Armenijski brandy

Danes nekaj o svetovno znanem armenijskem brandyju, katerega je zelo rad v svojih časih pil tudi W. Churchil. Stalin mu je namreč kot darilo, na leto razposlal okoli 100 steklenic te nebeške pijače, ki je narejena izključno iz belega grozdja. Brandy (konjak je imenovan izkjučno samo v regiji Cognac v Franciji) je hranjen v sodovih, kjer vsako leto skozi les »izpari« okoli 20 L. To imenujejo davek angelom in čeprav 85% vsega izvozijo v Rusijo, enega izmed največjih deležev vseeno dobijo angelčki. Zato ni čudno, da včasih kak naš angel varuh zataji, omamljen in blažen od armenijskega brandyja.

Today something about the world renowned Armenian brandy. W. Churchill was very impressed by its taste as well, since Stalin was sending him around 100 bottles every year as a gift. Brandy is made out of white grapes only. Brandy (they name it cognac only in the region Cognac in France) is saved in the wooden barrels, where every year evaporates around 20 L of brandy through the wood. This is called »a debt to the angels«. Even though 85% of brandy a year goes to Russia, still one of the biggest parts goes to the angels! So don't get angry if sometimes your guardian angel doesn't accomplish his work as it is a little bit tipsy and in »high spirits«

Pravijo, da je alkohol pijača hudiča. Ali veste zakaj trknemo s kozarcem ko nazdravimo? Včasih so verjeli, da zvok nazdravljanja s kozarcem odžene stran hudiča, ki ždi na robu. Ko pijemo brandy pa je protokol, da kozarec vedno držimo v levi roki, saj je tako bližje srcu.

They say an alchohol is a drink of a devil. Do you know why we clink the glasses? They believed the sound helped to drive off the evil spirits, that sit at the edge of a glass. When we drink brandy, by protocol we always take the glass in the left hand, as it is closer to our heart.

Brandy je najboljši ob zaključku večerje ob sladici, še posebej se mu dopade okus črne čokolade! Kombiniramo pa ga lahko tudi s sadjem in različnimi pecivi ter tortami. Zagotovo pa bo dobrodošel ob moji domači črni čokoladi, njaaam! Na zdravje! 

Brandy goes best with desserts, speacially dark chocolate. Also with fruits and cakes. Definitely will be a perfect fit to my homemade dark chocolate. Cheers!

Grobovi in razhajkani ostanki socializma

Pohajkovanje po armenskih motorističnih poteh se silno zapleta. Že res, da so pogledi na naravo izjemni, puščavski pridih na eni, jesenske barve listja na drugi strani, samo dodajo magičnosti pokrajine, a midva bi več. Od daleč opazujeva vasice in se podava na pot proti njim. Dobrih namenov, polna vprašanj ter upanja, da spoznava zanimive, drugačne ljudi in nabereva nove zgodbe v popotniško beležnico. Se naučiva kaj novega o življenju in spoznava Njih. Jah, če le srečava kakšno posebno armensko dušo, nama ta, sicer pripravljena na kak pogovor, takoj postavi pred dejstvo: "Ne govorita rusko?" In midva nazaj odvrneva v najini slovenski-hrvaški različici, da ne.

Vse kar opaziva so razhajkane socialistično razpadajoče mestne zgradbe, na drugi strani pa vasice, kjer so hiške silno ljubke, pred njimi pa gore sena, traktorji, živina in domači psi, ki sicer nakazujejo, da zagotovo kdo živi tam. A nikjer nikogar. Kot mesto duhov. "Kje so?", se sprašujeva. Po drugi strani pa se po celotni Armeniji razprostirajo zavidanja vredna pokopališča, do zadnje potankosti urejena, ob vsakem grobu opremljena celo s stoli in mizami. "Ni čudno, da so vasi prazne, če pa so vsi tukaj!! V živi in mrtvi obliki, namreč!" pripomni vedno šaljivi Zvone. In dozdeva se mi, da so Armenci še vedno zelo vezani na kruto preteklost, ki jo je zaznamoval genocid (l. 1915 je bilo pobitih od 1- 1,5mil ljudi), ki uradno nikoli ni bil priznan iz turške strani. Kot, da bi še vedno čakali na uradno priznanje in s tem dokončno tudi pridobili zadoščenje in mir v srcu.

