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Surviving -20 Celcius in Moscow

frozen lake in Moscow I'd say surviving because I am a tropical girl coming from 30-35 degree Celcius. So yes, this is about surviving such differences in temperature. I spent my whole life in a tropical country then I have to be in a -20 celcius, not an easy situation.  Obviously, I came prepared. I have been in a 0 celcius and learned that double triple layering is the right answer. Moscow has heater that runs nonstop since the beginning of (probably, I dont remember) November until early May. So you technically can not turn it off or on. Many days it gets too hot inside. Going to the mall in Moscow got me super sleepy and tired because it feels most of the time like in Sauna. So, double triple layering in Moscow is the right thing to do.  November temperature usually started to feel chilly, still not lower than 0. December will get colder can be minus. But January and February are the coldest season. This year dropped to -20 (that I can remember). The average temperature wa...
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What is Home?

Is it a place? Or a feeling? 

Let's dive in. 

I told a friend of mine that I am feeling close to home since I live in Bali. I have never felt of feeling home anywhere. Every after 2 years of living in a city, I had the itch to move. I definitely never felt home in my parents place. It's their place, not mine. 

I did not know that until I left the town to study in another city. There was some sense of relieve that I was out of that town. Yea sure people thought it's weird. "It is your home, you were born there." Yes, that's the definition of having a house while growing up. I think. Not the sense of belonging. 

I dared to explore that feeling. 

I told myself, "Let's get out of this town and be free." I still visit my parents of course, but I never stay longer than a week. I don't belong there. 

Moving cities a few times, for work, school, and ended up living in Bali. I even told myself that I would never move to Bali for living, with several logical reasons. Well, only a year after that I became a resident here. Lesson learned, you never know what will happen. Expect the unexpected. 

But the glad feeling of leaving my town remain the same after almost 20 years. I took a chance to move to Bali, little did I know that it was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

Then like what usually happen, I waited until after two years. "Ah, maybe I wanna move city again after 2 years." I was wrong. That itch didn't exist. It was more like curious of moving city, not because I don't like living here. 

It wasn't easy to integrate with the way Balinese live here. As Javanese, some of things they're doing got me raising my eyebrows almost every time. But I learned on how to slow down. I learned how to relax. I learned how to focus on the presents. I learned how not to overthinking. I learned how to expect the unexpected as we drive then stuck in a traffic caused by ceremonies. I learned how to align myself with the universe. Yep that does sound heavy but when they have ceremonies during full moon and new moon, I am much more in the present to stop and admire the phase of the moon. (don't bother, it's because I love moon and the outer space very much). 

One of the thing that I love about living here is Nyepi, the silence day where we're not allowed to leave the house for a full day, with no lights on so at night I can see the ocean of stars on my backyard. It gives me the best feeling. A heart full of lights and love. 

I can feel that I become a better person, knowing myself way better than before. I can regulate the noise on my head better. I can calm my nerves easier than before. I am busy understanding myself, so I have no time to bother people. 

It does not make me feel better than anybody else, that's not my goal and I don't care about that. But for myself only. When I am a better person, I can love more, I can understand more, I can sympathize more, I have more empathy to my surrounding. 

I am mentally grounded. And I love myself for that. 

Of course I have lacking here and there, but knowing that I am mentally grounded has made my life easier. If I were the ocean with big waves crashing against the shore, now I am an ocean wave that crashes against the mangrove first before reaching the shore. That's how I describe my mental situation now. 

That friend of mine said, "Perhaps, home is just a place that connects to your deepest authentic being, your own sanctuary." That's how I realized why I am feeling home in Bali. 

For those who are still looking for home, it's probably already there, deep in your heart 😉

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