Welcome aboard!

It’s been a while. I could say I didn’t find time to write about my life and adventures, but who believes this hackneyed phrase these days. So I’ll just say I didn’t have the energy to write after the hectic and nerve wrecking 18hrs working day on board. I've been working 5 months around the Med as a 2nd stewardess on 70m private yacht. It has definitely been THE experience of my life, in a positive and negative way as well. I’ve met people whose bitterness and unhappiness took over their soul and conquered all aspects of their life. I learned how to live with that kind of people on a small living area with no way out (We were anchored away from the shore the whole summer).  I learned how to stay strong at all times and how to keep going  and motivate myself during unbearable times.

Yachting industry isn’t a picnic and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t thick skinned or at least wish to become so. It’s industry with no mercy, where you work  weeks or months without a day off and some days without even a  30 minute break. Another challenge are the people you work with. They are opposite of who you are, opposite of people you usually have in your life. It's a challenge to find a way to, at least try to get along and have as less confrontations as possible, to live in some kind of symbiosis, for every one's sake. During the main yachting season (jun-sep, jan-apr) you can forget about your life, your priorities and wishes, your main and only focus is on work. You work for billionaires and they require a 24/7 service on the highest level with complete dedication, 100% concentration  and absolute perfection.  So why would one even commit oneself to that kind of job? Nevertheless it’s well-payed job and a pretty good way of saving all the money you’ve earned. Due to non-stop work you’re not really able to spent  money and on top of all, everything is payed for you - toiletries, health insurance, accommodation and food. So it’s 100% clear, you don’t enter this industry for reasons such as travelling, having jolly summer and fun or look for friendships. You come only for financial reasons.

Yachting industry is a great school of life, you learn a lot about different people and life itself. Emotional detachment is essential and at times you have to go over yourself and over your limits in order to survive. There's no point in being emphatic and help others, because basically it’s all about saving your own ass. You have to work things out for yourself only. There’s no compassion, no sympathy no feelings involved. It’s industry with no mercy. And that’s why it’s not my cup of tea, and I struggled all the time, either to stay or go. It was against my moral principles and my way of life. But I stayed in the end. Because if I start something, I finish it. And all in all I grew even stronger, became even more thick skinned and I learned and realised what  kind of people I don’t want in my life.

Any kind of school of life is good. If you read between the lines and you know what the lesson is then it’s all worth it. It’s called life. Most of the time it treats you good. Sometimes it treats you less good in order to teach you something or to prepare you for the upcoming challenges.  It’s  like a ship after all. Sometimes it will be rocky, unbearable and it will make you sick. But the other day you wake up into a beautiful day on calm sea, with playful dolphins jumping out of the water, sweet breeze of the wind and gentle morning sun on your skin. You never know what you gonna get! Welcome aboard of life!:)) 

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” Seneca  

Make sure it will be worth watching!

I love life. Any kind of life. I love how one day I’m chillaxing in baggy clothes in a hammock in Laos having 10 euros budget for the day and the other day I’m drinking wine in Monaco for the same price. I love how one day I serve people in white gloves and the other day I’m starting a fire in the middle of woods, making pizza pockets to girl scouts. I love how one day I'm eating  grilled squids on the streets of Cambodia and some other day I’m eating my midnight caviar in French riviera. I love how one day I’m working in a backpackers hostel in Mexico and the other day I’m in New Zealand taking my favorite kiwi girl to pre-school. Life is fun! Life is amazing! And life is just about everything you want it to be. You create your own reality. And only you are the one who decides what kind of life you will lead. You’re the one who will make you happy, no one else.

Everytime you say no to something, you’re losing a chance of something amazing to happen. Everytime you complain and you’re annoyed by something or someone, you are using your precious energy. Bad stuff happens all the time, so what!? You take it as it is and you move on, easy as that. Live in the present, otherwise you’re not living at all. Forget about the past. Let go. Keep great memories deep in your heart, but move on. Don’t dwell in the future, it will come soon enough. Be present. Do things 100 percent. Enjoy each single moment of your life, enjoy the present with people who sorround you, they might not be there all the time. Everytime you say no to a friend, you lose precious time with them. You lose great talks, great laughs and their beautiful energy. Everytime you say NO, you limit yourself. You lose a part of your present. You don’t live 100 percent.

