Carla, now in Bulgaria!

CARLA, NOW IN BULGARIA!

Africa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ecuador, Jamaica, Norway...
many countries, many ideas to develop volunteerism in relation to social and environmental aid and a lot of desire put into it.

But the global health situation has taken advantage and decided what opportunities awaited me, so everything changed and nothing is what it was a year ago.
I had to discard projects, I put others on hold or modified others and I ended up choosing other alternatives.

And thanks to that, I am in Bulgaria with the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) program, in the Values, Virtues, Integrity Foundation.

I'm going to start by telling something funny and at the same time a bit embarrassing: I have lived in Europe my whole life, but I still had to find where Bulgaria was located on Google Maps... And that was after I had already accepted the request to come here and met my group that I was going to work with for the next eight months.

I CAME TO THE ADVENTURE SINCE THE DESIRE TO TRAVEL, KNOW AND ADD EXPERIENCES CONTINUED IN MY MIND AND MY HEART

And this is only for two months,

It really seems like a lot, but it has flown by and I barely noticed it.
There have been intense weeks, full of learning and with energy to cope with the rhythm of the foundation's work.

Some things that I find interesting about my stay in Bulgaria:

1. The words seem to be written with pictures (since they use a different alphabet, Cyrillic).

2. You have to use the flash to walk down the street, since there are several imperfections on it and there is little lighting.

3. Despite being in the centre of the Bulgarian capital, there are plenty of green areas.
I have even found my favourite park to run.

4. I feel at home, since one day I decided to do a half marathon in every place that I lived. So the Plovdiv half marathon is already waiting for me. In addition, the foundation treats us like family.

5. When someone dies, people close to them hang their obituaries on doors or trees and they remain there for a long time.

6. The importance of non-verbal language and getting out of the comfort zone are very important, since even without speaking the same language it is possible to communicate and do things.

7. Sharing a flat (like what we know as a student flat) with 4 people that I don't know at all, for 8 months! And I can also say that I have had a very good friend connection and trust with the other girl in the project, Xenia.

8. I got my vaccination on a bus, without waiting, without age groups and without anything else. I just arrived, presented the passport and chose the vaccine.

9. I find it very calm to walk in the morning or at night through the streets of Sofia and next to the Cathedral Saint Aleksandar Nevski.

10. Being able to have the possibility to meet people from other European countries and work and share time with them.

WHAT'S NEXT BULGARIA?


Carla Barrado Guillén

I am Carla and I am 26 years old.
In my passport it says that I am Spanish but I prefer not to pigeonhole myself in any country, since my soul feels free and has many desires to travel and be part of different cultures.

I find myself at a time in my life in which I want to interact with new people, get to know other cultures in their full essence and learn by doing. I'm a very active, athletic, energetic and quite proactive person. Something curious and very important about me is that the pillars of my day to day are based on respect, communication and loyalty. I live the present day with great enthusiasm and whenever I go to bed I do it with a smile, knowing that the day has been worth it.

 

 

 

"Si me quieres,
dame alas"

Bulgaria, I am looking forward to meeting you.

Perhaps my training and my experiences during other social volunteering have led me to currently participate in the INSPIRE project (Values, Virtues, Integrity Foundation).
I really believe that the program has chosen me, since my passions are united: mountains, free time, young people and the environment.

Speaking a bit at a bureaucratic and paper level, I can proudly say that I am a Social Worker with a mention in cooperation and internationality and I have a Master's Degree in Addictive Behaviors.

In addition, I have some non-formal studies on the social field: "fight against poverty" and "climate change" that have allowed me to open my mind, and it is the reason why I continue in this lifestyle and carry out these voluntary actions.

And, to conclude this short presentation I would like to leave two sentences that mean a lot to me:

-The first is, "We live in a world where the funeral matters more than the dead, the wedding more than love, and the physical more than the intellect. We live in container culture, which despises content", by Eduardo Galeano.

-And the second, "On the flag of freedom I embroidered the greatest love of my life", by Federico García Lorca.

Are you ready for meet me?

  • According to Borges Project, homelessness affects every corner of the world. In 2019, it was estimated that 150 million people were people without a shelter, while more than 1.6 billion lack access to adequate housing.
  • In relation with Housing First Europe Hub, around 80’s Finland had almost 19.000 homeless people, now it has 4.341. Since 2007 they are working with government programmes and national policy programmes focused on targeted long-term homeless people (2008-2015), on prevention of homelessness (2016-2019) and to halve the number of homeless people in following four years and to end homelessness (2020).
  • And from my experience, during the three months that I am in Bulgaria I have been lucky enough to be able to access to three houses and in addition to that, I have been fortunate to have the possibility of staying in hotels (due to the circumstances of this project).

