Malvina

Towards the Unknown

Malvina

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”.

==> My PHOTOS

Me on Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe.

I always follow three steps: TRAVEL, DISCOVER, EXPLORE. Sometimes these steps were difficult or painful but led me to where I am today...

My latest travels:

May 2012 - Porugal (Lisbon, Tomar)
March 2012 - Porugal
January - February 2012 - Porugal (Lisbon, Tomar)
November 2011 - Porugal (Lisbon, Tomar)
August 2011 - Morocco (Marrakech, Quarzazate)
July - September 2011 - Porugal
May 2011 - Porugal (Lisbon, Porto, Caldas da Rainha, Tomar, Covilha)
April 2011 - Holland (Amsterdam)
January - February 2011 - Portugal (Lisbon, Caldas da Rainha)
November 2010 - Portugal (Lisbon, Caldas da Rainha, Nazare, Porto)
August 2010 - Portugal (Lisbon, Sintra, Elvas, Evora, Monsaraz, Almograve, Porto Covo, Cabo Sardao, Zambujeira do Mar, Sagres, Albufeira, Faro, Porto, Aveiro)
August 2009 – July 2010 – China (Yunnan)
June – July 2009 – USA (New York, Miami, Michigan)
April 2009 – Holland (Amsterdam)
February 2009 – Ukraine (Kiev)
December 2008 – Sweden (Malmo), Denmark (Copenhagen)
March - April 2008 – Holland (Amsterdam, Veere)
December 2007 – Sweden (Stockholm), Portugal (Cabo da Roca, Cascais, Estroil, Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Caminha, Viana do Castelo), Spain (Barcelona)
November 2007 – Holland (Amsterdam)
September 2007 – Holland (Amsterdam)
June- August 2007 – Germany (Hannover), Holland (Amsterdam, Zandvoort), France (Paris, Cannes), Switzerland (Lausanne, Brig), Italy (Florence, Rome, Venice, Pisa), Spain (Barcelona), Portugal (Lisbon, Porto)
April 2007 – Sweden (Karlskrona)
March 2007 – Austria (Vienna)
July 2006 – Germany (Hannover, Wolfsburg, Brema, Celle)
May 2006 – Germany (Hannover)
July 2005 – Greece (Athens)
February 2005 – Germany (Hannover, Berlin)
July – August 2004 – England (London), Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Melrose), Greece (Athens)
July 2003 – Norway (Oslo, Lillehammer, Narvik, Flam, Hamar, Bergen), Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir, Ciovo, Slatine)
July 2002 – England (London, Brighton, Oxford, Greenwich)
October 2001 – Germany (Hannover, Brema, Celle)
July 2001 – Germany (Stuttgart, Triberg), France (Strasbourg), Switzerland (Zurich), Belgium (Brussels)
October 2000 – Germany (Hannover, Brema, Celle)

PORTUGAL

Europe » Portugal August 8th 2010

Lisbon- Mosteiro dos Jeronimos

Towards the Unknown

On the western edge of Europe "where the land ends and see begins" there is a place where the air carries scent of nostalgy. A place whose nature remained untouched and time has stopped as if God has just created it. A place which is full of color and where the sun shines all year round. There is a place of friendly and hospitable people, a place of extreme contrast whose diversity is one of its greatest treasures. A place of great travelers and explorers whose spirit is still present in fairy tales- like palaces and enchanted areas... Portugal- a country that needs to be deeply explored to be understood. But you can only get to know it through its past. Portugal lives its own almost forgotten life and although it's been changing recently, the country ... read more

Chinese Food

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming July 6th 2010

Baozi and different kind of steamed bread.

Towards the Unknown

Chinese cuisine belongs to the world's most famous ones. However, what many people mean by "Chinese cuisine" is chicken in a sweet-sour sauce or Peking Duck. And that's not true... It's also believed that Chinese people eat absolutelly everything. And that IS true... Some years ago, in a Guangdong province, people started eating some kind of (poisoned!) squirrel which eventually caused the SARS epidemic. In the same province, if women decide to do abortion, people eat those human fetuses believing they are healthy. Another controversial "dish" is... (live) monkey brain. In the middle of a special table with a hole inside, people put still living monkey (only the monkey's head is actually on the table), crash its head and eat its brain. Doesn't that sound... delicious? Since I came here, I got to try many Chinese ... read more

Different kind of baozi and chicken feet.

Coconut milk with pearls :) Yuuummmmmy :)

Chinese Preschool- My Work, My Kids

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming June 1st 2010

My kids :)

Towards the Unknown

June. My stay in China is coming to the end. Although I don't want to think about it yet. After almost a year I got done with work too... Teaching English every day in two preschools. In each of them 400 kids and me. Amazing experience, wonderful moments, many warm words and smiles every day... And at the end lots of tears. When I told the kids that we may not see each other again, they all started crying. And me... well... together with them. *** Czerwiec. Moj pobyt w Chinach dobiega konca. Choc jeszcze nie chce o tym myslec. Po prawie roku moja praca rowniez dobiegla konca... Kazdego dnia nauka angielskiego w dwoch przedszkolach. W kazdym 400 dzieciakow i ja. Niesamowite doswiadczenie, wspaniale chwile, wiele cieplych slow i usmiechow kazdego dnia... Na koniec lzy i ... read more

Chinese Trip to Chengjiang

Asia » China » Yunnan » Yuxi May 19th 2010

Welcome to Chengjiang!

