Our first anniversary

In our calendar, December is not only for Sinterklaas (oh yeah, we live in Belgium), Christmas and New Year's Eve party, but also for celebrating Beginnings, as in our own Beginning, in our personal style. It's been already 1 year since we started this own micro-universe called our blog with the simple scope of sharing interesting stories of people around the world and little bits of our daily life in The Rainy City and wherever else might our path bring us. If we have successfully done that…well…you will be the one to judge. The time has came to open up the champagne, put on the party shoes and cross check the resolutions we managed to fulfill this year. And how we like to say, for what we haven't managed to do, there still are 18 days of this year left to set the record. Cheers to that!

Facebook has its own Year in Review, now so do we:). Here are some of our memorable moments from 2013, happiness snapshots spiced with beautiful people and that 'je ne sais quoi' that makes them unforgetable. They might not be the best shots but for sure they mean something to us for one reason or another. We admit that sometimes these reasons are the smallest things on earth like a bloomed tulip or a sunset that makes us smile. So what? We choose to wear always our Rose Coloured Glasses, precisely because we want to enjoy these moments and to remember them. Anyway, at the end of the year, when we look back at how our life has changed in the last 12 months, we recall all these small things and the good moments in which we were truly happy. Enjoy! 

1 December 2012. Supporting the organisation "Sante pour Tous" in Amsterdam at the Benefit Gala for giving to the less fortunate people a second chance to a normal life.

     Christmas in London last year. Hair was longer, smile was wider. Actually, not really! It's still as wide!

                                                                                       On the streets of charming Istanbul in January.

Having fun in the park on a lazy Sunday.

                     
 Wandering the streets of Paris and getting photographed by a German fashion blogger :)

Smiling because the spring is finally in town after a long cold winter.

                                                                     Back in a sunny day in June. Nope, we don't live there:)

Just a random day when you realise that what you dream turns into reality.

That moment of the day when you just stop to enjoy a beautiful sunset in Brussels.

Almost jumping in the air because you've just found the perfect "home" :)

That day when you enjoy the Belgian Coast especially because you have the beach all for your yourself

Feeling the sun on your skin on a hot beach in Valencia.

And living The Easy Life.

Love,

Laura & Elena

Inspired by Max Loessl, founder Agrilution @GEW 2013, part 1

As we have previously promised you, we would like to bring in front of you some of the projects presented during the conference Global Entrepreneurship Week held last week in Maastricht, The Netherlands. There were so many great ideas and so many innovative projects discussed and we do believe they are worth sharing and we hope they will inspire you or at least motivate you to start thinking out-of-the-box .
One of the projects that made a great impact on us concerns Vertical Farming. Perhaps, you are not very familiar with this concept but Max Loessl, a 24 year old student from Germany who is currently studying at the HAS University of Applied Science in the Netherlands has built a company called Agrilution which develops this concept to a whole new level.

Vertical Farming is basically a new way of producing nutritional food using a limited surface by stacking greenhouses on top of the other which are connected as a recycling system. There are several advantages such as year-round production independent of the climate, fertility of the land, temperature or even droughts, floods and other natural disasters which jeopardise today traditional farming. Moreover, it reduces the use of water up to 99% and also the use of nutrients and there is no need to use pesticides or herbicides.

Before we go further into the subject we would like to highlight the inspiration behind this start-up. When Max was asked by the audience WHY he invests his time in vertical farming he answered: "I saw a problem in limited food resources and I wanted to find a solution. I read a book called "Vertical farming" by Dr Dickson and I knew this could be a solution to develop and produce nutritional food. And so I just got started. " This is perhaps the best advice that someone could give: "Get started and you will find the answers along the way". 

Max Loessl had an awesome idea and he started to implement it with the help and support of fellow students and professors from the university HAS in The Netherlands. He founded Agrilution in order to create awareness around Vertical Farming, to support those who believe in this innovative project as a solution for producing sustainable and healthy food and ultimately to develop technology for Vertical Farming. Now Agrilution is developing their own incubator called "Agrilution One" which shall be available soon.

Max Loessl dreams to a world with fully implemented Vertical Farming and we believe in his dream and we know he will make it happen because he has the determination to make a change in the world.