And most important, don’t ever forget about yourself. You are the most important person in your life. Stop for a moment and breath and see where you’re standing. Take a look around and be happy. Just be happy. Be greatful and be blessed. Because life is amazing. It’s this neverending journey full of challenges, passion, enthusiasm, joy and love. Full of unlimited options. Full of beautiful people. Full of small things which put that cute smile of yours on your face. Enjoy your life and love your life. Each single day, each single second. Because one day it will flash before your eyes. Make sure it will be worth watching!

P.S. And please eat that peace of chocolate which suppose to make you fat, because remember that the beauty comes from within and the ones who love you for real don't mind that extra chocolate weight, haha. Everytime you say no to a chocolate you lose this absolutely amazing moment of your life! 

See you later alligator! Love to all from a freaking French riviera!!!

Mayita

Mi se imamo radi v Antibesu

Minevajo prelepi dnevi v čudovitem Antibesu na Cote d'Azur. Živim v tako imenovanem "crew housu" in iščem delo na jahti. Kar pa me od vsega najbolj veseli je, da živim z resnično izjemnimi in veselimi ljudmi. Smejemo se, pogovarjamo o potovanjih, skupaj kaj slastnega za-kuhamo ter se spodbujamo pri iskanju službe in pisanju življenjepisev. Šele sedaj se z vsem svojim bitom zavedam, koliko mi to pomeni! Potovanja in srčni ljudje, ki jih imam priložnost objeti na svoji poti. Ko sem bila zaradi okrnjenega zdravja primorana ostati doma sem neizmerno pogrešala svoje življenje na poti. Ker to dela mene, mene! Sedaj sem tu in na poti svojim novim sanjam! Občutki, ki me oblivajo so neverjetni! Tokrat sem ponovno v situaciji (iskanje dela in deljenje CV-jev po barkah), ki me sili, da grem še bolj izven svoje cone sigurnosti in delam stvari ob katerih me najprej zaobjameta nesigurnost in strah, a ko to storim si zopet potrdim dejstvo, da sem premagala samo sebe. Izjemen občutek. Ki zahteva malce poguma in predvsem trezno glavo.

Niti ne morem opisati občutkov, ki bi se nekaterim zdeli nesmiselni in kar malce nerazumljivi. Kako lepo in sproščeno ter izpopolnjeno se počutiš v družbi popolnega tujca, ki v nekaj urah druženja in pogovora postane že kar tvoj prijatelj. V soboto sem prispela v srčiko jahtne industrije, Antibes in ob prihodu v hostel ob 22h zvečer že začela spoznavati izjemno zanimive ljudi. Takoj smo se ujeli in, ko sem se včeraj dopoldne sprehajala po mestu, mi je v misli šinila ideja, da bi poklicala svoje prijatelje, da gremo skupaj na kavo. Zares sem pozabila, da to niso moji "pravi" prijatelji in sploh nimam njihove telefonske številke v imeniku. Avtomatično sem mislila, da jih poznam že od zmeraj in jih lahko "tako kot vedno" pokličem za kavo ali kosilo. Ta občutek povezanosti in popolne odprtosti isti trenutek, ko nekoga spoznaš je neverjeten. Ne da se ga opisati. Tudi težje mi je to napraviti v Sloveniji. In zdi se mi, da ga lahko dobiš le, ko potuješ sam. Ko potuješ sam, si stran od družine in prijateljev in kar naenkrat moraš vso svojo ljubezen in naklonjenost posvetiti nekomu drugemu, ker je nimaš več komu razdajati. In ko spoznaš nekoga, ki prav tako potuje sam, ima on natanko iste občutke, zato se nemudoma ustvari neko lepo prijateljstvo, ki ga ne moreš pojasniti nekomu, ki kaj podobnega še ni doživel. Po praktično 24 urah imam že prijatelje, katerim zaupam svoje zgodbe, načrte in ambicije. Smešno, a po drugi strani osupljivo, kako se lahko odpreš nekomu, ki si ga šele spoznal. 

