My Life

Gut Feeling

2009-06-25T20:53:00.000+03:00

There is nothing worse than that gut feeling you are getting when you are desperately trying to be optimistic; it is like you have a glimpse of what it is to come without being there yet; you know deep inside that your pre-fabricated “happy thoughts” and day dreaming will only bring about the inevitable result: it ain’t happenin’ sis! It’s complicated!

Why does it have to be so complicated? Boy meets girl. Girl likes boy. Boy agrees and they live happily ever after…. Isn’t that what it should be? But then you get your head out of the latest romance novel, switch off the romantic comedy you were watching, finish up the conversation with that friend who found perfect love and you think…. Where is my happy ending?

Definitely not at an age where I could say I am fed up and giving up on love, but more at the point where I cannot help asking when I managed to get myself in this universally denied vicious cycle…. the liking – not liking one.

It seems that I can never get to that place where I like you and you like me and that is it! Plain S-I-M-P-L-E! We all carry around heavy luggage…the ex Phantom, the Itch of the incredible one that will never be ours, the Sigh of the one who lives to far away, the Confusion of the complicated and mysterious one, the Heartache of the one who rejected you, the Doubt or Reassurance of the one that you left…. And I could still go on, and on and on… unfortunately, that is… When did this game of liking and not liking get so complicated? Was it complicated to begin with?

By the time you have an answer, you are deeply involved and getting comfortable… and then you remember: the Itch, the Sigh, the Heartache, the Phantom, the Doubt and not to mention the Confusion... You wonder if you are happy and snuggle closer to hear his/her heart beat, scared of your thoughts and doubts. If you stop asking maybe you will get your happy ending; that is if the “love of your life” does not unzip their own luggage… And it is exactly then where I start wondering: is it possible that we counterfeit love and happiness? Maybe reality is only a figment of our creation… Is it that preposterous to say that? Have you ever caught yourselves being happier than you should be just because you really really want to be extra happy? Liking something more than you should like just because you want to extra-like it? Is self-induced extra-loving a possibility in a world made up of people who just want to like and be liked with no extra luggage fees?

And then I get the gut feeling…
Miruna :o)

A l’Afriquenne!

2009-05-07T01:29:00.009+03:00

Amazing as it might sound (and it still does for me too) I am in Africa! West Africa that is, in Cote d'Ivoire! I do not even know when my plan to spend the year in Asia changed… and I took a flight to Abidjan as a 1st destination for a 7 month project. So here I am with business, working for one of the largest French transit companies in West Africa training employees en francais :)

Cote d’Ivoire is the first and single reference that I have regarding Africa, therefore it is difficult for me to say that I can tell you how Africa is… it is pretty much like saying that once you ate one type of cheese you tasted them all… A part from this, there is something else that bothers me; it is a weird feeling that I get every time I try to sit down and write about what I have been experiencing here… nothing that I write makes justice to reality or the words seem not the describe exactly what I want…

Ever since I got off the airplane I have not been able to stop contemplating people. They are beautiful in every way although most of the time oddly different; people shine here and the contrast between their skin colour and clothing is simply head turning! Women carry large pots full of breads, mango, wood over their heads and hold tight onto their back their babies. Men push wooden carts full of pineapple or honk frenetically from behind the wheel. Children are the greatest and the most curious when you pass a long; they check you out from the distance with a sort of “I find you so funny/strange but I dare not tell you” look written all over their cute faces.

In general people are welcoming and respectful, which comes somehow as a surprise considering the past and relationship that they had with Caucasians; from time to time I do get the feeling that not so much changed even if now people are free and independent; the difference between the very rich and the very poor is acute; and even more, the difference in status, rights, life and opportunities between the different races rests huge.

Besides colours, smell plays an important role in this experience… you can smell all from dead animals to cacao butter to the stinky fishy lagoon to sweet flours, urine and car fumes… all in one single car ride with the windows rolled down. The sounds are strong and usually linked to car jams and car horns, people selling or buying and food being cooked.

Once you get over the first natural reaction- "OMG if this <> had been in Romania, it would have been closed ages ago!!”- and you start savouring some freshly fried alloko with a piece of delicious fish, some onions and tomatoes on the side and a huge glass of pineapple juice, you forget you do not necessarily have a fork and lick your fingers frenetically thinking you are in heaven! Food is tasty, oily, fresh, and not very diverse but served in large portions. If pineapple is the king of fresh juices, nothing beats mango as a sweet snack; I have never tasted a mango like the mango here!

If you decide to get out of Abidjan the landscape changes dramatically. A lot of green patches of what is left of the great forests, jammed cardboard, metal or mud houses stringing the roads, police hunting for extra financial benefits, loooooooong roads seemingly not going anywhere, an acute lack of bird and animal wild life (at least for the Southern part which I visited), women and children selling fruits and vegetables and lots of dusty bicycles taking people to their destinations. Yamoussoukro, the capital, is a deserted tranquil dream of a dying legend, intriguing because of its white stone, Roman temple style cathedral.
San Pedro, a favourite destination for all with buying power, rests on the ocean coast with yellow beaches, high waves, the port, its neighbouring slams and a Beverly Hills top for “the rich and the beautiful”.

Just bits and pieces that make up a whole; some of my experiences so far, here, South of the Sahara Dessert… I have not even touched the work topic, maybe I will in another post, but personally I feel peaceful and happy… and I have not been able to stop myself in the past month from repeating with all my heart: J’aime ma vie!

A bientôt,
Miruna :o)

Full Circle...

2009-03-08T22:50:00.001+02:00

After a long stay in Canada and a crazy voyage through South, Center and North America, you can imagine I was dying to get back to Romania! I purposely did not say “home” as this term is nowadays a very confusing one; I feel at home in a lot of places and it is hard to say I only belong to one… no longer just from Brasov or Sibiu, Guelph or Toronto, La Paz, Ostional or Merida but a bit from everywhere…

Tired of living out of my backpack, never sleeping in the same place for more than 3 nights in a row, handling long bus rides and having the same conversations of where I was and where I am heading, I was getting excited only at the thought of stepping again on Romanian ground. Being back meant being me with no explanations; when you are surrounded by the people who really know you explanations suddenly stop and there is just that beautiful silence between actions and reactions… you can be yourself and that is it! At least in theory… In practice, however, I learnt that for the 1^st time in my life I had to explain myself more than I have ever done it with my family; and through this I learnt that I have changed in some regards, maybe some of the most important for them: the way I handle my space, my time, my money (or lack of it), my eating habits, my interactions with them. I think my life being back has been a constant cry to make myself understood and accepted for who I am… the same at the end of the day but on my own terms!

As for my friends, they are still mine; maybe a few experiences and memories extra where I have no tag for any of their “photos” but nonetheless it still feels natural to care for them, laugh, talk, be upset with them and seek their company. I still wish we could all leave in neighboring apartments or at least be able to fit them all in my suitcase whenever the wind blows some cardinal point out of the country. Maybe the toughest thing is accepting that no matter how much I want them to be physically present in my life, their own choices might make them tight but virtual friends.

Romania is still Romania for me; I love it and have “fights” with it; it gives me inner peace and deep frustrations, it scares me out of my wits and comforts me as it is synonym with roots and beginning. Out of my trip I realized something very ironic: I travelled on several continents but I still do not know Romania, have not seen all it can offer and it is a pity; I came prepared to leave it soon for bowls of rice and river boat rides and was hit hard… I am trapped between not wanting to leave and making everything possible to leave. My heart tells me to stay but my reason knows that it is now the time when I can still afford to leave it for new experiences and come back and be forgiven… However I did promise one thing and I plan to keep to it… I will make a conscious effort to discover my country in the near future; there is nothing sadder than a glob trekker who did not trek their own back yard.

So, no major shock or rough cultural re-integration, just a lot of free time on my hands, getting used to being my parents’ child again, laughing with friends, getting past old obsessions and discovering new ones and working on the next set of travel photos.

Heart and soul in Romania until further notice,

Miruna :o)

Beso Latino

2009-01-02T14:22:00.002+02:00

I walked and bused through 12 countries in South, Center & North America for 5 months: some called it guts, some free time on my hands but I call it a selfish flee from responsibilities, reality and the future... it was a damn good choice and regret just what I did not have the time or money for to experience/see! My first big backpacker trip, I realized how this could be a job in itself, a life style, a life long passion...

Traveling made me humble in ways I had never had the idea it could... living modest, appreciating a good conversation, an excellent street meal, smiling when tired and wanting to give it all up and go home, planning for tomorrow today, and being happy if you made a good deal at the market not just for you but also for the kind lady sitting behind the heaps of avocado and mango.

Traveling is fun when you have someone to share a good sun set with or the frustration of not knowing where to go next when faced with a dead end; traveling is challenging when you decide to give up the beaten path and say YES to the unknown; traveling is tiring when you move "house" every single night and just wish you do not have to read again the "original" house rules in every hostel; traveling is demanding when you speak with your hands & face and just wish you get the message across; traveling is insightful when you discover who you are and where you are coming from by comparison... Traveling is like the perfect kiss... when you taste it you feel the ground spinning underneath your feet and live in a secret quick pain that it will end every second now; when you had it you always look forward to a next best one and when you do not have it, you dream awake about making it reality...

Wandering I learned that I want to continue traveling to discover places, people, people and places; that family should come before friends and that true friends should be family; modesty, politness and smiling are universal currency and can "buy" you more than all the money in the world; and finally, that no matter how far and long you travel the Earth, at one point, you should put time aside to learn about your own backyard.

Amigos con sangre caliente, lugares donde pedasos de tu corazon se quedan, comida que rie con cada ingrediente, conductas que te dejan frustrado y indignado, viajes con parientes maya, mercados colorados en frutas y verduras, sonrisas morenas que queman sonrisas blancas, bellezas unicas y simples... GRACIAS para dejarme verle, tenerle, probarle, sentirle!

May your travels be like your first best never ending, always hunting and never sufficient kiss,
Miruna :o)

The "Under" Acheiver´s World...

2008-11-23T23:13:00.002+02:00

When the dive instructor asked me how come I wanted to get my Open Water Diving Certification, I realized that I have run up to North-West of Honduras, bought bug repelent, took a ferry and got to the island without a very great answer in mind... so I just answered akwardly "Because it seems like fun and interesting!"... how dull is that?

Taking the diving course was most likely one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, both physically and mentally. I had no idea how my mind would react to this totally new environment considering I am not all comfortable in large bodies of water, wearing new gear and having to performe instructions that sometimes do NOT apply with your simple principles of human being...
1. Stay calm... CALM???? I am 4 meters under water (eventually 18 meters)... I depend on new gear for breathing and I need to remember to breath continuously and with large gasps (this might sound funny but have you ever really tried to see how well you breath and if you ever hold your breath during your regular activities?... you will be suprised of the answer!)

2. Breath only through your mouth... well, I really like to use my nostrils... they are fun :) but underwater this does not work... you just need to forget you have them, avoid thinking they get floaded by water (which gives me an uncontrollabal reaction of panic) and if your mask gets floaded just calmly take the water out as explained patiently by the instructor.

3. Equalize... well this was a tricky part for me... as my sinuses are very terrestral and hated allowing me to go deep... so pinching my nose, giggling my jaws and swallowing became obssesive! hahaha... I looked like I was encountering a sconk every other meter when going down :P

4. Control boyancy... another tricky part... when has it been last you had to think about your equillibrium and not floating up and/or down... hahaha... well unless you are not into interesting sports or habbits, I would suspect the answer to be at least "a long time ago..."

