Tuscan asylum

Majestic mountains, breathtaking views, delicious wines, crunchy pizza and italians singing 'Un Italiano Vero'. "Travel writers tend to deploy the word 'idyllic' far too often, devaluing it in the process. But here, in Tuscany, it really does apply. " (www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/tuscany)

Tuscany is a region in Italy, rich in natural beauty, historical value, artistic and culinary treasures. The enchanting atmosphere of it's cities surrounded by spectacular landscape makes it one of a kind. Florence, Piza, Vinci, Prato, Siena are just some of the most popular destinations.

Check out the websites about Tuscany, watch videos about it - you will surely fall in love with it!

http://www.tuscany.co/

http://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-destinations/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/tuscany

Introduction and conclusion

Introduction:

Some people read a lot, some do sports, others analyse everything they see with an eye of philosopher. Those are well-known ways of creating your point of view but there is another one that mixes every other source, one that brings you fun and knowledge at the same time- trips. There is no better way to shape your personality than travelling.


Conclusion:

Among all other possibilities, travelling seems to be one of the best sources of getting to know your own character and working on self-improvement. As it teaches you critical thinking, tolerance, self-efficiency  and gives you dozens unforgettable memories at the same time, there is no better source of wisdom.

Practica 2: outline

There's no better way to shape your personality than travelling
1) Travelling shapes your point of view
a) Getting to know other cultures and conditions of living teaches you empathy and understanding
b) Observing how different countries function and comparing standards of living can help you develop critical thinkning
2) Journey - a way to learn how to live with other people
a)Travelling with friends means taking into account an accepting the wishes and little annoyances of your companions
b) While being on a trip you have to forget anout your egoism and be ready to reach compromises
3) It makes you grow up
a) Turists face different, sometimes very stressful, situations. Then they have to know how not to panic, keep the cold bood and solve the problem (self-efficiency)
b) While travelling you have to take responsibility for yourself and people you travel with. This makes you learn how to look after others. There is no place fo childish egoism.
Conclusion: Travelling seems to be oone of the best sources of getting to know your own character and working on self-improvement.

Human rights

The mankind have been dealing with many kinds of abuses for ages. Now, the list of Human Rights Issues is extensive and contains such matters as Disability and Human Rights, Rasism, Youth, Slavery, Freedom of Religion and Belief and many more. At daily basis one may face the problem of not treating people adequately and it does not only concern phisical harassments.
The main obstacle to enhance the situation seems to be the lack of awarness and indifferentism to human dignity. What is worth noticing is that not only those who are injurious to others appear oblivious, but also the victims frequently do not know their rights. This leads us to the position where abuses on every continent became a silent plague. They are so numerous that scientists and sociologists gave up preparing statistics.
All the solutions of the problem should begin not with taking legal actions but with increasing the status of knowlegde, as everyone is a potential victim. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality sex, colour, religion, language, or any other feature is. We are all equally entitled to them without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.
Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary law, general principles. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.
Unfortunately, as all abovementioned sources seemed not to be enough, new non-governmental organisations have been constituted. Among them Amnesty International, Helsinki Fundation of Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, International Court of Justice. These organisations are to publish various cases of human abuses in media forcing particular countries to act. Also, they take part in the process of decision making, they prepare reports, in example, for United Nations. The effectiveness is diversed but without their effort the mankind would be in even more difficult position.
Summing up, the war againt human rights violations seems to be endless. In spite of that, many sources are rightly used to protect us from suffering. The only way to, at least, mitigate the number of abuses is not to give up the persistent try to augment peoples awarness of how serious that matter is.

How to travel

Traveling may be a one of a kind experience, full of unforgettable memories. It may give you wisdom, great relationships, help you form you character etc...  but it also may be a complete disaster. There is hardly nothing more frustrating than a badly prepared trip. Here are some tips that may help you avoid any kind of bummer.

