Thank You Denis Mukwege

Sometimes my faith in humanity isn't very bright. The media are always busy trying to highlight the terrible things that happen in this world, because that is what people like to see. That's human nature and nothing to be virtually ashamed of, but it does make the world a bit crude sometimes. That is precisely the reason why I wanted to take a moment today to pay my respects to people that make the world a better place and today that person is Denis Mukwege.

Denis Mukwege at the Panzi hospital

Denis Mukwege is a name that might not ring a bell at first glance. However he is definitely someone to look out for. Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist, specialized in the treatment of women who have been gang-raped by rebel forces. Congo has been in a civil war since 1994, partially because of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi. Today is not the day to give a history lesson about Congo, but to give a heads-up, the conditions in Congo are quite terrible.



Mukwege performs about 10 surgeries a day on women who have been mutilated by rebel forces. I say mutilated, not raped, because in basically all cases, it had nothing to do with sex. These women get mutilated in their vaginal area to humiliaty them and their families. These women feel ashamed, are sometimes disowned by their family or left by their husband because of shame and fear. The women do not get raped for sexual, but to cause panic. These rapes, these mutilations are disrupting the whole country.

Since the mutilations are not for sexual reasons, the rapes are usually done with objects that are meant to damage the womens vaginal area. Mukwege described that the women arrive at the hospital in horific conditions, sometimes naked. He performs surgery on these women and he houses some of the women in the hospital in order to keep them save.

In 2012 Mukwege had to flee the country because armed rebel forces tried to assasinate him at his own home. They even kept his daughter as a hostage. In 2013 he returned to Congo and was giving a warm welcome by the population, especially his patiens.

Reading all of this you can't deny that Mukwege is a great man and that he has done great things to make the world a better place. He has been rewarded with awards such as the Sakharov Prize for the Freedom of Thought and UN Human Rights prize. I'm absolutely greatful that people like him exist. Thank you Denis Mukwege, for all the great work.

If you want to know more about Denis Mukwege, then watch the video's below where he explains more about what he does.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zZbzlKhaRok?feature=player_embedded

https://www.youtube.com/embed/SsFuk33M_2s?feature=player_embedded

I would love to know who your heroes are and also why they are, because it really helps us to see that the world is not just a dark place, but that there is hope for everyone.

♥ Love, Vivian

Thank You Denis Mukwege

Sometimes my faith in humanity isn't very bright. The media are always busy trying to highlight the terrible things that happen in this world, because that is what people like to see. That's human nature and nothing to be virtually ashamed of, but it does make the world a bit crude sometimes. That is precisely the reason why I wanted to take a moment today to pay my respects to people that make the world a better place and today that person is Denis Mukwege.

Denis Mukwege at the Panzi hospital

Denis Mukwege is a name that might not ring a bell at first glance. However he is definitely someone to look out for. Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist, specialized in the treatment of women who have been gang-raped by rebel forces. Congo has been in a civil war since 1994, partially because of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi. Today is not the day to give a history lesson about Congo, but to give a heads-up, the conditions in Congo are quite terrible.

Visit Genua! 24H In Genua General Tips & Suggestions

Helloooo! Today another Italian city to explore! With of course another short introduction: As you may know, I love to travel. I love to discover new things, get a taste of different cultures and see the most beautiful architecture. So, what would be a perfect country to go? Italy of course! Italian cities are absolutely beautiful, I would know, I've been in more than 11 of the bigger (if not biggest) cities in Italy and for today I would love to discover Genua with you!

When in Genua, the things you must see are the palaces. Genua, to me, would be the city of palaces. My favorite is the palazzo Reale. Which doesn't look like much on the front, but the backside is gorgeous!

Also be sure to check the inside if you enjoy Baroque. The way this palace has been designed was influential throughout Italy. Tickets are only 4 euros (2 if you're under 18!) and it's worth the price. Inside you'll find rooms like this:

Just beautifully decorated and every room has a different colour and function.

Another place to visit if you enjoy architecture is the Piazza De Ferrari. Which has this gorgeous fountain in the centre, which had pink water while we were there. It is situated between the old and the new centre of Genua. It is also a stop on the city sightseeing busses.

 

I recommend the sightseeing busses for only a handful of cities. Genua is one of them. Not because the sights are far apart (Palazzo Reale is a bit of), but because of the hills and the cramped up steets. You get exhausted if you have to walk an entire day of uphill, then downhill, then uphill and then downhill again. You have to walk through a lot of small streets that zigzag through the city to get to the different sights. So if you can, invest a little in these busses. It's also worth it to do one entire round in one of the busses (takes about an hour) and learn about the city while listening to a guide.

