Bora-Bora

When I see a weather outside my window I would like to have the holidays and go far away. And you? Do you prefer spending summer abroad or in your country? What is your ideal place for spending holidays?

My dream is go to Bora-Bora!

It is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. Bora-Bora is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the centre of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks (Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu). The island was first inhabited by Polynesian settlers around the 4th century AD. After it was colonized.

Bora Bora is now a major international tourist destination. The western side of the main island is opposite the main channel into the lagoon. Today the island's economy is driven almost solely by tourism. Furthermore several resorts built on motu (small islands, from Tahitian) surrounding the lagoon. What’s more Hotel Bora Bora built the first over-the-water bungalows on stilts over the lagoon and today, over-water bungalows are a standard feature of most Bora Bora resorts. Bungalows are very luxurious and expensive places to stay.

What is interesting – a public transport don’t exist on the island. The recommended methods of transport are rental cars, small buggies and bicycles are. Further it is possible to rent a motorboat to explore the lagoon.

Attractions:

The destination most of the tourist is aqua-centric however it is possible to visit attractions on land for example WWII cannons.

The most popular activities are : snorkeling and scuba diving. Moreover (very dangerous) many species of sharks and rays inhabit the surrounding body of water. A few dive operators on the island offering manta ray dives and also shark-feeding dives.

Mexican Migration

Recently I read an article about a terrible situation in Mexico. In “An Anthropologist Unravels the Mysteries of Mexican Migration” (National Geographic, 06.12.2015), Simon Worrall talks about a Jason De Leon’s book “The land of Open Graves : Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail” where an anthropologist describes the desperate journeys of Mexican migrants. The explorer wants to honour the immigrants and their families. One of the aims is also to destroy a negative stereotype of the border crossers. They risk scorching temperatures (dehydration, exposure), venomous animals, bandits robbing and military surveillance to get in U.S. and change their life. 

They must crossing the Sonoran Desert – the place difficult to survive. What’s more the Border Patrol uses a military-grade technology to supervise the landscapes. 

The U.S. policy of Prevention Through Deterrence called a “killing machine” condemns very strongly the immigrants. The logic of this policy is to make impossible to cross in urban centers where it is easy to mingle with the crowd. Because of this the desert is an instrument of deterrence. The author adds that the migrant deaths are intended consequences of the U.S. policy. Moreover the Americans’ views about border crossers are very negative. They think that you mast have U.S. citizenship to be one of them. Even politicians have the same, hostile, point of view. 

But what is interesting – it is American economic and drugs policies which help create the crisis and keep Mexico underdeveloped. The anthropologist talks too about a comparison the Arizona desert with the Mediterranean. There are also a lot of deaths, however the big difference is noticeable. In Europe the migrant tragedy is more visible. But the U.S. media preserves American idealism. The Mexican die in middle of nowhere. They are just the anonymous corpses and their death becomes the “new normal”.

The Black Cat

“The Black Cat” is written by Edgar Allan Poe and it was published in English, in 1843. The story takes place in the United States. This well-written book is a kind of horror but sometimes we can have difficulty understanding this text because of old words.

The main character is an unnamed narrator. He loves cats and dogs. What’s more, he respects their fidelity of friendship. The narrator marries at a young age and introduces his wife to the house full of pets : birds, rabbits, a dog, goldfish and a monkey. But his favourite animal is a beautiful black cat named Pluto. Unfortunately, the narrator begins to suffer from violent mood swings due to the influence of alcohol. He starts to mistreat his wife and the animals, excepting the cat. But one night when Pluto avoids his owner, the narrator gouges out the animal’s eye, and later he hangs the pet. The same evening the main character’s family’s house burns down. The narrator sees a new black cat who appears sometimes.

The story reach a dramatic climax when the main character kills the woman of his life because she wanted to defend the second cat from her husband’s anger. He entombs the body behind a plaster of the dampwalls in his burnt house.

What will happen? Will the police uncover this crime? If you like horrors, I encourage you to read this book. It is really interesting and full of emotions. We can see the feelings and the reasons of the killer. Don’t miss it!

Montmartre

In Paris there are a lot of monuments. The Eiffel Tower, the cathedral Notre Dame, the Louvre or the Arch of Triumph. But my favorite place is the hill Montmartre.

Why? I like winding, paving alleys, old tenements and vineyards. There is an unusual atmosphere. I never forget the characteristic smell.