Najina tura tako dobiva obliko in pomen v dolgih poteh in vožnjah v neznano, kjer sva se naučila, da ne pričakujeva ničesar več. Pozdraviva pastirje, počohava njihove pridne in delavne ovčarje, poslikava ovčke in krave, ter sva zopet nazaj na motorju. Na poti se ustaviva v domačih, malih lokalih, kjer se nekako zmeniva z mamami, kaj bi želela jesti. Prelepe ceste kar kličejo po čimveč prevoženih kilometrih in sprostitveni meditaciji, ko ob pogledih na kanjone, pobeljene tri tisočake in rdečo-rumenkast pogled v dolino ne zahtevava nič več kot to. In se prepuščava. "Veš Maja, večino popotnikov samo ždi po hostlih v Yerevanu, in se jim nič ne da, midva pa se vsaj trudiva. Raziskujeva. Greva med ljudi." mi še pripomni Zvone. . .

. . . in tako oddrviva naprej po fantastičnih asfaltnih poteh stepske Armenije. Kjer za nama že trobi policijska patrulja. Baje sva prehitra...ampak to je že druga zgodba.

Pobiranje krompirja v Zakavkazju

Čakalo naju je Črno morje, ko sva zapuščala Kavkaz 2 dni nazaj. Pogled na morje je bil absolutno osvobajajoč, pogled na obraz Zvoneta pa malo manj. Če sem se kaj naučila v teh nekaj dneh, je to, da Zvoneta nikakor NE vleči v turistične predele dežele! Nikakor! To je kot, da bi ribo dal na suho, ali še slabše, v puščavo. No čeprav bi Zvone v puščavi kar užival, načičkano moderni Batumi pa ga je odbil že prvo sekundo. Tja sva se namenila zgolj zaradi iranskega konzulata, vendar sva idejo o moji iranski vizi kaj hitro nato tudi opustila in po večeru nesoglasij med nama in po eni noči, ki sva jo tam vseeno žrtvovala, pobrala šila in kopita nazaj v gruzijske male vasice. Na teren, med blato, v planine, skupaj s kravami in prašički.

To je bilo zanj že malo bolj domače. Veselje pa je bilo trojno, ko sva sredi ničesar, med planinami srečala celo motoristično »mafijo« iz Estonije, kjer so fantje lahko malo pokremljali kako oh in sploh so gruzijske ceste kot nalašč narejene za motoriste. Pot po makedamskem terenu sva nadaljevala na 2000 metrov in se nato v gorski vasici na žvižge in vzklike domačinov ustavila pri eni od kmetij. Tam so naju najprej povabili na okopavanje krompirja, za nagrado pa nama je ata, poln navdušenja in dobrote želel cel motor naložiti s krompirjem! »Ne bo šlo, ata, ni prostora!« No na koncu sva se le zbarantala,, da jih vzameva 5 komadov, ostalo pa naj kar oni lepo shranijo za ozimnico. Medtem, ko sem jaz sklepala hude posle s krompirjem, pa je Zvone na poskusno vožnjo odpeljal hčerko kmeta, panični kriki matere ob tem dejanju, pa so se zagotovo slišali tja dol v dolino.

Po nekaj urni vožnji, slastnem domačem golažu, sva prispela v pravljično Vardzio, k domačinom na malo kmetijo, pot do tja pa je bila kar prava mala borba. Sem že omenila kako popadljivi so psi tukaj? Sploh tisti, ki čuvajo svoje predrage kravice. In ti zagotovo ne marajo motorjev! Zvone me je lepo opremil s kolom in kamni, tako da imava sedaj že pravo strategijo obrambe na teh poteh po vasicah. Zraven me je naučil še nekaj afriških krikov, katere uporabiva ko se psi zapodijo za nama in skušajo skočiti na motor. Malo za hec, malo za res. Po predolgem in predobrem dnevu pa preslastna večerja: postrv, čevapčiči, solata iz gob pa tista klasična "peasant salad" iz kumare in paradižnika. Slaste, enostaven in totalno osvežilen recept sem vam podala v postu Gruzijska kmečka solata.