Now, lets talk about feeling home.

Someone can work a lot to pay for a house in the centre of the city, but then the reality is that they spend an average of 8 to 9 hours at home (maybe to shower and go to sleep), or for example someone may have a property at countryside and may not visit it for 6 months, or there are people who work from home and only go out to do the shopping, and also there are other people that has not house or that needs to share apartment because they are studying. With all this, also I know people who travel the world living in tents, or using apps to find free accommodation, and then sell their art for music on the streets for lunch that day.

HOME sometimes is misunderstanding as having a roof.
This, it can helps but is not the solution for feel home.

Home is something else. It is subjective, intense, deep and sweet, at the same point. Feeling home is related to not being afraid, feeling safe and being able to be yourself, having a place where free expression is guaranteed and where you can go to sleep comfortably and wake up with a smile the next day.
You can have a house or not, you can have a roof or not, you can spend all day on the street or at home, but can you always feel home everywhere? Yes, you can.

Home is a sensation, is from the heart. You can feel home walking around your favourite monument in the city, or you can feel home watching a movie in the cinema; also being at the house of other person can be home for you or while you are writing your thoughts in a notebook. Even is home when you sing during your shower time.

With this writing I do not want to make any value judgment on what is better or what has more facilities or advantages, much less look for the conflict, I simply want to show, for me, the meaning of the word home.

WHAT IS HOME FOR YOU?

TRAVELS OF A T-SHIRT FROM PIETRA RIVOLI
BY CARLA BARRADO

THE HISTORY OF COTTON

1. Cotton is a plant that has its fields in Lubbock, Texas (USA); there it is cultivated and collected. To later disassemble and pack it, leaving it ready for begin the journey. Here, we highlight the Flow of Cotton: a $ 6 T-shirt contains 15 cents of cotton.

2. This material reaches Shanghai (China), where it is cleaned, carded into fibres and knitted. Also here the pieces are cut, leaving them ready to make the shirt. 'Made in China' is a phrase written on a lot of the clothes we have. Is this all starting to sound like modern slavery? And at this point of the trip we highlight the Flow of Textiles: a basic t-shirt of $ 1.42, includes $ 0.24 of fees.

3. This t-shirt flies back to the American continent, to Miami (USA), where the created piece of clothing is sold (a t-shirt with design and print); and it sells for $ 5.99. It is distributed to North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania and even Africa. Then are the companies who put their price, according to the name of the store.

4. And when this t-shirt has no more trips to do, it dies at the hands of a Tanzanian person. This shirt has been sold to the country for $1.40 and there it is used for second-hand clothes or to make new garments or products.

To create 1 kilo of clothes (a shirt, a pair of pants and a skirt)
- 10.000 kg. of water
- 0'5 kg. of fertilisers
- 0'020 kg. of pesticides
- 7 kg. of greenhouse gas

5 aspects to consider.
GLOBAL WARMING. Oil and coal is used for transportation, which is burned and emits CO2.
WATER. 75% of global cotton production is in dry areas. Aral Lake, in Asia, lost the 10% in 50 years.
LAND. Increased temperatures cause evaporation, so there is less water. To get 1 kg. clothing requires the labor of one person for three weeks in the field (and it is not decent work).
CORPORATE GIANTS. The strength, money and power that they have is nothing to do.
PESTICIDES. Due to the contamination of the water every year many animals and people die. In the 60's, 7 great pesticides recognized and today there are 70. 
Is a process working on the use of natural resources, avoiding pesticides, but a greater effort must be made due to is needed to sacrifice a year of crops and a good deal with intermediaries to set prices. Always depending on the weather for the crops.
Anyway, there are great risks that are acquired, but that achieve advantages. Advantages such as: you can earn up to 60% more than with the usual use of the field and the use of pesticides; 12% less taxes are paid and there are no infections in the land and in the cultivated products.

Therefore, I encourage the purchase of second-hand to be encouraged more, it is much cheaper, more unique and also many times you can find clothes that are really new, even with a label.
Or else, at least, encourage the purchase of good quality clothing with a long life expectancy.

