“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” Dalai Lama

I have 2 more weeks left and I feel great. I feel amazing!! We have overcome lots of challenges and I have been growing up as a human to tolerate and be more patients towards other people but also I have learnt lots of new things which I think life is all about, to learn and to develop. I believe we are never ready and the life is constant learning and growing up.

"Happiness is the overcoming of not unknown obstacles toward a known goal."

The time here has been amazing, all the experiences and all the people I have met have made this beyond amazing. I have seen the beauty of this country and I have been lying on these gorgeous beaches relaxing and enjoying the life.

Happiness can be found in this country.

There is song called “I love my life” and it is playing here constantly on the radio and every time I hear it just makes me smile. We have listened it so many times while driving around the crowded streets of Freetown. It is a good song!! Music definitely brings happiness but also silence can bring you peace and happiness.

I met a guy last weekend on our diving trip to the Banana Island and he is from Latvia. He has been living on that small island for 3 years now. First let me describe the island…It is small island, two hours away from Freetown and it takes about 45 minutes to get there by boat from the nearest land. There are 150 habitants and they have own schools and small shops, African style though. J He had a newspaper business here in Freetown but all the stress and working drove him to move to the island. Now he said that he has never been happier and healthier in his life!! Couple more things about the island…There is no electricity and it is impossible to get there after dark.

It was really cool to hear his story how he left the business life and trade it to peace and happiness.

Living on an island…Happiness? Maybe for someone but I think I couldn’t do that, I still need some challenges and people around me for my happiness but it was a good story.

Living happily ever after I need to take care of myself and I will give you some ways how I work out for my happiness. I have a secret for happier life and I will give it you. The secret is water…WATER!! Amazing!! So simple thing but so beneficial for your happiness and your health! What water gives you? It gives you energy, it gives you better skin, it gives you great feeling and it purifies you. Water is like high quality oil which helps you to run your engines. Our bodies are like engines, we need fuel to run it but we also need some oil to keep running. I try to drink 3-4 liters of water everyday. It is amazing what water can do for you.

Few weeks ago I felt tired all the time so I increased my daily water dosage and it helped, I have much more energy everyday.

I have never been on a diet but I have lost some weight few times because I have started to eat more. What?? More!! Yes, by eating more I have increased my metabolism which has led to weight lost; even I have wanted to gain some more weight. I try to eat at least 5 times a day to keep my motors running. Sometimes it is difficult especially here in Africa but I still try. I try to eat small portions and lots of fish and chicken. That is my secret for happy life.

The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb

Food is really important for your happiness but also exercise makes a big difference to you mood and also to your health. Health and happiness goes together. Sometimes we are too tired to work out and we just eat some junk food because it is easy to get and it is tasty. I do that time to time and there is nothing bad about it. I know if I don’t work out in a week or I am not able to eat healthy, it affects me, it affects me a lot. Happiness comes inside us and if we keep putting all the junk inside us and do not burn them, we start feeling depressed. I have been feeling it many times but I have managed to get back to my routines, back on track, and started to work out and eat in a right way. It makes such a huge difference.

Worries go down better with soup. ~Jewish Proverb

Three key elements for happiness and healthier life:

Healthy eating habits (low fat, chicken and fish)
Water!! (3 -4 liters per day)
Exercise ( at least 3 times a week)

So let’s work out for our happiness.

How the rest of my time will go here in Africa? Today we will have a film festival. Some of us have made short movies and we will have a festival to see them and the best ones will be awarded. There are 10 movies and 6 prizes. Our movie is called “sal y amor”, salt and love and it is about love, salt and heroism!! J

On Saturday I will be a nurse for a day, just to see how it feels!! I am excited, new experience!! Next week I will hopefully work in our Starbucks Cafe serving café for our crew; also a new experience!! I also asked if I could cook for the whole crew and yes, I can, so I will also be a cook for a day and work in the galley. I am super excited for all these opportunities!! J COOL!!!

I am still going to be a full time Chief Officer but I want to do everything and be involved. EXPERIENCE!

Happiness is for everybody!!