During the 4 days of classes and underwater practice, fighting a damn cold which was blocking my sinuses and transforming me in a bubble head, I was trying to answer to the intial "Why?". The answer did come but in several instances:
Dive #3: I finally managed to get my boyance right and I started to relax and see the fun in floating around. I looked down as big and small bubbles were rushing towards me... another diver exhaling; I could see myself in his bubbles and it was magic... somewhere in the lines of soap bubbles...
Dive #4: I was following the others contemplating my suroundings; the corals were deep blue-greenish and above the coral wall you could spot the setting sun... I thought to myself this is unique and something that the ordinary person only experiences through the flat screen of their TV.
Dive #5: my sinuses were not at all cooperating, had had problems hearing for the past 2 days, my nose was leaking like crazy however I decided to still go for my fun dives. I went diving and came back with my mask full of blood (nothing allarming... it happens to the unfortunate divers whoes sinuses do not agree with the activity). I wipped my face, went for a tuna burger on a tiny island and went back as I was feeling challenged by my body, nature itself.. the WORLD :)
Dive #6: There were so many species of fish, coral and other little animals; it was almost like I was looking around for the 1st time, noticing the different types, shapes, colors, sizes... unique with every heart bit, a new world to discover with every fin stroak!

Maybe I will never be a champion of diving but what I do know is that where there are new things to discover, there is a dash of challenge and magic that is where I want to be.
Buddy check done! Deflating my BCD and going down... fishy fishy here I come!
Miruna :o)

Ostional: Home to the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

2008-10-04T01:58:00.002+03:00

I have not written in a while although there are quite a few stories in between. Let´s just say I am keeping some things for when we meet face to face... Nevertheless I experienced something amazing and what better way to let the whole world know than this... friends and acquaintances :)

As a traveler you always meet other travelers with somewhat more time, better principles and more determined, who will tell you about their volunteering experiences past or future and you stop and think: "Maybe there should be a bit more to my trip than just travel..." I thought about it too and started doing a small research for voluneering for sea turtles in Costa Rica; it would have definitely combined some elements that I love: nature, animals, genuine local community and just the space to help without asking anything in return.

Luck came over me the minute I found the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional , Costa Rica working to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle population that nests on the 7km long beach next to the village. First glance nothing incredibly amazing about this however I was blown away by everything that I was allowed to see and learn during a week of volunteering there.

3 people really marked my stay and deeply inspired and gained my full respect: señor Gilberth and his wife, señora Maria, and señor Rodrigo. Señor Gilberth is the current president of the association and he virtually works 24/7 with little sleep but always fully engaged and dedicated, señora Maria, always smiling and an excellent cook, one of the founders of the association and the project; and quite but insightful señor Rodrigo, the biologist working on the project who simply lives on coffee. They were my family, friends and teachers....

What is absolutely incredible about the organization and the project is that the human population of Ostional is working together to protect the sea turtles; there are night guards who protect the beach and guard the turtle eggs against thieves, they run educational programs for schools and also for tourist/organized groups and run a tourist guide service that is safe an does not harm or endanger the sea turtles, the eggs or their environment.
Probably the most amazing part of the project and the one that I had the most questions about is the legal extraction of turtle eggs which they sell to different businesses or individuals. Now please read before you freak out :) Yes, it is true that it is written everywhere "Do not eat turtle eggs" ; now what the governement and other intitutions fail to say is the fact that the community in Ostional represented by the association is allowed to extract and sell LEGALLY turtle eggs. The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle population at Ostional is not facing extinction thanks to the project and therefore the small extraction of eggs (lower than 0.05% of total eggs laid) is perfectly fine and helps the community help itself and help continue protect the sea turtles.

Out of the benefit gained from the egg sale each member of the organization receives an equal amount of money regardless of their role in the whole process; the association pays the night guards, contributes to local projects and infrastructure (bridges, roads... to get to Ostional you have to cross 3 rives however the bus crosses through the water; with help from egg sales the community build 2 bridges where small vechicules and pedestrians can cross) etc etc. If you 1st thought is that these people are rich and they are making a tone of money, I would ask you to think again... every member of the association works for an estimate of $70/month throughout a year.... and it is freaking hard work! Cleaning the beach, guarding at night rain or "moon", counting nests and turtles, extracting the eggs, pack them and manage to sell them. On top of all this the fun part is that there are a few "great and full hearted" individuals who steal eggs and sell them illegally, some who do not respect fishing standards and sufocate sea turtles in their nets, some that pretend to be Ostional guides who sell a project that is NOT theirs and the beauty of an unique phenomenon in the world for their own gain and interest without ANY respect to the turtles, their environment OR the hard work that the community is doing to preserve something that they should not even be entitled to look at!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! and besides this there is virtually no other institution, governmental or other who even slightly wants to help the community or the project... even though the project is unique in the world, a best case practice and has seen an increasing rate of success in the number of sea turtles that come to nest, eggs laid, turtles getting born etc etc etc. there is NO campaign to support the project and all you can see is "do not consume the eggs"... and in very fine print, most of the times skipped "unless they are from Ostional".

Now the other amazing thing is the people`s attitude: they want to protect their project, they want to grow it for the benefit of the turtles and everything that comes with that and they want to educate people regarding sea turtles and conservation. What Ostional needs is not hoards of happy turists BUT needs interested individuals who want to help by volunteering, to work with the community. YES, there are such people who do not think money is the winning answer, they believe in the power of helping hands and minds to allow this human - turtles symbiosis to continue at Ostional.

If this seems like propaganda I do not care! I simply wish you to get my passion, my interest and my struggle to make this known to anyone who wants to listen and give a damn. I was a volunteer for a brief week and lucky enough to see the "arribada", the simultanious arrival of more than 1 million turtles in the span of 3-5 days to lay their eggs on the 7km stretch of beach... I was allowed to work with a passionate community, feel the happyiness of caring a baby turtle closer to the ocean, help move a nest so that theives will not find it, help flip back on its tummy a confused turtle, count incoming sea turtles on the beach, see human shapes aproaching in the morning light, locals approaching to harvest and pack the eggs for sell.

If you have the time, energy and money and care about something that impacts in a positive way both animals and humans, maybe decide to take your next trip to Costa Rica to experience the Ostional "arribada" first hand and support a project and community that has never said no to a new helping pair of hands. If you are Costa Rican than do consume Ostional sea turtle eggs (they are 4 times more rich in proteins than regular chicken eggs!) JUST make sure that where you are buying them from has documentation that certifies they are purchased legally from the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional!

Ostional, its turtles and its people will forever stay with me... I have never seen so much passion in so many eyes and hearts! I feel so helpless in finding the right way of saying thank you... Miruna :o)

Photos: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=62841&l=ac131&id=503129457

Land, Air & Water

2008-08-27T20:29:00.002+03:00

Lately it seems that I have been very mobile and by diverse means of transport! NOw all I need is a rocket to the moon ;)

Nasca Lines or the Zoo
Visiting Peru it is kinda on everyone´s mind, to fly over the mysterious Nasca lines. I must admit it was hell: organization, services and in general all... it is indeed a huge hassle and a VERY expensive one and after doing it, even though in my head I kept saying "Once in a life time, once in a life time!", I sincerely think that it is cooler to relax in your chair and watch a documentary or two about them on TV.

Between the continous feeling of vomiting, the dizziness and the fear that your tiny plane will plunge head front into the desert, the round and round movement allows you to catch glimpses of the strange lines... a parrot, humming bird, spider, a cute astronaute, my favourite the monkey :) and many others. It does seem out of this world especially with the setting.... a desert of nothingness just brownish-redish dust and some peaks... However one thing that I liked and will remember out of the documentaries that we watched before getting on the plane was one of the scientists saying "Why acknowledge these mysterious lines to extra terrestrial beings, considering them superiour to our pre-decesors and not actually think that us as human beings, even if it was some time ago, were able to build such lines and have an inteligent reason for them?".

Y-HA! or Please please, do NOT kill me!
Decided to go visit the small town of Vilcabamba in the South of Ecuador. It is close to the Podocarpus National Park, which houses the pine tree with the same name, specific for this region. A horse ride seemed the most adventurous so I decided to take it... a full day nonetheless. As I have never rode a horse in my life before, I had no idea what was expected of me for the whole day, however after the first 10 minutes I started to regret I did not take the 2 hour beginners` tour.

The ride was amazing, and it was much more amazing to see how the horses climbed up on the sinous tiny muddy road! RESPECT! In their place I would have thrown my butt on the ground and leave. I thought that climbing is hard, but decending was even harder; really dangerous, but I made it... I mean I managed not to fall and slightly control the horse, and the horse managed to stand me and get me home unharmed :)

Ingapirca or the Ecuadorian Macchu Picchu
In case you are wondering what I am talking about... well it is real and does exist, it is just not as popular as the one in Peru! Ingapirca is a blend between two cultures: the Cañari and the Inka. The Cañari, who were venerating the Moon, were first to start leaving in the area and then the Inka, who´s main God figure was the Sun, came and convinced the Cañari to allow them to live there as well. For me it had this feeling of a hidden treasure, a secret that not the whole world is on and for that it is much more incredible. The sad part is that it is not very well maintained or guarded and the visitors really take advantage by climbing the walls and doing whatever they feel like...

Chu Chu Train in Alausi
The guide book says it is a must see in Ecuador... so, me as a good tourist I listen and go try it :) The famous train ride between Alausi and Sibambe through the Nariz del Diablo!
After waking up at an ungodly hour just to manage to get a ticket for the last ride of the day (all the rest of the tickets were sold mysteriously before the ticket booth opened) you need to wait for about 4-5 hours more for the ride. There is not much to do in Alausi as the town is as big as its front street; however one sight that it is worth all your attention are the locals. They all dress in traditional clothes and it is a rainbow of pleasure and excitement! I looked like a freakin´ stocker with my camera and huge smile! :)

To be totally honest the train ride had nothing of spectacular except the fact that: 1. I rode on top of the train with the wind and rain in my face! BoooooYA! 2. Hmmmm... what was the second thing?? :P

Tunnel of Death or "Most Stupid Things I Did" List
Baños is a very touristic spot but a good place to just chillax and enjoy being surrounded by people who have more travel stories than you do. It is famous for its crunchy toffee and amazing surroundings, which I both tested :)

I decided to do a bike ride throuth the Falls Route (Baños to Puyo) to see the breath taking Paivlon del Diablo Fall and just move some of the unused muscles. The scenery was indeed incredible and seeing the Paivlon del Diablo was a true experience... I got soaking wet climbing down the stairs to take a closer peak at the huge water fall, mud up to my years paasing through a natural tunnel to get underneath the fall and out of breath climbing back up to dry land!

Now the real story of this ride is the fact that as a biker you need to pass through 2 paralel tunnels; one on your way to the falls and one on your way back, and there is no way around them. Nothing interesting there except the fact that there is NO light in the tunnel... natural or artificial, so you are virtually riding into peach dark for about 2 minutes, re-converting to whatever your initial religion believes were and feeling your heart beating in your throwth so hard that you cannot concentrate to pedal. Meanwhile you hear a dumb sound behind you and a slight light approaching and you can just think of one thing: "I am too young to die!"

