Sometimes she feels like living someone else's life.
Although looking at herself, it's as if she sees a stranger.
She sees someone who is lost.
She sees someone whose thoughts and actions do not match.
Everything she does she does for others.
She acts on reason, but her heart starves, and her soul weeps.
She knows her needs exactly but does not demand anything for herself.

Is she her own prisoner? A prisoner in a cage she made herself?
How could it come this far?
Why doesn't she try to escape?
Why doesn't she change anything?

She still believes in love.
She doesn't give up.

Is she a fool?

There is still a paradise in her dream.

There is a five-year-old girl who plays with a broken doll. That doll wears a dirty dress as the girl wears, too, but the little girl doesn't care about it.

She was traumatized when the house was hit by a rocket.

The little girl hums a lullaby and lays the doll in a broken cardboard box.

She doesn't care for the falling bombs she hears from the distance.
"Sleep well my little girl," she says to the doll. God bless and protect you. Mom and Dad will be here again, tomorrow."

She takes a bit from a loaf of bread. She found it outside in the early morning in the ruins around the house. Still sitting next to the box, she lays her head beside her doll.

Her little body is tired. She falls asleep, immediately. She doesn't know about the second floor of the destroyed house, there is a man and a woman covered in dust and stones. Their eyes are open, but they can no longer see, and their mouths are open as if to scream, but not a single sound can be heard from them. The noise of the attack is over, only the song of the little girl penetrates the paralyzing silence of death.

The little girl is sleeping now.

There is still a paradise in her dream.

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for his lifetime.

This proverb shows us in the simplest way what education and knowledge mean and causes, doesn't it?

Are countries comparable? This question came into my mind, today when I randomly watched a chat in the main room.
One of the members said that India and Sri Lanka have a lot in common.

One of the chatters wrote:
"In fact, Sri Lanka and India have many things in common
so it doesn't make any difference.
They have almost the same religion, region, climate, languages, and lifestyle."

I don't agree with this statement.
I have been to India and Sri Lanka. I know, they don't have much in common, except region and climate.

India and Sri Lanka, both became independent from the British Empire in the 20th century.
India in 1947 and Sri Lanka in 1948. (If I am not wrong!)
That is a common ground.

But:
India's polity-form is the Federal Parliamentary Republic, but Sri Lanka is the Presidential Republic.
Indian has a caste system that Sri Lanka does not have.

The main Religion in India is Hinduism. In Sri Lanka is the Buddhism the main Religion.

The most spoken Indian language is Hindi. This language doesn't speak anyone in Sri Lanka, except Indians who work there.
The main Language in Sri Lanka is Sinhala, and this language doesn't speak anyone in India.
Tamil is the only language that people speak in Sri Lanka and India, though this language is not widespread in both countries. In India, about 6% of the population, in Sri Lanka about 18%.

We shouldn't throw all countries into the same pot just because they are from the same region of the world. That means we shouldn't assume those countries are similar or even the same.
I've been visiting several Asian countries, and always enjoyed the differences. Especially those differences make traveling exciting and educating.

English has many expressions. We should know the meaning when natives us them.
I will use expressions with 'tongue' while telling a short story.

Here you go:

Sam is sitting on the bench next to the house door when Helen, his wife, comes home.

Helen: "Hello Sam, what are you doing here, outside of the house?"

Sam doesn't answer.

Helen: "Hey, did the cat get your tongue?"

Sam still doesn't react.

Helen: " Don't you understand me? I thought English is your mother tongue, or do I speak in tongues?"

Sam is still silent just looking at his feet.
Then, suddenly, he says: "Please bite your tongue for a short moment. I am so angry at my boss. For a small slip of my tongue, while speaking in a meeting, he made me ridiculous in front of all my colleagues."

Helen looks surprised at Sam. "Your boss knows you as an excellent speaker. You have a silver tongue. I think he was joking a bit. By the way, what was the slip of your tongue?"