On the hill there is the basilica Sacré-Coeur with a wonderful, lavishly decorated inside. On Montmartre we can see a lot of painters with easels who paint our portrait with big pleasure (obviously for a small fee ;) ). Moreover we can eat breakfast or dinner in the open air. A service is very kind (I could recommend). What is interesting – on the hill Pablo Picasso and Dalida lived. It is possible to see their houses. So I encourage you to go to Paris and visit the Montmartre!

Audrey Hepburn

I would like to tell you something about an icon of style – Audrey Hepburn
whose life style inspire a lot of people.

Audrey was born on 4th may 1929, in Brussels Belgium. She is the only child of the Englishman Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston and his second wife, the former Dutch Baroness Ella van Heemstra.

Because of her mother's family in the Netherlands and her father's British background and job with a British company, the family often travelled between the three countries. With her multinational background, she went on to speak fluent English, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. When Audrey was five, her mother sent her to a boarding school in England, so she could spend time in the country side and study ballet. But when England declared war on Germany in 1939, Ella sent for Audrey to live with her family again in Holland, a neutral country. Joeseph, Audrey's father was in England at the time and put Audrey on one of the last planes out of England. Then in 1940, Germany invaded Holland and Audrey's childhood changes forever. It would be nearly 25 years until Audrey saw her father again.

In 1940, Hepburn adopted the pseudonym Edda van Heemstra, because an "English sounding" name was considered dangerous during the German occupation.

After the divorce of her parents, in 1937, Ella and Audrey moved to Kent, South East England. By 1944, Hepburn had become a proficient ballet dancer. She had secretly danced for groups of people to collect money for the Dutch resistance. She was also occasionally delivering messages and packages.

Because of the World War and occupation Audrey Hepburn suffered from malnutrition and respiratory problems. Hepburn's war-time experiences sparked her devotion to UNICEF, an international humanitarian organization.

 After the war ended in 1945, Ella and Audrey moved to Amsterdam, where Hepburn took ballet lessons for three years. In 1948, she appeared for the first time on film, as an air stewardess. Hepburn had big talent, but her tallness and weak constitution (the after effect of wartime undernutrition) would make the status of prima ballerina unattainable.

She decided to concentrate on acting.

Audrey Hepburn married twice, first to Mel Ferrer and then to an Italian doctor, Andrea Dotti. She probably had a son with each husband — Sean and Luca.

On the evening of 20 January 1993, Hepburn died at home in her sleep of cancer.

What's more Hepburn played the lead role in Roman Holiday, for which she was the first actress to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for a single performance. The same year, she won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play forOndine.

Roman Holiday

Philadelphia

  

I would like to tell you something about a movie Philadelphia directed by Jonathan Demme. It is a 1993 American drama film and one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia. What’s more the film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tom Hanks), and Best Original Song (Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia"). Tom Hanks also won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.

Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) works as a lawyer in the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. He is respected and appreciated by co-workers and by employers. Although he lives with his partner Miguel Álvarez (Antonio Banderas).  Beckett is not open about his homosexuality at the law firm. He conceals also the fact that he has AIDS. Unfortunately one day his boss learned about Andrew’s illness and dismiss Beckett on the pretext of negligence his duties. He is very embittered but he decide to struggle against fate. Andrew takes his employer to court. Beckett’s barrister are Joe Miller (Denzel Washington). Both demand to a high compensation. What will happen?

I recommend you this movie. It is worth seeing :)

Chocolate

Lately I borrowed in a library a novel entitled Chocolat. The book is written by Joanna Harris in 1999 and published in Poland by a publishing house Prószyński i S-ka. What’s more the novel encouraged me to see a film adaptation with Johny Deep and Juliette Binoche. The book narrate a history of Vianne Rocher and her daughter – Anouk. They arrive to little village Lansquenet-sous-Tannes where the time stopped. The woman redecorate an old bakery and open a shop with chocolates on the first Sunday of Lent. A priest Francis condemn the protagonist. Vianne help inhabitants and give them chocolates to improve their humor. One day pirates arrive to Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. A captain Roux bring together to Vianne. What will happen? I encourage you to read the novel. It is really interesting and wonderful. I like it because the book tell us that differences between humans aren’t important. Moreover a descent or a color of skin doesn’t matter. It’s necessary to notice goodness in other people, help them, smile and love. Further a continuation this book are The Lollipop Shoes.