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النجوم (alnujum); Stars
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”―Marcus Aurelius Yablanitsa, Bulgaria Before deciding where to go next, it was time to rest. Adrenaline from the past few weeks slowly drained out of us as we drove deeper into Bulgarian backcountry. The mountains beckoned, and we embraced them. Now…
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أرض (‘ard) ; Land
“Dreams are our only geography—our native land.”―Dejan Stojanovic Thessaloniki, Greece The question I get asked the most is: “You travel alone?! “ Indeed I do. I actually set off alone, but rarely end up being alone. Passing encounters become hosts, travel companions and lifelong friends. For all the times in between, social media keeps me…
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طيران (tayaran); Flight
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. – Abraham Lincoln I stood at the doors of my initial dream for exactly one week. For seven days I was a volunteer for Refugee Support Europe (RSE) in Nicosia, Cyprus. As world news became local reality, it became harder to ignore. Grappling with…
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مضيف (mudif); host
Hospitality is the key to new ideas, new friends, new possibilities. What we take into our lives changes us. Without new people and new ideas, we are imprisoned inside ourselves. -Joan D Chittister Kutaisi, Georgia WELCOME TO ORBI CITY добро пожаловать в город Орби Crossing the threshold into Georgia at night was a rude awakening. Having…
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السرير (Alsarir); Bed
Mayen, Germany My mind is not a bed to be made and remade. James Agate Super Simple Van Bed Recipe Cook time: a week-end Cost: $500 including camping gear Level: Beginner Satisfaction: ***** This is a simple box which sits in the back cab of the van. Two wood lids serve as the base of…
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عيون (euyun); Eyes
Workaway.info is an international platform for volunteering. You work a few hours per day in exchange for lodging, meals, & ideally cultural exchanges. There are 1000s of profiles that hosts create in order to attract “workawayers” which would fit in well with the type of work and atmosphere they strive for. Language practice, farm work,…
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خشب (khasab); Wood
Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. –Henry Van Dyke Paleros, Greece The first time Barbara played cello for me, I couldn’t see anything. Neither could she, as with every day, but in my case it was the uncontainable cascade of tears…
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ريح (Rih) ; Wind
Adriatic Coast one last family breakfast, and heartfelt goodbyes stalled by a battery in need of a jump. Fog all around as I drive away in a daze. GERMANY one last family breakfast, and heartfelt goodbyes stalled by a battery in need of a jump. Fog all around as I drive away in a daze.…
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مفتاح (miftah); Key
Magdeburg, Germany “Don’t give up. Normally it is the last key on the ring which opens the door.” Paulo Coelho It is 12 o’clock on a Saturday. I am in the little garden shed in the parking lot of Auto Leo, and the phone is ringing. I can hear the conversation happening, but I have…
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بطانية (Bitania); blanket
Mayen, Germany I keep my kindness in my eyes Gently folded around my iris Like a velvety, brown blanket That warms my vision Sanober Khan The weight of what I’ve set out to do is now in tangible form: A Ford combi van. These hundreds of pounds of steel inertia have propelled me to a…
Gratitude to the Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin) and Anishinabewaki, the original
stewards of the land where I came into being.
Myrah Graham – Copyright © 2023