Kavkaško razkošje

Rit ni prav nič utrujena od sedenja na konjičku, saj so oči ves čas zaposlene s pogledi, ki razkrivajo čare kavkaškega razkošja. Kravice, ki so najine zveste sopotnice so pravi balans kužkom, ki naju pošteno oblajajo, ko se preveč približava kakemu zasebnemu posestvu. No čeprav po pravici povedano pa je več takih, ki naju z migajočimi repki pozdravijo in najavijo svojim gostoljubnim gospodarjem. Ti nama z odprtimi srci in radovednimi pogledi postrežejo z lokalnimi dobrotami in se namesto konkretnemu pogovoru raje posvetimo nazdravljanju s čačo ali izjemnim vinom. Žulji namesto od sedenja na riti nastanejo od lovljenja ravnotežja ob pohajkovanju po ostrih skalah naproti vsemogočnemu ledeniku. Obrambni svanski stolpi pa se bohotijo v jesenskem soncu in v barvah listov gozda, ki naseljuje hribe mesteca Mestia.

Človek tule tako rajsko je, da bi si z veseljem zapisal kak nov recept v popotniško beležnico, če bi le znal besedo rusko. Mimika je glavni atribut v najinem kavkaškem vsakdanu, ki je vsakokrat pospremljen z obilico glasnega smejanja. Za zajtrk ajdova kaša, jajčka, popečena zelenjava in pecivo, za kosilo vse od kakijev, grozdja in hrušk, večerja pa kraljevska, polna gob, zelenjave, domačega kravjega sira s koruzno moko, za gospoda pa vrhunsko meso in krompir. Pa seveda orehov namaz in slastne omake iz oreščkov.

Jutri nazaj v dolino in naproti Črnemu morju, napoved pa dežna in snežna. Več: na Mayita Essence of life on the road

And a splash of Chocolate will be inside the Coffee...

...and out of The Sadness comes the greatest gift of The Creativity. 

She knew, if she wanted to be a great artist, she would have to be hurt many times.

 Disappointed, misunderstood, left behind and mistreated. 

She knew out of the pain came the best stories. 

True stories which were born in the soul.

She knew when we're hurt the most, that's when the True Self reveals. 

With no great walls around her heart, with no fearless face and no shell she is hiding in.

She knew, the deeper you go inside yourself, the prettiest things you find and embrace them into the life. 

She knew the dark places as well. Oh, yeah, she knew them well. 

And she loved them. 

She loved every single inch of the darkness inside her. 

Because that was part of her. But she didn't let it define her. 

She knew how to transform the darkness into the light. The beautiful, pure and harmless light. 

They say the moments before the sun rises every day, it gets the darkest. 

And she loved The Sunrise. 

There was not a single thing on this beautiful planet that would be so pure and so relieving. 

The most she loved the fact The Sun is always there. 

She smiled, because she knew The Sun will never ever stop rising. 

Each single morning the sun will rise out of the beautiful Darkness. 

And nothing will ever stop that process. 

There's always going to be The Sun. There's always going to be The Rise. Out of the darkness. 

She knew that The Soul is like the sun. 

She knew the darker the place she will dive into, the more beautiful the rise will be. 

And she knew at times, the clouds will be there and it will be no sight of the beautiful yellow and orange light mixing into One. 

But in her heart she will always know the sun is there. And she will need no proof.

And that's all she needs to know to be at peace. 

And when the sun will go down, she will admire the beautiful lights diving into The Great Ocean. 

She will know sun is not going anywhere. It is time to be dark for a while.

 And she will not be afraid of the darkness. She will enjoy every moment of it. She will love every second of it. And she will embrace it with all her heart. 

Because she will remember that out of the darkness only positives develop. 

And she will develop into even greater artist. 

She will create beautiful work and she will inspire...

And then she will sit once more on the cold morning sand.