1. Accomodation

Although there are a lot of adventure lovers, going to a place without making a hotel reservation is not the best idea. Find accomodation earlier. There are dozens of websites that may help you find the most suitable one (tripadvisor.com, booking.com, infohostal.com). Be carefull though, check well WHERE the hostel is, because you may soon find out you've reserved a room in the other end of country (true story, that happens a lot). Hostels, dormitories, hotels, private rooms, campings all those give you a wide range off possibilities and prices.

2. Transport

Consider all means of transport possible in your destination. The prices of trains, buses, bike renting etc vary in different countries. There are also other possibilities like renting a car, or sharing a private car with BlaBlaCar. If you decide to go wild you can risk hitch-hiking. But remember never to do it alone and read a bit about the culture of the country you want to do it in. The fact that hitch-hiking is very popular in Poland, doesn't mean in Spain people are familiar with the idea. You can spend all day trying to catch a car and end up with failure just because it is not something widespread in the area.  Also remember to be cautious. Don't try to stop a car in the middle of highway (also true story).

3. Packing

Are you also one of those people who always take to many things and have problems with packing it all? This is probably the most irritating part of traveling. Fortunately, there are some techniques to actually make this pretty easy. Check the forecast, and prepare things you thing will be useful. Be practical! Then, decide which things give you more options in case the weather changes and resign from the rest. When it comes to the packing itself, you don't have to sit on you bag to zip it anymore! Let the Master from this movie show you how it should be done:

4. People

Always travel in small group. It is not only safer but also more fun. Don't be affraid to be picky, choose those people with whom you really hit it off. If you go with random person it may soon appear to be the world's biggest ruiner.

 5. Brace yourself!

Search the net for as much information you may need. Try to find out everything about the place you go to. You don't want to miss what's most interesting or look at something beautiful without any idea what it is.

6. Think outside the box

Prepare yourself to anything that may not go according to plan. Don't ever panic. Open your mind and thing outside the box, there's always a solution! Be flexible, opened to compromises and decisive. Remember, whatever may happen, you are having an adventure, making new memories, maybe in the one of the most amazing places in the world. Who cares about the luxury and childish complaints? Carpe diem!

Appreciating the underestimated - Polish Christmas

Have you ever experienced the surprising feeling of homesickness? Surprising, because you never thought you would miss your motherland. When you lived there you never ceased to notice something annoying, something that "would never happen in other countries". However, when your dream comes true and you finally move to live among other nation, you suddenly start appreciating what you have been underestimating before. Living abroad makes you miss all traditions and customs you are used to, especially in the period of big, family celebrations, such as Christmas. In my case, it's longing for Poland. It is a country extremely experienced and rich historically. All the things it had been through has made it's inhabitants patriotic and dedicated to cultivating it's traditions. Since we're near the Christmas time, here is the description of  Polish Christmas Beliefs and Traditions.

Christmas in Poland is the most elaborate holiday during the whole year, and Polish people prepare for it days before the actual celebration. Shopping for ingredients for homemade food, christmas presents for relatives (which they give each other not only on 6th of December but also on Christmas Eve), searching for decoration they put in and outside their houses is a typical fever of this time of year. However, one of he most important part for Poles is to have their house or apartment sparkling clean. When it comes to weather, only a white Christmas is considered a real Christmas; therefore, everybody is happy when there is fresh snow outside. Before Christmas Eve supper (known as Wigilia) Polish farmers bless their fields with holy water and place crosses made from straw into the four corners of a room. This is supposed to protect the household from evil powers and bad luck. The supper itself consists of twelve different dishes, that never include meat. There are typical salads, carp and other types of fish, cakes, soups... . Before sitting down at the table after all traditional foods are ready and brought to the table, everyone anxiously awaits the moment when the first star, known as the Gwiazdka, appears in the eastern sky. For that is when the feast to commemorate the birth of the Christ Child begins.

