However, here is how we can control the second two components by using the first two ones: in the case of having to cry one could intentionally start thinking sad THOUGHTS and would most probably start to cry eventually. In the case of having to increase the heart rate one could start doing all sorts of ACTIVITIES and their heart rate would increase after a short matter of time.

Unfortunately we cannot choose what hurts us in life, some people rarely get emotional over anything while there are others who get hurt even when they encounter an empty jar of Nutella (I’m not talking about me, it’s a friend’s friend’s friend). The ones that rarely get hurt might also feel happiness less often, while the Nutella people might get psyched over a couple of Nutella filled donuts after lunch (I’m still talking about that friend’s friend’s friend… man, does that guy like sweets). However, the aforementioned “experiment”, “exercise”or whatever we may call it shows us that one can (even though not instantly) control both emotions and physiology with our own thoughts and activities. When we’re feeling low we can think of nice things and therefore, change the way we feel. When we’re in bad physical condition we can exercise in order to feel better. The success of these actions depends exclusively on our own selves. You and only you have the power to change how you feel if you care enough to change it.

It goes without saying that when something hurtful happens it’s not always easy to keep reminding ourselves to think happy thoughts, nor is it easy for all the soap opera actors out there to have to think sad thoughts in order to make themselves cry for each shooting… But it is, in fact, quite comforting to know that that’s something we are capable of controling. So my advice to that friend’s friend’s friend is: dude, rather than staying super emotional and hurt about that empty Nutella jar, try to think of all the new Nutella jars you’ll get to buy in your life (momentarily controllable THOUGHTS), or maybe even walk over to the supermarket to get a new one straight away (momentarily controllable ACTIVITY).

This was the choice theory in a nutshell; in a really super small, tiny, mini nutshell (for those of you interested in learning more read the “Choice theory” by William Glasser – it might just knock your socks off, and even if doesn’t it might spare you some time from scrolling through Facebook). The choice theory is quite a vast subject and we could go on and on about it, but all that Nutella talk got me kind of hungry. Damn you friend’s friend’s friend!

The post THE CHOICE THEORY first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post THE CHOICE THEORY appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

‘Ignoring the – No, thank you’ phenomenon exists since forever and is a sort of a Balkan trademark. It is characterized by ignoring one’s ‘No, thank you’ and pursuing what you think is best for them when it comes to food, beverage, their lives etc. To make it a bit more clear, there is a general Balkan opinion on what’s best for everyone, which amongst other things includes drinking a lot (100 rakijas (Balkan hard liquor) a day keep the doctor away) and eating a lot (note: a meal without meat is not a meal).

I’m not a huge fan of alcohol. I used to drink more (like most students do – when they realize they can use the ‘I don’t remember what happened last night’ line and get away with anything) but in the past few years I came to the conclusion that I was doing it more because it’s a social thing rather than enjoying alcohol. Rarely, I like to have a glass of nice champagne (and I mean rarely only because I can rarely afford it ), but other than that I’m fine with going out, socializing or partying without alcohol. So a normal person’s reaction to this story would be: Ok, it’s her own choice; we should respect it; she spends less money when she goes out and she avoids hangovers. A Balkan person’s reaction on the other hand is somewhat different: What do you mean you don’t drink alcohol? Is there something wrong with you? What happened to you? Are you Balkan or what? Have something to drink for God’s sake, it’s good for you.

The other day I went to a bar with 2 friends. I didn’t want to drink, but since one of them is leaving Croatia we had to make a toast and God forbid you do that with a non alcoholic drink. After the toast, drinks just kept coming to the table even though I have explicitly said: ‘No, thank you’ about a million of times. I’m still not quite sure if Balkan people have a hearing problem or they don’t have the word ‘No’ in their vocabulary – but every time I say ‘No, thank you’ (not because I’m being shy or polite – cause God knows I’m neither of the two) somehow mysteriously a drink appears on the table, followed by a classic Balkan line: ‘I’ll seriously get offended if you don’t drink it’.

