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My Top 10 Vegan Dishes from Around the World
For some time, the global pandemic has not allowed us to travel as we wish to. So I’ve been looking for ways to escape my daily life and travel a little bit in other ways, such as learning foreign languages (although this passion is much older than the pandemic) or world cuisine. Travelling is also about the taste buds. In this article, I’m presenting my top 10 vegan dishes from around the world. Why vegan? I am a vegetarian with a strong vegan tendency, for several reasons (which I will perhaps detail in a future article). Being interested in the vegan specialities of certain countries also allows you to…
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Living Abroad: Experiencing Culture Shock
“When you arrive in a city, you see streets in perspective. A series of buildings without meaning. Everything is unknown, blank. Later on, you will have walked along these streets, you will have been to the end of the perspectives, you will have known these buildings, you will have lived stories with people. When you will have lived in this city, you will have taken this street ten, twenty, a thousand times. At the end of the day, it belongs to you because you have lived there.” L’Auberge espagnole (Pot Luck / The Spanish Apartment), Xavier. The art of being a foreigner abroad and in your own country…
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What Is the Integration of Migrants? – Acculturation Strategies
The “integration” of migrants. Here is an expression we hear almost everywhere. Initially a sociological phenomenon, it has become a commonplace. It is sometimes used indiscriminately in the media and in political discourse. Overused. Emptied of its meaning. Integration. It is one of the issues that come up most often when we talk about migration. This is the mission of the Maltese NGO in which I was involved for some time. Its mission is reflected in its own name: Integra Foundation. Public opinion seems to agree that the “migrant” must “integrate”, whether it is “pro” or “anti” migration. But, in the end, what is integration? Is it…
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And Then I (Re)started Watercolour Painting
“A watercolour is not a story, it is the translation of a sensation, a memory, a state of mind.” Hugo Pratt Starting watercolour is a good way to relax and dream. Soft colours. Fusions that invite you to let go. A light painting equipment that makes nomadic practice particularly easy. Just grab the brush and let yourself be carried away on a journey to the heart of your imagination. Fascinated by this medium, I started watercolour a year and a half ago. Come and join me on my creative adventure in the land of watercolour. My first steps in watercolour As a child, like many…
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Why Traveling Makes Us Richer
“Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Anonymous Traveling has a cost and is considered by some as a hobby among others. However, more than a simple hobby, traveling is actually a genuine school of life. Rather than a simple expense to please yourself, it is a way to invest in yourself. The money spent on traveling would be more like the budget allocated to a training course than the one allocated to the latest fashionable gadget. I will explain why I believe that traveling can truly enrich you. However, two small clarifications: First, to get real benefits from traveling, we need to adopt…
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Readings #1 – The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled From India to Europe for Love
~ The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled From India to Europe for Love ~ Per J. Andersson Summary “You will marry a girl who will not come from this ethnic group, nor from this village, nor from this province, nor even from this country.” This prophecy, Pikej, a young Indian born in a family of the Dalit caste, has been repeating it to himself all his life. When he meets Lotta, a Swedish woman on a trip, at the foot of a fountain in New Delhi, the young street artist is sure: it’s her. The girl of the prophecy. He can’t afford the trip to…
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How I Learn Foreign Languages On My Own
Broadening my horizons, traveling, discovering other cultures, communicating with people from elsewhere. Here are some of the reasons that pushed me to learn and improve foreign languages, beyond the language courses I took during my schooling. Thus, I am perfecting my English and Spanish, and I am starting to learn Italian and Arabic. I’m going to explain to you the learning methods and tricks I use to learn languages on my own. Have a real motivation First of all, it is crucial to have a real motivation to learn a foreign language, especially when learning it on your own. It is not about learning it just because…
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Migrant or Refugee? Differences and Definitions
“Migrant”, “refugee”, “undocumented person”. These terms are often misused, causing confusion. But it is essential to know what we are talking about. There are various terms that refer to different situations and statuses. Defining them allows us to better understand migration phenomena, avoid confusion and fight against the misinformation that is spreading on the subject. Here are the definitions of the main terms used in the media and in speeches about migration. What is a migrant? Definition A migrant is a person who leaves his or her usual place of residence and settles temporarily or permanently in another region or country. The term “migrant”, as defined…
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Why We Should All Socialize with People from Other Cultures
“If you differ from me, my brother, far from hurting me, you enrich me” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry When we were born, we have been linked to a certain culture, country, ethnic group and social group. Later on, during our education, we were more or less put in contact with other cultural and social groups. Or, rather, we didn’t all have the opportunity to socialize with people from different cultural and social backgrounds since our childhood. On one hand, curiosity and desire to discover. On the other hand, fear from other’s differences. When it comes to socializing with people from other cultures, the human being is torn between those two…
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I Dream of a Better World
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs Utopia. I discovered this concept and this literary genre during my school years, as a teenager. It immediately captivated the idealist and dreamer in me. Originally, “utopia” means “(which is) in no place”. By extension, a utopia is considered an ideal that is deemed unattainable. I dream of a better world. From the start, this dream sounds like a sweet utopia. People will blame me for not being down-to-earth, for being unrealistic. We live in a world where idealism and utopia are equated with naivety. And…
Dépassons les frontières – Let’s go beyond borders
