I've been dreaming...

I’ve been watching...

At this moment in time, I feel like I’m quite a poor (money-wise) person. I haven’t got my address and there have been days when I had one sandwich and a coffee. Oh, yes... Coffee...
I have just watched “Black Gold”- a story about one man trying to change the world. How come when you are willing to fuck something up, you become a prime minister or a president? But when you are actually fighting for the world to become a better place – it’s next to impossible to find support!? Anyway, there is this “Man in charge” – Tadesse Meskela (General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union) [ for those who would like to read up: http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/tadesse.php ] and there are Ethiopian people. The wages of the seventy percent of the country depend on the coffee market.

Please read this: http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/story.php

If I think again, well, I’m not that poor. I am not allowed to complain. I’m not going to preach and say: “do this, don’t do that”. It’s completely up to you to make the decision. Next time, when you are going shopping, think twice before you pick the coffee up from the shelf. It is a luxury item. We can easily live without it. Of course, what would the life be without any luxuries? Yup. So let’s help the people of Ethiopia enjoy theirs, let’s make it possible for them to eat, to drink clean water, to be treated when they are ill; and the biggest luxury of them all – let’s send their children to school, let’s build the schools and let’s pay for their teachers. Do you think it is a fair exchange?...
Just because you have chosen to pay 20pence more for your coffee (much better quality, too!), somebody else can eat for a week. Makes you think, ey?...

I've been talking...

I’ve been moving...

So the break has finally finished. I do apologise to those who sent me numerous e-mails asking when I was going to be back. It took me a while to pick the pieces of my soul up. The problem was they were (are?) widely scattered and I needed to spend some time looking for them. I have not yet recovered but maybe one day I will and that’s what keeps me going.

I have moved to a new country. Again. This time it was a bit more difficult than usual as I had to leave the most beautiful Island – my Home. All my Friends, Favourite Places, Magical Atmosphere – stayed behind. Probably, one day I will go back. But for now, I’m living in the Land of Liberty. I am learning completely new ways of life, different attitudes, points of view. My eyes are wide opened all the time and I keep getting shocked. I also smile a lot. Well – how can you not smile when somebody puts chocolate sprinkle on your cheese sandwich? Or when you want to take a shower and all there is for you is a hole in the floor? Have you seen modern architecture in the Netherlands?? Or toilet seats with shelves for your poo? So many things I don’t understand and, I guess, I never will, no matter how long I’m going to stay here for. But that’s the beauty of it. It is unlike anything I expected it to be. Country forgotten by progress but at the same time a centre of European “future”. Hilarious mixture. The greatest thing about this place is that I really don’t need to look for a hooded, foreign looking teenager who can provide me with my pain medicine. I just go to the coffee shop and treat it like the Chemist’s.

By the way, XXX in the Amsterdam crest does not stand for porn! It means: no famine, no fire and no floods! That was quite cool to think it’s a red light district advertisement.