 

I've talked about the small streets, which are very prominent in Genua, but the "main street" for tourism, Via Garibaldi, is luckily a bit wider. In this street you'll find tons of palaces, all of which look beautiful. Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco are two of the favorites.
The street is also great for buying your ice cream, with a couple of really cute shops. My suggestion is to visit the Via Garibaldi first and then the Palazzo Reale and the following cathedral.

 

 

The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato, which is situated in the same street as the palazzo Reale, is free to visit and a great way to semi finish the day off. The cathedral is ginormous and beautifully decorated.

 

Finish your day by having a relaxing walk on the jetty of the beautiful harbour Genua has. I say jetty and not just walking along the side of the harbour, because it's cramped with parking lots and people trying to sell you stuff.

 General tips & suggestions:

• If you can spare the money, buy a ticket for the CitySightseeing busses. Walking will be exhausting. Going by bike may be a good option if you're more of an active person


• It is possible to stay under 50 euros a night when sleeping in Genua, but you have to book in advance. We stayed in a B&B just outside of Genua, which was fine as well.


• Genua is not expensive, the cathedral for example is free, but you do have to take in account that the palaces cost some bucks if you are with an entire family (say 4 euros per person).


• For lunch and dinner pick a small restaurant near the harbour. We ate at a pizza place where we only paid 6 euros for an entire pizza, which was delicious! Check the menus beforehand and it will be quite easy to find a place similar to ours.


• For ice cream, go for a gelatteria on the Via Garibaldi. The shops are very cute and have delicious ice cream.

♥ Love, Vivian

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Genua! 24H In Genua General Tips & Suggestions

Helloooo! Today another Italian city to explore! With of course another short introduction: As you may know, I love to travel. I love to discover new things, get a taste of different cultures and see the most beautiful architecture. So, what would be a perfect country to go? Italy of course! Italian cities are absolutely beautiful, I would know, I've been in more than 11 of the bigger (if not biggest) cities in Italy and for today I would love to discover Genua with you!

 When in Genua, the things you must see are the palaces. Genua, to me, would be the city of palaces. My favorite is the palazzo Reale. Which doesn't look like much on the front, but the backside is gorgeous!

Also be sure to check the inside if you enjoy Baroque. The way this palace has been designed was influential throughout Italy. Tickets are only 4 euros (2 if you're under 18!) and it's worth the price. Inside you'll find rooms like this:

B&B Mini Hand Sanitizers

My friend recently went to the U.S. and I couldn't help myself when he told me there was a Bath and Bodyworks close to him. I just had to ask him to bring some hand gels to the Netherlands which he did. He brought ten of them! I was hoping for 2 maybe 3 and he decided to bring 10, which is definitely a way to make me happy.

I will keep this bag forever :O

 

 

These are the ten scents he chose for me. Absolutely adorable packaging and I would surely love to be the one to come up with the names for these hand sanatizers.

I tried taking interesting pictures, but I think it's easier to see them all in a simple matter.

Cucumber mint doesn't smell minty at all if you ask me. I can only smell the cucumber. It is a nice, fresh scent though.

Pure paradise smells generic. It reminds me of childrens shower gel. Nostalgia!

Crisp morning air is a nice scent to wake your senses. A fresh scent.

Sweet cinnamon pumpkin smells like PSL's. My inner basic bitch is loving this.

It's a beautiful day! U2 got stuck in my head when I saw this one. Smells like apples :D

This one must be my favorite. It smells exactly how you expect it to smell, like cozy vanilla cream. Gahhh I want to marry this scent!

Sunlight & apple trees. More apple scents! This one is a bit warmer than Beautiful Day.

Don't like Sonoma sunflower blossom. It somehow reminds me of hay fever and I couldn't explain to you why it does if I wanted to.

Another favorite! I love all things strawberry scented and this one it that combined with ice popsicles and the thought of summer.

 Pretty in Pink smells like barbies. Nuff' said.

I don't think I can smell anything properly for the rest of the week, but it was worth it! I am in love with these hand sanatizers, even though I won't be using them every day (they're very drying because of the alcohol). Let me know if you tried any of these and what your favorite scents are!

♥ Love, Vivian

B&B Mini Hand Sanitizers

My friend recently went to the U.S. and I couldn't help myself when he told me there was a Bath and Bodyworks close to him. I just had to ask him to bring some hand gels to the Netherlands which he did. He brought ten of them! I was hoping for 2 maybe 3 and he decided to bring 10, which is definitely a way to make me happy.