Think first!

FORMAL VS. NON FORMAL
EDUCATION

09:00-On following, I present two examples, of a random day,  in formal education (blue) and in       non-formal education (green).

09:00-10:00

Language

10:00-11:00

History

11:00-11:30

Break

11:30-12:30

Maths

12:30-13:30

Informatic

13:30-15:00

Lunch

15:00-16:00

Music

16:00-17:00

English

17:00-18:00

Break

18:00-19:30

Homework and/or Dance (extracurricular activity)

19:30-
next day

Home for dinner and prepare things for next day

09:00-09:30

Energizer for wake up

09:30-11:00

Energizer or ice-breaker
Read some historical facts about the feeding in war times and nowadays and play a game for calculate the amount of water that we use in each meal

11:00-11:30

Break

11:30-13:00

Energizer or ice-breaker
Create some posters, using some app with the computer, for create awareness in relation with the activity of before

13:00-15:00

Lunch

15:00-16:30

Energizer or ice-breaker
Create a song or poem/rap using words from different languages and create the soundtrack of it.

16:30-17:00

Break

17:00-18:30

Performance of the last activity

18:30-18:45

Reflection about the day

18:45-21:00

Dinner

21:00-23:00

Cultural night (optional)

   About my experience on the field:

  • Luckily, I have been able to participate in both types of education:

  • During my school stage between 3 to 24 years old I was studying in four different schools.

    A school from primary school to secondary education. Here I changed the center for two years, where I did my Bachelor (in Social Sciences).
    So after this training I decided to do a degree at the University for the next 4 years (Social Work and mention in Cooperation and Internationality), ending up in another University to do a Master in Addictive Behaviors. All this, in Valencia (Spain).

  • At this point is when I changed my type of training to a non-formal one.
    After my training I thought that it would be good to be able to volunteer outside my country and thus be able to add it to my CV in the future.

    I flew to England, to an alternative school, where I would train for 5 months in a program called ‘Fighting with the poor’ and finish my practical part doing a 6-month volunteer in an African country. Due to the world situation with Covid-19, I only spent 1 month between Zambia and Botswana and I returned to Spain.

    With the idea of retaking what was paralyzing, I went back to school and switched studies to a program called ‘Climate Activism’. This program was based on a month and a half of theory and practice at school and to finish the program I would fly to a Caribbean island. But other situations prevented this reality.

    So now I am in Bulgaria, forming part of the European Solidarity Corps and supporting a foundation that works with Erasmus +. So I am learning to write projects, to be a facilitator of them and I am also living the after part.

    All this above in non-formal education, of course.


From my experience, I believe that both are good ways of educating and training, because if the people who receive it learn something and are able to maintain it in the future, it is satisfactory. But, I give an extra point to alternative education, since I think that it is a way of learning by doing, of learning while playing and learning without knowing what you are learning, in addition to adding social and physical and personal skills. Like that you give to yourself for learn what you want to learn and you really focus on your goals and challenges. In non- formal education I learned about: myself, how things affects me and how should I heal them, my behaviours and my way of act in front of different situations, to follow my dreams, how to use my energy, new cultures and people, physical activities, build things, agriculture stuff, work in groups, organise daily tasks, improving languages...
I learned practical things in relation with the needs near me.

TEAM WORK!

6R'S OF SUSTAINABILITY

Meeting our needs without compromising the next generations, is a common and widely way of defining sustainability. Do you really need that?

We live in an opportunistic, consumerist society that wants everything ‘for yesterday’. We do not pay attention to the small details, much less to those that do not influence us. We want everything fast, organized and finished and we do not stop to think about the repercussions that we can find before our actions.
For this, a topic that is the order of the day and of which everyone is aware, at least of its existence, is global warming and how this affects climate change. There are consequences that are not in our own hands, but there are others that are: RETHINK-REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE-REPAIR-REFUSE (and REPEAT).


1. RETHINK: Understand the consumption that we have on something and how are our habits on it and the impact on the environment.
Example. Avoid buying napkins and use cloth napkins. Buy bulk nuts instead of buying from supermarkets with plastics.

2. REDUCE: Consume less, waste less. Think about the stuff that you already have and reduce it trying to put away what you no longer need.
Example. Open your wardrowe and put in a bag all the clothes that you no longer need and give to a friend, put in a clothes container or sell it in internet. Print by two sides in the sheet of paper instead just from one, or also use recycled paper for it.