Now everybody breaks the traditional wafer, or Oplatek and exchanges good wishes for health, wealth and happiness in the New Year. This is such a deeply moving moment that often tears of love and joy are evoked from the family members who are breaking this symbolic bread. This is the moment, when people open their hearts and their deeply hidden emotions towards their relatives are revealed. The Oplatek is a thin, unleavened wafer similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It is stamped with the figures of the Godchild, the blessed Mary, and the holy angels. The wafer is known as the bread of love and is often sent by mail to the absent members of the family. The framgent of the Bible describing the birth of Jesus Christ is read by the oldest member of the family. Many people believe that additional plate on the table is a way to reunite with those who we cannot be with during Christmas supper. It can be for deceased relatives or friends who supposedly come during Christmas Eve to eat the food with us. On the other hand, this symbolic additional seat represents Polish hospitality. No one should be left alone at Christmas, so strangers and also the homeless are welcomed to join in the holy supper. This belief derives from the times when Mary and Joseph were looking for shelter and they couldn't find one.
Pooles also sing christmas carols. The children dress themselves like the figures from the Bible and sing christmas songs in different houses in hope to get some more sweets.

After supper, they pull out blades of straw from beneath the tablecloth. A green one foretells marriage; a withered one signifies waiting; a yellow one predicts spinsterhood; and a very short one foreshadows an early grave. Some people also put money under the white cloth, which symbolizes prosperity in the household. This is also the time of opening the presents that before were put under the christmas tree.

At midnight on Christmas Eve animals are believed to speak with a human voice. What is more, in the middle of the night  the whole family goes together to the mass called Pasterka, in which they pray and give thanks for the rebirth of Christ and their families.

The world cannot exist without inequality of people

Imagine utopian society in which every single person is perfectly happy, any kind of need is always fulfilled and the life is just ideal. Then,  let’s think about consequences. Some philosophers claim that this imaginary picture of mankind would simply lead to nowhere. “The light is needed to know what the darkness is” – the same rule may be used according to society. The world cannot exist without inequality of persons of whom, in a way, consists the reality.

Starting with politics, would it survive if everyone was equal? As we know, governments are up to take care of countries,  international relationships and citizens. Their main aim is to provide denizens a high standard of life but if, in the imaginary, perfect society, there is no need to take care of anyone, there would be no the purpose of, for instance, electioneering, humanitarian projects or charity. Most of political plans are made on the basis of dealing with crime, poverty, spreading sicknesses or lack of education. It is also more than possible that a lot of nongovernmental organizations such as Amnesty International wouldn’t exist.

In fact, media and culture would sooner or later become extinct too. It takes just a quick glance on the newspaper to notice that press or television breathes with gossips about any kind of personal insulting or infringement of commonly acknowledged norms of behaviour. Plenty of great reportages, documentaries or any other sort of movies,  book or plays were considering the problem of inequality. National Geographic is known for it’s adaptations of everyday situations, showing the variety of life and experience, making money, gaining knowledge. They capture poverty and famine in Africa, disobedience of human rights in Asia, the richest citizens of North America and poorer, less educated South Americans. That all could not have been done if everyone was equal. 

Most certainly, it is not said that such an unfair situation, in which some groups in society have more money, opportunities, power should be supported but that is the way the life is and we have to perceive it as something, in some manner, necessary. Looking at the bright side of that statement, it may be observed that everyday social life makes us face the issue of not being the same and so we have an amazing opportunity of getting experience. In a good sense, people are learning how to treat others, behave in different situations and how the justice is important. By undergoing inequality we are becoming more aware of such values or virtues as family, kindness, empathy and being opened for unknown.

Coming to an end, it is worth noticing that the utopian world would not only be boring and not surprising or shocking but also would have no serious point to exist. Our full of differences reality is more interesting. It is not perfect and a lot should be done to improve it but instead of criticizing it we have to appreciate all the opportunities it gives us. Without inequality an enormous part of our life would not exist so it would not be our world anymore.