We hope you enjoyed his story, feel free to check his website Agrilution and his page on Facebook for news and updates.

Many thanks once again to Ana from Maastricht Centre for Entrepreneurship for bringing together such amazing people at the conference. Have a great successful week and DREAM BIG!

Love,
Laura &Elena

Global Entrepreneurship Week, Maastricht 2013

We started this blog almost one year ago when we were both in need of inspiration and at that time we had one goal in mind: to write about good people, those who follow their passion, who live a meaningful life, and who dream big. We are constantly looking for role models and for visionary people who stand out from the crowd because of their achievements and we are very happy that somehow we get to meet these people and to learn from them. Last week, the brunette half of the blog had the opportunity to participate at the conference "Global Entrepreneurship Week" held in Maastricht, The Netherlands and she would like to share her experience with you. 

"I attended GEW for the first time and I must say I was amazed to see so many inspiring people gathered in one place to celebrate the success of the fearless entrepreneurs who defied the traditional business model and built their own companies through a lot of hard work. The guest list has been quite long and impressive. I had the chance to listen to Mr Thorsten Jelinek, Associate Director of World Economic Forum, Vidar Andersen, a serial entrepreneur and one of the top 5 must-known people in the German start-up scene, Mr Jo Martens, CEO Nascom, Ms Saskia Vossenberg, professor at Maastricht University, Mr Max Loesll, founder of Agrilution, Mr Florian Schneider, Business developer at Nerdalize, Ms Janneke Nielsen, Chief Innovation Officer at Improve Digital, Mr Jan Scheele, TEDx Organizer, Mr Marc Post, Head of Physiology and creator of the "in vitro" burger and many others. Each of them had a great story to tell and I will share their stories with you in our future posts.

Now, to go back to the event, you should know that the conference took place in Sint Janskerk, a beautiful Gothic church built in 15th century which now hosts different cultural events throughout the year. If you ever pass by Maastricht, you should visit it, especially because it is situated in the center, in Vrijthof Plaats. The conference started with a panel discussion regarding "The New European Plan" which brought to everyone's attention the European education system that doesn't support the entrepreneurial mindset as it does in USA. Statistics show that European students are much more risk adverse than Americans and also less entrepreneurial. Mr Vidar Andersen, who was recently invited to Stanford University to receive a Lean Launchpad instructor training by Steve Blank, said: "there are so many wrong things taught in our universities and I would like to change that". Ms Saskia Vossenberg, a Researcher on gender gap in entrepreneurship and an entrepreneur herself mentioned that Europe lacks in terms of right structures and organisms that could support female entrepreneurs. A very good remark was made by Mr Jo Martens, CEO Nascom who highlighted two major traits that are fundamental for a successful entrepreneur: growth mindset and empathy. In his words, every entrepreneur needs not only to learn constantly but also to share the knowledge and teach other people. He also added that a big mistake most of the people who start their own business make is that they don't have a vision and a mission. Every entrepreneur should have a meaningful purpose when setting up their companies,  and not just a financial purpose to make money and get rich.

Following this interesting debate, more speakers took the floor and presented their innovative projects such as vertical farming, cube satellite concept, heating with computer power and other out-of-the-box ideas. You will be able to learn more about these start-ups in a future post where I will give more details about each project. In the meanwhile I will leave you with some photos provided by Maastricht Centre for Entrepreneurship. Congratulations to the fantastic organizing team and a special thanks to Ana and Julia. It was awesome!"

Love,
Laura&Elena

Inspired by Elena Evlante, a flight attendant who is taking us in a tour around the world

Since we know that nowadays more and more young women are attracted to watching the world from above as a daily job, we would like to get you acquainted with an amazingly beautiful girl living a fabulous life. Her name is Elena Evlante, she is a flight attendant and she is currently living in Doha, Qatar.

We met Elena a few years ago and recently we contacted her and asked her to share with us her  life story and we are sure you are gonna find it pretty interesting. She is just another example that we can all make our dreams happen if we fight for them, if we don't give up when faced with the first defeat, and if we believe we can make it on our own. And she did it, all by herself!