Here fishy, fishy, fishy... HERE fishy!
Whale watching and snorkeling is a must in Puerto Lopez and who am I to say no! Although I went whale watching in Canada before, I thought to give it one more try and the magic goal was to take a shot of a whale tale! And I did! There were soo many whales all in the same place, I was amazed... and soo close and big! It is a feeling that is hard to describe as it is almost like they are extraterrestrial just because they seem so out of this world, so untouchable so different from everythintg that you regularly see or experience! The sad part is that although they seem untouchable.... they are very fragile and even my whale watching trip contributed, I think, to some extent to their discomfort. I felt like we were harassing them... as soon as we spotted a whale every single boat (and I guess there were about 5) would put all their engines on and go meet the whales... It did not feel right but hopefully they did not mind it that much... or maybe they did as they did not jump for us :(

At the end we went snorkeling, another though try for me as I could not concentrate breathing only through my mouth... big and unknown body of water + me with fear of imaginary man-eating creatures in the water = this does not tell my brain: "Relax! Take it easy and just breath through the tube... it´s ok!" After a few tries I did manage and I am proud to say that the marine biologies in me observed: little fish and big fish with tones of colors and moves :)

Quito by Night at HIGH Speed
Ever since I got into Quito I have been pampered and taken care of just like a princess. I have been staying with an Ecuadorian family, Stefanie´s family and it really gave me a more indepth view of how Ecuadorians are, what they value and what they do day to day.
One of the highlights of the stay here was a crazy motorbike ride through Quito at night with Juan, Stefanie´s brother.

I sincerely (AGAIN) thought that I will die! From the adrenaline and the scare I was trembeling like a leaf but it was SWEEEEEET! High speed and just an amazingly quiet Quito in the night light. Besides the fact that it is a huge city, it looks even bigger during the night due to the thousands and thousands of lights all around. I got home with my hair looking like a fire bush, blue lips and a huge grin saying: WOW! CHEVERISSIMO! :)))

Over and still not out,
Miruna :o)

Those Incas Were Fit!

2008-08-05T05:27:00.003+03:00

As the original Inka trail was booked until October, by those carefully planned travellers who know where they will be in 6 months... we took an alternative route which included bits and pieces of the original Inka trail, a day of hardcore mountain biking and 3 days of going up and down on narrow paths to reach Macchu Picchu.

The Ride of a Life Time

When I said "yes" to a one day bike downhill I had NO idea that it will like it was... We drove up until lunch on a very wavy road that played sadistic tricks on my stomach; after lunch we geared up and off we went... 5 hours of biking. First portion was OK, good road, just a tiny bit dangerous due to the speed that you would take no matter which part of the road you were on. And all of a sudden we got to this bumpy rocky dirt road and the FUN started... I thought I will swallow the handle bar; my butt has never felt so many rocks and bumps in its life! It was a rocky road concealed by dust and edged by banana plantations.
So let´s see if I can make you imagine for a second what it felt like: imagine that you are in a seated position and someone is hitting you over your lovely butt as hard as they can with a peace of wood that has random bumps; while this is happening you are trying desperately to hold onto the handle bar and someone is trying to take it away from you by jiggling it so that your upper part of the arm feels like its will loose the muscles because of serious moving. As this is not enough dust is everywhere when the killer trucks ride like mad next to you, monstrous little flies serve lunch on your legs and you try to figure out how to tell your fingers that they still need to squeeze down the breaks as otherwise all 10 of them are gone together with the rest of you!

The crazy part is that after a while I was on a mission... one of not falling off... not dying that day as there are plenty I want to do... I started grinning like an animal and full of adrenaline I was BETTER than the road... the dirt road was my enemy and my friend... it was a battle and I was going to win it! And I did 5 hours later when I promised myself NEVER AGAIN!

Merci pour allumer mon chemain...
We started walking on the 2nd day and we did not stop (except nights) until the tour was finished. I am telling you those Inca people were fit and healthy and they had this obsession of building small narrow wavy roads with a TONE of steps... I went up and up and up and then down and down again and then we went up again and it did not stop. The surroundings were breath taking though... despite the sun burning down on you and the little killer flies biting with zest! Tall mountains on all sides... and just one wish... to get to Macchu Picchu!

On the last day we woke up at 4:00am so to start the climb to Macchu Picchu; to be there among the first so to have the right to climb Waynapicchu, the tall mountain that you see in all posters next to Macchu Picchu; only 200 lucky tourists get to climb it each day...
So we were on a mission again. We climbed continuously for 1 hour; it was the most painfully stair climb of my life and sincerely I was screaming "Para!" in my head but in reality I did not want to give up... I had to climb one more and another one. Our guide was not human on those stairs, it seemed that he was strolling along... I do not know how he does it... practice I guess...
We got there in time and after wating to enter at Macchu Picchu, we waited again to enter for Waynapicchu.

Waynapicchu Mountain is this intense summit covered in plants and stairs; I climbed the stairs on 2 legs... 4 paws... just the last "100 meters" of the tour... this was it, I was about to see the place where Gods stood. We were the 1st two on the summit and it was quiet... only clouds around us nothing more. I felt exhausted and in a few minutes amazed as I saw Macchu Picchu from above. The city looked as if all its inhabitans were taking a 30 minute extra sleep before they get up for their daily duties... only the missing roof tops were giving the truth away...

We walked around Macchu Picchu like any tourist; took a tour with a certified guide and admired some of the "hidden" beauties. The only time that it actually hit me that I am at Macchu Pichhu... THE Inka City was when up on a small hill I managed to catch on camera the standard photo that you get for Macchu Picchu posters... I felt happy! :)

Miruna :o)

Bits and Pieces...

2008-07-29T04:17:00.002+03:00

I have been quiet but more than busy ;)
After the Bolivian Salar we went to Sucre to recharge our batteries, continued to La Paz where we witness the Bolivian National Day, traveled to Copacabana on the edge of Lake Titicaca to see the island where the Inka legend got born, hopped on a bus to get to Peru where in Puno we visited the Floating Islands, got in a bit of trouble in Arequipa and finally got to Cusco to prepare for the 4 day trial trek to the Inka City. Here are some highlights:

Uyuni to Sucre or the Bus Ride from Hell
We got comfortable on our night bus to Sucre (comfortable is a sarcastic term in this case...) where due to the multitude of people on the bus, on both the seats and on the floor, we felt warm and able to catch some glimpses of sleep in between the horrific bumps on the road. At around 1:00am we arrived in Potosi where a rough voice yelled that all who want to get to Sucre need to get off NOW! We got off, confused, moved our backpacks in another bus and got on. In the next 2 minutes we realized that the only people who moved where all the tourists off the other bus... no word of explanation, nothing, just that this is the "more" direct bus to the destination and that we are leaving in 5 minutes... well 5 minutes Bolivian Time!

I was sincerely very scared and soooo cold and tired; I got even more scared when I noticed that the bus kept going round and round in circles without actually getting out of the city. After about 1 hour locals started boarding the bus so I stopped fearing that much but I was still tired and just wanted to get to the freakin´ destination. At around 4:00am we finally left after the bus was nicely packed again... I am telling you that I was already preparing to yell and bite.... was sooo happy to get off the damn bus and get a hold of my belongings!

Bolivian Highlights
I highly enjoyed Bolivia, although I felt more in the center of attention being considered more "white" and rich as I was a tourist; it got tiring to always be on my toes and wonder if things will function as promised but at least Bolivia doesn´t fool you ahead before your trip getting your expectations up; they are just where they should be and when you get to experience amazing things the experience is two times much more rewarding.

What struck me when I got to Bolivia was to see how many individuals (especially) women are wearing with pride the national costume (knee lenght or longer bufant skirt, little bowl hat that never tips no matter what they do, the improvised colorful "backpacks" and their long brades on their back). It was beautiful and surprising to see this! One thing that I did not enjoy seeing was the fact that women act as the "burden" carriers... men flander around with no worries and in the meanwhile women carry the baby + a few other bags...

We visited the Coca Museum; yes, that´s what I wrote! The Coca plant has an incredible history and meaning for the South Americans and although our "Gringo" minds can only think about the evil bi-products of this plant there is much more than just this...
There are 2 things that a new married couple needed/needs to build here: a house and start a coca field. The 1st traces of the coca leaves were found in mummuies dating since 2500-1800 BC. The plant grows in higher lands and when dried the locals use it as an energizer; it was scientifically proven that by chewing coca leaves, one can endure longer hours of harsh physical work and can help withstand hunger or thirst; the coca leaves are also part of rituals and their offerings to their Gods, which they still venerate in a mixture of old beliefs and Catholicism.
The Coca legend says that indigenous people need to take care of the Coca plant and it will help them to live through any pain or sorrow; it also says that for the "white conquistadors" it will mean only evil and sickness...

One other thing that surprised me in Bolivia and especially in La Paz were the minibuses.... there are A LOT and that is not all... people with their heads or entire bodies out of the speeding minibus yell from the top of their lungs the direction and price; there are NO rules of engagement on the street (or at least none that I could observe) and they ride as if the street is first theirs and then for the rest of hundreds just like them... stop in the middle, side, next, on and off the street and the interesting thing is that they do not know the word "full"; they stack people like corn in a barn!

The Uros People
Crossing into Peru we had one 1st destination: Las Islas Flotantes (The Floating Islands). These man made islands were build about 500 years ago by people determined to flee the high taxes and oppressions lurking around on mainland next to Lake Titicaca (not the highest navigable body of water in the world!). Currently there are about 1500 people living on the floating islands; anywhere from 5 to 10 families on one islands... not more and not less. The Uros used to live out of fishing and trading but nowadays the lake is not as kind as it used to be so their lives grow harder and harder. Tourism as well has started to show its evil face but at least it brings some extra soles.

It felt surreal riding the boat into the dense vegetation of the lake and all of a suddent discover douzens of islands with straw houses and dark skinned people seeing to their daily duties or waiving at the photo obssesed internationals. People seem to live a very simple life, with the bare minimum or even less but they do not seem upset or discouraged. I met a young man and his wife; she had a hand for sowing and decorating little squash pods; he was a proud owner of a rudimentary kitchen and a pack of dirt within which potatoes grew. It seemed incredible, out of this world, out of anything that I call real... it felt intrusive... I felt intrusive and priviledged in the same time...

Arequipa: a monestary for rich Spanish girls, Juantita & an encounter with petty crime
Although the city has a nice feeling to it ever since I got there I felt it is awfully touristic and that everyone is up to get you or scam you just because you are not from around.
Three things that really left an impression on me from here:
1. We visited the Santa Catalina Monestary, a citadel in the middle of the city, built in 1570 and only opened to the public in 1970. It was initially built to house the girls of rich Spanish or Spanish origin families, as the unwritten rule then was that at least one child of the family will embrace a religious path. The monestary is a real labyrinth and you can see the influences of time passing by. It seems that at the beginning the nuns were allowed to have servants, until they were restricted to having only one! Obviously policies changed with times and according to the administration and the regulations coming from Rome, but it was still interesting to see the "luxury"; I also saw different devices of "soul" purification, or better yet self torture, their small medical facility and several gardens and kitchens.
No matter how interesting the place seemed I kept thinking to myself that this is a nicely decorated prison.... hiding, keeping away or steeling something...

2. We visited a small university museum which holds a very precious treasure for the Andean people - Juanita or the Frozen Princess is a frozen girl found on the summit of the Ampato Vulcano. She was sacrificed by the Inka to please the mighty Vulcano God. There are other 3 children found on the same summit but they are not frozen but mummified.

3. In a small busy market in search for bunelos, my little ogre managed to get robbed; we were very lucky as we managed to put our hands on one older guy who took part in the theft. I never thought he will see his wallet again... but after staying in the police office for an hour and discussing world economics and salaries with the police agent, the cheif of the station came and handed the virtually untouched wallet. The old guy had made a call and the police send a few patrolls around and "miraculously" for us the wallet turned up! I was sooo happy to get out of Arequipa!

