Denny Bakiev on Flair, Balance, and Sustainability
With balance and speed, you go far. Denny Bakiev has certainly traveled far with his dedication for flair bartending –…
The Bravery, Courage, and Personal Transformation of Kathleen Reynolds
What is to give light must endure burning — Viktor Frankl “Because sometimes the most holy thing we can say…
Ana Filomena Amaral: Words of Fire
One of the Buddhist teachings in my life’s toolbox goes, “Take all in with a strong back and a soft front, for life is harsh and you want to be gentle.” A contemporary adaption to this mantra is coined by Brené Brown, an American researcher…
Undertaking for a Generation
Livja B. was 8 years old. Blind bullets were penetrating normal homes and two thousand lives were claimed. This was 1997. Two billion U.S. dollars and hopes of many Albanian families evaporated in a pyramid scheme that was peculiarly endorsed by the government. The cost for a free market was hefty. Nearly seven months of violence and anarchy ended with an election – the leftist Socialist Party took power but “it could have been any snake”, said Livja. Years have gone by and she has grown to become a lawyer who also runs her family hotel in Voskopoja. On the surface…
Gazi Sadiku Walks and Talks about Albania: Local Travel, Food, Communism and Life Going Forward
Tirana (Tiranë in Shqip), a word so beautiful you imagine naming your future daughter that. It is the name of the capital city of Albania, or Shqipëria, meaning “land of eagles”. This country of three million population stands in the Balkans, bordering Greece to the south, North Macedonia and Kosovo to the east, and Montenegro to the north. Albania gazes out to the Adriatic sea, part of the Ionian sea and the back of the Italian heel. The nation broke free from then Ottoman Empire in 1912, but to fall into the fate of multiple regional power struggles and the two world wars. Ruled by two dictators between 1944 to 1991, Albanians had no contact with the rest of the world until late 1992, when the Parliament was restored. This also marked
Kostas Haralas: The Merits of a Measured Life
The bustling metropolis of Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest city and boasts a population of almost a million people. In…
Bringing Harmony to Life with Sam Watterson
Sam Watterson and I met through a literary festival last year when he volunteered at the photo and videography department….
Natural Bodybuilder, Ester Simões on Diva Wellness 2021, body image and confidence
It was two days after Christmas in 2019, when Ester and I first met in her family house – bright…
Sveto Muhammad Ishoq challenges the status quo of what it means to be an Afghan woman
Sveto and I first met at a networking event in Tsinghua University. She was then a student scholar (the first…