Večinoma na svoji poti živim v hostlih, tukaj izrecno v "crew housih", kar je nekako isti princip. Hostli so ena izmed najboljših stvari, ki se popotniku lahko zgodijo! Toliko izjemnih in istomislečih ljudi, ki skupaj na trenutke delujemo kot majhna družinica. Eno uro se pogovarjaš z avstralskim prijateljem o surfanju, naslednji dve uri padeš z nekom drugim v debato o latinski Ameriki, čez čas vsi skupaj pijemo pivo, vinček ali čajček. Moja cimra Urugvajka mi velikodušno postelje posteljo, moj angleški prijatelj mi iz brisače naredi rožico, naši čedni Južnoafričani nam pripravijo okusne "bolognese". Franco, lastnik me povabi na torto, ker ima rojstni dan in mi zraven zapakira se nekaj nasvetov pri iskanju službe na jahti. Objemi za lahko noč in široki nasmehi navsezgodaj zjutraj. Zajčki in psički na vrtu. Pozitivne vibracije, smeh in navdušenje na vsakem koncu mojega novega doma! Ljudje brez predsodkov, ljudje, ki želijo nekaj narediti iz sebe, ki imajo ambicije in izjemne poglede na svet! Ljudje, ki so, kljub svoji mladosti v svojem življenju že marsikaj doživeli in preživeli. Vedo, da je življenje prelepo in se ne ozirajo za problemi in ovirami, ki jih življenje zna prinesti. Učijo me, da če želiš dobiti željeno delo, je potrebna energija, zgodnje vstajanje, profesionalen pristop. Ne jamrajo, da ni služb ali, da nimajo denarja ali sreče. Preprosto gredo ven in nekaj naredijo za to. Ter na koncu to tudi dobijo! Ne jamrajo, ne širijo negativne energije, se večino dneva smejejo in šalijo. Preprosto gledajo samo na pozitivne stvari v življenu in te poleg tega marsikaj tudi naučijo. Odkrijejo ti nek nov način razmišljanja ali zgolj se en nov pogled na svet. Celotno življenje se učimo in rastemo. In ob spoznavanju novih ljudi je ta proces še hitrejši. Moji dnevi tu so zares fantasticni in ne bi bili, če me ne bi obkrožali oni...večinoma Južnoafričani. Priznam, nora sem na njih ;)

Dosti za danes, imam 101 opravek. Kupiti si moram francoski telefon, se oglasiti na agencijah na intervjujih in nato deliti svoje življenjepise po pomolih, spoznavati ljudi v jahtni industriji in predstaviti sebe v najboljši možni luči! Good luck to me, vam pa pošiljam en gromozanski koš pozitivno nabite energije, zraven pa vam zapakiram še prijetno sredozemsko sonce!!

See you later alligator,

Mayita

Alma gemela

It's Valentine's day. My last night's skyping with a very special person, who's unfortunately on the other side of the world put me in a bit of romantic mood. No matter how everybody is trying to convince everyone that Valentine's day is a bull or that they celebrate it throughout the year, nevertheless it's still a holiday of Love. Commercial or not, no one minds some extra affection and spoiling. But unfortunately not everybody is happily in love. I know how hard it is to be left heart-broken, but time always healed everything and you'll be back on the right track in no time!! If you think you just lost your soul mate, well you might have, but do you know what a true soul mate is? Just one perspective more, that can help with your broken heart, for the rest, chocolate will take care of.

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.

A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave.

A soul mate purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master."

Eat, pray, love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Spend the Holiday of Love with the ones you love! Love people who least deserve it and help them out with loving them unconditionally and without any prejudices. Share love and spread it all around yourselves and put LOVE in each single aspect of your life. 

Best regards from sLOVEnia,

"I tried to paint you, but colours just weren't beautiful enough" Beyonce

Mayita

Have fun while building!

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination!" Ben Sweetland

This photo was taken somewhere between Kampot and Kep in Cambodia. This awesome girl Eimear and myself rented motorbikes and hit the road through the rural countryside, heading down to the coast. We had to stop when we saw these little fellas. Kids. Innocent. Happy. Curious. Without any prejudices, without a single drop of evil inside them. So pure. So inspirational!