Sam sighs, takes his head between his hands, looks at Helen and says: "If you believe or not, it is on the tip of my tongue, but I can't tell you."

Sam shakes his head. "I cannot remember the exact wording of my flaw."

Helen starts laughing. "I hope you were able to bite your tongue in the meeting and you did not insult your boss. You could get fired."

Sam tries to smile. "I could restain my temper so as not to explode. So do not worry my dear."

Helen takes Sam's hand and kisses him gently on his forehead. "Come inside, darling. I will cook a delicious meal for you. And isn't your tongue hanging out for a cool beer?"

And here are the explanations of the expressions:

If someone asks you if a cat has got your tongue, they want to know why you don't talk.

The mother tongue is our native language.

If someone speaks in tongues, then they mysteriously speak another language.

Someone, who has a silver (also a smooth) tongue, is able to speak very well.

A slip of the tongue is a small mistake in speaking.

If there is something on the tip of my tongue, we know the word but we can't remember.

If the tongue is hanging out for something, then we really want some thing.  

Friendship is a word that people often use, and often even they use it thoughtlessly. Especially in the virtual media.
We get friendship requests from people, we hardly ever know.
The word friendship got a new meaning during the last years.

I always struggle to call it friendship when I just met someone.

Sincere friendship needs patience and time for growing.

A real friendship is precious. Often, we have a wide circle of acquaintances, but only a few people are in our close circle of friends.

So I want to tell you what friendship means to me.

True friendship means knowing each other very well, loyalty, trust, patience, listening, compassion, familiarity, empathy, and also forgiveness.

We can not choose which family we are born into, but we can choose our friends. We should do that very carefully because there is no better gift than true friendship.

Friendship is like a tree. The tree's height is not important but the depth of its roots. ( Borrowed from a quote I read.) If a storm bends the tree, its strong roots will hold it.

The best way to keep a friendship stable and alive is honesty and respect. We must not always agree with everything our friends do, but we can try to understand why they do so.
But friendship is not a one-way direction. We may expect the same from our friends. Friendship means to be there for each other, in good and bad times.

There are many quotes about Friendship.
The followings are my favorite. (It's not exactly translated from German to English, only similar.)

"A friend is the one who knows the song of your life and sings it for you when you have forgotten its lyrics or melody."

"Friendship is a door between two people. She can sometimes creak, she can pinch, but she is never locked. (Balthasar Gracian y Morales ")

English vs German: same word, different meanings

I got this idea from Ramnords post FUN WITH WORDS.

Please note that the words below are the same only in writing but not in pronunciation. Still interesting and fun to know it, though.

Do you know also such words with a different meaning in your language ????

If yes, just tell us, please!!!

Watch out! There is someone who sends the same message to hundreds of MyEC members. According to experience, people who ask so many other people to contact them via email, don't have good intention.

please, look at this:

https://www.myenglishclub.com/profile/stella114?xg_source=activity

I am in my old hometown, caring for my mom for a few weeks.

Yesterday, in the early morning, I watched the sunrise through the window of my mom's house.

Watching how the day wakes up is always stunning and has its own magic.

Please have a look.

Lonely night.

I am alone here in my bed.
There is a lonely night ahead.

My biggest fears, I try to cope.
And I don't know if there is hope.

The lonely night makes dark the sky.
There is no moon the clouds are high.

Where are the stars? Where is the moon?
Also, the wind has fallen swoon.

While watching to the silent night,
comes from the sky a dazzling light.

It comes me close and smiles at me.
I take a breath and feel so free.

As lonely as the night might be.
With this bright light, the worries flee.

The light brings hope, drives out the sorrow.
A new day will begin, tomorrow.

My breath becomes so calm and deep.
I close my eyes and fall asleep.

A letter, written by a man to his friend:

Hi, dude!