3. REUSE: When you use it something try to think what else is possible to to with it, instead of buying a replacement, reinvent it and find an anternative use.
Example. When you receive a birthday present try to keep the envelop for you make next present. Have a metal or glass water bottle and bring it with you everywhere. Use plastic bags from supermarkers for plastic or cardboard trush.

4. RECYCLE: Is the easy way to help the treatment centres, using the coloured bins at the streets. Like that is possible to reuse this materials and create new ones or give a second (or even more) life.
Example. Have at home different trush bins for food waste and others, for papers, for plastics and for glass. Do a frame for a picture with cardboard or plastics or the dress that you anymore use convert it into a new skirt for the beach.

5. REPAIR: When a product breaks down or doesn’t work properly, try to fix it.
Example. Instead of throw away your shoes when are broken try to fix it. Sew the button of the shirt that has fallen off (learn how to sewing is a plus for further repairs).

6. REFUSE: Refrain from buying stuff that you don’t need. Avoid to buy things that will generate in the end even more waste.
Example. Buy led bulbs instead of regular lightbulbs. Go to buy with your own plastic bags avoiding to get others new.

EXTRA. REPEAT and keep thinking on this R’s above.
Do you think you can do it? I think that yes!

 
 

 
 

 

 




HALF MARATHON IN ASPHALT!

"Then, from there something in my head made me propose the challenge of running a half marathon in those places where I lived"

In 2018 I started training in the gym with a group. At the beginning it was for training and exercising... but soon, we put challenges in mind and we managed to be about 5 of us who focused on obstacle courses (OCR). Four times a week (sometimes more) we went to the gym and alternated strength, hits, AMRAPs, and WODs. When race day came we enjoyed ourselves as children and loved the feeling of self-improvement, even without completing all the obstacles 100%.

So, continuing along the lines of adding personal experiences and challenges in the summer of 2018, a friend (el Mendi) who trained with us presented my friend (Débora) and me with the opportunity to do a half marathon. We had never thought about running on asphalt, much less doing a half marathon, but we said yes, why not?

Mendi had experienced marathons in the past, and he wanted to do this half marathon with us, as a team. So like that is how we created a WhatsApp group called: 'Correcaminos' for get ready with the trainings. Débora, 'Compitrueno' and I trained during the summer at our rhythm and at our own pace, we didn't have much idea and neither did a coach. We were going to live the experience and finish it, of course, but without expectations.

October 28, 2018, the date of the Valencia Half Marathon, arrived. We made it, we finished it, we enjoyed it, and of course, we suffered it. But we end up with a smile and the medal hanging from our necks.
Challenge completed in 2h 7min✅

From there, I put aside training in general since I went to another country to study and to continue my professional and personal training. In this place, in England, is true that I started training as we had a gym with the basics and it was plenty of room to run, so I continued with my workouts, but in a lighter and easier way than before.

There were no competitions in sight and it was for my personal own.

But there came another opportunity, already in 2019, to do another half marathon. I lived near Hull, a place that has a suspension bridge (a small-scale version of the one in San Francisco) and it fascinated me. So talking one dinner to some teachers, one of them, Rolf, told me that they had done this race years ago and that it was very cool. So with my love for the bridge and the encouragement of this teacher, without hesitation I signed up for the half marathon.
The truth is that I did not train too much for this race (I ran from time to time between the fields around my school), but I was quite lazy to run after having been working 8 hours a day, having a class and to collaborate with school tasks.

June 30, 2019 arrived, and the half marathon of Hull, too. With respect to the previous one, I improved my personal time in 9 minutes.

Another challenge completed: 1h 58 min✅

Right now I am in Bulgaria, for eight months in total, so the moment of signing up for a half marathon here was part of the challenge.

Training during the summer at 7 in the morning and already in autumn looking for the sun or the best weather, three times a week I ran through Borisova Gradina and South Park, with an online training plan.

October 31 arrived and my half marathon was taking place in Plovdid. I broke my own personal and I improved again my personal time in 6 minutes.
And another challenge completed: 1h 52 min✅


Which will be the lucky city for next one?

THE DEMAND OF THE PLANET

We have the task to help as much as possible
who gives us place for live.