All of my jobs lately relate to children. If I'm not working with them, I make sure I'm surrounded by them. There is nothing like child's love and affection. Unconditional love, sincere smile and approving look, which makes everything so easy. They love you for who you are, not for what you have been or what you'll about to become. There's no past and no future for them. Only present moments. And they fill all these moments with excitment and this enourmous need to have fun all the time! So what went wrong, where!? When did we stop enjoying each single day!? And forgot to smile each single minute?

When I was living in New Zealand I was working as an au pair. Au pair is a french expression for live-in nanny with household duties. The prime task is to take care of a child. Me and 4,5 years old Gracie were having a play hour and were about to build a certain shape out of Legos. But she did exactly the opposite. She was putting together the pieces they were not supposed to be put together. I was getting anxious because I wanted to build a legit shape and teach her how to follow the instructions. But then I just stopped for a while. I observed her and I realised she was having fun with building something random, similar to, well, nothing. But she was having so much fun, she didn't care it was random. I smiled. Sometimes the goal itself doesn't matter, if we're not having fun while achieving it. From time to time we have to throw the instructions away and have little bit of fun. It doesn't matter either we achieve our goal or not, because sometimes having fun while doing it, is a goal itself. 

That helped me a lot back then. I was just learning how to surf in my spare time. My only goal was to go from a longboard to a short stick, to ride big waves and be in the line-up like all the other surfers were. I struggled a lot, falling all the time, getting annoyed because I wasn't getting nowhere. But when I looked it from a different perspective, everything changed. What's the point of surfing, if I'm not enjoying while falling off and while trying to stand up on the board. So I stopped. Not surfing! I stopped trying to "build a shape out of my Legos"  and started to have fun "while building it." After few months I was surfing on a reef in Bali, I did manage to come to the line-up. I'm not surfing on a short stick, but my board did lose few inches in the length. But most of all, I'm having a ball each single time I fall off and get smashed in the waves. I don't want to surf on a short stick and on big waves anymore, I prefer to surf fun waves!

So YES, set your goals HIGH, dream BIG, but don't forget to have fun while walking towards them. Otherwise it's not worth it. "Life is what happens to you while you're bussy making other plans" once John Lennon said. And sometimes the goal itselt will lose it's importance, because the road you'll walk while going towards it, will be so much more exciting and satisfying. I have my goals set high, but if one day I don't end up as a National Geographic journalist, I'm most certantly going to have fun while visiting writting courses around the globe and meeting photographers and journalists. I'm going to have fun while writting and I'll put all my heart in each single article, even if it won't be published in a recognized magazine. I'm going to enjoy in each single shot i'm about to take and enjoy each single research, interview and debate I'm going to share with people. Isn't that what's all about? What actually matters!? To be happy and satisfied with what you're doing? 

Set your goals high, go for them, but who gives a damn about not scoring a goal, if you're having a ball while shooting! 

Happy "building" to y'all!!;))

Mayita

Spiritual satisfaction

From time to time I get a bit melancholic...I'm not exactly sure why. I probably consume all the positive energy and before going to bed I'm left with no energy at all. It's not that I'm tired after a long day. I don't think about past or future either. There's nothing wrong in my life, I'm just left unspoken and with hardly any emotions. I'm feeling kind of hollow and empty. But not in the bad way. Ever happend that to you? 

In the evenings like these I look up for some inspirational quotes. Something that gives me a spirirtual satisfaction...or just a simple confirmation I'm doing the right things in life...

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." -Eleanor Roosevelt

"Do not worry if you have build castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."  - Henry David Thoreau

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is how I succeed."  - Michael Jordan

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!" -  Henry Ford

"You make a living by what you earn. You make a life by what you give." - Winston Churchill

Good night!

Mayita

The Essence of dreams

Moto tour with my idol, travelling legend, Zvone Šeruga (not the one on the pic, tho)

Travelling the god damn world!!