Cusco and its Cathedral
I visited the most amazing cathedral ever! It is comprised of 3 different buildings and is a vivid example of the fusion between the local indigenous belives and culture and the one of the invaders and the Catholic church. At every step you can see signs of how Catholicism had to adjust to local believes and also how local belives were molded into Christian practices. I saw a black Christ, who is considered now the protector of Cusco and protector against earthquakes; the famous Last Supper painting withits central caracter... a fried Guinea Pig (local and symbolic food here); mirrors which represent Inti, the Sun God and also posibility of seeing in ones soul in the Andean culture and wooden carvings of the potato flower which symbolizes fertility. Each Easter morning at 5:00am there is a mass in Quechua, the indiginuous language from here and although it is this early, it is the most popular of the year.
It is amazing to see how after soo many years and events people are still preserving with care a large deal of their old spirit and everything that goes with it. The last thing that I saw, which left me with a sweet-sour taste in my mouth... I saw the 1st cross ever brought to South America... Can you imagine the power, the symbolism and the pain behind it?

There is much more in between than just this so just make sure you get an afternoon free for a cup of coffee and more stories when you catch me next!
Pupici,
Miruna :o)

3 Day Jeep Adventure on Bolivian Land: High Altitude, Cold & Pure Beauty

2008-07-29T03:41:00.004+03:00

As one salt desert was not enough, we decided to see another one and the wonders around it: Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

I must admit that the scenery on the Bolivian side were much more impressive, different from what I initially saw in Chile, but slightly more appealing. We crossed the boarder at a special tourist place where after paying the regular fees to cross into Bolivia, we got introduced to Luis our guide and Beatrice the cook for the trip. We got a red jeep which turned out not to be the best deal ever as something was wrong with it so on the 2rd and 3rd day we stopped several times not knowing if we will be able to continue the trip; however our guide/driver was very skilled and patient and he made it work.

The 1st day we saw 3 impressive lagoons: Laguna Verde (4300m alt) close to the Licancasur Volcano; Laguna Blanca and the world famous Laguna Colorada, a red lagoon which holds up to 20,000 flamingo birds during the summer... it is indeed something out of this world... simply beautiful and the more you look at it, the more you want to discover the spot with the most red! We also saw the Salvador Daali Rocks, which indeed resemble one of his paintings and we stopped at the Sol de Mañana Gysers to see their muddy bubbles and take a well deserved hot bath in the thermal pools :)

That night we spent at a very rudimentary hostel (4315m alt) just a couple kilometers away from the Laguna Colorada. Where we were told the temperature will drop to -27 degrees that night so obviously we slept with almost all our clothes under the many blankets and the rented sleeping bag. It was not that terrible however the slight symptoms of the altitude and the cold were very much present in the morning.

The second day the adventure continued with the Siloli Desert, a reddish desert punctuated in the horizon by volcano peaks and the Silola mountains which have layers over layers of beautiful colors. We stopped at 4400m alt to admire the Arbol de Piedra (Rock Tree) and continued to see the 4 Lagunas Altiplanicas: Honda (4115m alt), Chearcota (void of any life, the color is given by its bottom), Hedionda (it contains a special mineral that gives its white color) and Cañapa (large and inhabited by flamingos).

We passed El Paso del Inca and we took a glimpse at the active and smoky Ollague Volcano (5300 m alt). Speed crossed through the Salar de Chiguna to get to the Villa Martin, a hotel made out of blocks of salt, very welcoming and very much upgraded from what we had on the 1st night! The food was excellent as it was for the entire duration of the trip and we raised our glasses in celebration of one year of the hotel´s existence: ¡Salud!

Last day of the trip we woke up early early to catch the sun rise in the Salar de Uyuni (largest of its kind in the world!).... the Salar is painfully bright shining like glass or ice; as it was really cold again my brain kept thinking I am on a huge skating ring, although I was surrounded by kilometers of salt! We took photos, jumped around and took more funky photos (I wish I knew the type of crazy and creative things you can catch on camera in the salar...). We stopped for breakfast at the Isla del Pescador or Casa de los Maya, a huge rock smack in the salar covered with hundred of year old cacti. Up on top the view is breath taking!

We ended up stopping in a few touristic places: the old salt hotel, the place where salt is exploited, the train cemetery in Uyuni and a small town where we had lunch; very touristic and with people selling colorful clothes to anyone who would not categorize "from there". I was surprised to see how poorly people dress their kids no matter how big the pile of clothes for sale is... most of the young children are dirty and very little taken care of... from what I could see and grasp...

The trip ended in Uyuni where we managed to get a ticket to Sucre; the bus ride was hell and I will moke it soon; however one thing worth mentioning and which hunted me for the rest of the cold ride to Sucre was the fact that one of the Jeep of the other tourist company had an accident and 3 tourists and the driver were killed... It´s absolutely crazy and scary!

Anyway, hope you can take a glimpse at the photos on facebook so it can accompany your reading! Hugs,Miruna :o)

Muy Seco, Muy Alto y Muy Frio

2008-07-16T00:10:00.002+03:00

So we crossed into Chile to go to San Pedro de Atacama, a very touristic destination for all who want to observe the wonders of the Salar de Atacama (3rd largest salt desert in the world) and the places around it. The bus ride was quite intense as we crossed the Andes and at one point we were at 5000 meters altitude... a bit of a head ache... a guy passing out in the back and aspirin for kids... it all went away!

San Pedro de Atacama (2438m alt) is a small 2000 inhabitants village considered the main center of the Atacamenan culture. During high tourism periods I sincerely believe that there are more tourists than locals; it is very simple with low houses made out of earth and sooooooooooo COLD! I have never felt so cold in my life! We stayed there for almost 3 days and I had to wear all of my clothes! The hostel in which we stayed was very very very cold and I almost fainted while taking a shower! On the shower door they ask you to keep your showers under 3 minutes for water sake as you are in the desert... but sincerely WHO CAN STAND A SHOWER FOR LONGER ANYWAY IN THAT COLD???? :)

While there we took 2 tours: Lagunas Altiplanicas and Salar de Atacama & El Tatio Gysers

Salar de Atacama looks interesting and less white during the summer; while I imagined it would be very flat, in fact it is quite rocky and made up of sponge like grey rocks/salt; we saw the Chaxa Lagoon, the home of 3 types of flamingo birds: Chilean, Andean and James... they are quite funny as they feed all day long so they stay with their heads in the water almost dancing around on their long legs to eat the "tasty" Artemia (Brine shrimp). We continued driving with the scenery of the vulcanos at the horizon; 5 active vulcanos which due to the altitude only puff some smoke and gas (Licanbur- 5900m alt and Lascar- 5592m alt).

It is amazing to see how humans make a life in these out of this world surroundings... desert, salt, cold, wind, vulcanos and high altitude... but impressive enough they do, although Mother Nature still reigns. The Jere Canyon is an oasis of green and hope for the Tocanao village.. virtually a huge crack in the ground where the earth is rich and people can grow fruits and vegetables. We stopped in Toconao for lunch and we had "carbonera", a very tasty soup made out of carrots, potatoes, sqash, pasta and some meat; I also tasted fried chicken with rice and quinoa (a local seed grown in these parts). YAMMY!

For El Tatio Gysers (highest altitude in the world) we had to wake up at 3:30am so to be ready to get the bus at 4:00am; this was not even the pain... the pain was that the temperature was crispy cold and although I dressed really warm it did not matter... my toes froze in less than 5 minutes walking outside among the smoky gysers. I did not find them that impressive. We stopped at the thermal baths so people could bathe; I only put my feet in the water and it felt good after 20 minutes when my feet stopped hurting. On the way back we stopped to eat fried lama meat (super tasty but hard) and cheese empanadas in a small Indigenous village.

Although we came back really tired after this whole morning affair we decided (as we were leaving the next morning) to rent bikes and go see the Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley) and Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) approximately 40km there and back. I can tell you now that I know why they call it the Death Valley... it´s because it gets impossible to bike through the very rocky and sandy up and down road... I think there were a few "brave" tourists like us who did not make it hahahahah The scenery simply incredible... huge walls of brownish rocks, total silence and a blue sky punctuated just by the moon (here you can see the moon almost at any point during the day!). We stopped to look at the tourists doing sandboarding... we wanted to try too but we were to tired and still had a valley to tackle!

The Moon Valley was quite far and it took us for ever to get to the viewing point (el mirador); we raced time as we had to be at the mirador at around 5:00pm to catch the sun down and the out of this world red hills and mountains on the other side. We had to ride so many times up hill that I thought I will leave my poor legs there... but we finally made it in time! The view was beautiful but much less red/pink than postcards show... It took us for ever to get back to the village; we rode through pitch darkness at the light of our flashlights, millions of stars and the moon...

In a few words Chile was extremely confusing due to the many zeros of prices plus the constant feeling of cold didn`t help either; Chileans speak really fast but they are welcoming people. I am still amazed by the harshness of the land (I didn´t see that much of Chile but from what I saw), of how high the mountains/volcanos can be and how people make a living in a very simple but hard way.

This was Chile for me,
Miruna :o)

Rafting, Mate, Mountains and a Cactus "Forest"

2008-07-09T04:06:00.000+03:00

¡Buenas tardes!

Man, I really love Salta and the places around it! It is an amazing amazing place and no matter how well I will try to explain how these past 2 days were for me most likely I will fall short in doing so...

Yesterday we decided to take a last minute rafting trip on the Juramento River somewhere in the South East of Salta; it took us about 2 hours to get there. The bunch that came with us was pretty funky too: 3 British and a German; all with good stories and a lot of traveling under their belts. Got there, geared up in these rubber clothes, we looked like Plastic Man but different colors and we got a short introduction into the rules and regulations of rafting from our instructor Frank... I must admit I kinda got scared from all that he warned us about... I guess it´s his job and he did it well so we are conscious of the risks. The instructor Frank was very cool; he is German and has been living in Argentina for the past 10 years... he came here to see the country, fell in love and ended up staying... never went back.. Another protagonist of the day was one black dog who likes to swim around the raft and follow the crazy tourists into the rapids... in more dangerous parts of the river it takes its place in the raft just like a human and enjoys being on the side with the most water! CRAZY dog!

The rapids were only level 3 so we had a bit of excitement and adrenaline but not like you see in movies when you are almost covered in water, your raft flips and you almost get killed by a rock... the rapids were fun though and we had our share of splashes and cold showers; one thing that I really enjoyed was the scenery and Frank´s tales... we saw mountains shaped like iguanas, a labrador and a shark; fosile shells and algae; mountains with levels of different colors just like a cake and 500 year old cactus... simply beautiful! After the whole affair we of course had asado (BBQ). I officially give the title to Argentionians for the most carnivour and BBQ loving people that I have known so far :)

On the next day we decided to take a tour to Cachi which is West of Salta to enjoy amazing scenery as we were told... well this is where I have trouble expressing what I saw and felt... the drive took quite a while but it did not matter as we stopped a lot to inspect the scenery and just breath in the beauty and the cold air; we crossed mountains covered with junga (I might not have the correct spelling) which is a special forest almost extinct in the world... there are just a few other places I belive in Bolivia; the special thing about this forest is that it holds about 50% of all the mammals in South America; also it has what they call a horizontal rain... there is sooo much humidity that when it tries to get out the leaves of the trees stop it and due to the condensation it starts raining. The dirt road is climbing the mountains and the Escoipe Gorge like a snake turning and twisting... we went up to about 3300 meters where its sunny but it´s cold; we saw Huanacos (wild Lamas), a condor next to the Cachi cemetery and we took an ancient Inca route (route 40 - the Tintin Straight) considered the longest of its type in the world; also it is very straight... so there are a lot of theories, including the fact that it might be a landing place for alliens!