The same thing happens with food. The worst thing you can do before going on a Balkan family lunch is to eat something before. Cause what we do at Balkan family lunches is eat until we explode. Therefore, come prepared – with an empty stomach. Once you’re done with your meal – faster than the speed of light another portion will miraculously appear on your plate. Even if you’ve said: ‘No, thank you’ repeatedly. When you say you truly cannot have another portion, because you’ve eaten 10 times more than enough – brace yourself for the same classic Balkan line: ‘I’ll seriously get offended if you don’t eat it.’

An even trickier situation happens if there’s something you don’t like, have decided not to or cannot eat/drink. A friend of mine once brought his foreign friend – who is a vegan btw, to his family house, when she was visiting the Balkans. When you say the word ‘vegan’ to Balkan people there is a higher possibility they’ll think veganism is a kind of a new religion or a fashion style rather than not eating food of animal origin. Because what sense would that make? There was this big family lunch (which obviously included meat with a side dish of meat) and my friend had to tell his father that his friend doesn’t eat meat. After a confused: ‘What do you mean, she doesn’t eat no meat?’ question, his father, as cool as ice, turned to the guest and said: ‘Don’t worry – I’ve cooked it, it’s no longer meat.’

So, as an advice on how to survive a trip to the Balkans without getting drunk or overeating constantly (that is – if you’re one of the few people that don’t want that) I suggest three things: 1) If you don’t really feel like drinking and you’re tired of explaining what catastrophic event occurred that caused not having a drink or 30 at a party – always have a half full glass in your hand as a ‘of course I’m drinking’ sign for the people around you. 2) If you can’t possibly have anything else to eat, I suggest leaving some food on the plate as a ‘no can eat’ signal to the host. 3) As for your personal life and being repeatedly told what’s best for you I suggest earplugs. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee the effectiveness of these methods. Other than ‘Ignoring the – No, thank you’ phenomenon and our slightly bipolar temper – we truly are a happy-go-lucky kind of people!

The post IGNORING THE – ‘NO, THANK YOU’ PHENOMENON IN THE BALKANS first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post IGNORING THE – ‘NO, THANK YOU’ PHENOMENON IN THE BALKANS appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

I talked to someone the other day who said that more than anything else he believes in helping. In helping for the sake of helping. In the spread of positive vibes and energy among people. And even if that act doesn’t make a huge difference on a global scale, it might make a huge difference in the world of a person you’ve helped. Inspired by that – many might feel encouraged to do so as well. If I help you and then someday you help someone else, and then someday that person helps someone else – we’re spreading a positive chain reaction that might just make the world a tad bit better. And as insignificant and naive as it may sound – it’s the small stuff that make a big difference.

We seem to be afraid of putting ourselves out there. We seem to be suspicious about anyone or anything that might distract us from the routine we’re so blindly stuck in. But in fact, the spread of help is way more simple and harmless than one might think. We don’t have to dedicate our lives to helping others, we don’t have to cross oceans in order to do so, we don’t have to do extraordinary things in order to change something. The only thing we need to help someone and to spread positive energy is our will. Our will to do something nice for someone else.

Hugging someone who’s feeling sad, listening to someone else’s problems, smiling at a person you might not even know, saying a nice word even when it’s not expected from you to do so – all of these “insignificant” things make a difference. Cause guess what might happen next? The person you hugged might hug someone else who’s sad. The person you’ve heard out might hear out many others. You might have changed the day of that random person you smiled at, and even encouraged them to smile at others as well. With a few nice words you might have given someone the confidence to do something they were really afraid of. And even if none of that ever happens, have you lost something by doing so?

Try hugging someone today, try making someone smile, try hearing someone out, try doing something nice for someone, try helping someone, try spreading good vibes and positive energy. It might seem small, but in fact, it’s quite grand.