RCGstaff: You started your journey first in Bahrein, right? After a while you moved to a neighbour country, Qatar. We assume you have been faced with strong cultural differences from the beginning. How would you describe your life in these countries? 
EE: Yes. I moved to Bahrain on the 27th of December 2007 few days before New Year’s and I remember it as if it was yesterday. Obviously the cultural differences stand out right from the start. So the first impression I must admit, wasn’t great. I wanted to go back to Romania straight away. My only comfort was having my best friend with me and knowing that we are in this together. Why the bad first impression? Well, the hot weather, the lack of greenery, no people walking on the streets, no buzz, no life, desert everywhere. It only took me few days to realize I jumped to conclusions too quickly, because as soon as I started the training school I discovered a whole new world, a multicultural environment who would and did give me the possibility to develop and to expand my horizons.

RCGstaff: From your experience, what can you say about the people and the islamic culture in the Middle East? Also we would like to know how was the transition from an eastern european culture to a traditional, muslim country?
EE: I found the locals as being lovely people, friendly and open minded. Under the abbaya and the thobe , their traditional garments, they were normal people just like us with the same desire of enjoying life to the fullest. I spent 3 years in Bahrain, enjoying every minute of it, meeting new people, making long lasting friendships and travelling around the world. Moving to Doha wasn’t a big change as they’re both not just very close, only 25 min by plane, but also very similar. Nonetheless I would say Doha is a bit more restrictive, but with the World Cup coming up they are opening up at a fast pace. When I say restrictive I mean they still have rules and regulations regarding grooming when going out to the mall, for dinner or on a night out, regarding holding hands or kissing in public, or any gesture of intimacy. Some might find it difficult to cope with but at the end of the day you live in their country and you must respect them, which I must say it is not the hardest thing to do. Living in the Middle East throughout Ramadan was the most striking and maybe the hardest experience as everybody must abide by their rules, regardless of whether you’re an expat or not, religious or not. Daytime restaurants and shops are closed, public institutions have shorter duty day, no one is allowed to eat or drink in the public view, clubs are shot for 30 days, no alcohol whatsoever (unless you stocked up before Ramadan). So you just have to stay inside pretty much and try to adapt, which you do, by going to house parties, going for Iftar dinners ( Iftar is their breaking the fast) or if you’re lucky get a good long trip somewhere in Europe or America and avoid all the hassle of Ramadan.

RCGstaff: The Oriental culture is very rich in traditions, rituals and also they have a very wide and specific cuisine which is quite different from ours. Have you managed to adapt your taste and is there any special course that you love the most?
EE: I love the food here. I absolutely love hummus , which I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I recently became a vegetarian so I’m no longer having their traditional food, as in chicken or lamb biriyani, lamb machbous, chicken korma, shish taouk, lamb chops, curries. I adapted my taste along the way. I enjoy a lot spicy food, which I didn’t before. Luckily you can have international cuisine, so depending on the mood, I will fully enjoy an indian Daal with vegetable biryiani, or a tum yum soup, a pad thai and a seafood fried rice. I love going for sushi nights as well or when I miss European food I will go for a nice salad, or fish with veggies at Paul’s or one of the many Italian places. Their traditional desert is um’ali and kunafa which I must say I’m not a fan as they are too sweet.

RCGstaff: You have been living in Bahrein for a while. Is there a favourite restaurant/cafe where you used to go quite often? What about Qatar? Could you please describe the place? 

EE: Me and Alice, my best friend used to go to this place called Al Abraj, in Bahrain, with traditional Arabic food and we would have a big portion of hummus, babaganoush, tabouleh, fatoush salad and warm bread. We loved that place and we never got bored of it.
I don’t have a favorite place to eat in Doha, but there are many restaurants that I like. They are really big on brunches, so on Fridays we gather up with friends and we eat and drink as much as we can from 12pm to 4pm. It’s a really good way of catching up with friends and get social. Its also very entertaining and the variety of food and drinks caters for everybody’s taste.

RCGstaff: If you will have to sum up the life of a stewardess in 5 words, which words would you choose? 
EE: Unpredictable, fun, adventurous, challenging, addictive.