Diego and Miguel were nice enough and they shared MATE with us!! Can you imagine??... it is said that you are very lucky if locals offer you to partake in the very traditional habit of drinking mate. You can drink mate hot or cold; the cold is called ´tererei´ and its made with orange/lemon juice and is drunk during the summer. The first drink is always had by the owner of the mate after which he/she offers it to the rest; it is considered rude to wipe the straw before drinking (the straw is metallic anyway and extremely hot so many of the germes die anyhow) and you do not refuse mate, but you can say ´¡Gracias!´ at any point and that means you do not get any next time...

We had lunch in this small but very pleasant goat farm/restaurant where we ate goat cheese prepared in special seads and also tried cold cuts, different other types of meat and pickeled onions, peppers, olives etc.

Two more stops... one in a forest of CACTUS!!!! Well I call it a forest... they call it a national park where these cacti are protected... as far as you could see tones of huge cacti... they grow about 1 cm/year and after the 1st 40 years they become hard and you get wood from them; this wood appearently is one of the most solid in the world and they say there are churces build with this wood dated back to the 1600s and they are still standing! Did you guys have any idea there is such a thing as cactus wood??? ;) Oh and the other funny part, when we stopped to see the cactus the guide told us... ¨Don´t die today!¨ refering to the fact that where the cactus grow is the natural habitat of the Black Widow Spider... YAYCKS!!!

Last stop: el mirador (a viewing place) from where you could enjoy the view of the highest peak in South America called El Libertador (6720m)! In the same place there is a big pile of rocks... like a shrine where shepperds come and say an incantation to Mother Earth to protect them before they head with their sheep in the mountains: Pachamama, Madre Tera, cucia, cucia!

All in all it was amazing... every turn, every glimpse was a great and magnificent photo!
I felt soo small between these giants and so fortunate that I can experience these in the flesh!

Next stop Chile, San Pedro de Atacama... another 12 hour bus ride!
Talk to you then!
Miruna :o)

Semi Cama... Cama... or being on the road in Argentina

2008-07-07T03:13:00.002+03:00

Buenas Dias muchachos y muchachas!

As internet is scarce or rather time is better spend otherwise :) I decided to write another post about my last 2 adventures: Cordoba and Salta.

We left Buenos Aires on July 3rd with the bus heading for Cordoba. We got a semi cama bus which means that you are able to partially lie on the seat and try to sleep. We were lucky and got the top deck first seats at the front wide windows... quite impressive especially when the bus is doing slalom between the other crazy cars and you keep thinking that if it comes to an accident you are F****D! The bus was equipped with a red button and an annoying buzz and every time the driver would go over 90 km/hour it would start to go nuts... well the driver realy liked the sound so he kept pressing down the acceleration pedal... try to sleep then!

We got to Cordoba early in the morning and decided to tough it out and spend the day seeing the city and then hopping on the bus for the night so to get to Salta in the morning... however we had no idea that ALL Argentinians go to Salta during the weekend! We walked around from boletteria to boletteria for almost 2 hours to try to find any kind of seats for a bus that would get us to Salta... it was nerve racking; we kept getting the same answer over and over: we don´t have anything for tonight... only tomorrow night! We finally managed to find a seat in one bus and another one in a different one... while we got from one ticket booth to the other one got sold and I already bought my ticket... I wanted to kill someone! grrr... long story short we managed somehow... I don´t know how though.. and we ended up me in a bus leaving at 8pm and Nicolas in another leaving at 6pm... well 8 and 6 Argentinian time... hehehe

Cordoba was nothing impressive... I must admit I didn´t enjoy the city or the sights... we were quite surprized with the bad state of most of the buildings in the commercial area where the pedestrian walks are; towards the end we managed to get to a nicer area with wide streets, more vegetation and some better builings and monuments; we were sooo tired that we napped in a park in the delightful smell of dog poo and the great sun... I really enjoyed the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emillio Caraffa!

Salta is a different story though... I remember waking up during the ride right before getting to Salta an just glimpsing out the window... I saw Salta waking up and surrounded by quiet thick fog! This city has a different feeling to it... more smiling people, tones of street vendors along the San Martin Avenue and nice climate. The hostel where we are staying is awesome (free breakfast, the people are very helpful, clean and nice atmosphere).

At first I had the impression that the street vendors are mostly for tourists... well I was wrong... each day and especilly night (it seems that Argentinians go to bed very late and like to socialize in the evenings) tones of people, more locals than tourists flood the little walk way and bargain, talk, laugh, buy and sell, sing and some dance! It´s really colorful! Mothers breast feeding their kids, loca artists displaying their craft, grandmas and mas selling yammy pasteries and fruit salads! ahhhhhh We tried the sousages and the crema de leche and strowbery pie!

We took the Teleferico up the small mountain to have a panoramic view of the city! The view is magnificent as the Andean mountains lie just next to the city. Atop the San Bernardo mountain they build a real oasis with lots of plants and a water fall, nice atmosphere ad pedestrian walks all around; the whole time I was wondering why they don´t think about doing something cool like this on Tampa in Brasov... We took the stairs down.. the long way but it was fun and HOT... we walked around downtown... we took photos of the fat trees (they look like they have a belly.. or a big butt), found a fallen orange (they have lots of orange trees all around the main plaza - Plaza San Martin) and we ate it... now I know how come no one touches them and they are safe in their trees... they are horrible! ;)

If in Buenos Aires was normal to see mobile street coffee and tea vendors, here the norm is fruits and avocado vendors... As we thought we haven´t had enough meat we decided to go to this BBQ organized by the other hostel in the area + to meet some other travelers. The food was good and the converastions were great.. people around here travel hardcore... months after months... leaving their jobs, studies and the army! Crazy business! We met some peeps from Israel, Scotland (an AIESECer), Australia, US...

For today, July 6th we went rafting on Juramento River and tomorrow we will see Cachi... but I guess this is another post. I am still working on uploading my photos on facebook so you guys can see what I see.. so hang in there ;)

Hugs from a soon to be vegetarian... seriosuly I haven´t had this much red meet in ages... and it´s taking its toll!
Miruna :o)

Bucharest, Argentina :)

2008-07-07T02:19:00.001+03:00

You might be thinking that I totally lost any knowledge of geography or something... well hold that thought and let me explain first!

I have embarqued on my South American trip on June 30th in Montreal with my Nicolas; the trip was supposed to take us from Montreal to Toronto, from Toronto to Buenos Aires, Argentina... well it seems that people here do like surprizes... so we discovered while on board of the plane that we are actually going to Santiago, Chile and only after to Buenos Aires... so SURPRIZE! It took us exactely 24 hours from door to door! AYA!

Once at the airport we took a cab downtown where the hostel was... and I am telling you it was quite the ride! Argentinians drive like mad people, especially in the downtown area; all streets no matter how wide have at least two lanes and people race for their lives... bikes, motor bikes, cars, taxies, minibuses, autobuses and trucks! Noise everywhere, pedestriants trying not to get killed by crossing the street.. Man it´s INTENSE!

We stayed for 2 days and a half in Buenos Aires and ever since I first caught glimpse of the downtown and around neighbourhoods I thought to myself this looks amazingly like Bucharest, Romania...old and new buildings all around, some better mentained then others, crazy streets and traffic, block of flats with small or wide balconies... flower pots and plants... crazy tall trees and roots growing on the pedestrian walk! Some rather different things than Bucharest... MUCH MORE people... there are sooooo many people no matter the time of the day when you are walking or taking the bus or subway.. you are NEVER alone! The smell of dog poo is quite strong and it seems that a lot of people have dogs... therefore the ¨¨professional ¨¨ dog walkers with a dozen dogs at once walking around and trying to manage the little beats is a rgular sight :)

Buenos Aires is a big city with very contrasting areas; we saw a good deal of neighbourhoods, both the more turistic as well as the less; there are tones of cute little pastery shops with mostly sweet goodies; people here love something called ¨dulce de leche¨- a sort of caramel spread, also shops with empanadas, tortas etc. In terms of food they are not very creativ, most of the places serve empanadas, tortas, panchos y panchitos (hot dogs), pizza, pasta and of course parilla (meaty BBQ). There is a strong italian influence from what I could gather. To top everything off we went for the famous parilla in a very elegant and fancy parillada with two other friends - Irene and Trisan. One huge steak and 5 pieces of ribs, a lot of small side salads and dips and papas (potatoes) with onions fed all 4 of us! One of the best meals ever served in an awesome ambiance... just perfect!

As tourists do, we had our share of expensive bills and tricks for foreigners... however we forgot about them and just enjoyed the ride. We went to a neighbourhood called La Boca where the famous Caminito presents on both sides of the street local artist works; we also stopped to sip some coffee and watch a live Tango Show; we also saw the slums of Buenos Aires and some pretty rough areas... I am telling you it´s not a prety sight... we walked for hours in the Recoleta Cimitery to find Evita Peron´s toom, took photos with the giant metal flower and had a frappe at Havanna, what we think as being an Argentinian Tim Hortons ;)

Other facts: I saw plants that I used to think grow only in pots... huge as decorative plants in the streets; they have a third knob for the shower, right in the middle (it´s yellow); Argentinians eat A LOT of meat! public toiletts and TP are a commodity, there is a McDonals almost at every corner; stores have winter cloths in the window and snow flakes spread around (it´s cold but not that cold...heheh), there are a lot of street vendors; children bagging; in general people are very nice with foreigners and have the patient to answer most of your questions in broken Spanish!

Next stop is Cordoba for a day and after that Salta where we will linger for a couple of days. We will bus it over night for both so should be interesting...

Hasta luego,
Miruna :o)

Bye Bye Miss Canadian Maple Syrup Pie...

2008-07-05T00:48:00.003+03:00

As some of you might know I have "finally" managed to wrap up my Canada chapter after about 1 year and 9 months (although I initially came for 3 months & a half and only one job, I ended up staying this long and have 3 different jobs...). It´s been though, fun, challenging, hard, easy, important, amazing and most important filled with life long learnings. I have so much to tell about this experience and by being in Canada for so long I feel I haven´t had a chance to debrief after each and every single stage... how do you answer "How was it?" when IT took almost 2 years? ...

As next step, to take advantage of my geographic position I decided to take a break, mostly from deciding what I want/have to do next, and practice what I love the most: TRAVEL! This time I chose South... South America: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador! Below is the beginning... much more to come! Desfrutan! :o)

Beautiful British Columbia

2008-04-27T03:24:00.004+03:00

Check again, on my wish list! I traveled West of Canada to see Vancouver and Vancouver Island. It was an adventure and I loved it. Here are some of the highlights or interesting facts:

Overall:

Itinerary: Toronto-Vancouver-Victoria-Ucluelet-Tofino-Nanaimo-and back
Leaving Toronto I forgot my wallet and ID cards at home; I was penniless and IDless for 8 days
We flew 30 minutes over the Rockies... sooo majestic!
Weather was good a bit too windy; getting there was like moving from winter to spring; everything was green and in bloom
I expected to see much more Asians... surprise surprise... not that many
A large number of 1st Nations names and also people :)
the sun put a different twist to the 1st ferry ride through the different islands;
TALL trees; the tallest I ever so so far; seeing them bend in the wind was scary!
Passed through the Salmon Capital of Canada - Port Alberni
Stayed in 4 hostels and 2 friend's places during 6 days
People go to Tofino off season to watch storms
Vancouver is in constructions everywhere! A lot of women working as construction workers!!!! WOW!!!
I didn't get to skydive :( it rained and snowed when we booked the jumps... uhhh

Victoria
Impressions: I was pleasantly impressed by Victoria; has the feeling of a small very touristic city- at least the downtown area; shops, pubs and restaurants, government buildings and lots of tourists.
Highlights: enjoying the sun set on a random pier, looking at a plane taking off; feeling extremely exhausted but relaxed and happy.

