Lessons & Learnings Archives - Page 4 of 4

A Christmas Abroad in Prague

January 24, 2016February 6, 2016Hannah

I never thought I’d say “I’m going to Prague for Christmas” but that’s what happened this year. Just a seven hour train ride from Keleti Pályaudvar to Hlavni Nadrazi and we arrived in the beautiful capital of the Czech Republic. This was the second time that I have been outside of Canada for December 25th. I am lucky as I most often spend Christmas in Cape Breton with my family or, in recent years, in cozy Manitoba with the Robinsons. Being abroad at a time when most people’s hearts are at home is strange, challenging but full of new opportunities.

Prague has been at the top of my ‘To Visit’ list for years. I’ve heard magical descriptions of the city’s impressive and well-kept architecture hugging the Vltava River, it’s inexpensive and delightful food and drink and rich cultural scene. Prague was as promised. In December, the city was vibrant with Christmas markets and the bustle of happy faces with mulled wine and chimney cakes. We explored and celebrated and discovered Christmas abroad. Here are some reflections on what made this expat holiday a happy one.

Book Review: This Changes Everything

January 10, 2016January 10, 2016Hannah

Is it trendy to review a book over a year after its release? If so, then I’m spot on. Here is my book review and reflection on This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein. It’s a book that has been a companion through two moves, two elections, dozens of life crises and more “Are-we-screwed-What-can-I-do” moments than I can count.

Rather than my introductory words, please enjoy the trailer to the partner film This Changes Everything as an effective backgrounder:

This Changes Everything is an engaging read. Klein takes magnificently complex topics and wrangles them into a readable and captivating work. The first striking feature was the accessibility of the text. When I opened its pages, the weight of the book felt daunting. Though an engaged citizen and environmentalist, I was worried that the book would read above my head and I would be left behind after the first chapter. Perhaps this was a silly assumption on a work from an accomplished journalist who writes for the public, but the title pushed my thoughts to an impenetrable manifesto. However, Klein guides the reader through each topic in a way that allows the gravity of each fact to be understood, while wrapped in a human-scale story.

Six Tips on Keeping Holiday Shopping Simple

December 11, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

The Christmas markets are jostling, the streets are brightly lit and the smell of mulled wine seems to be temptingly everywhere here in Budapest. The holiday season is at that lovely point where everyone is feeling festive but before the last-minute errands and tenuous travel has started. In the midst of all the holiday cheer, I’ve done some of my holiday shopping. Though I generally dislike shopping, which helps in living a simple lifestyle, the holidays provides a particular combination of pleasant and painstaking consumer experiences. To make the season a littler simpler, here are my six tips on keeping holiday shopping under wraps (pun intended):

Be Thoughtful

My little sister is the best gift giver. Each Christmas, she selects gifts for our family that are spot-on. I try to emulate her style and it comes down to being thoughtful and observant. She notices interests, needs and desires throughout the year and picks a gift that touches on these aspects. She never purchases something for the sake of filling a gift bag; her gifts are always well thought-out and valued by the recipient. In the hustle of the season, I can often get caught up with gift-giving and thinking it’s better to just give something. However, a gift given without thought isn not a great gift and will often just become that ‘stuff’ no one needs. Make your list and check it twice to be sure it’s thoughtful like Carrie’s.

An Ode to the To-Do List

December 5, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

I am a person who cannot work in my own headspace. While some people can mentally visualize their schedule and tasks, I work far more efficiently when I get my thoughts out of my brain and into the world. After a conversation with a close friend or recording with pen and paper, I can then truly process my thoughts and get things done. This post focuses on writing as I find it very cathartic. Whether I need to make a difficult decision, to record a beautiful day or to remember my groceries, my scurried scribbling allows me to reflect and release.

This love of writing means I keep a number of notebooks. One of my realizations while moving cross country and continents was that I kept quite a number of notebooks. Each has its purpose: daily lists, agenda, language lessons, programming notes, personal journal and job notes. None are redundant as each fulfills a particular role. Perhaps this multitude of books goes against my search for simplicity, but for me – these books are essential to my version of it. They keep my ideas, goals, tasks and lessons straight, allowing me to move forward knowing these important items are recorded.

Showing Up: Global Climate March on Sunday

November 27, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

Things need to change.

That’s simple.

Little else is.

Climate change is a complex, global process that disparately effects the regions and peoples of the world. The solution is complex, requiring rapid, insightful action on every personal and political level. If you’re reading this blog, you know the situation and I don’t need to lay out the facts. If you’d like to read more from the world’s experts, you can find more here, here, here and here.

As complex as it is, there are a number of simple steps. In fact, the UN created The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World. I’m not sure if it’s clever marketing or a sad statement of the state of the world. Either way, there are simple tips to minimize your impact. I’ll advocate for another simple action: show up.