Towards the Unknown

After long absence caused by lack of a computer and all sorts of other problems, I'm back... Time for another post then. It's a tradition in China (not in all places though) that from time to time, a boss of some company, within the framework of integration and having some rest, organizes a trip for all the staff. In the middle of May, we (me and 50 Chinese people) went to a small, quite charming place Chengjiang, famous for the lake, water attractions, shrimp pan cakes, "seafood", many kinds of fish, rice served with potatoes, lychee wine, meals made of lotus flowers and... green peas ice cream. Yes... another Chinese abstraction :) So we set off in the afternoon, got to the place in the evening and after a short walk on the Chinese beach came ... read more

Chinese Contrasts

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming March 30th 2010

The contrasts are sometimes scary.

Towards the Unknown

Sometimes I have a feeling China is not a country but a totally different world. It's a country full of DRASTIC contrasts. Fascinating but at the same time scary. A country where the poverty borders on splendor, backwardness on the newest technology, slowness of vilages on speed of big agglomerations, gray traditional Chinese homes on the rainbow of colors of the shopping centers, help and the warm hearts of the Chinese on their lack of respect to the foreigners. It's a mix of cultures, religions, traditions, ways of thinking... It's amazing that in a country that probably has the biggest technology progress, people (still) believe in natural medicine, mix unknown to others herbs, believe in energy, calling ghosts out, predictions, lunar calendar... It's a country of unique and VERY diverse landscapes. The area where delight borders ... read more

6 MONTHS in China

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming February 28th 2010

Towards the Unknown

Time passes by very fast. And the more we want to stop it, the faster it passes by. To be honest, I don't even know what I should or what I would like to write. On February 27 was half a year since I came here. I organized a small dinner party for the closest friends. But instead of joy, I only felt sadness. From some time, I've been looking at everything through a prism of memories and I feel that soon I will have to go back to Poland. And although many people don't want to hear that, sometimes I have a feeling I don't want to go back (yet). But of course, there is a part of me that can't wait to come back. A lot of things have happened for the last 6 ... read more

- Chinese New Year -

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming February 13th 2010

Cheeeeers!

Towards the Unknown

Chinese New Year (春节, literally Spring Festival) is a very complex holiday... It's hard to describe all its ways, traditions and rituals. Because in China, people kept the lunar calendar, the New Year doesn't have precise date. It's usually around the end of Januray or the beginning of February. The Spring Festival lasts 15 days but most of the time is just preparation for the 14th day which is the New Year's Eve. During the preparations people clean their houses and leave the windows open just to drive away all the bad spirits and bad energy that the old year left behind. People decorate their houses with red lantenrs and paper-cut words such as "health", "wealth" or "longevity" asking the good spirits to come and stay for the whole following year... And during the New Year's ... read more

New Year Update (eventually)

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming February 1st 2010

My settlement pagodas ;)

Towards the Unknown

I know that those who read my blog have been waiting for the New Year Eve post. But February came and there's still nothing... Well... I guess I owe an apology and a few words of "an excuse". Many things have happened lately. So many that I haven't had time to write anything. I didn't even have time for a deep breath! Together with the year's end came news that I have to move out from my apartment within three weeks. Chinese government decided to destroy part of the building I lived in. And it so happen that it was the part my apartment was in. Bad luck? Not really... I quickly started looking for a new place to live and found it at the beginning of January. Better one. Located in Kundu district, (famous for ... read more

(No) Christmas in China (?)

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming December 26th 2009

Christmas MoreFun

Towards the Unknown

It appears that the Chinese people DO celebrate Christmas. Date is the same but everything exept that is of course the other way around. In MoreFun, long time before Christmas, people were preparing everything. Decorations, planning the whole Christmas party, discussing about the menu, printing posters and invitations. Everything had to be on a high level. And it was. From 7 PM to 9 PM "Christmas dinner" and from 9 PM "Christmas coctail party". It is hard to describe the amount of meals, cakes, fruit and coctails. I can only say that my hot wine also was on the "Christmas table". To make Christmas more magical, at the stage in the bar, as well as at the one downstairs, was organized magic show. Did it really bring magic? Not really... Real magic appeared after the party ... read more

Yang Jin Bo doing bartender tricks. One...

My 100 Days in China

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming December 5th 2009

My 100 Days in China.

Towards the Unknown

After all the problems, troubles, hurdles which seemed to be not to overcome, tears and struggling with getting used to living here, came the time to celebrate my first 100 days in China. It seems to be only 100 days but I think they were my "the most changing life" 100 days. Many things happened, I have experienced many bad things. But now, I can tell I feel (for many reasons) happy. Except all the hardships I had to go through, I have been surrounded by many open warm hearts. Now I cannot imagine my life here without them. Of course I celebrated with my Chinese friends who have been with me from the very first day when I came to Kunming. Cake, wine, warm (almost family- like) atmosphere, many nice words but also... a big ... read more

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