Ucluelet:
Impressions: soooo small and cute; a fishermen town with curious but smiling people
Highlights: walking on a track through forest with the ocean on my left. Seeing a bold eagle and the back of a whale... UNBELIEVABLE!

Tofino:
Impressions: this was my most favorite place from the entire trip! OMG it's BREATHTAKING! A cute touristic fisherman town; a great mixture of ocean, woods and mountains. You walk in deep woods (one of the last temperate rain forest in the world) and you hear the sounds of the ocean; your boot hits something on the ground and when you look closer you see it's a shell!!
Highlights:

Spending 4 hours walking on rocks to get from one beach to another
Touching sea cucumbers, admiring colorful star fish and holding a giant seaweed
Sun bathing on a shell beach waring my winter jacket :P
Getting my feet wet in the PACIFIC OCEAN
Seeing surfers for the 1st time ever and not on TV
Whale watching ride: the wind, the coldness and salty taste of the waves, the big gray fish called whale, the skipper and his stories, hearing and seeing sea lions, breathtaking scenery...
Salmon hamburger, oyster chowder and $25 oyster "haute cuisine" feast

Nanaimo:
Impressions: I liked the waterfront of this again very touristic town but with an edge of a more settled and regular sense to it
Highlights:

The comment from an older gentlemen "Thank you for bringing the sun with you!"
Winning at Scrabble both in English and French! WOOOT :)

Vancouver:
Impressions: Vancouver seems a nice large city with tall buildings and a busy downtown; it is very green which gives you the feeling of living healthy; we walked a lot and saw most of the downtown and around areas, including North and West Vancouver; they have a lot of coffee shops and Starbucks at every corner. I guess the Vancouverites really love their coffee!
We also saw the more dark side of the city with horror movie like scene flashbacks; they have a lot of homeless people on the streets... Favorite spots: Grandville Street
Would I want to live in Vancouver? Maybe... I would just do it because of the proximity to the other great places... Vancouver Island, the Rockies, the mountains and the ocean in general.
Highlights:

$2.75 hot breakfasts
Random walks in downtown
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park
Guu sushi with Carolyn and Danny
Stanley Park and the raccoon encounter :D
In search of the suspended bridge and the random snow
Night walk in North Vancouver with tea and pouring rain

The trip to Vancouver gave me a new sense of Canada and what is out there. This country is freakin' huge and amazing! I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to see both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean at 4 months apart. I am a lucky individual with opportunities according to my travel thirst... or better said almost ;)

Once you get started, you cannot stop!
Miruna :o)

Is There Air?

2008-03-24T05:20:00.003+02:00

I had in mind to post this for a while, it just seems that every time I am ready to lay it all down, I tell myself it's just too late now... the story came and went and it is just a strange, intense memory, but maybe not such a big deal to write about... but well, maybe it is...

It's 11:40pm and I am in a hotel near Montreal, QC, just 20 minutes away from 2008... I am tired after the previous days of the conference but in good spirits as we prepare to go downstairs to count our way into a new year; people laugh and are noisy, the cling-clangs of glasses and sweet zooming sounds of happy faces contracting muscles to smile all around...nothing out of the ordinary, just a regular New Year's Eve scene. The small clock-hand is ticking its way to meet the big one, we start walking towards the elevators... 24 of us await for the elevator to come... it comes... it dings... 3, 10, 12, 17, 22 of us enter... 2 are left behind as it's a sardine-can situation... we start cheering and we gyrate... people are loud...some are to crammed and I can hear someone say in a grave voice "I swear to God guys, stop it! What if it breaks?" I glance up and smile at my friend thinking "What if...?" but I don't manage to finish my thought as the elevator shakes and falls abruptly...

Lights get back on... everyone is in one piece standing, we try the buttons, people start wondering where we are... we are down and the doors are blocked... someone organizes us.... 1st row turns to the front, 2nd to the back... we push the alarm button but to me it sounds like a howl in the dark... I think we are deep... but I am calm. People start talking...everyone has something on their mind and they have to speak it.... I am still calm 5...4...3...2...1! Happy New Year!

The button gets rung again and we hear a voice... we all hear what we want "I am coming!" ...well, I guess that's good, at least they know we are here... the elevator is starting to get hot...1st person starts panicking... I call it a fluke... someone is asking if there is air "Is there air?"... no one answers... "Is there?" I ask myself... I am calm and think this is too real to be true... this is too stupid to be right... but I guess this is what it makes it valid... for one good minute I conceptualize... air... we need air to breathe... I need air to breathe and what if there is none?... they need to freakin' shut up and stop wasting air... 1st time I really thought this might be a real life threatening moment... do I start flashing my life in front of my eyes? Do I start praying? Think about a movie scene where the fireman drags people out of an elevator pit? Someone finds air... it's coming in... I am still calm but awake... wide awake! Sweat drops linger on the elevator walls... I sing "Frère Jacque... frère Jacque" to the person to my left as they get pressed to the wall and get claustrophobic... that's the only French song that I can remember... no other than that...

I look at people's faces... sweat drips from chins, noses, foreheads; some people are quiet... I like that... some start becoming agitated... it irritates me... it does... I always imagined that in trick situations calm people get hurt somehow as a reaction to the agitation of others... I am calm and I am selfish... I don't want to get hurt... I know I won't... it's just a waiting game and I like winning... it is just a waiting game... waiting... counting the reactions on people's faces, not managing to really put together a real thread of thoughts that would suit the situation... I am calm.

About 45 minutes, I estimate, they find us... tell us they are getting help... help is coming but now that we know it seems even longer... people get agitated again... it's strange... the players for the "waiting game" just got a bonus, the savior card, yet they start fidgeting more... all of a sudden the attention gets drown towards the outside... every sound and movement amplifies 10 times inside... every word gets round and round and round in people's heads and it seems to disturb the already disturbed ones... strange... I am calm...

Well, the doors open... fresh air pores in and around I hear cries, struggles to get out... my turn comes and I get grabbed and pulled out... outside people look at you if you are "crumpled", then with big eyes they come to hug you... I try to explain that I am OK but it doesn't matter... I guess it does them well to show you that they were worried, scared and now happy to see you out... I am happy to see the rest out...

Almost an hour in an elevator with 21 other people... and yet the only vivid memory that really bugs me is that 1 minute where I asked myself "Is there air?"... What if the answer was different? I am surprised and proud of how I kept myself for this elevator ride... different way of spending the count down to a New Year... thankful I get to write about it!

An elevator club member,
Miruna :o)

Au But du Monde

2008-01-18T01:08:00.000+02:00

It amazes me every time… and it is a genuine amazement. Canada is a huge and diverse territory with secrets waiting at every step, for every trip. Mid-December 2007 I took a trip to the most Eastern point of the Québec region: Gaspésie. Experiences like this remind me why I love traveling, why my heart feels restless every time I start growing roots… the beauty of places, God made or man made, is overwhelming and crying out to be re-discovered again and again and again.

Gaspésie is a pointy peninsula bravely eating out of the Atlantic Ocean; its history reminds of the 1^st settlers and of the row Canadian beginnings with the French and the English. The towns are simple yet beautiful and tell stories of the seamen and their kind struggling with life on the “other side of the world”. There is a sense of order and chaos in each and every sight… hard to describe in words but recognized by inhabitants and visitors, all together.

Winter is not the standard time of the year to visit Gaspésie, but I think for us, for me, this left its mark deep inside as it was unique. I will never forget how the wind kept sweeping away the snow on the road in front of us; with swirls and talent like it was weaving a winter kilt; people opening their house and souls to practical strangers to tell old and new stories; the Ocean furious, with changing colors, looking like it was a hungry wolf biting out of the white flesh of a whale; frozen orange-blood sunsets melting into the snowy hills, waiting for the game to come out; sun and wind burned seamen faces with their tucks perfectly arranged to embrace their foreheads, raising their eyebrows and looking at what the wind had brought from the West; la Roche Percee strange monument of nature, a horse without its master seen from far; it all seems like another world, it feels like another world.

Just because all this was not enough, we decided to challenge ourselves, just for the sake of it, or maybe because we wanted a face-to-face encounter with Nature, a face-to-face encounter with OUR nature. Froillon Park is at the tip of Gaspésie, offering its visitors a wide range of outdoor activities and incredible sights. If you want to see the place where land meets the Ocean and go to the “end of the world” (au but du monde) as people there call it then Park Froillon is the place.

Cap de Gaspé is about 11.4 km away and it is the most Eastern point that you can reach by foot. We decided to rent snowshoes and walk… through snow and sun, right on the edge of the land where the Ocean washes the shores. 6 hours and a half, 22.8 km there and back, a journey that brought me to my knees through beauty and harshness. Again my hands are having issues typing words to depict the beauty, the silence, and the perfect shine of the sun on the ocean and snow. We had a mission and it almost felt like a purification journey; we had to walk through the frozen snow, up and down, down and up, acknowledging with every step how small and passing we are… nature was reigning and we were speechless and mobile. We made it and we met the Ocean where it comes to visit the land; the light house was silent and contemplating at the waves waiting to see the seals and whales return. Looking out I knew it was the end of the world, my present world, but deep inside I was hurting as I was looking out trying to see what is beyond and how far it was, but I could only smell the beyond not see it….

Returning was another challenge; it was the time to face myself and my limits; no longer looking outside but pushing and pulling within; mobilizing my whole being to fight against and for me. I have never felt this exhausted, close to giving up and still hopeful in my life; I was aching in and out but I knew that if I were to stop I would not be able to move again. The sun was long gone, but the moon was up allowing me to have a heart to heart talk with my shadow. I was never so far from getting back… yet I did return, we both did, my friend and I…

I left Toronto to see something new and beautiful, to experience nature and re-discover myself; I am coming back with the sense that I walked towards the limit of land and myself; I found beauty beyond what the norm tells you and forgot what aches me without right. In the midst of this, somehow, somewhere, during a starry night love also found me and it felt right…

Over but not out,

Miruna :o)

The 2 Sides of the Same Coin

2007-12-22T04:30:00.000+02:00

Half a year ago I was selected to continue a row of several generations of individuals in AIESEC Canada: the famous and notorious Regional Vice-Presidents; a much disputed presence on the national team, praised and ready to be cut at any change in the budget or trend. I must admit that when I accepted the job I had little idea how my next 6 months will be.

According to the current national team structure there are 3 Regional Vice-Presidents (RVPs) for AIESEC Canada, one for each of the major regions: Ontario, Quebec and West & Atlantic. Each of the RVPs is responsible of the general health and sustainability of the regions and they are the 24/7 link between the local committees and the national office. However their responsibilities do not end there as they are also part of the national team with responsibilities in driving business plan priorities and tactics and might have some other little professional “passions” such as international support team etc.

My region is Ontario, the largest one, of 11 local offices: Ottawa, Carleton, Queen’s, Ryerson, Toronto, York, McMaster, Guelph, Western, Wilfrid Laurier, Windsor. I think there are a lot of things worth saying about AIESEC Ontario but the ones that I will mention are diverse, instable and young; in two words: A GREAT CHALLENGE! An interesting mixture of passion, thirst for development and improvement, commodity and ups & downs.