Extention Rebellion. Is a social movement borned in England by 2018, borned against the UK Government in a peaceful (non-violent) civil disobedience rebellion. From 1500 people til nowadays with a lot of countries around the world are starting to waking up. The vision is that they believe on change and that a better place is possible to create for next generations, at least the next 7; they don’t lose the hope on the humanity.

So, the principles and values are in relation with
waking up and act as fast as possible for: create a shared vision of change based on work together finding meaningful ways; respecting the nature, the genuine freedoms and justice; create a regenerative culture for take care about the damage and build solid healthy structures improving, learning and adapting to the time and what is needed.So, they encourage to go out from your comfort zone and defend what’s from you. Everybody is welcome, no hierarchies-labels.
For the governments they have three demands due this global emergency. The first is in relation with
telling the truth, the second relates on the taking action right now because is not time and is late already. And the last one, no less important, is to go a step more that the politics and put the power on the citizens’ hands.

Some rebels they live for this movement and they are able to do anything for it, they push themselves a lot and they create amazing situations for disobedicence, also because of this, they got arrested but in general, never they don’t use violence on it.
The human being will end up dying, but the planet does not have to. We must think about tomorrow and take care of what we have and what allows us to live: the earth can live without us, but we cannot live without the earth. The reason: fight against climate change.

The phrase: 'We have to talk' has been launched, from the Earth to us:
We have to talk because there is something that is not working between us, it is not going well. We have to talk because I see that you warm up with other people who are not me. We have to talk because it is not the same as before, I no longer feel the same towards you. We have to talk because I feel that every step you take, you break schemes. You are tearing me apart, you consume my energy, you exhaust me and overwhelm me. Because Ithere is something that unites us, and I want to fight for it. It is difficult, but I have support and I have asked for help, good. We have to talk about solving this at once. I love you and in you I feel good in you.” 
Thinking big and acting individually is possible, as long as it is done collectively and jointly.
We are committed to change, to the natural, to the real and to what awaits us in the future.As a good friend said: ‘I believe that the cornerstone of any project is teamwork and it is what we have learned the most, whether it is studying, working, cooking, etc. The goals that were proposed were achieved in community, in good vibes, in the effort and fatigue, horizontally, sharing knowledge and learning. It is nice to think that we can rebuild ourselves and thus the entire society from a more communal, supportive and peaceful perspective. The same concept of "minga" that the indigenous people have in various South American towns, we put it into practice to fix, beautify and improve our home-school that belongs to everyone and everyone who will also come, we work to the extent of each one and that the food is not lacking '.

Make these words, deeds.

Kind hearts around the globe!

How nice it is to create good and beautiful bonds with people at times when you don't expect it. Perhaps the word friendship is a word with a lot of power, importance and loyalty, but at the same time, this word can be defined in other ways: appreciation, affection, interest, company, joy, happiness...
These are the other ways to refer to those people you know for a week and who you know will stay
forever in your heart and will be part of your life, one way or another. Because during the exchanges, in addition to meeting people to develop future projects, you can establish friendship ties, and even plan trips to meet again in another more informal environment, if possible, in their own homes.

This was what happened to my partner Xenia and me during two projects with the foundation. We traveled to Greece-Athens and Corinth, with the idea of visiting the place and especially with the
idea of meeting people we met at the foundation's activities. We were also lucky enough to travel to Plovdiv, Shipka, Sofia- in Bulgaria- and be with people from the training course or other meetings there.

It is wonderful to get to know the city and the area through 
the eyes of a local. It wonderful experienced how these people open their houses for you without asking for nothing in exchange.

For me it is something that has no words. I don't know how to describe the feeling that runs through my veins when I think about those experiences.
It makes me happy and content to think that there are
many good people in the world, that people who were unknown to you a week ago can be trusted, and it fills me with satisfaction to know that I can count on the hand of those people, that I hardly they know.

This is possible thanks to the projects that we had during the summer with the organization that opened a wide range of possibilities to all these new adventures and experiences.





It is magical, unique and real, to think that all this is possible.
It is a gift with name and surname.

You have to enjoy every opportunity and every experience that you live, since it is the best thing that will remain for the future.

Live without expectations, with an open mind and eager to learn and exchange arguments with other people.

Being the creator of your own story has many advantages,
my 'boss' and friend, Ralitsa, already told me.

WARS OVER WATER

After watch the documentary, 'When the water ends', from Jennifer Redfearn, it comes a point into my mind in relation with the war that people lives on the documentary.

First of all, It is visible to see the war that is been created because of water. 