And she will let the breeze of the ocean nourish her warm skin.

She will smell The Salt.

And her Morning Coffee will be there. And a splash of Chocolate will be inside the coffee.

And she will warm the sand by drawing the shapes in it.

And she will smile at Darkness. And let her be there. Beside Her.

And then She will transform.

And the sun will be at rise. Once again.

Mayita

Raise them good!

Let's be honest and not pretend. If you can't do that, pretend less. Let's try to understand each other, each others weaknesses, each others faults and each others mistakes. Let's not judge. If you can't do that, judge less. When you see a person, a person who is close to you or a stranger, ask yourself what's actually there. What is there behind the facade? Why is she or he like that? What has he or she gone through? Is that person hurt, is that person loved enough, is that person being misunderstood? Show compassion, it's in you. Hidden somewhere, try to find it. Show that compassion to that person. Show that you understand that life can be hard sometimes and we all fight different fights inside us. Don's say it if you can't say it or if you can't find the right words. Show it...and feel it.

Let's  be grateful. Grateful for things and people we still hold beside us. There's no guarantee they will be here forever. There's no guarantee they'll be here tomorrow. Thank each day for your life. Thank for your health even if you're not completely healthy at that moment, thank for it anyways. Thank for the love you receive and for the love you're able to give. If you cannot give love, start loving yourself, open your heart and realise the love within you. It's there, I promise, I see it! Thank people who loved you one day and hurt you the other day. Thank for the growth within you and for the strength to fight the pain they've caused you. Thank for everything! Because »everything« made you the person you are today! Are you proud of you?

Let's be happy. If you can't do that, be less sad. If you can't do that, start to enjoy in your sadness.  Give yourself as much time as you need to recover. Smile more often, even if it's fake - your brain will know what to do! Everyday thank for 10 things that make you happy. You'll see, you'll notice you have more than you think. Be happy with who you are and what you do. If you aren't, improve yourself. Focus on YOU only! NOBODY can make you as happy as you can! Give yourself love you want from others. Give yourself appreciation you want from others. And give yourself all that you can give, and they who are around you, will give you everything they've got.

Let's be more giving. If you can't do that, be less selfish. When you give yourself love, appreciation and everything you can give, so the others will give you the same, don't forget to give them that too. Give them more if you can. It's in you. You posses everything you need in order to give. If you like to bake, give people in need your desserts. If you like to sing or play music, spoil ears of the ones who need music. If you an artist, bring a piece of art in someones home, someone who's lonely. Tell a joke to someone who needs a smile on their face. We all have gifts inside us, let's embrace them, show them to the world and give them to each other!

Let's be braver. If you can't do that, fear less. WE ALL HAVE FEARS. But the greatest out of all, is fear of each other. Fear won't let us be who we truly are, because we are so afraid, what the world will think of us. Free your mind. And do your own thing. Because when you will show your uniqueness, others will find it in themselves too. They will see there's nothing to be afraid of if you are who you are. Because we are all a lil strange, we are all a lil crazy, we all embarrass ourselves sometimes, we all make stupid mistakes and we all make wrong decisions sometimes! But let's not be afraid to admit that. Let's be more honest...oh we've been there!

We've all been hurt. We all had our hearts broken. Deeply broken.  We've all been misunderstood. We've all lost trust of someone. We've all been lied to. But let's not forget! We hurt other people AS WELL. We broke other heart(s) AS WELL, deeply broke! We didn't show understanding to some people, AS WELL. Somebody lost trust in us, AS WELL. We all lied to someone at certain point, AS WELL. So understand, if you want to be understood. Appreciate, and you'll be appreciated. Love and you'll be loved back. Forgive, and you'll be forgiven. Help and people will help you. Live life and life will give you so much living, that you've never imagined.

It's not because of other people. It's because of YOU only! Be more responsible and stop blaming everything and everyone around you for your problems. Believe me, THEY have their own problems, they don't have time to cause you problems. And NO, they don't wake up and have an evil plan to make your life miserable. You make your life miserable. Society and the world HAVE NOTHING to do with it. Be more adaptable! You can't change circumstances, ignore and ADAPT. Adapt, fight and believe!

