How Do You Say Hello?

Hello! Bonjour! Zdravstvuj! G'day! Guten tag! Hej! Zdravo! Jambo!

Bear with me, but I wanted to send a shout out to my current top viewing countries:
US, France, Russia, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark, and Kenya!

Nearly each of these countries are on my list of places to visit... my heart gets so full just thinking about it! This summer might consist of a tropical destination, but a dream of mine is to do some volunteer work in an orphanage in Africa sometime in the next few years.

Also, Europe originally inspired my bug to travel. I took French for four years and had such an intelligent and passionate teacher... every time she spoke of her travels, it made me more certain that traveling abroad was in my future. I cannot wait to someday view the architecture and visit the museums of Europe!

Thank you for following my blog. Cross-cultural studies is my passion, and with so many countries represented in my viewers, that passion is ignited!

Find your passion and pursue it. Surround yourself with people, places, and things that make you thirsty for more and that feed your passions.

Oprah's Farewell

I have not been an avid Oprah viewer, but she has been in our living room at my mom's house for 25 years. So, it would only make sense that my mom has the final show recorded and today I happened to watch it... absolutely beautiful messages. Here are a few things that I took from Ms. Winfrey's show:

*You are enough-- just as you are. To not only believe that you deserve to be validated, but to also know that you are inherently worthy of being validated is truly a beautiful message to hold and value.

*Be responsible for the energy around yourself and and energy that you give to others.
This one is such a beautiful, yet simple message to grasp. There came a time in my life where I realized that I don't have to have certain energies in my life, and what a freeing and truly more enjoyable life it is to live when one can come to this realization. It also reminds me of the philosophy we have in my classroom... "We are responsible of minding other people's buckets." With every interaction we have with others, we are either filling or emptying their emotional buckets. Be responsible.

*And, what I hope I teach and bring to each of my students... you have the power to live. Not to just exist, but to truly live and to live with passion. Take whatever it is that you are passionate about and serve the world. Living with a purpose and passion for positive living is within the reach of each one of us.

So, if you are not an Oprah fan... you have been missing out on some empowering and inspirational messages. The show finale was certainly worth the watch ;)

Pura vida

Perfect Poster for My Blog!

"Life is short. Live your dream, and wear your passion."