Also, the reality shown in the video is that rivers sometimes separate countries, areas or zones in which different tribes live, so the scarcity of water makes people have to move and change places, because without water there is no life, and this may suppose an intention of settlement or war to conquer the territory; so, the truth is that only water and the power to survive are sought. 

Furthermore, in developed countries, we are used to receiving this type of news in the form of armed conflicts and fights, ignoring reality. We are facing a silent war

If you add 'humanitarian aid' to this, it is even worse. Countries with power take advantage of the food shortages in these countries and, for example, give them seeds or rice. So far, so good. 
But, when we see that these people still do not have water to grow those seeds, or when we see that these people start to cultivate because they have got water from wherever they are, then is when that 'humanitarian aid' appears again asking for what they had given before. 


That is, there is no help, it is a creation of needs and debts. The rich know well what to do and how, always in their own interest. 

And another quite shocking issue is the power in the world of certain companies, due to s
ome examples of Agri-bussines are: in 1980 there were 20 companies that controlled 90% of sales of food, and in 2003 they were 7, only; and today just an amount of 3 corporation have the power of banana, tea, cocoa, beef and corn production (3 different for each topic).

Water is a natural and free resource.

Some proposal ways for saving water in a community.

    1. Good irrigation system in the garden.

    2. Ashes to help dishwashing.

    3. Collect the building rain water from the gutters and others and purify it for showers.

    4. Put sprinkles.

    5. Covering of beds to save on watering and choosing seed/plants than need less water.

    6. Tap consciousness and fixing dripping.

    7. Save water reusing the animal (as chicken) dirty water.

    8. Repair the leaks.

    9. No excess usage of shower. Be conscious

    10. Usage of the washing machine with consciousness and sharing.

ENVIRONMENTAL RIFT
'Creating an ecological society'

I have seen some TED talks by Johan Rockström and, in addition, I have read other more current articles by him.

Regarding the TED talk I saw, it is important for me to be noted that we are aware that the Earth is under very strong pressure, and this pressure comes from aspects such as climate change, population growth, ecosystems and the factor surprise, too; but what puts more pressure on him is the human pressure. This pressure is what creates the other pressures. 

The talk is committed to taking care of the planetary boundaries, especially those that are most affected: Nitrogen flow, Biodiversity loss, Climate change, Online levels and Ocean Acidity. 

Along with this, we face a world that does not stop growing, and that is why we must see the opportunities and build resilience among all. 

We are aware of the intrusion of capitalism in society and on a daily basis. 

In the same way that it is true that people are more aware of the reality and the climate change that we are creating. You may not see results, and perhaps it is because there is a very deep gap and the result is priceless. 

But the reality is that the last 10 years have seen change: there is more information, more campaigns, more demonstrations, more awareness among the people. And the ideal would be that actions and events were added to this to make it totally real.

And here, with this, comes capitalism, money and governments. Society, jobs, families, and how to earn a living also come in. And with this sum, the result is that you cannot make changes from today to tomorrow, but you have to evaluate the consequences and avoid the greatest possible damage; In other words, you cannot destroy a plastic bag factory in a month, since you have to create another sustainable bag factory and relocate these people who would lose their jobs. 


And for this, money is necessary yes or yes. We are all economics and we are all part of capitalist society, but the good thing is to be aware of this and the way in which you contribute to that part. So there is no answer to whether it is better or worse, but what is certain is that it is more relevant.  

I find relevant to focus on the importance of being aware and being able to act at least from our individuality or as a community. If we do not do our part, no matter how small the contribution, it is already a lot (any minimum act matters), since 'the domino effect' can affect a lot. 

And the ideal would be to create this awareness and give knowledge to the whole society, giving time to get used to it and start with small changes.

GREEN CAPITALISM ?!

After read several different authors as Al Gore, Naomi Klein, Boell foundation, Peter Diamonds, Jorge Randers, Chris and Fred, I would like to talk about one: 'No is not enough' by Naomi Klein. 

What she proposes that we should give a leap, because small steps won't cut the situation that we already have. The idea is to take care of people along with the economy, to put the focus of attention in the future being aware of what was done in the past. Therefore, a space of time is offered to dream, but together, all. In other words, joining climate change with the economy, with the words of the people, thus creating an agreement, avoiding leaving someone out. 

She is committed to investing in the public sphere, and believes that it is not easy to start as it takes time and perseverance, but that it could be achieved if all the people act and do not allow themselves to be guided by those in power. 