Nothing’s Simple in History

November 16, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

After watching the devastating news about the attacks in Paris on Friday night and later learning about the attacks in Beirut on Thursday, it was quite a solemn weekend in our household. It’s hard to understand how such cruelty can be played out amongst innocent people. To better understand, I turn to a wide range of media sources to grasp the factors that took us to this point in history. It’s never simple. It’s layers of historical shifts, political plays, media overlays weaved together. My combination of CBC, Al Jazeera (including a new favourite AJ+), Twitter, Wikipedia and other articles, infographics and commentary that pop into my news, searches and social media feeds never provide a perfectly clear picture, but it does deepen my understanding of the situation. It deepens my empathy to the victims and affected communities. It deepens my compassion for those fleeing fear and my support for those fighting for peace and justice on all sides.

With this dark veil over the weekend, it made for a very interesting time to visit Budapest’s Memento Park. The Park was developed as a holding place for the statues and plaques of the Communist era. When Hungary peacefully became a democratic country with parliamentary elections in 1990, there was much debate as to the fate of the statues. Though destruction was suggested, the Budapest city council resolved to create a themed statue park. The architect Ákos Eleőd described the park as such:

Vienna Visits and Halting the Hangry

November 7, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

One of my true joys of Central European living is train travel. It’s efficient, economical and civilized. Plus, everything is so much closer here. Derek and I hopped on a train from Keleti Station and in less than three hours we were on the metro leaving Vienna’s Hauptbahnhof station.

We arrived for 28 hours in the Austrian capital to wine, dine and checkout architectural points of interest. Just like all the cool kids do. Obviously. In preparation for our trip, I was brought back to the travel tricks of pre-3G travel: researching restaurants from home.

Yes, it’s simple and nothing new. I remember the days before cell phones and (gasp) before internet. I held my first cell phone when I was 22 and living in France. It was smaller than my credit card and could do much less. I note my familiarity with these quaint times to preface that I understand that my idea of researching restaurants from home is nothing novel; it’s how people have traveled for pleasure for most of recent tourism history.

However, with the convenience of 3G and TripAdvisor, I had lost the discipline to properly prepare my dining plans before departing. I would land in a new city or town, and rely heavily on online reviews and maps, supplemented with reception directions and extra-old fashioned street meandering for menus. I’ve had some great meals, some overpriced ones, and many meals an hour or two later than I would have liked. This method lends itself to deciding where to eat when you’ve already decided it’s time to eat. A situation that’s unpleasant for everyone: hangry (def: state of anger caused by lack of food).

But not this time. In Vienna, I planned. It was delicious.

It’s a Small World After All

November 3, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

When Derek and I planned to leave Alberta and then Canada for two years in Budapest, it seems like a great distance for quite some time. We’d be far from familiar faces and family feasts.

However, in this modern age of globalization and …Facebook, for good or for bad, our communities are now more distant-but-connected than ever before. This weekend reminded me of how small the world can be, as I met up with three friends from three different times in my life, here in my new city of Budapest. The meet-ups centered on local food and drink, of course, which took me on a tour of some enjoyable spots in the city.

Coming from Cape Breton via London, a family friend was in the city filming two episodes of a fantastic CBC series. The television show is set in World War II Paris, and I’ve been told that Budapest plays that role particularly well. I don’t think I’ve seen him in well over five years so on Thursday, it was a treat to catch up. To add to the experience, we caught up over delicious food at a Hungarian restaurant Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő in the XIII district. This was my first experience with the gigantic portions of Hungarian plates. My friend ordered bone marrow, after a previously delectable experience at this restaurant. I had pike with parley potatoes. In Canada, this meal would have been the equivalent of 2-3 servings. And man, it was tasty – the fish, even deep fried, was flaky and fresh. Over beer, house wine and Palinka, we caught up on Canada, the UK, our siblings, our careers and European lives so far.

Travel Learning: One Drink at a Time

October 16, 2015January 3, 2016Hannah

I love to travel and I have made visiting new communities, cities and countries a priority for my paycheck. I’m lucky to have been able to travel across Canada, parts of Europe and now live in Budapest. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve learned a few things along the way. I love experiencing a new landscape, culture and language. There’s nothing better than getting a taste of a new town. Literally. Culinary tourism may now be an overused term, but it’s the way to my heart.

My most standard menu is to indulge my over-active sweet tooth. However, I also have a romanticized version of cafe-culture and a daily caffeine addiction that must be fed. So, by blog recommendation or foot traffic testament, I like to try out coffee shops. I’m no connoisseur and I’m not hip enough for most barista bars, but I have found one way to simplify and enjoyably explore Budapest cafes:

One Drink at a Time

In a world with almost unlimited choices, it can be overwhelming to compare and contrast your experiences. It can be a struggle to navigate foreign language menus. It can be intimidating to keep up with new city’s pace or protocol.

As always, my advice is to keep it simple. Don’t try to taste every caffeinated variation a city has to offer. And give up trying to order the drink that will make the local hipster barista’s scowl mellow momentarily. Pick One Drink that a) you enjoy and b) is probably found in most cafes.