26/03/2015

Day fourty six: kitchen jungle

Sometimes all it takes is one glance to know what I want to sew from a fabric. I love when that happens :) One of my precious jungle friends sent me the sweetest birthday surprise package containing an adorable jungle themed fabric. The moment I laid my eyes and hands on it I knew: an apron! This came as a surprise to me since I don't even wear aprons. Obviously, this was supposed to change :) 
Luckily, I stumbled upon this free pattern which seemed flattering and classical enough for my taste. I skipped all the fancy loops and buttons and used just the measurements and the arm hole cut. The jungle apron was quickly finished: clean and crisp, ready for a test drive. Three days and one casserole later I finally admitted the obvious: the top part of the apron was too large for me. This realisation was followed by a heartfelt internal struggle between sewing a simple dart in front (2 min job + messed up animal print) and tearing the whole thing apart to readjust the sides properly (at least an hour, but no deformed animals). Those of you who know me might be astonished to hear that I actually tried the dart option at first :D It didn't last though. I just couldn't stand the way it messed up the jungle, so I ripped up most of the seams, deepened the arm holes and adjusted the straps. There! Happy me and happy animals :)

16/03/2015

Day fourty five: schwätz du lëtzebuergesch?

Just a couple of days after starting a language course, I spotted a grim headline asking "is Luxembourgish language doomed?" Indeed, due to the high percentage of immigrants and commuters Luxembourg has become a multicultural swarm of bees where one can easily navigate through life using other languages. And since the linguistic situation is so democratic here, foreigners often don't make the slightest effort to learn the real language of people of Luxembourg. Apparently, today Luxembourgish is spoken only by 400,000 people all over the world. So why on earth do I want to be the 400,001st? I believe that no matter how fluent somebody is in any other language, when it comes to the very soul of this country and people who keep the fire burning, it is the one language that makes the difference. Finally, I asked myself: do I want to continue navigating or would I prefer to reach out and touch the soul instead?

08/03/2015

Day fourty four: sailing on inspirationships

I was reading a travel magazine on the plane. Can you believe someone has actually spent their time and energy to write an article on what sort of vacation photos should a person post on Facebook in order to make their friends envious? Wow. I might come off as old-fashioned, but last time I checked 'envy' was not among the words constituting my definition of friendship. Frankly, I find the concept of 'jealousy' dysfunctional and overrated in any relationship. Luckily, I've been blessed with friends who are on the same page with me. They are true and wise, strong and beautiful in so many ways. They inspire me with their hard work and fresh ideas, with their dreams and things they have created. To me friendship has never been about comparison or sense of superiority: it's all about learning, exploring, growing. It must be a two-way street. I believe that we meet our people at some point in our lives for a reason, and then all we have to decide is whether to stay in this particular point or move forward together. I've travelled miles by now, and I've never walked alone. Thank you. Paldies. Благодаря. Obrigada. Mulţumesc. Merci.