Grubitude

Pierre left France 20 years ago. Why? Just to try out something new...well, probably the best decision ever!

Ever since then he lives in Mexico, owns the dopest hostel at the pacific coast, works 6 months a year at the hostel and travels the other 6 months with his wife and that for 20 years already! Besides that he loves meditating alone in deserts, experiencing some dope out-of-the-body-experiences,  marrying a couple that fell in love with his hostel, AND AND AND! This guy has some stories to tell, for real - so just enjoooooy :)

The number one thing I enjoy about people in general is when they are passionate about something. In my opinion everybody has one passion or more and maybe it’s good to say that if you don’t want to define convulsively THIS or THAT as your passion it’s fine, you don’t have to, just think about things you really enjoy doing. Doesn’t matter if it’s for example Nico and Max, two sick dudes I enjoyed studying with and who are setting climbing, mountaineering and alpinism over everything, or my good old childhood friend Moritz, who is not the next Jamie Oliver but far more than that, namely the 1st Moritz Matthias Maier, or last but not least my Dutch brother, Jason, who deeply out of his heart loves baseball and country music (and monster trucks). These people all have something in common: it’s the fire in their eyes when they are talking about the things, they are burning for - the things, they love the most. This enthusiasm is so infectious that it’s automatically setting you in an enthusiastic as well as curious mood. For real, even though my knowledge regarding baseball is fairly modest, still I could literally listen to Jason for 7 hours talking about baseball. What I also love about Jason is that he is not just passionate about one thing, more than that, he’s so fucking open-minded so that he becomes passionate about everything new and that was a characteristic that made my brother and me call him our second brother. Besides that, even though he is 5 years younger than me I often had the feeling that this guy’s mindset-clock was in his mid-thirties, what always made me wonder what a wise guy he actually is, for real. Jason, even though you like monster trucks, I value you as that dope human being that you are and I’m just so grateful that I had the opportunity to spend almost two months with you in Monterrey – you are one of the main reasons why this period is gonna remain unforgettable because maaaan, how dope was that time? LIFE! Looking forward to many new moments full of stupid jokes, dry humour, stupid jokes and singing Lee Brice’s Rumor. Shout-out to you brother, shout-out to you!

If words would be my language, I would tell you what a wonderful human being Ana Pau is but it’s impossible – this woman is indescribable and I have nothing left than pure admiration towards this precious soul. AP is unfolding her potential in a field the majority isn’t that familiar with: early intervention and special education by means of personalized therapy, applied behavior analysis plus a huge load of passion, empathy and patience. Due to a family member that has autism AP has developed an enormous interest towards that spectrum from a young age that even has led her to the wonderful life-milestone of founding her first little clinic with just 24 years. 24 YEARS!!! Shout-out to Kommati on that point! Her focus lies on 0-10 years old children with “disabilities”, or let’s say children that are different kind of perfect, since early intervention is way more meaningful than any kind of intervention you could ever give at another point in your life. Just the way she is talking about teaching a kid for four months to take off its shoe shows her dedication – it’s so heartfelt, so pure, so beautiful, so unique, so her. AP is a wonderful gift to our whole world and I’m so glad that she’s making a positive impact on us literally every day, just because she is the way she is. Watching that episode makes me feel so proud of the person who she already has become because in my eyes that's beyond belief. This woman just has so much faith in herself and no matter what she’s going to work on in the future, I’m 100% sure that she’s going to be successful because with that intelligent mindset she is simply made for greater things. Keep going AP, keep going!

