Mihaela Noroc's Blog, page 5

Back in September, I was walking on the magical streets of New...

Back in September, I was walking on the magical streets of New Orleans, when I heard a magical voice. Then I went closer and I saw two magical eyes. She is Alicia, a singer-songwriter. A magical presence.

Unfortunately, today New Orleans is in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. And not just New Orleans, but alsmost all our planet.

When this terrible crisis will end, things will never be the same. I think we will live in a totally different world, either better or worse. It’s up to us to make the good prevail, although there will be many challenges.

In these critical moments the best thing to do is to stay home, if our presence is not needed outside. And maybe this is the perfect time to think more profound about the beauty of our world. Soon we will get back on the streets of the planet, to reshape the future. I hope we will learn something from this harsh experience and we will be able to create a more beautiful and safe world.

Alicia Renee’ aka “ Blue Eyes ”

Happy Women’s Day!I met Hajar in Barcelona, on the 8th of March,...

Happy Women’s Day!

I met Hajar in Barcelona, on the 8th of March, last year. We were both in the subway, coming from the Women’s Day March.

She told me that for her, this special day is not a celebration, but one of the 365 days when we should fight for equal rights.

Women’s rights have improved significantly in the past decades, but there’s still much more to do. This young bold woman believes that we should continue the fight started by our grandmothers and mothers so our daughters will not have to be concerned about this issue anymore.

Hajar was born in Spain from Moroccan parents and now studies Law. She is passionate about human rights and spent time with women in need, including refugees. She believes that first you have to know the rules of the game, before trying to improve them.

While working on The Atlas of Beauty, I realised that any kindhearted human being is making a contribution to a better world, no matter how small. After seeing how determined Hajar is, I bet her contribution will be significant.

The last two months were quite crazy for me. If I could define...

The last two months were quite crazy for me. If I could define these two months of traveling in two words I would say “face masks”.

I met Constanza in Santiago de Chile, in December, during the huge protests against poverty and inequality. She and most of the other protesters were wearing face masks to protect themselves against the tear gas used by police.

Coincidentally, the face masks continued to appear during my journey, for different reasons.

When I arrived in Australia, there were people in the country wearing face masks against the smoke caused by the bushfires. Then I went to Vietnam, where many people were wearing face masks against pollution. Then I arrived to Hong Kong, where I saw protesters wearing face masks so they will not be identified by police cameras. Then I arrived to China where, during my stay, people started wearing face masks against the coronavirus. Then same happened in Thailand.

Did the world go crazy? Not more than before, anyway. Again and again I will repeat that there’s much beauty and harmony in the world, but it depends on us, the humans, to make the good prevail. Are we doing enough?

Escolastica is 88 years old and lives in the Sacred Valley of...

Escolastica is 88 years old and lives in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in Peru. When I met her, two months ago, she was walking on the way home. She was joyful and energetic, full of humour and wisdom. She told me she has walked and walked all of her life, on the steep slopes of this fascinating valley, between its isolated villages, sometimes carrying heavy burdens, exactly like her ancestors, the Incas.

In our world we go to gym to stay in shape and buy tours to visit such breathtaking landscapes. But Escolastica has all these for free. Without doubt, life is very hard in this kind of places, but it comes with different kind of rewards. And maybe this is the secret of Escolastica’s bright and vivid spirit.

She is Jois, performing ritual purification in the holy spring water of Tirta Empul, an astonishing...

She is Jois, performing ritual purification in the holy spring water of Tirta Empul, an astonishing Balinese Hindu temple in Bali, Indonesia. She often comes here in search of serenity and harmony.

I’m now in Vietnam, continuing my Asian journey with China, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

I spent two weeks in Santiago witnessing episodes of Chile’s worst civil unrest in 30 years. What...

I spent two weeks in Santiago witnessing episodes of Chile’s worst civil unrest in 30 years. What started as a small demonstration against the rise in public transport fares transformed in a huge wave of protests against poverty and inequality.

People died during the unrest and more than ten thousand were injured around the country. Many of them were shot by police pellet guns and lost their eyes.

In the middle of these ongoing clashes between protesters and police there are groups of volunteers, medically trained, who risk everything to help those in need. They save lives and they save eyes.

Amanda, Javiera, Rocio, Maria Jose and Francesca are all medical students who are on a dangerous mission since the beginning of the protests. They witnessed tens of days of violence but they have no fear. No wonder people were applauding them when I took this photo on the streets of Santiago, three weeks ago. Even in the darkest moments, the real beauty shines.

That’s Isabel, in Antigua, Guatemala, a few weeks ago. She studies to become an IT programmer and...

That’s Isabel, in Antigua, Guatemala, a few weeks ago. She studies to become an IT programmer and loves to play guitar and ukulele. Apparently no connection between these fields. But Isabel learned to play the two instruments in front of her computer, on the internet.

After some intense months I finish my journey through the Americas where I gathered almost 100 amazing stories and portraits of women. Will soon fly to Australia and then start the journey around Asia. Traveling with a baby is super intense and at the moment I don’t have the time to write most of the stories of the women I encounter. But everything is put aside and when the time will come they will all be part of the second part of The Atlas of Beauty Book.

That’s us in Medellin, Colombia, last week.Traveling with Natalia is incredibly rewarding, but also...

That’s us in Medellin, Colombia, last week.

Traveling with Natalia is incredibly rewarding, but also super challenging.

The last weeks were a bit difficult for us. I would call them the “itis” days. Natalia caught otitis and conjunctivitis. I, myself, otitis and mastitis. But now we’re great and continue our journey in Latin America preparing to fly to Australia and Asia, soon.

That’s not much time for social media, but I’m working intensively for the second part of The Atlas of Beauty Book. I meet amazing women every day and I’m so keen to show you the new book. I will still need almost 2 years to complete it, because I want to create something really special and comprehensive, but I’m sure the wait will be worth it. So happy that Natalia is part of all these, helping me to see the world in a totally different way.

In the meantime, I promise I will try to be more active in social media…If no more “itis” days, of course.

Paola, getting her make-up done, for the Catrinas Parade in Mexico City, three days ago.The country...

Paola, getting her make-up done, for the Catrinas Parade in Mexico City, three days ago.

The country is preparing for its most spectacular holiday, El Dia de Muertos(The Day of The Dead). The celebration combines indigenous and catholic traditions and until recently was an intimate event during which families remembered their loved ones, by visiting and decorating their graves and building elaborate altars for them with different offerings.

No so long ago, many Mexicans feared that soon the celebration will be marginalised by Halloween,

but in the last years the parades dedicated to The Day of The Dead became a real phenomenon, showing to the entire world the uniquely Mexican understanding of death. The Day of The Dead will always be alive.

In a more and more globalised world, keeping some of our most meaningful traditions while also enriching them, is the only way to keep alive the splendid diversity of our planet.

Paula is 84 years old and she’s full of energy. Could you believe that only three years ago she was...

Paula is 84 years old and she’s full of energy. Could you believe that only three years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer? She beat it and today she’s enjoying her life.

I met her in January, in Lisbon, Portugal, in the barber shop where she works as a manicurist. Although she a pensioner, she also does this job because she can’t stand to be inactive.

She’s the only woman around, because all the clients and the rest of the employees are men, but she’s perfectly integrated and respected. At 84, her hands work with dexterity and her soul glows.