And don't forget your influence on other people. Remember how many people daily affect your life. In bad and in good way. Well, now, imagine how many lives, how many people daily YOU affect!  DON'T FORGET - You raise people. Raise them good...and than love what you've raised!

Happy life...or shall I say happy 2013!

Mayita 

Learn how to unlearn

It was so funny these past few days, all I really wanted, was having a peaceful time with myself, enjoying the nature around me  and not talking to much. Not even interacting with people that much.  Just taking care of my body, exercising few hours a day, leading a healthy diet, reading a lot and cleansing my body through the meditation. Everything is just so new to me. I was never like that. It feels like I was never really me. Instead of being peaceful I was always rushing upon  new adventures, never let any event happening without me. It’s good to be adventurous, but not in the moments when you need peace, patience and security. How much approval I  needed. How much I wanted to be accepted and loved. Loved for the wrong reasons. My Ego standing in between the true love and me. Trying to shut down the emotions with constantly doing things that occupied my mind. Never really payed any attention to what I really felt inside me. Never gave myself a chance to be hurt and disappointed, because I always ran away from it.

I think about Carlos from Puerto Rico, everyday, many times a day. I kind of feel like he was my yogi. He thought me so much in just a few days. He provoked me and my mind with numerous questions that I didn’t understand at that time and couldn’t answer them. After my time in Puerto Rico, I traveled to Atlanta, US to have this seminar about discovering yourself. It was one of the best things I’ve done for myself and the knowledge I gain, will last forever. Even after few weeks I’m still discovering things about myself and parts in me that I’m not authentic with. And I’ll probably will discover them through all my life. It’s so much fun. The things I never knew before, have become so clear to me. “Now you know! The question is what are you going to do with it now?” ended the self discovery seminar.

I got the answer to the Carloses questions. I never knew what he meant when he said to me: “Maja, you have to learn how to unlearn” “What the hell does that mean!?!” I remember asking myself while sitting alone, observing the waves at the Ocean Beach in San Juan. I asked him again next day what he meant with this words. The funny thing about spiritual teachers is, they will never give you the answer! You’ll have to figure it out on your own. And after you do, you’d feel enlightened.

“Learn how to unlearn” bothered me every single day! I think I found the answer. To learn how to unlearn, in other words, simply means letting go of your ego. Way back in the time, you learned that being hurt is someone else’s fault and that you're not good enough. You've learned how not to trust people in order them not to hurt, reject or leave you. And you were living your life with these exact thoughts in your subconscious mind. Therefore you created that Ego of yours – “I’m strong persona, nobody can’t hurt me, nobody will tell me I’m not good enough.” But that was just a mask with which we all present ourselves to the world. That’s not really you. Your real self is afraid of being hurt, of being disappointed, rejected, being afraid to trust people. But you consciously don’t know that. You think you are your Ego, which is so deep in your unconscious you don’t even realise it. To unlearn means, letting go of your Ego and becoming your true self. To unlearn that being hurt, rejected doesn’t really mean anything. It’s OK to be hurt. It doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough or that you’re don’t deserve things. It simply means someone hurt you or left you, period! It doesn’t mean a thing! 

I’m really not quite there yet, but I’m getting a glimpse of the life that’s way beyond the life I was living till now. So when you learn how to unlearn it frees your mind and spirit. It allows you to live each day as you want it. To be everyday what you want it to be. It allows you to show your feelings in a healthy way and it establish beautiful harmony between you and the rest of the world. You start to love each and everyone, because you're not afraid of being hurt or rejected anymore, you trust the people around you. It allows you to face your true fears and transform them into Great love. It allows you to finally breath and you feel incredibly light after you let go of everything that wasn’t you. You don’t have to pretend anymore and use all of your energy to be your Ego. You can be you. And every day you can be whatever you want to be. 

Today? I’m going to be adventurous and hyper after all of this days of being calm and patient.

Tomorrow? Who knows? It’s not here yet. Tomorrow is still in the future. And the future is not here yet. What is here is today. And it should be lived now.