And this text is closely related to that of the others, who delved into: 

  • How difficult it is to fight against the society that we have created ourselves, because we have created it ourselves. 
  • We have made it easier for capitalism to dominate society, and that capitalism is a small part of all the time we have been in the world. 
  • Therefore, markets will always seek the highest profit without thinking about the consequences. 
  • A leap is needed, a drastically change is the unique solution. 
  • Green capitalism is an optimistic vision about this society, but we need to create it. 

It can be a utopia and a dream, but the fight is waiting for us. 
Nobody is going to do nothing for us, so… let's move! The change start on us. 
We would only have to wait for people with power to find all this attractive and to keep them rich. Is it?

So, for all expressed, in general summarising for me, the viewpoints of the authors can be:

1. Consciousness is first step.
    Many people in the world now about this problem that involves us, but just people that is suffering the consequences. Who is not in the battle field and have the control of the society is not aware yet. And always is better start with small steps (or in this case, with a leap) from our own body.

2. It is not possible to wait til 2030, or 2050.
    We don't do nothing, all will be irreversible and always we will pospon and we will go against time. The damage is already done. If we wait a bit more, during the time that we are waiting we will create more and more issues and problems. The future is here.

3. Take advantage about the technology and the capitalism; It can works.
   Already is working because there are people with money and there are people with ideas, if you put them together it is possible to create a solution for this distaster that we are creating.  The markets and the people with power always will play for their own benefit, and the problem is that people go for it and buy from them. The green economy is calling us.

4. Use the people, use all the possible ideas, use the common agreement, use the dream power.
    Together is much better. 

With all this, a last question: 'How the poorer countries will be impacted by these scenarios?'
The idea is that they don't be impacted. They should be part of the change and they should be aware about what is running. It's difficult task because I think that they will be the ones who will receive the worst part, they will be test people on all of this.
And maybe the richest countries take advantage about this and they will crate more debts over them, because they don't have the money for increase and for make better the acts. This, plus the debt that is already created.

-This circle will never end...
+?

It is very difficult to feel at home, being away from it isn't it?

The truth is that time passes quickly and we hardly realize the number of moments and experiences that we are living at that very moment.

There are important dates and there are relevant moments in a person's life. Personally, New Years and birthdays are dates marked on the calendar as something special.

I was lucky to be able to spend these two significant dates in the place where I am volunteering, in Bulgaria.

Special dates with my family:)

Bansko and Veliko Tarnovo.

The New Year in Bansko, one of the most demanded places to spend those important dates, due to its location and position on the map. Quite a spectacle for lovers of natures, snow and fresh air (despite the overcrowding during the last days of the year).
Bansko is one of the oldest cities in Bulgaria and has a rich cultural heritage. It is nice to discover that the first settlement appeared there during the Roman Empire. Without a doubt, those who visit it will enjoy a walk throught beautiful and charming old streets and will see the magnificient buildings built centuries ago.

And another place of special interest and that marked the second important date on my calendar - my birthday - is Veliko Tarnovo. It is the medieval city of Bulgaria per excellence. Being occupied by Neolithic, Thracian, Roman, Slavic and Byzantine peoples -although its golden age is medieval, when the rebellion against Byzantium arose here that turned the city into the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire and the seat of power of the tsars -kings of Bulgarian. Some incredible places there where: the Tsarevets Fortress and also its 40-minute sound and light show, which we can enjoy from 6:00 p.m. which tells a little about the history of the Second Bulgarian Empire; Samovodska Charshiya and the Ulitsa Gurko ( the oldest street); Although we visited the whole city on foot, seeing on our way different churches, monasteries, houses and local people. We also visited the Lover swing, offering a mini hiking to reach it and views of the entire city from above and the mini-Bulgaria, the only place where you can explore all the former royal palaces of Bulgarian Tsars for the duration of a simple walk.


And besides, it snowed. That this is something that continues to surprise me because I come from Valencia (Spain) and I am not used to walking down the street and seeing how it snows or waking up in the morning and seeing everything around me with a beautiful white color.


I feel super happy about these experiencies and about the people that I was with, they, definetly, made possible my day and made it a bit more special.
People that you know from 7 or 3 months and became important, and also you have the feeling that they will be always on your heart.


Happy New year and Happy birthday to me, in Bulgaria, with my chosen family.