Natalie was the magnificient capitana of the women's university football team I was coaching in Monterrey and beyond that a passionate medicine student who gained also additional practical experience in Ghana and Bolivia. I will never forget the first time I met her - we were ready to play the beautiful game but needed one more player...fortunately she was motivated as fuck to play and joined our team and man...this woman is playing dope football - I have to mention that she was the only woman amid us and the best thing was that there was not a single sign of fear, doubt or insecurity - she was balling so calmed, intelligent and confident and therefore proved that she was playing better than 90% of the people on the pitch, and that instantly made me become a fan of her...maaaan for real, playing with and coaching Natalie was such a pleasure and I'm just so fucking grateful for that experience. Huge shout-out to you! Besides spending quality time on the football pitch I was also attending a medicine course with her called "Tanatología" which can be translated into "science of death" - one part of that mind-blowing lecture was watching the Neflix movie "Going Home" about Ram Dass, an American spiritual teacher, psychologist, and author who got dismissed from Harvard because of researching psychedelic drugs. Truly recommendable, if you want to philosophize about life and its partner in crime: death. At least that's what I loved doing with Nathalie - not just because of the topic but mostly because of her laid-back attitude that kinda sets you in the right mood for having these endless coversations. So sit back, relax and listen to the calm beholder of life, Natalie :)  

Lucas is a French rapper I got to know randomly in México and maaan...this guy has some serious talent inside himself! Since I'm into rap to the fullest as well we connected immediatedly, and even though his lyrics are mostly melancholic, sad and encased in anger his passionate way of talking about his art is lifting you up enormously! Due to the discovery of a way to express himself he figured out that feelings are not really a kind of resistance, a kind of fight with the course of events, but rather a harmonious and intelligent response, which he's able to use and to convert into remarkable art! I truly appreciate Lucas for opening himself up in this episode - everytime when somebody is talking about his emotions freely, I sense pure respect for that courageous person! With this in mind, BIG shout-out to you Lucas! Keep going and spread vibes! Whoop-whoop!

Jens known by his stage name Jens Cans, is a German rapper and hip hop artist who grew up in the Netherlands, in a rough neighbourhood called Zeewolde. Later, when his family moved to Germany, along with his friends new Eko Fresh and Pader B he formed the highly influential German rap trio Paderborn Outlaws. He is also working as a stand-up comedian and actor, and is mostly known for his satirical comedy sketch series Jens’ Candy Shop on YouTube. With his incisive observations, he has been described as "poetically unfiltered and sociopolitically introspective, with an ability to illuminate and interrogate agonizing and poignant topics.” Furthermore, as a musician, Jens is an autodidact, playing various instruments, such as piano, drums, guitar, ukulele, and some wind instruments… or maybe I’m just talking shit…

No for real, Jens is a guy that is constantly lifting you up, but not actively - he is kinda doing that unconsciously just by his appearance and I love him for that! No matter what he’s doing, he’s bringing joy to the world! Just a look at him and enjoy :)

Leva was the captain of our university football team in Monterrey and everybody knows that when you’re a captain of a team you better teach by example or your role is gonna be doubted soon, and in Leva’s case…maaan, this guy is a true leader. Not only are his skills on the ball amazing, but also his attitude towards his teammates is outstanding – his mindset is more concerned about building the team than exalting self, about recognizing contribution than being recognized for making it, about encouraging than criticizing. He created an atmosphere where you were able to feel comfortable, and besides playing together light-heartedly we were also trusting each other. All this requires a certain amount of maturity, but this guy is in his earliest twenties – so, the more I witnessed his way of leading (and being) plus the older I grow the more I started to distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom. I will never forget one day in Guadalajara when all of a sudden he told me: ”Let’s exchange knowledge,” whereupon we were diving into this timeless path of endless conversations about the universe, society, the essence of life etc. – after that I just realized that this curious guy is trying to absorb everything as much as possible in order to grow, and that inspired me tremendously… Leva is one of the main reasons why education matters that much to me, because he is definitely the epitome of it – he shows by example that education is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. Whatever he does, he learns something and maaan…back then he had some plans to work in Africa due to his inner urge of truly wanting to contribute to the culture and now...guess where he is - in Burkina Faso! Doing what he does best: learning, evolving, growing! I don’t know what to say…I have nothing more than pure respect for Leva and his ambitious spirit – this guy added so much value to my life that I’ll be grateful for that forever! So much appreciation to you captain! See you soon brother!

P.S. Slušaj pičko, ja sam gladan.