New ideas, new insights, new life

Living diversity is the most beautiful powerful experience I have ever had so far. Thanks to a melting pot of backgrounds, believes, values, goals, experience and so on I feel more free to ask opinions and points of view from the people that surround me. Because of the differences, which can be numerous or not between the individuals, sharing takes all his meaning, because there is less pressure than with your peers.
In fact I believe that I am less biased and pushed by what the person in front of me shares a thought or an insight, than if I had asked a person similar to me. Going forward in the discussion leads less to an argument than to a high discussion, which enables a better communication, and a better understanding of each other values.
Diversity is also good because it makes me think of principles that I thought ruled the world, when it fact it is only your microcosm at stake. It enables me also to see new horizons, or seeing further than I ever dared to see.
Finally it gives me hope, courage, imagination, and an incredible power for achieving big things and taking bold moves, any place around the world.

Social life abroad ?

G: what will u do for having a ocial life?

A: i would call more often or speak more often with my local contacts

A: and get involved in their social activities

A: this type of social life comes whn you are stable

G: but as soon as u get fixed

G: u do it

A: when you have your life in order

A: but not when you are agitated

A: and try to put your things in order

G: me I would go to the gym

G: and have sport buddies

G: go to language lessons

G: and meet ppl there

G: and jon more social activities

G: by the work

G: but same as u

G: when I am stable

A: when you work you really don't have the time to spend with many ppl

A: but with few

A: and very important ones

G: it is a matter of luck also

G: to beat the right place in the right environment at the right moment

A: it is a matter of situation

A: if you have the right environment, you can be very social

A: if not, you have to work hard to create it

A: if you feel it is a priority for you

A: at a certain point

G: but also for instance

G: here

G: ppl leave at 4;...5

G: no pb

G: so it is totaly dofferent from what I xp in paris

G: and I could not adapt rapidly

G: maybe this would have changed

G: the situation

A: it is also how you are

A: there are ppl that cannot be alone

A: and cannot live without having 10 other ppl around

A: and there are also ppl that are just fine by themselves

G: yes

G: I am the 2 I think...

A: in a certain proportion

A: it is not like you prefer to be alone

A: it is that if you are, you don't die

G: no

G: indeed

A: and you, are not alone

G: this is me

A: imagine not having me to talk with

G: indeed

A: think of how much time we spend interacting

A: with each other

G: and u imagine me not for u also...

A: in this case for sure you would have taken drastic measures

A: to animate your social life

G: yeap

A: but having me, fulfils this need

G: yes

G: and u 2

G: I fulfill also ur need

A: you remember that we had this discussion in the past ?

G: yes

A: when you asked me why i don't join i don't know what in paris

A: the trainees or smth

G: yes

A: and now you can understand why

A: then, you weren't able to see things through my perspective

A: but now you understand

A: it is not a matter of being lonely

A: or not social

A: is that i already have what i need

A: at this chapter

A: in a satisfactory proportion

A: i can focus on smth else

G: yeap

A: you see my point ?

G: yes

A: whould be dificult without each other

A: for sure

A: but we support each other and we are fine

G: yes

G: I like that

G: but me I like going out

G: chilling out at a bar sometimes

G: taking a coffee for hors wth friends

G: stating thre 3 hours

G: with only one coffee

A:

G: u know this kind of stuff

A: yes

G: or going to play soccer

G: or playing video games or games

A: yes

A: well, you can be limited somehow abroad

A: i don't know

A: it is not like at home, abroad

A: you are among strangers

A: and ppl that are just fine without you

A: and ppl that don't need you to join their group

A: you can force yourself in on long term

A: but it can take time

A: to create a network

A: a good one

G: yes indeed

G: but I did not want to join the french network directly

G: like that

G: because then u hang out only wiht them

G: but actually the french can have friends in other networks

G: and it is easier to access them via the french

G: that know already

G: than doing it by yourself

G: I think

G: so I think next time

G: I just go directly to the french

G: and u to the ro

A: me, i went to the ro directly

A: but i wasn't satisfied

A: cause they don't give me the international experience

A: i prefer to join a network of locals

A: in order to know them

A: this is why it can take time

G: yes

G: but I think I will aply my theory

A: cause you have to go in a cercle already formed

G: because t takes time to access them in both cases

G: circle

G: yes

G: so joining via smeone is cool also

A: you will see

A: we will get experience

A: and we will do things better in the future

About passion and other discourse

G: when something is interesting, it is really expensive
G: I really think that more and more the gap between rich/educated and the rest will deepen, and culture is a real investment
A: yes, it is true that good things cost
G: it is not enough to read the crap out there and to see the blogs
G: culture and knowledge is so smth that most ppl dont value...
G: for instance history at school
G: a lot of students say it is useless and do not get interested into it...
G: but it is vey important to me...
G: and it is one of the rare time when get culture at school...
A: yes, i agree with this
G: ok it was the thought of the day...
G: and look also at work
G: I mean ppl have the culture all around them
G: but they do not care
G: do nt grab it
G: "why would I care?"
G: at school I had a great history techer
G: in the first year of lycee
G: he encouraged us so much to get culture
G: and to get interested, and he gave us a list of books
G: at the end of the year, for summer
G: saying "u r going to sunbath on the beach, fine." But sunbath with a book instead of doing nothng or reading crap magazines"
G: guess what
G: I read almost all of them this summer
G: and he gave us example of how it was important
G: one day for the fiinal round of a recruitment proces
G: the comp invited the finalists at diner
G: and the most brilliant during the conversation got the job
G: and it happened the exact same to an american I met in aiesec
G: when she got here interviews in chicago
G: but in order to meet ppl who know and value culture
G: u really habve to go very high, in the high society where money is as well
G: and so is the vicious cycle
A: but i totally agree with what you said
A: it is important to evolve, and reading is a way of doing this
A: and access the information
A: you are not born with it
A: you have to get it, in every way you can
G: but the surrounding counts a lot
G: if I did not have grd parents like I did
G: I would not have been lik this at this chapter
G: I mean the surrounding counts for a lot
A: true, but it is also the way you are made
A: cause you can be a dull person
A: not active
A: and not interested in anything
A: or you can be a dynamic person
A: avid to know
G: yes
G: but look also
G: whn my parents came here
G: I took them to the rijksmuseum
G: and then we ran there
G: and then elsewhere
G: and at the end of the day they said smth that stroke me., because I never thought about it
G: they told me "u r lucky we do that and follow, parents would hae dropped it..."
G: to me it was inamginable...
A: i dont get it
G: I mean parents can be chiants also
A: other parents would have not go ?
G: and limitate me
G: yes
G: of course
G: because they would not liked museums
G: for instance
G: and would not be inerested into dutch paintings
G: and history
G: so what I mean is that parents could also limit their kids
A: sure they can
A: but i believe you are a little bit extreme here
A: not all people are interested in the same things you are
A: and culture is a broad thing
A: you can have culture and not knowing a lot of history
A: culture means to know a little from everything
A: then, if smth really interests you, you go deep
A: this is how i see things
G: yes yes
G: but I mean my parents could ave be chiants
G: and like not given me the possibility
A: well, here also is a thing
A: they can encourage you to do things
A: but let you do them independently
A: no need them to be next to you
A: my parents are like this
A: they push me to do things
A: but they never do them with me
A: they do their things
A: but they support me in mine
A: but not with phisical presence
A: physical
G: well...
G: I understand
G: but it is also cool that when I want them to be here
G: they are
G: and they do
G: of course they encourage
G: and push me but do ,not do it by themselves
G: but sometimes it is nice
A: i think you should not compare yourself with others too much
A: cause life is a complex thing
A: and maybe you don't see the whole faces of the puzzle
A: do what you feel is right and good for you
A: ppl are sooo different and the value appears in so many forms
G:
G: indeed
G: but me I see culture, passion, talent, hard ork and creativity
G: and I cannot go well along with oo who do not have culture
G: or are not passionate
A: al these words are sooooo broad !!!!!!
A: i can ask you very easily what is culture for you
A: and you answer me smth
A: and then i ask you again
A: IS THAT ALL ?
G:
A: and i continue to ask until yo don't know what to answer anymore
G: like ur techer
A: and then, for sure will be a thing that you don't include in your vision for this term
A: but smbd in this world has that thing
A: and makes him special
A: and valuable
A: so.....
A: careful
A: broad terms like this are nice
A: but when you take them deep, you may be surprised
A: to see what smbd puts in them...
A: i believe in difference
A: in specificity
A: in unique things that makes a person valuable
A: they may not be very broad
A: but they can be very powerful
A: yes, passion, but for what ?
A: yes talent, but where ?
G: in general
G: in general also
G: there are ppl who are not passionate
G: what to do...
G: u can present them million of things
G: they can readd, see, wtahc, visit, meet ppl... whatever
G: they will never feel passion
G: the thing that makes u happy when nobidy else noticed
G: the thing whn u get into details
G: and do not stay superficial
G: ppl who are passionate are passionate ppl
G: it is simply the contrary of dull
G: to me
G:
A: yes, but you cannot be passionate about everything
G: nooooooooooo
G: no
A: there are things that make you like this
G: being passionate is being passionate
G: and u cannot be everywhere
G: yes
G: it is tat u find it
G: that
G: u find a passion
G: more precisely u discoer it
G: via ur friends
G: ur parents
G: ur gd parents
G: on ur own
G: at work...
G: whatever
G: and it is not really that u became passionate
G: it is that u r or u r not
G: thi is how I see it
A: yes
G: and also u got lucky enough to see passion in other ppl
G: and be able to be committed in ur passion
G: because u had no obligations
G: of basic needs or prevention or whatever
G: no?
G: what u do there?
A: i think
G: u dont read me anymore?
G: aaaaaaaaaaah
G:
A: i read
A: yeap
A: maybe
A: maybe it is like this
G: I dont know
G: this is how I see it
G: hey
G: u had philosohpy class at school?
A: exactly
A: this is how YOU see it
A: yes i had
G: yes but u know
G: my word is like the bible
G: the one and only tryth
G: truth
G: :
G: kidding
G: me too I had philo classes
A: i believe that every person has its way of being passionate
G: for one year
G: and I looooooooooooved debates
A: maybe about many things maybe about one
G: about this kind of things
G: yeap
G: but no
G: I think that some ppl are really not passionate
G: and are dull
G: and will die with having never felt passion for anything nor anyone
A: i cannot imagine there are ppl like this
G: I think these ppl were not lucky neither
G: because they did not have the right environment to be passionate about smth
G: either because they did ot have access to lot of things
G: either they had obligztions that prevented them from doing so
G: but this makes them dull
G: I can...
G: there are small pleasures
G: and passion
A: yes
A: i dont know
A: it is hard to judge
G: I dont expect u to know
G: I expect u give me ur opinion
G: because I dont know neither
A: me, i believe in self knowing and on focus on your becoming
A: and not on looking at others and comparing
A: with you
G: ?
G: I dont want to compare
G: I want u to tell me ur point of view
G: so that I can get another on the subject
G: and u get mine also
G: and then we can move on
A: i judge ppl and say they are dull or they are loosers and so on
A: but this is soo superficial
A: how could you really know a person ?
G: I dont really know them
G: but sometmes u realize how ppl r
A: you realize from your point of view
G: and u see that some stuff get u nowhere
G: yes
G: but this is the whole point
A: but you never know his or her deep thoughts
A: and wishes
G: well I am not here to be social aid and discover their deepest toughts and wishes and making them come true
G: but if u believe in self knowing and caring about ur becoming
G: then this is ecactly it
G: u can see with who u get along the best
G: and how u can evolve
G: and everybody makes choice
G: whether superficial or not
G: not everyine is intereting to u
G: or to me
G: and I do not wait for years before being able to say that whether the person was passionate or not
G: btw if a persion is passionate there is geat chance that u discover it pretty fast
G: if u sahre a bit with the person
A: if you know how
G: u will dscover things that makes him happy
G: and how he talks about it
A: if you know how to bring the best fro m a person
G: and how often he does
G: it is not about bringing the best
A: it is
G: it is about how to make it comfy and to be friendly enough so that he tells u
A: it is about discovering in depth a person
G: and lets u see a bit more of him/her
A: and not only a superficial mask
G: passion is not in depth to me...
G: I mean it is for a person
A: a person can be very friendly and yet you don't see her real face
G: but there is a mask of passion aso
G: well... thats dangerous
G: because u might be with a psychopat
A: passion can be hidden
A: no
A: not true
A: but you might be with a person that protects his privacy and his passions
A: maybe smbd collects used bags
A: you think he/ she wants everybody to know ???
A: you think that person sreams his passion loudly ?
G: ok... but this brings me to the nex point then...
G: I am interested to know a person who collects platic bags?
A: yes
A: cause she collects them in order to reciclate them maybe
A: and to protect the environment
A: or in order to make modern art from them
A: it can be interesting to find out
A: why the person is doing this
A: and here comes the superficiality
A: you hear that the person collects bags and you say it is a psycho
A: maybe i should avoid it
A: i don't know
A: me i believe passion can be shown OR NOT
A: and you have to be veeeery smart to really see it
A: in ppl
A: cause most often, it is hidden
A: it is a point of view
A: maybe i am wrong
G: I dont think there is right or wrong

the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself

BAZ LUHRMANN SUNSCREEN

Ladies and Gentlemen
Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience…
I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth
oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….
You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future
or worry, but know that
worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy
sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…
the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults
if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…
the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives,
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium

Be kind to your knees
you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…
what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either
your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..

Dance…
even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions
even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines
they will only make you feel ugly.

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, and I know I've been waiting to be there
for you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.)

Get to know your parents
you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings
they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle
because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once
but leave before it makes you hard;
live in Northern California once
but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths
prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old,
and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders

Don’t expect anyone else to support you
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse;
but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair
or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy
but, be patient with those who supply it
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, and I know I've been waiting to be there
for you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.)