Being an RVP demands patience, discipline, an attitude for the extra mile and a good healthy heart. Starting July you get thrown into a new world of automatic reactions and new teams and dynamics; you have to be there no matter what and have the right answer or else… Your region has to kick ass! Your region has to be the best, whether they want it or not, whether the circumstances and the “weather” is with or against you! There is no turning back or standing still there is always “row, row your boat” as there are only 365 days in a year… and at the end of the day who is not moving forward is your “result”. Sounds too rough? Eh! It’s not, it is just another challenge.

I think what is most amazing and intriguing about this job is the roller coaster of feelings and situations that you are face with each day; your day ranges from a moment of sheer happiness and gratefulness to the pitch darkness of disappointment and feeling that you are worth little:

You pick up the phone and find out that one local committee just signed a $10,000 partnership with the university; hang up and check your e-mail: one of your best vice presidents quit their job and now the local chapter is at risk of not having member recruitment; you walk into the kitchen to get a sip of water and you get a fax: one Job Questionnaire raised!! While you ring the bell one of the presidents calls you on your cellphone to tell you they lost their office; sit down at your desk and open an e-mail to find out that your youngest local committee just passed minimum standards… you pick up the phone again and….

By far, my favorite part so far has been the opportunity of doing the visits to every single local office; it is indeed the time when you come out of your shell as an individual and do what you were meant to do in the first place: work side by side with the members to support them in their challenges and bring a glimpse of national alignment as well. It all goes by very fast so if the rowing of the boat goes 10 nods per hour in the office; your boat is as fast as the wind when on a visit; all needs to be covered, all needs to happen! ALL or nothing!

But enough about work, as otherwise you will think I do not have fun while riding my roller coaster hahah!! What are my memories? What are the stories that I will take out with me from this half of year as RVP? Well, here they are as I remember them:

AIESEC Carleton & Ottawa visit (July 2007)

Getting soaking wet before a company meeting by walking in front of a water sprinkler;
Rushing to a company meeting downtown, Paul and I forgot to pick up after work hours the newly arrive intern-Amos [SORRY!]
Trying to hitch a ride to downtown for a meeting
Nachos in the sun with Georgina and Paul

AIESEC Wilfrid Laurier visit (July 2007)

Sushi with Sunny, the summer Chinese CEEDer
Sunny anxious to take a photo with the company representative at the end of a meeting

AIESEC Ryerson (July 2007)

Dinner and coffee at the Ethiopian restaurant on Younge Street
“Eat my Martini” with za ladies and Joey

AIESEC McMaster (July 2007)

Chillax girls’ night watching Snow White at Debby’s
“Thank you” cake for Miruna!!! Ahhhhhhhhh :)
Clubbing in Hamilton (damn expensive!!)

AIESEC Windsor (August 2007)

Water balloon fight near the river side
Night out a la Windsor: $3.99 burgers, celebrating Angela’s B-Day at the Casino and first experience at the strip tease bar (OMG)

AIESEC Wilfrid Laurier (September 2007)

Late Panini night with the ladies
The “button undone” Miruna speech at the recruitment Info Session

AIESEC Western (September 2007)

Shortest but most efficient visit for this round of visits
Rainbow sandwiches (thank U!)
Amazing chat with an amazing individual

AIESEC Ottawa and Carleton (September 2007)

Dinner with Amos and Danny; a great mixture of cultures… Africa meets Central America and Europe!
Completely loosing my voice for 3 days after the visit

AIESEC Queen’s (October 2007)

Hockey night each night… hehehe
Random house mate B-Day party

AIESEC Toronto (October 2007)

Irish pub night and late ice cream at the MC house
Asian truck street foooooooooood

AIESEC York (October 2007)

Hungry student platter and beer at the campus pub with all the crazies
Lill’ chat on the subway ;)

AIESEC Guelph (October 2007)

Going back to my Canadian home
Eating out and seeing my friends
Halloween movie at the Long House

If you ask me if this was a good move for me, being RVP, I mean, I will reply to you that there are little job descriptions that have the capability to challenge me as much as this; I most likely have a lot of faults to overcome and much to still learn however I feel there couldn’t have been another position in this organization for the past 6 months to better challenge, develop and round me up as this one.

I still have 6 more months to go and I am thirsty like a seaman looking for the next big wave to conquer!… All I can wish is good wind in the back and strength for my "seamen" to row, row the Ontario ship to further and fish rich waters.

Ontarian for life although born a non-Ontarian,
Miruna :o)

One Year Later

2007-11-03T17:07:00.001+02:00

Believe it or not, yesterday, September 28th, it's been a year since I came to Canada... it really seems strange and a bit unbelievable... just a bit :) I am well, working a lot, doing one of the most intense and challenging jobs ever, enjoying the presence of my new and old friends, discovering new places, tastes, feelings and trying to decide where my next step will take me...

One year does not seem a lot but here is my item list... I am proud of my year and I am peaceful with who I am... for now:

* Attended Ontario Regional Conference- September 2006 in O-T-T-A-W-A;
* Discovered Tim Hortons and its deliciously sick magic;
* Got dropped off in Guelph; slept in the office for 3 weeks; started recruiting new members
* Moved in a new place "The White House"
* Spent 24/7 talking to every random person walking into the office about AIESEC
* 1st Halloween: 3 times dressing up!
* Met the Dog and the Long House people
* Marketing calls and "Lips of an Angel" at any time in the day...
* Saturday morning at Farmers' Market: apple fritters and kefir
* Feeling of belonging: friends + place to call home
* Discovering Toronto trips + sleeping on the MC coach from now and then
* Getting used to the way Canadians party and drink
* Wings, pizza, nachos and salsa
* Swimming and rock climbing
* Show London Your Talent
* Country Music and the Ranch
* New members, Executive Board, exchange participants
* Painting the AIESEC Office
* Romanian Night for my friends
* Snow in Canada
* No Christmas Tree Christmas
* My birthday :)
* 3 day cross country bus ride to Edmonton
* Red Lobster's and Edmonton Mall
* National Congress: Activating Leadership Award- 1st time feeling recognized in AIESEC
* Transition for AIESEC Guelph
* Signing 4 internships WOOOT
* Australia or Canada choice
* Internship with the Co-operators Group
* Coaching AIESEC Guelph
* 1st hockey game
* 1st go back to Romania to see family and friends
* Home sickness and depression 3 months YAY!
* Wine and cheese at the Long House
* Snowboarding or bruised but happy
* Quebec-Ontario Regional Conference- February 2007
* Work, AIESEC, work, AIESEC, work, AIESEC
* March 8th, chocolate cake and friends
* St. Patrick's Day
* Easter= Cabane à sucre: Sherbrook, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa
* Beaver tail, random street performance, story telling festival and a kiss in the park
* Application for AIESEC Canada National Team: Regional Vice President
* Transition calls & meetings
* Overwhelmed: job, AIESEC Guelph, AIESEC Canada
* National Leadership Development Conference: mornings & afternoons in Guelph, evenings and nights in Toronto
* Corporate Social Responsibility Conference- May 2007
* Sturgeon Falls: I am a water fountain!
* Pomello and its rocky existence
* Finding a Romanian friend
* Leaving friends and moving to Toronto
* Raccoon coach and late night dinner
* 1 month long transition
* becoming RVP: new desk, computer, team, responsibilities
* Canada Day: initiation
* My safety blanket...
* RVP visits: Ottawa & Carleton (2), Laurier (2), Ryerson, McMaster, Windsor, Western
* Niagara Falls & winneries
* Petersborough Petroglyphs
* National Presidents Meeting- August 2007
* Toronto Center Island
* China Town, Indian, Brasilian Neighborhoods, Little Italy
* The beaches and a jazz festival
* Going to Romania take #2- feeling out of place...
* Stuck in Czech Republic
* Beer Festival
* Quebec Regional Conference- September 2007
* Slumber party in Montreal ;)
* Dinner with a Ghanaian, Ecuadorian and a French

Long or not, that's just a glimpse of what I lived in the past year; there are a lot of feelings and random memories hanging next to each of the bullet points but so little time to explain them all. I was privileged with a lot of experiences this year and sometimes is weird to try to share them as I am still here... living my Canadian experience, although what I have now is different from what I had at the beginning...

Happy 1 year, Miruna! :o)

Canada Report: Take #3!

2007-07-22T05:52:00.000+03:00

Call it Take #3, the 3rd step or another story from my Canadian adventure, no matter what you would like it's here and very real. It's been some time since I last wrote and sincerely there have been so many things happening all at once that sometimes I get the impression the past month was a whole year beginning-end! IF that's the truth then I'll be 11 years older when I see you next year... frightening thought!

This is a glimpse from what I have been experiencing so far... whatever could not find space in these lines... no worries, they will be in my eyes to see :)

1. All new: Room- Team- Responsibilities

July 25th was the date when I officially became Ontario Regional Vice-President for AIESEC Canada; the date may vary according to who you might be talking to, but that was the date when Carolyn and the rest of the old team closed the office door behind them... With the shut of the door I suddenly found myself richer with a new room, new desk, new team and new responsibilities... never thought a simple action like that can have such an impactful effect....

New Room
For a whole year I will be living in a squeaky, old but wicked house... next to colorful China Town and close to the University of Toronto. I live with 6 other people who happen to also be my team mates... heeh... totally coincidental... NOT!!!
My room is in the attic, it's blue and has a funny looking shape; half of the window is blocked by this huge AC gadget that makes more noise than cold air.... but I love it!

New Team
I am working together with 7 other people (Isabel, John, Michael, Nicolas, Puneet, Sasha and Talicia). If I were asked to describe us as a team, I would say we are like SOUP ingredients... every ingredient matters for the overall good taste but has its own contribution for the end result! Bon appetit!

New Responsibilities
Becoming Regional Vice President (RVP) , I "suddenly" became responsible for the largest AIESEC region- Ontario (11 Local Chapters). Every single one of them is extremely different and requires totally different ways to approach, coach and support; if, in the past, I have ever said that I need more diversity in my life... well... this is definitely a dream come true :)
If you are wondering what and RVP does, well... supports the local chapters in their region in all areas, drives one tactic from the business plan, manages several members of the National Development Team, is a member of the MC team with all administrative things included here and also supervises one of the 6 portfolios during conferences. Piece of C-A-K-E!

So far what I can tell you is this: never felt more excited, passionate, tired, challenged and absolutely blown away by the diversity and skills this job requires. I have learned a lot in the past month and it's incredible as I have 11 more to go! Baldabac inainte!!!!

2. Old habits stick! Traveling again...

$6, Sun Lotion, Some Friends & a Free Day
If you take the ferry to the Toronto Island (http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/) once you step on the other side something magical happens- you cross into another dimension and I am telling you it's all real! You instantly feel like you are on vacation... cheerful and loud people going around biking, roller blading, laughing, liking ice cream or enjoying their friends company... green spaces, several beaches, goody huts and the feeling of relax and relaxation! Only the sight of the CN Tower, the yellow algae and warning signs about the polluted waters remind you that you are still in Toronto...

The Teaching Rocks- Peterborough Petroglyphs (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/canada/peterborough-petroglyphs.htm)
Two weekends ago Nicolas, Michelle and I decided to do a rather different kind of traveling- we went to see an inspiring ancient place that holds great spiritual meaning and learnings. The Petroglyphs near Peterborough are a remarkable collection of over 900 ancient images carved into crystalline limestone by the Algonkian people between 900 and 1400 AD. Today, the First Nations people of Ontario call the carvings Kinomagewapkong, meaning "the rocks that teach."

