Welcome to MENA-CPH

Where do we start out? I am a 34 year-old-woman, based in Copenhagen with Kurdish roots, who feels very comfortable in her life (not to say that there isn’t room for improvements) but I’m someone who doesn’t know what to do in life, which means I can do everything and nothing, and at times it feels like I’m choosing the latter. I have a master’s degree, I have my own apartment, I have wonderful people in my life, I shop a lot, and yet I feel disillusioned in life. I am comfortable in my skin and in the life I lead, however, I can’t help but wonder, in the dark hours of the night, how to improve. I enjoy and am tremendously thankful for my health, relationships and the wonderful material items I have accumulated over the years, and yet there are moments where I feel I need to be better, improve myself, improve my relationships, get more stuff etc. Improvement is a natural progression in life, because we cannot stay stagnant without feeling empty. This back-and-forth feeling of being grateful for what I have and still wanting more is a never-ending dichotomy that flows in my life. I have my health, I have a roof over my head, I have food in the fridge, I have access to medicine, I have support and love, I have designer bags, and still I’m greedy enough to want more. So what do I want to improve? Well, my appearance is number one. I am a short and thick woman (size L/XL) and have been (nearly) all of my life and I have progressively worked on not letting society define what beauty is since my late twenties, even though everyone (including myself at times) adhere to it, I still want to look different. Different in my opinion means slimmer, more defined muscles, better posture, which in turn will positively influence the amount I sleep (currently at 5-6 hours a night, and since I don’t have kids, then this is easily changeable) and a healthier digestive system; such as minimizing my dairy intake, because otherwise it will get explosive – my lactose sensitive/intolerant people will know. I should specify that I am not currently working towards this goal, but I want to. I have always been active until in my late twenties, where focus shifted from physical appearance to mental state. I have been overweight most of my life, but always active; I was faster than all of them, I was stronger than most and in good health, so fat but fit, about 15 kilos overweight in high school, which now has escalated to 30 kilos. It’s too much, because the surplus is accompanied with a lack of movement, even though I’m body-able. Besides the physical changes, I also want to do something more meaningful and satisfying purpose in my life, which can be anything, doesn’t have to be something grand like ending world hunger, cure cancer or creating peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict, but just something that fills my heart and gives me purpose in life. I have worked on my mindset regarding confidence, traumas, broken hearts, ended friendships and not being detrimental to myself. Now, I am sitting and listening to Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for Fears, and thinking I need to be less fearful of what people will think of me, and even more importantly, allow myself to try everything in life without being so afraid. So what am I doing? Well, I starting riding horses, playing piano and working in a school as a substitute teacher. I am also supplementing my master’s degree with a teaching degree, of which I have finished one semester (pure excitement!).  After my summer holidays, I noticed how much I missed swimming, as I was swimming every day on holiday, and therefore I have continued this form of movement/therapy in my weekly life. I would like to read more on a daily basis, but currently I get sleepy with the book in my hand (even though I prefer them in print), so therefore choose audio books, which I can do whilst going for a walk. Also, I started watching movies and series that I haven’t watched before such as Stranger Things, Star Wars and Trek, and Superstore, which permits me to learn something new instead of rewatching something for the gazillionth time. My goals are not impossible, but instead of thinking of them as only goals, I need to create systems that are working towards that goal, meaning I need to be physically active every day and mindful of what I consume. My consummation of food, books, music, movies, tv-series, news medias, Youtube etc. all serve an influence in my life, even though I am not always aware of it. That influence can be good or bad, but sometimes, I am not aware of it until the damage has been done, therefore I wish to consume consciously. This site will contain a collection of things I enjoy weekly; health, fashion, art, travel and relationships, because I’m indecisive and want to do everything at once or nothing at all. I am resetting my life and creating healthy habits to become more productive. There will be downfalls and ups, and I hope you will follow me in the process of becoming THAT GIRL. Thank you honnies ❤