Finding Flow
I’ve been staring at my laptop screen for a few minutes now, trying to write the first sentence of this post. There is so much I want to write, but can’t seem to find the right words. What is it about writing that challenges me so much? And perhaps more interestingly, what does it mean when I say I want to become a better writer this year? I think it was my mom who first told me I can be a writer. That was 7 years ago when I still wrote in Hebrew. I just got to Australia and I was lonely, so for a few months I wrote a series of...
read moreDiscovering Life Purpose
What am I here to do? What is my life purpose? Do we even have a purpose? I have had these questions, and similar others, swirling around in my mind for some time now. A few years ago I tried to address them briefly but always felt that I hadn’t invested enough time or contemplative energy into these subjects.. Work seems to never end, fueling up with coffee in the morning and cooling down with a beer at night. Lots of to-do lists, texts messages and pop up reminders. Most of the time I’m living in a survival mode on too little...
read more2010. 2011
New Year’s Day. I love this time of year, if only because I let my mind wander free into the land of dreams and possible outcomes. Like painting on canvas, I start to sketch with broad strokes in different directions, opening myself to my fullest potential, daring to dream big. Options are endless but my heart desires focus. Experience has taught me that by being consistent in one area I’m able to extract more wisdom and enjoy the finest quality of focused attention. In previous years, my yearly focus had shifted from heavy...
read moreMy RTW Trip
Traveling is every free spirit’s wet dream, and one I’ve been looking for a long time, way before I hit the road for my RTW trip in early 2009. 18 months and 4 continents later I’m back in peaceful Melbourne for the Australian summer, reflecting on what quickly became one of my biggest adventures. Traveling Vs Vacationing For me, traveling is not a vacation activity. I had many of those while studding and working in Australia. I see traveling as an opportunity to experience new areas and environments outside...
read moreGetting engaged
There are few seemingly random choices in life that change the course of one’s future quite dramatically. I made one of those choices at the beginning of this year at a cool backpacker’s hostel in La Paz, Bolivia, while playing a cards game with a fellow travelers. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a warm smiling face at the far end of the table. I could easily ignore it but instead I made my choice to extend an invitation to join us. A Few months ago I got down on one knee at a small French Restaurant in Montreal and asked my...
read moreVolunteering in the US
Volunteering while traveling in Peru served as great way to get a deeper connection with the country and its people, so when I saw a similar opportunity of volunteering in the US, I grabbed it with both hands. The option institute which is also an international Autism treatment center is nestled in the middle of nature, and one of the reasons why I chose to spend full 2 months there and remove myself from the general tourist route. The Berkshires region, a 2.5 hours scenic drive from New York City, is breathtakingly picturesque and extremely...
read moreHelp Bolivia
Crossing the border from Brazil, the richest country in South America to Bolivia, the poorest, marked yet another new direction in my trip. After 2 months of beach, sun and samba I was looking for something else, perhaps more meaningful. I remember walking through the main Market of La Paz, Bolivia’s high mountain capital, wondering what voluntary organization should I join. It was already my fifth day in Bolivia and this simple task turned to be more challenging than I initially thought. All places demanded a long term commitment,...
read moreLoving Brazil
“What is your favourite place you travelled?” This one question always seems to be standing out. At first it seemed hard to answer as I liked so many places and each one for its own reason, however on a bit more thought, the same winner is always crowned: More than 2 blissful months in the land of football and samba made me a lifelong fan. In the beginning, on the contrary, I was ridiculously cautious. I’ve been fed with so many stories of violence and crime by other travellers so when I landed in Rio de Jenerio few days...
read moreTrekking Patagonia
A bit late but here it is, my Patagonia experience: After spending a month in busy, humid and crowded Buenos Aires, arriving to deserted El Calafate, An Argentinean town in the middle of nowhere with lots of cool, clean fresh air, felt so right. El Calafate is the main gateway into Patagonia and Glaciers National Park with its famous Perito Moreno Glacier. The only word that came into my mind when I first saw this impressive glacier was: WOW. The word stayed with me for a very long time and echoed stronger within when we started our trek...
read moreHelping in Peru
This is an inspiring story of how one thought and a single email with good intentions can be the spark of collective energy that ignites people’s hearts from every corner of the globe. Sometimes the worst situations in ones life turn to be the best opportunities in the long run. This was the case of Serapio Huaman, A local Peruvian who lost his house in tragic mudslides events. I still remember the first time I saw Serpio’s tough but smiling face when I got to his destroyed house. His face was beaming with gratitude and humility....
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