As a side note, I am sure
my dear teachers at university, who coached me in ways to conduct scientific
research, may place a palm over their face thinking "did the Swedish girl not
pay attention at all?!" Words such as thesis, qualitative versus quantitative
data and sampling comes to mind. I think what I am doing are case studies. Maybe?! I have realized that people's stories
fascinate me a great deal. Every human has a story. I love reading biographies. And I also love learning
from people I care for and respect. To
be in the presence, both physically and virtually, of inspiring people helps me
to push my own envelope. And yes some of my questions may have been slightly
leading, but we all know I won’t be receiving a Pulitzer Prize anytime soon for
this blog. Sorry in advance; this can become
a little, or actually a lot, “we are the world.” But honestly, in a world of turmoil, I think we need
some mushiness sometimes. And don’t get
me wrong, I love that countries and cultures differ. That is why I have devoted
most of my life to traveling. However, what do my 20 Vikings and Princesses, and
I include myself in this, have in common?
We speak
different languages, but have one in common, English. Knowing English has
allowed friendships to blossom.
Chocolate
is many people’s vice. We try not to eat too much of it, but the general
consensus seemed to be it's okay to have it now and then.
We are bad
at remembering to drink water. We who are fortunate to have access to clean,
safe drinking water need constant reminders to stay hydrated. So bring that water bottle with you everywhere! This was the most common advice.
One can
always bring sneakers on trips in order to exercise. Walking/running outside is
free and can expose us to glorious new surroundings. Who knows what kind of
adventures are just around the corner?!
It’s important
to take care of ourselves, meaning mind and body. The consensus was that physical well-being
goes hand in hand with mental well-being. Eating healthy food is important and
so is physical activity. But we must not be too hard on ourselves. We need to
truly enjoy life and not be extreme one way or another.
Music can
be of assistance of healing wounds in our hearts. Or to give us a kick in the
butt when we need to get energized and going. So throw a dance party, with one
or more participants, on a regular basis.
In order to
cheer someone up we love to offer a smile to that person. To make him or her laugh and feel acknowledged. Many good quotes were passed on by my guests, and here
is one that came up more than once: “People will forget what you said, people
will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
by Maya Angelou.
One way to
end the day on a good note is to think of all the good things, big and small,
that went down during the day. Some people seems to be naturally wired to feel
happy and look at the bright side of life most of the time. Others have a bit
of a struggle. But we all need to remind ourselves to feel gratitude for what
we have, instead of focusing on what we don’t have.
When asked for tips on where to go for a chilled and active vacation in
their home countries, my guests had a lot to say. And my take on this is: it
means all countries have their charm. All countries have places worth visiting.
I hope these answers inspired some future traveling to occur. Both to other
countries, but perhaps they also sparked an interest in exploring one’s own immediate
surroundings. My aim is to keep vagabonding and I will probably at one point be
the oldest lady ever to stay at a hostel. Unless I marry rich first of course
and will then be chilling at various Sheraton Hotels around the world.
One saying I like goes like this: “Love
People Cook Them Tasty Food”. That’s a definite action one can take to brighten
someone’s day. I like actions. You can always take someone out for a nice meal
if you feel lost in the kitchen and think you may give your friend food poisoning
instead of a culinary extravaganza. But perhaps we can be inspired of the many
different cultures and countries represented? And yes, here is where the difference
is definitely a strength. Some of the food/spices mentioned were: couscous,
paprika, brown bread, cumin, rice, bananas, young coconut water, natto,
asparagus, turmeric, mate, red wine, potatoes, acai, kale, kimchi, rice, fil,
red rice…go at it and have a smörgåsbord! Yes that is a real word which is used
internationally and yes it is Swedish.
I have found it that when you learn about a culture, you generally like
it more. We humans seem to be slightly wired to be suspicious about the
unknown, although we are also curious at the same time. The more you know about
a person the more you like him or her. Well, hopefully. And wars, well if more bridges of international
friendships were built (oh yes totally mushy writing now!) I don’t think that
many wars would happen.
I want to say THANK YOU to all who participated! THANK YOU for taking
the time to answer my questions. I loved that I learned from you. Not just
about tips and tricks to stay healthy. Many times I had to YouTube songs and
locations you recommended and this broadened my horizons. No, but I am also
thankful that I learned about you, my dear friends, as people. And THANK YOU to
all who read the interviews and commented. I loved how supportive you were of
the posts and respectful to the guests. I am very thankful that I have
such a strong network of inspiring people located all over the world.
Shanti (peace in Sanskrit)…had to end on a “we are the world” note.
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