The post THE SPREAD first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post THE SPREAD appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

A Hey ho let’s go person is spontaneous; it’s a person that regrets the things he/she hasn’t done, rather than the ones he/she has. A Hey ho let’s go person lives in the moment because he/she knows that everything changes all the time and that one should grab every opportunity that comes along their way. A Hey ho let’s go person does all kinds of stuff to create perfect memories, rather than waiting for the perfect conditions – resulting in not creating any. A Hey ho let’s go person does things rather that talking about doing things.

The biggest problem for a Hey ho let’s go person is the fact that not many people are like that. The fact that a lot of people talk a lot rather than doing a lot. The fact that a lot of people unnecessarily complicate things. The fact that for a lot of people it’s easier to find reasons why not to do something, rather than finding reasons to do something. I don’t know how many times I’ve had great big plans with others (a trip, an event…whatever) and after discussing it for days or months our deal simply hasn’t followed through.

On the other hand when one Hey ho let’s go person meets another of a kind – nothing can stop them. A new adventure awaits just around the corner. A new adventure is just a phone call or a text away. With another Hey ho let’s go person a new adventure is so simple, it’s so easy, it’s so palpable! I absolutely adore the fact that I have those kind of people in my life. Ones I can call and plan stuff with in just a few seconds – even if we’re continents apart. I adore the fact that we know how to start an adventure and that we know how to change its direction if necessary. I adore the fact that there’s no push-pull, unnecessary complications, unnecessary demands or bailing out.

When not in its natural habitat a Hey ho let’s go person has no other option than to create his/her own adventures, even if it’s by doing stuff alone. But when surrounded with people of its kind a Hey ho let’s go person blossoms – finally there’s someone who realizes that there’s such a great, big, vast world out there that simply has to be explored. And so the Hey ho let’s go people explore, dream and discover together – happily ever after.

The post HEY HO, LET’S GO! first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post HEY HO, LET’S GO! appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.

The same way an alcoholic needs and desires a drink – more than anything else in the world, I need and desire to see and discover new places – more than anything else in the world. An alcoholic’s addiction is wine, vodka, beer, scotch… Mine is Paris, Berlin, Bangkok, Lisbon… Both myself and the alcoholic spend loads and loads of money to fulfill our need and desire – the only difference is that most likely I won’t get liver cirrhosis.

Only in the past month I have visited over 20 cities which made me feel so alive. But just like a typical junkie I always want more and more and more… is it a sickness? – I don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m meant to do that with my life. I’m meant to discover, I’m meant to get lost in the streets of the cities, I’m meant to climb mountains, to swim in various seas, to meet local people, to learn new languages, to embrace different cultures… I feel as if I’m the grown up version of Dora the explorer – “Nika the explorer” .

There was this one time, in my favorite place in the world – Luang Prabang, Laos – where I got so high on the beauty of discovering far away lands that I even cried out of happiness. Yeah, I know, I’m a complete lunatic – but I was walking through this small and very poor city, passing the night market, seeing smiley faces, smelling the local food, hearing a new language, talking to the Buddhist monks… and I stopped by the river, looked at the huge mountains surrounding the city, looked at the sky filled with stars, cried a bit and thought: “Am I the luckiest person on the planet or what?”.

Addictions are usually bad – that’s what they say at least. However, I am seriously happy about being a placeoholic.  I’m seriously happy about the fact that different architecture from all over the world leaves me speechless; I’m seriously happy about the fact that I find getting lost in a city a thrill, rather than a discomfort; I’m seriously happy about the fact that I love hearing and trying to learn new languages; I’m seriously happy about the fact that I love seeing how people in different parts of the world live and interact… So even if I had to go to one of these meetings, even if I had to admit that I’m an addict – I’d still be happy about it! Because it’s certainly the best addiction in the whole wide world. And the world – oh the world is such a wonderful place!

The post PLACEOHOLIC first appeared on Explore Dream Discover.

The post PLACEOHOLIC appeared first on Explore Dream Discover.