Next time you're in my neck of the woods, just call me.
We had not gone for a pint...for donkey's years.
I hope you still like a good drop of beer.
By the way...do you still smoke? Last year, I quit smoking. I quit smoking cold turkey. You know? It was not that piece of cake but my doctor told me if I don't want to kick the bucket soon, I have to quit smoking. The first days after quitting smoking, I was a little under the weather, but meanwhile, I feel more active and healthy than before. When I told my wife about quitting smoking, she said: "Man, you're all mouth and no trousers."
But then when she realized, I had done it, she was quiet.
I asked her: "You're a bit quiet. Cat got your tongue?"
She just smiled and did not say anything but I believe she was full of the joys of spring.
The fact is, even if cigarettes would cost just one penny I even wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
Pardon my French, dude, but you are an idiot when you keep smoking.

So then dude, I hope we are still thick as thieves.
Take good care for yourself, please.
We see us!

Explanation of the idioms

To be in someone's neck of the woods = to be in someone's area.

Go for a pint = to drink something together.

To quit smoking = stop smoking.

Donkey's years = for a very long time.

To be under the weather = to feel ill or tired.

To do something cold turkey = to give up a habit or an addiction, abruptly.

To kick the bucket = to die.

To be all mouth and no trousers = to pretend to do something but never actually do it. Cat got your tongue = it 's used to compel someone to speak or to point out their silence when they're being unusually taciturn.

Someone wouldn't touch something or someone with a barge pole = to keep you far away from somewhat or someone.

To be full of the joys of spring= to be very happy.

Pardon my French = in order to excuse in advance a swear word by indicating.

To be thick as thieves = to be close friends who share each others' confidences.

This time I write about love idioms.

It's a dialog between two lovers. Please don't take it too seriously. I know lovers will not have this kind of dialog in their real life.

He:  You always catch my eye.
She: What?

He:   I have a crush on you.
She: Are you sure?

He:  Yes, you take my breath away when I see you.
She: Don't butter me up, please!

He:  I don't butter you up. My feelings are sincere.
She: Isn't that crazy, is it?

He:  I cannot love and be wise.
She: How can you know it works with us?

He:   I know the course of true love never runs smooth. Just give us a chance.
She: And why especially you and me?

He:   I am sure we are a match made in heaven.
She: But we don't know each other long enough.

He:   Don't say love makes blind. I have eyes only for you. May I ask you out today?
She: Hmm, I don't know.

He:   Let your heart rule your head.
She: And if I fall in love with you?

He:    Then let's say the three little words.
She:  Will you promise me to build our love nest, then?

He:   Everything you want.
She:  Do you really love me?

He:   I love you to death, you are the love of my life. Let me pop the question.
She:  Haven’t you heard of the saying “marry in haste, repent at leisure”?

He:   I'll never regret. Let us tie the knot.
She: I hope you don't leave me at the altar.

He: That never happens.
She: (only sighs).

Explanation of the idioms, you can find under the following link:
https://www.theidioms.com/love/

This blog is my participating in Mishaikh's challenge about using idioms. I chose writing about food-idioms.

I'm going to spill the beans about how much I had to use my noodle to create some sentences by using food idioms. It was not a piece of cake because my sentences should not appear too cheesy.
But then, I told myself "Hey, just try to be as cool as a cucumber. Writing is your cup of tea. What are you afraid of?".
In a nutshell, my writings are still amateurish, and they never will be sold like hot cakes because they are not what we call a big hit.

I am sure I can't bring home bacon with my writings because I am not one of the creams of the crop of writers.
Interesting plots are the bread and butter of a good story.
No one gets served its success handed on a silver platter.
I am not of them who butter someone up for having any benefits.
I'm nuts about writing, and so I will try to spice the things up in my stories much more than before.
But I don't put all of my eggs in one basket, because in case I am failing, I don't want to cry over spilled milk.

*** Something is a big hit = something is very popular.

You can see the food-idioms under the following link:

https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/idioms-food.htm

An expression has been catching my interest while I was reading and commenting on Tam's post "What decides which country you belong to?".

GLOBALIZED WORLD

We all often use this expression. "What does mean the globalized world in my understanding?", thought I.