Something about dreams...about fighting for your dreams...following and LIVING your dreams. On the road I am meeting so many people, who inspire me and affect my life in all possible ways. I admire them and I learn from them. But as well, I'm meeting so many people who doesn't believe in their dreams and won't do a single thing to achieve them. Why? Because it's too hard! Because you have to step out of your comfort zone, have loads of courage and actually DO something. Each beginning is hard, remember that! It wont be easy, never! You have to sacrifice a lot, sometimes your free time, sometimes friendships, sometimes money. You sweat, you cry, you fail, you don't get recognition when you deserve it and get rejected numerous times. But imagine, someday you might succeed, not might, you WILL. If you set your mind, put all your energy and all your life into something, believe me you're going to get it. 

All the crazy stuff in life...

OK, so let's start it like this. We all have idols, right? We all have someone to look up to, someone we admire, or even worship, don't we? And our idols are usually very successful, they love what they're doing and they seem to be perfect at doing it. A lot of people feel underestimated because of them. In the way "I'll never be as good as them...". And you know what? You won't, you'll never be as good as them. You'll be DIFFERENT, not better, not worse, simply different. What I'm trying to say is, don't compare yourself to others. If someone is good at something you love doing as well, try to learn from them, rather than feeling down because you're never going to be like them. "You were born an original, don't die a copy" John Mason

My mexican telenovela

You won't try yourself as a photographer, because photography became so popular these days, and everybody is doing it. But if you love to photograph and you believe you have a feeling for it, DO IT! Don't let something you love doing get away, just because you think everyone will do it better than you. It's so stupid, you could miss out an oportunity of becoming a proffesional photographer! If you love cooking and you're thinking of becoming a professional cook, well you better start trying out new recipes, apply for different jobs, cook for your mom, cook for your neighbours, let them tell you their opinion! Work on that decorations! Learn about different cousines, french, thai, chinese. There is so much to learn - and guess what, the more you know, the more you value! So don't wait a minute to start learning about your dreams and go for a hunt!! Don't limit yourself with the idea tha Michelin star is something you will never get! Or that National Geographic or Olympic games are impossible to achieve! Dream BIG! If you want to be a dancer, DANCE, even if your mom expects you to be a lawyer. If you want to be a journalist, then BE a journalist, even if you lack a degree in it. Do not come up with excuses such as "I cannot do this" or "there's no future in this", or "there are plenty of people doing it already!" "If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse" Jim Rohn

Camp counselor in North Carolina

When I was working in camp in the States, one day a really nice mid-age woman droped by to our camp. She was a storyteller and she was leading a small workshop for our girl scouts. In her speach she said something like this: "I always loved writting and telling stories. I was writting  stories all the time, I was telling stories all around the country. One day, I started to make money out of my storytelling. And you should do the same! Make your money out of something you love doing!" Isn't that great, doing something you love doing for the rest of your life and be payed for it at the same time? I still remember American writter Dan, I've met in Mexico. He said to me "If you don't know what would you like to do in your life, ask yourself what you would love to do for free!"

Work in yachting industry really breaks down your limits.

So if I understand correctly, hobby - your career! It might sound stupid or even impossible, but that's not true. If you say it's impossible, you are already setting limits to your dreams. But remember - there are no limits in achieving your dreams! If you limited yourself, remember, YOU did, no one else did! And now you'll say, that sometimes there are legal limits, there are evil people involved, boo-hoo-hoo. Yes, there are legal things and different people involved, I never said it will be easy! If it would be so easy to achieve your dreams, well then I guess the whole world would be living in a harmony, right? As I said, every beginning is hard. There are so many barriers to go through. And there are so many falls. You try and you faill, you try again and fail even deeper. So many disappointments, so many broken hopes. So be ready for that! Be ready for years of sweating, doing things with minimum or no result. But believe, if you have put in sooo much, eventually you will start to gain. You will become wiser and more experianced. You will suceed, you will live in all the glory of your hard work and hopeless moments. 

Don't stop believing, just because everybody else is saying you can't do it. "Don't let small minds convience you that your dreams are too big!" Be happy with your life. One way to achieve that is with doing what you love. And when you love doing something, you're probably be very good at it. So why not try it? Just try it at first. Or would you prefer to ask yourself for the rest of your life "What would happend, if...?" Yes, you will be feeling uncomfortable and you will be afraid of unknown. But don't be afraid to try. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to be afraid. 

See you later, alligator,

Mayita