Niagara Falls or Another Dream Come True
The thorn in my back ever since I left the US in 2004 has been my failure to see Niagara Falls... well, I am proud to report that I managed to operate quickly and without any pain and successfully got the thorn out: WOOT WOOT! Last weekend Stephanie, Michelle and I jumped in the car and spent an amazing weekend at Niagara Falls. We experienced a lot: walked along the falls for the entire day; got into the mids of the fall by boat (Maid of the Mist) AWESOME!; got rained from head to toe; wore the blue bag-like raincoats; visited the 2 Casinos, slept at a happy hostel, visited 3 wineries and learned how to taste wine! All in all: KICK BOTTOM weekend! :o)

Work & play, play & work and all the rest in between such as feelings, thoughts, fears, hopes... I will repeat myself: my life is beautiful and I am lucky... for all my friends far or close, for all the experiences that I am allowed to have, for all that stands ahead and is still a draft... how exciting!

Miruna- in the mids :o)

Letter to My Friend...

2007-06-04T06:26:00.000+03:00

Hello my friend, wherever you are,

So long since I saw you last... so long since I laught with you... so long since I hugged you...
I am well... stepping ahead... into the unknown... I packed my things again: cloths, memories, shoes, photos... I packed my life and once again I moved... this time East... Left my 3rd home town to move to my new home town... or should I just say HOME... "home is where your friends are" but my friend, you are here and there... you are far and close... it's hard to define...

Here everything is new and old, exciting and confusing, fun and outrageous, comfortable and questionable... it's fresh and I enjoy it! Today I went to the park to read... sat on a large stone under a 72 year old tree... very tall but still not tall enough for it's age... I thought about forests and woods... how long it took them to grow old and how fast we can just make them forgotten... all it takes is a sharp "cutter"... On the street, before the rain, the wind blew my hair in all directions... however, nowadays, I committed to look ahead and stop questioning... stop asking what if.... my friend?

Do you remember when I first heard about "Free Hugs"? I saw them here as well... they were young and smiling... they crossed the street a step away from me; asked me if I want a hug and I said no... I wonder why?... my friend, next time you see me do not allow me to say no to a hug...

I re-discovered the power of smells and colors- China Town... the fun in crowds and the kindness of a ray of sun- downtown Toronto... I have been learning a lot... about this new step, about actions; but the most, I think, I have been learning about is people... discover smiles, passions, humanity and sincerity... people in their PJ's without the perks... just them and their virtual Teddy Bear saying "Good Night" or "Good Morning"...

I feel the excitement growing inside me... seems like "Christmas morning" is closer and closer and I cannot stop thinking about the joy of unwrapping the "presents": happy, amazed, scared, anxious, inpatient, too patient... it feels that I am keeping my breath so that I can breath in all at once when the time comes... I am exercising my lungs to bare and allow the new in... exciting!

My friend, I miss looking into your eyes and understanding that you understand... I would like you to understand this new step I am taking... I wish I could understand this new step that you took/are taking/will be taking... Far apart or close by, my friend, I love that we are experiencing all of this... it gives us more to share whenever we can look into each other's eyes... incredible depth...

It's late and I need to rest as the new day brings new things... think about me, as I am thinking about you... and my friend keep your eyes wide open... capture all so I can see it the next time I stand face to face with you.

Your friend no matter how far, no matter how close,
Miruna or eyes wide open :o)

“I Am a Water Fountain!”

2007-05-23T18:36:00.000+03:00

It is 10:42 pm on May 21st 2007…. I made it! I managed to survive the 1st part of May aka prepare for the National Leadership Development Conference; attend some of the pre-conference; enjoy NLDC and stay sane while commuting from Toronto to Guelph and from Guelph to Toronto with 2 hours sleep each day; be present for my first MC team retreat and enjoy it to the max; deliver a CSR event for work…WOOOT!! I really made it! :)

Such an intense period only deserved peace and quite; some time for chillax and chillaxation, for sleeping in the sun, for just not thinking or worrying about ANYTHING! Just enjoying being myself [again]…

I spent the “2-4 weekend” with my friends in Sturgeon Falls on the shores of Lake Claire at Ailish’s cabin… this has been amazing, incredible or just what the “doctor” ordered! These are the things that I am grateful for and many others that will not fit this page:

Canoeing for the first time in my life…. Feeling like a tiny insect in a nut shell, beating the waves with my little stick; feeling accomplished and peaceful in the middle of the lake for getting that far and for being able to admire the beauty around me;
Ridding in the back of Meg’s red truck, feeling the wind swirl by me; being scared, excited and pumped with every bump, curve or rock hitting the wheals;
Sleeping on the doc and opening my eyes to discover the mirror image of the woods bathing in the lake;
Feeling complete, peaceful, happy, whole... just by being;
The stop at Tim Horton’s on the way to the cabin and the exuberance of excitement and youth while running with Matt around Wilson like 2 little kids;
Mixed drinks at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and the never ending re-fills;
Getting lost in the woods while searching for the sunset; finding the lake and Bailey;
Watching the sunset from the edge of a cliff and glazing into the horizon;
Sarah and her odd sweet way of expressing what she sees and thinks;
Sleeping outside, inside, on the grass, on the patio, on the chairs, on the couch, on the floor, on the doc, on the top bunk bed…. Grateful for s-l-e-e-p-i-n-g… zzzzzzz
Hot sauna and cold jumps into the lake;
My friends laughing, singing and having their crazy talks;
Spooning :)
Introducing Alex and his beer bottles to a concrete poll… ups!
Lava cakes, blueberry pie, garlic shrimp, hot dogs, pogo & poutine, Baba Ganush & pita, fruit salad and Cheerio’s;
Nate reading my mom’s e-mail in Romanian;
Being allowed to express myself [“I am a water fountain!”] J
Ailish, Alex, Chris, Gabi, Meg, Matt, Nate, Sarah and Wilson

I am grateful for all of this and everything in between... This past weekend was a time to s-t-o-p, l-o-o-k around and s-m-e-l-l the “roses”. Ahhh…. It’s amazing to notice how I forgot their sweet smell…
I am 100% natural Romanian… I am a water fountain… and when I am down, cold or feel thirst I have some damn amazing individuals to remind me about my “roses”, to keep me warm and quench my thirst… I am grateful…

From Guelph with much love...

Roooooooad Trip to Québec!!!!!!!!

2007-04-12T19:59:00.000+03:00

This year Easter was totally different from what I experienced so far in my life… To my surprise Canadians do not really celebrate Easter and for most of them it is just a time to get together with their families for brunch or dinner. I must say it was a strange feeling, not necessarily because I am an incredibly religious person and I observe Easter with lots of passion, but because for the past 22 years of my life Easter has been a time for fasting, preparation and the lighting of candles on Easter night…

But I guess I need to adjust… new place… new times… new customs… or better yet lack of them… So, this year my Easter Bunny caught me on the road... For several months now, I have been dreaming about packing my bag and just GO discover and experience new places and I finally got the chance to do it… I just packed my bags and I didn’t look back… put a huge smile on my face and screamed out loud: ROOOAD TRIP! :)

This Easter I visited 3 cities in Québec region: Sherbrook, Québec City and Montréal and it was MERVEILLEUX!!!!

1. Sherbrook- Cabane à sucre

Ever since Québec -Ontario Regional Conference I’ve been planning to go to Sugar Shack… I was decided to go by any means and I was lucky enough that it was scheduled during a time that I could go. Sugar Shack or Cabane à sucre for those who do not know is very specific to the Region of Québec and it is basically a place where people gather to eat LOOOOOTS of foods bathing in maple syrup and have some good times.

This year it was organized by AIESEC Sherbrook and Stephanie and myself were the only Ontario representatives :( but it was great as AIESECers from Québec know how to be welcoming and make you fill included! That’s what I LOVE about them! <3

2. Québec City- Sentiment Européen dans une Place très Canadienne

Driving further the next day, we got to Québec City for our next stop. We stayed with Stephanie’s friend, Neil, and we got to walk for the whole day around the city. I was pleasantly impressed by the European atmosphere and the sweet feeling of being back home running around small and narrow streets, passing by rows of restaurants, boutiques and tourist sites… small scale Europe built on Canadian land… I hadn’t realized till then how much I miss this atmosphere… narrow climbing streets and old buildings… the sweet smell of open air vendors… gift shops and loud tourists :D
We had des crêpes for lunch and we walked to see the place where history decided Canada’s path and turnout for the future- The Plains of Abraham…

The night was very Canadian… we went to watch a hockey game at a sports bar between Toronto Maple Leaves and the Montréal Canadians, a much discussed and notorious game! I had Poutine and a Bloody Caesar… a bit of French and a bit of English all together. The night ended up in a loud club on hip hop and rave bits… Slept in the dorms at Laval University… muhaha!!

3. Montréal - Le Tour du Monde en Cinq Contes

This was my second trip to Montréal but this time I actually got to walk down the streets and experience with my own two feet the streets of Montréal. My host for the day, Nicolas aka Peter Pan, showed me around the old buildings, the harbour and also downtown and China Town. I must admit that if I were to have the chance to leave some where new for some time in Canada I would definitely try Montréal. It’s a great mixture of English and French, French and English, modern and old, familiar and new…

It snowed the whole time and it was quite cold but it was fun to eat Beaver Tails in the freezing cold watching an amazing street performance; have Indian dinner in a tiny restaurant next to a busy street and go to a story telling festival that I absolutely enjoyed! I am really proud of myself as I believe I have been doing some good progress with my French… I am starting to feel more comfortable speaking it and I definitely practiced hearing French… the story telling time was amazing! This is the second time I go to such an event but this one was special because it was in French and it was the last event of this year’s festival. The atmosphere was really cosy: a small pub with an improvised stage… yellow lights and a fun and strange crowd… people gathered there for the love of hearing stories… me sitting on a chair feeling all warm and fuzzy inside and going with the sweet French sounds… feeling like a little girl again on my grandma’s pillows listening to never ending stories of bravery, travels and love… it was enriching! It was wonderful! It is something that I will take with me wherever I will go next :)

Sherbrooke, Québec City and Montréal … an amazing experience surrounded by good friends… This was the best therapy ever to re-gain strengths and look forward to the next overly busy months! If you happen to see me upset or down, or if you think my willing to "go on" with my days is scarce tell me this: ROOOAD TRIP! And mean it! This is my medicine, this is where my heart heals no matter what… discovering, experiencing, travelling to new places… gathering travel memories to put under my pillow late at night after a long day awaiting for an even longer day...

To all travellers out there… I am still with you…
Bonne nuit, Sherbrooke! Bonne nuit, Québec City! Bonne nuit, Montréal!
Miruna :o) or itchy traveler feet…

Friday, I signed a contract to deliver a dream…

2007-04-02T04:06:00.000+03:00

It is said that there is a meaning in everything that happens whether we recognize it or not, whether we want it or not; that for every action there is a contra-action, for every person being born a reason for them to shade the Earth while walking… everything is impacted by everything, everyone is touched by everyone… we are connected and we do not even know it until one day when coming out of a meeting you look at the sky and smile… you smile with your soul and you feel like crying, screaming from the top of your lungs, hugging people walking down the street… it is the feeling of accomplishment; the genuine feeling of giving somebody somewhere their dream…

Now I understand why I am still doing what I am doing… farther then my passion for traveling, interest in discoveries and personal growth… this is the reason … being able to contribute to someone’s dream… I am the proud owner of another contract that holds within the dream of someone else… I wonder who… I wonder where… I wonder if they feel it already…

There are pros and there are cons but no matter what the opinions are I stand strong on my two feet and tell you this: AIESEC is the rush of adrenaline feeding your brain when you skydive with no parachute to reach a dream, whether it is yours or for someone else.

Friday was a good day to start a dream… wasn’t it?
Miruna :o)