Let me tell my humble and simple opinion, please.

I agree with everyone who says it should not matter where we come from if there exists a globalized world.

But please, look at this world! Is that a real globalized world?
Maybe in that sense that everything we do can influence the whole world and our globe, negative and positive.

At the moment, the world seems more separate than globalized.
States look after their own interests and benefits. They try to favorite those national interests instead of having a view of the big picture of the whole world. Selfishness rules the world.

Do you need some examples?
Here you are:

The Brexit of the United Kingdom.
The independence aspirations of Catalonia in Spain.
The trade war between the US and the rest of the world.
Contracts have been broken and dissolved more quickly than they needed to create, agree and sign them.
Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, The United States, and the UK do not want to take refugees and immigrants, just for example.
At the European Union's borders, border controls take place, which was already abolished by the Schengen agreement.
In Italy, boats and ships with refugees are no longer allowed to land on the coast.
It does not matter if people die. Even Germany, which has received the most refugees in Europe became a country where right-wing populists rise their voices.
It seems we are more close to falling apart than being united.
The US and Britain are always the first to be involved in wars. But when it comes to taking responsibility for refugees, they do not want to do it. Then they ask other countries to build up the devastated countries and to care for the refugees.
The countries start building walls around their borders.
Nationalism is taking space, and the right-wing populist ideology has become socially acceptable again.
People vote in the elections for right-wing parties.
Look at Europe and South America. Right wings are on the rise. It is disgusting.

Enough? Oh, I enumerated just a few examples. There are much more.

Our existence is more interconnected than many people want to believe and accept.
The world is like a spider web. It is stable as long as nobody destroys a part.
Unfortunately, forces want to destroy it.

I am not a politician and not a scientist. I have just my personal view and opinion of a globalized world.

I'm quite sure that people are not ready yet for a real globalized world.
National interests play a too important role.
So we miss our chance of a better world again and again.

The less we help the poor regions to build a stable peace and economy in their countries the more people will leave their countries and go the long march to find a better life. The number of refugees and immigrants will increase.

When I left my house this morning, I was again delighted by the beauty of the fall colors.
Actually, the temperatures are more like summer than fall. We have still about 25 degrees, more or less. That is unusual for October here in our region.
When the sun shines on the leaves of the trees, it seems as if nature has been painting everything in blood-red and gold.

Please, have a look at this beauty!

Who owns the love?

Often, we speak and write about love, We sing songs about love, we write poems and novels. Love is the most popular subject of songwriters and poets.

But we don't ask who the owner of love is.

I have my own theory about it.

Love is not a possession. Even if we love someone, we don't own the love per se.

Love is independent, and nobody knows if and when love hits us. We can't plan to love. It just happens.

Love doesn't have any schedule or ordinary plans.
Love can't be ordered and delivered. Love cannot be forced or demanded.
Love gives itself to us, but if we don't look after it, if we do not appreciate it, love leaves us again. Love comes unexpectedly and stays as long as we deserve it.

Some people say you can't lose the love.
They say if you say you lost the love, you had never loved.
How can they say so? How do they know that?

Nobody can see the love, and nobody can hear and touch the love. Nevertheless, she is the strongest feeling we are capable of. Love touches our hearts and souls, speaks the most wonderful words we ever heard, plays the most romantic melodies, makes us sometimes fools, can make us infinitely happy and sad at the same time.

But nobody can say he/she owns the love. We should treat love as that treasure as it is. Precious and irreplaceable.

My secret garden

My secret garden is a perfect world.
I created this secret garden myself.
There is water if I am thirsty.
I pick the fruits from the trees whenever I want to eat.
There is fresh air, green meadows, high mountains, colored birds who sing their tune, fish in the clean ponds, streams, rivers, and oceans.
In my secret garden are peace, justice, and freedom a matter of course.
Nobody can drive me out of this paradise because no one knows the place of my secret garden and nobody has the key for the entrance.
It's MY secret garden and there isn't anyone to disturb my peace.