RCGstaff: In your opinion, which is the most exciting part of your job?
EE: In Bahrain I used to have a roster so I would know my schedule in advance for the entire month. In Doha is different. Working for a private airline means being on standby 24h a day, 7 days a week. The most exciting thing about my job is being so unpredictable. Today I’m in Doha, tomorrow I’m in Seychelles , next week I’m in New York. It’s always a surprise and sometimes you end up in the most unexpected places.

RCGstaff: How many flights you took until now? Which one was the longest?
EE: I’ve had way too many flights to be able to keep count. My longest flight as in duty time was 27 h, which I think was the most challenging I’ve done so far and as in lay-over it was one and a half months away from Doha, which was the best so far as we stayed in New York and LA.

RCGstaff: We know you have been travelling all over the world and you have reached the most exciting destinations, some can only dream about. Could you tell us which is your favourite destination?
EE: I couldn’t pick a favorite place or a destination that had the most impact on me as I’m always keen on discovering new places and they’re all so different. I’ve been to Bergen, Norway recently and I loved it. I’ve been mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery, delighted by the best salmon you could have and blown away by the extremely high cost of living and their good quality of life. I’ve been to so many different places, that is so hard to chose only one. I love shopping in London, Paris, New York. I enjoy a thai massage in Thailand, a Moroccan bath in Morocco, yoga sessions in India, I love the beautiful beaches in Seychelles and Maldives. I love summer in Nice and partying in Cannes. I just love travelling around the world and I’m grateful for having this amazing opportunity.

RCGstaff: Do you collect souvenirs from the places you visit? If so, what kind of souvenirs you like to buy?
EE: I used to collect souvenirs. I like statues, paintings, but after a while I had no place to put them in my mom’s house and I decided to stick to the fridge magnets, which they’re too many now for only one fridge.

RCGstaff: Throughout the years you have been travelling, have you ever been mesmerised by a particular destination because of its panoramic view or local culture? Give us more details about the place and the things that impressed you the most.
EE: I would say Khatmandu. For the beauty of the place, the beauty of the people’s hearts, despite their poverty, for their strong religious beliefs, their temples, their respect for customs and traditions. I’ve been to the place where they incinerate their dead and I saw the whole ceremony, which was quite impressive.

RCGstaff: Do you have any destination on your wish list that you want to visit and you haven't had the chance to do it yet?
EE: There are a lot of places on my bucket list. I haven’t been to South America yet. I want to go on a safari in Kenya, enjoy the breeze on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar, go whale watching in Australia, go in a shark tank in South Africa, visit Petra, scuba dive in the Red Sea, to mention just a few.

RCGstaff: What about the people that you meet during your flights? Is there any story of a random traveller that you met and made an impact on you?
EE: I love surrounding myself with beautiful people inside and outside, with good energies. On my travels I don’t really have enough time to bond with people though, so I couldn’t pinpoint a particular case. But I must say I’m lucky to have amazing friends and an amazing life partner. Couldn’t ask for more.

RCGstaff: Throughout your career, have you ever had a mentor, a person that inspired you and motivated you to follow your dreams?
EE: Looking back few people come to my mind but I must say that I have the utmost admiration, love and respect for my partner, who is an example of integrity, honesty, who has great ambitions and high principles, who’s been through a lot for his young age. And I’m not being biased;)) I just feel lucky for having him in my life and grateful to Doha for bringing us together.

Thank you Elena for sharing your story with us. We appreciate it a lot and definitely we have learnt something from it. Below you may find some images from Elena's personal archive from some of the places she has visited in the last years. We felt in love with Maldive and Thailand and hopefully we will get to visit these places soon. Until then, enjoy the pictures and remember that YOU can live your dreams as well. Don't give up, don't let other people influence you negatively and be the best in everything you do.

Love,
Laura&Elena

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Bergen, Norway

Central Park, New York City

Milan, Italy

Disneyland, Paris, France

Doha, Qatar

Doha, Qatar

Doha, Qatar

Thai food

Greece

Hollywood, Los Angeles

Maldive

Maldive

New York City

Oslo, Norway

Rodeo Drive, USA 

Maldive

Maldive

Thailand

Thai temple

Thai temple

Thai temple

Thai island

Thai Island