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Relationships: heaven and hell on earth
“Man is the only being who knows he is alone, and the only one who seeks out another. His nature – if that word can be used in reference to man, who has ‘invented’ himself by saying ‘no’ to nature – consists in his longing to realize himself in another. Man is nostalgia and a search for communion. Therefore, when he is aware of himself he is aware of his lack of another, that is, of his solitude.” Octavio Paz Relationships are a subject of great interest to me. The first time I started thinking about relationships was when I was in college and I read The Labyrinth of the…
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My reasons to THANK 2020
This year is almost gone, and I have seen many people glad for it, having considered this year awful in many ways. However, some are looking for the good and being grateful for the lessons and opportunities that came out from the crises. To some extent, we are all hopeful for the next year to be a better one. 2020 came to shake and destabilize our bases. We understood that we do not have much control over our plans or how things will happen. Everyone was impacted differently through this pandemic, but we all had to review many things in our lives. For me, it would already be a different…
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The best Christmas I have ever had
Natal, Noel, Navidad, Christmas. I have celebrated many Christmas eve in my life, sometimes with my family and sometimes with other people’s family. However, I believed that in 2020 I would spend the worst Christmas Eve ever, locked in my room in the university, watching a movie as on an ordinary night. I was entirely wrong. A few weeks after having accepted this sad destiny, my grandmother comes to my mind. She left us this year, this means that I will never see her again, and I will never spend another Christmas with her, but she taught me one thing that I will keep forever. My grandmother was a very…
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So, it is Christmas…
Christmas is one of the holidays I like the most. In fact, it is my favorite. In addition to celebrating the birth of the Master Jesus, this time brings a terrific energy of communion, harmony, and love. I feel that people are closer and with a more open heart. It would be great if it were like this all year. I love the get-togethers, from the Santa secret at work, schools and among friends (what I love the most) to family reunions and, of course, the delicious feast of Christmas. I love to meet relatives, exchange gifts, and socialize with the people I love. For a lot of people, unfortunately,…
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The day I could not stop crying in Ireland
Living abroad involves peculiar and remarkable situations. This article is rather a short report written 2 years ago when as I couldn’t restrain tears from washing my face, I described for the first time what it had meant to me living so far away from home. This article is republished in the hope you, by reading it, can have a taste of what means to get out of the comfort zone to face the unknown, even if this ‘unknown’ has been already part of our reality.
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A gringo in São Paulo
Gringo/gringa = person not born in Brazil, irrespective of their origin, skin colour, religion, etc; foreigner When somebody mentions Brazil, the majority of people think of warm weather, never-ending beaches, football or the Carnival. For me, a Romanian who visited Brazil twice, lived in a Brazilian household and volunteered in a NGO, Brazil means all these things and even more. This post talks about my experience in the largest city in Brazil and South America by population. Background I have always been fascinated by travelling and knowing more about other cultures. When an AIESEC opportunity to volunteer in São Paulo came up, I couldn’t say no. I decided to go…
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Intrapersonal relationship: have you ever thought about it?
When we talk about relationship, the first thing that comes to our mind is romantic relationships. However, we have three kind of relationships: intrapersonal (from us to ourselves), interpersonal (from us to others: friends, family, work etc.) and, of course, romantic love, between two parts (or more). In this article, I want to discuss interpersonal relationships, which is in my point of view the most important One. Intrapersonal relationship is the foundation of every kind of relationships we have with one another. On a priority basis, the way we treat ourselves is the way we allow others to treat us. Although this has become an unconscious reflex, as we do…
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Taking control of your life
In the beginning of this year, the Covid-19 came to show us that we do not have any control of our lives. It has shown to us that everything can chance overnight. In one day, we were living our ordinary life, working and gathering with our friends and family. In another, we were just forbidden to leave our homes and have social contact, many people lost their jobs, lots of plans were postponed and even canceled. We have become insecure about the future, without knowing what is going to happen and when we would be able to meet up again. During this period, many people have struggled with anxiety, depression,…
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My 3/30 days Ramadan experience
Since a child, I have learned quite a lot of nonsense about Arabic culture. Now I have been able to realize with my own eyes how misled I have been. In a nutshell, we are used to hearing in the Media and even at school of how backward the Arabic’s are, how they do not respect women, by limiting their freedom, and how dangerous they are to the world. It only by getting out of our comfort zones and getting to know a few of them to start question one thing: who are the backward people? Honestly, I was not far away from thinking that way. Nevertheless, once in France…
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Comfort zone: jump out!
Do you know when is the time to change? Not too far from today, in 2019 I occupied a relatively good position in a multinational Brazilian company, position in which I worked hard to achieve. And still I had great chances of promotion and the possibility of building a successful career in Corporate Communication. I had nice coworkers and a loving boss whom I admire a lot. I proudly lived with my mother, whom I have an adorable relationship, full of respect for each other. Furthermore, I got a couple of lovely friends who have always supported me. In sum, I had everything one needs to be happy, but I…