Maybe you want to know where my secret garden is.

Well, there is no way of going there. This secret garden is the garden of my phantasy.

There could be a perfect life in my secret garden but it isn't.

Maybe you ask me WHY it isn't perfect.

Well, because it is just the garden of my phantasy and I am the only resident who lives there.
It would be a lonely and boring life if I had to live there, forever.
If there lived more people, the first problems would come up automatically.
And very soon, it would be the same world as outside of my garden.

So I will go there just sometimes when I am too tired of reality and need a pause.

I know this perfect world never will exist, but for me, it's good to know the way there...even if it's just a phantasy.

This is the continuation of my first part of my travel report.

Here is the link to the first part 

https://my.englishclub.com/profiles/blogs/some-impressions-of-my-trip-to-vietnam ;

I can't describe my whole trip, it would be an endless story.
So I am going to shorten it.

After a domestic flight from Hanoi to Da Nang in central Vietnam, we visited the Marble Mountains and took a boat tour on the Hoi An River in Hoi An. The onward journey led us further over the "cloud pass" to Hue.

We visited the cities Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue.

There we had a boat tour on the Hoi An River and visited the tombs of Emperor Tu Duc and Khai Dinh.

Along the Perfume River, we drove to the impressive 7-story Thien Mu Pagoda from the 14th century. It is the landmark of Hué, the former capital of the Nguyen dynasty. A visit to the citadel of Hué and the Dong Ba market followed.

Hoi An River

One of the fishermen on the Hoi An River.

The 7-story Thien Mu Pagoda

The citadel of Hué...just one part

Hai Van Pass (also called "cloud pass") Unfortunately, we did not have a clear view that day.

We had a pause at the Hai Van Pass. We enjoyed the typical Vietnamese coffee.

There I am with a few members of my travel group.

At the Tomb of Tu Duc

At the Tomb Khai Dinh

I went to Vietnam for almost three weeks in July 2018. I had never before been there. My husband, another couple, and I, we planned a guided trip from the north to the south of Vietnam. After our arrival in Hanoi, after a 12 hours flight with lots of turbulence, we met our travel guide and four other people who completed our travel group.
 

( Finally, landed in Hanoi.)

We knew the July is one of the rainy months over there. We didn't care because the rainy season has, except for the rain, benefits, as there are lower temperatures (but still very hot) than in the high season, and there are also fewer tourists. I know many people avoid traveling in the rainy season. For us, it isn't a problem if we get rain sometimes. Much more is it a refreshment from time to time. We have learned and enjoyed that on other trips to Asian countries. We enjoy places when they are not too crowded.

The first day of our trip was very tiring because, after our arrival in the very early morning, the rooms of our first hotel weren't ready.

We had to wait until noon.

So we used the time for our venture into Hanoi without our travel guide. He recommended that we try Vietnam's traditional noodle soup called "Phở" when he left us. As we were hungry, we looked for a local soup kitchen. We found one near the hotel.

Here I am with two of my friends, waiting for the soup.

And that is the soup:

( Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!
You can eat the soup with beef, chicken, or seafood.
Believe me, it's delicious. )

In the afternoon after our arrival, we visited the old town of Hanoi with the big market. The next day, we visited the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, a few temples, and other places. Please, have a look, here are some impressions of Hanoi.

A bridge over the Red River

At the market.

The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.

Some other pictures:

I am going to publish some more pictures later in my photos.

The following days of our trip were full of new impressions and experiences.

We went on a boat to see the famous Halong Bay with its rock formations in the sea. The weather was a bit bad, but it did not matter. The view was breathtaking and we enjoyed the view and the time on the boat.

Halong Bay, also known as the "Bay of the Descending Dragon", has been a UNESCO World Heritage since the mid-1990s. According to legend, the bay is said to have been created by a dragon, who in his fight against Mongol invaders smashed the landscape into hundreds of rocks with his tail.

                                               ------- to be continued -------