Hostel that I have Stayed During my Trip and a Little Bit of Review - Solo Female Muslim Traveler (1)

First of all, I personally think hostel is the best option to stay when you travel solo in Europe. Most likely you will have companion (I would like to say 80% - 70% chance, it depend on your vibes, but mostly people in the hostel will talk to you and you probably also talk to them. It depends do you need companion or not, you can always say yes, or no). So solo traveling is not always "solo", there is an art behind it. 

Before jumping to the post, why I recommend hostel so much due to the fact that

1) Usually you will meet people (if you hate being alone, this is good for you).

2) Usually they have receptionist 24/7, so basically even if you arrive pretty late there will always someone that greet you. This is one of the culture shock in Europe probably because nothing is 24/7 even Hotel receptionist, so you need to make sure that you are checking in "inside" they house rules. Sometimes when you arrive pretty late, you can't do check in. That is why usually when I arrive late, I always send them email/or text basically saying I will be there "late" for the check in. 

3) Usually they have the bag storage. This is going to be useful if you are basically arrive early or going out the city late. I am a person that has the most trust issue with the luggage and sometimes I did not trust lockers. So I prefer to put them in the hostel with people which later I can always come back to pick them up. I also hates the hassle on contacting airbnb guy to pick my bag. I like the flexibility on having the bag storage so hostel is a steal.

4) They have kitchen / common area. When I travel solo 30% of my travel .. I basically work. So I love to use common area to just work or study. And kitchen is very useful so I did not need to buy food outside everyday. I think its a luxury to always eat in a restaurant because you can spend 20-30Euro per meal or 10-15Euro for fast food. By always eating outside 50-100Euro per day is easily spend which I think unnecessary.

So in this post I will post some of the hostel that I stayed and I will try to review them. 

PS. I only stay in FEMALE Only dorm, for my own comfort, so all the review is under "Female Only Room". And these all based on my opinion and experience, so please take it with a grain of salt.

1. The Passenger Hostel Porto, Portugal

Rating : 9/10

I have no expectation when I book this hostel. I arrived from Santiago pretty late, so I need Hostel in Porto,Portugal that has 24/7 receptions and near the station. This hostel literally located "inside" Sao Bento Station, Porto. When I book a female dorm, it was very cheap like 15 Euro with breakfast! (But It was January, so yes, low season).

Room: It was a 10-Bed Female Dormitory, but I was very surprised that it was quite spacious, clean and it has curtain for some privacy. They have very big locker and the room + locker was electronically secure with the electronic bracelet. So yes. this dorm looks "old" in a glance but very high-tech inside. You can access the room and the locker with specific bracelet that they gave you.

Breakfast / Common Area / Kitchen : The free breakfast WAS REALLY GOOD. I would like to say it was proper open breakfast you can refill your plate all you want, sadly I have no photos because it was packed during my breakfast. They have big common area for you to work or do anything and also very complete kitchen where you can cook your own meal.

Storage : I also leave my bag with them after check out. They have no storage room, so do not leave any thing precious. Just bag, with clothes. But they take it with no charge and they were willing to keep it with them. 

Toilet & Bath : The toilet and shower room was very-very clean. The hot water works well. They also has some spaces for you to dress up and dry your hair (they left the hair dryer there so everyone can use), and also in the shower they kind a have multipurpose bath product so it was quite nice. 

Public Transport Access: The easiness to access the public transport you can't doubt them. It was very easy, it was inside the station!.

I give them 9/10 because they have no real storage room / lockers and its quite hard to find it in the first glance (they look like cafe from outside! Fancy!). But to be honest for the price it was fantastic I will give them 10/10. Not every dorm has curtain, so I am really appreciating the curtain!

Photos (taken by me)

The magic locker that can be open with an electronic bracelet! Very cool!

2. Youth Hostel Brixen, Bressanone, Sud-Tyrol, Italy

Rating 8/10

Finding Hostel or accommodation in general in Sud Tyrol might be difficult, it was full jam packed usually with German and Austrian Tourist. I found hostel in a unique way because my friend and I was kind desperate to do this trip, and we were kind a pushing ourselves to find something. Then I go to google and just try to type "Hostel" and found the Youth Hostel Bolzano.

I found their website but I don't know how to book, so I just randomly email them asking for enquiry. Surprisingly on August they were full, but then they refer us to their hostel chain in Brixen or Bressanone, it is still in Sud-Tyrol and they said they were available for 34Euro per person per night (so it was 72 euro for both of us with tax, but this one was not bunked bed, this one was room with double bed for two. So then we stayed in Youth Hostel Brixen. By the way the breakfast was included in the price.

The booking experience was pretty unique because you basically just email your name, date and enquiry and they will book for you. No payment in advance. 

Room: It was a room with 2 bed with private bath. The room was very nice and spacious and the view was amazing I would say. Unfortunately I have no picture but it was new, clean and sleek I would say. You will different keys to open the front door (to enter the reception area) and your door, because it was going to be locked I think around 22:00, so bring your key with you always (some people might found this inconvenient).

Breakfast / Common Area / Kitchen : The free breakfast was GOOD. I would like to say it was okay, most likely sweets. You can get a lot of different sweet if you like and different kind of drink, it was also open space so unlimited. They small have common area and also small kitchen where you can cook your own meal. It was small but I don't think a lot of people using it. My friend and I was there at 07:00am to cook indomie for Lake Braiess. So yess Braiess with Indomie! We have chicken left over as well so we kind a pack everything for this trip.

Storage : We didn't bring a lot of stuff so we didn't leave anything with them. But! This hostel reception was not 24/7 so if you want to leave early and leave your bag you probably need to put it when the hostel reception was there. 

Toilet & Bath : The toilet and shower room was okay, its quite spacious. The hot water works well. There was no towel or multipurpose bath so bring yourself bath-necessities.

Public Transport Access: You need to walk I think 15-20minutes depending on your speed to the station. 

I give them 8/10 because the view is fantastic! and the room was so spacious it was like "hotel" than a hostel I would say. Because I was expecting it to be like a school dorm. Which wasn't! The downside you need to email them for enquiry with no booking website makes it kind a "hard" to predict the availability of the hostel. And I think they have no female-only dorm but single bedded room with breakfast is 36Euro! I think for Bolzano area its kind a fantastic. The fact the receptionist is not 24/7 also makes you need to kind a adjust your travel accordingly. 

Unfortunately I have no room photos :< please forgive me!

3. Dast Nest Hostel - Budhapest, Hungary

Rating 6.5/10

Wow, the rating was kind a downhill wasn't it? Lets see what happen. When I booked it, it was like 9Euro? it was very cheap!

Room: It was a room with a female dorm with 4 beds. I was the first one arrived but they gave me the top bed (usually I can pick which one, but never mind). The mind-blowing thing was that they did not give you the key for the room, so it was kinda "open". So I was a bit scared hoping people will come after me otherwise I was so scared. The bed was okay, the room was a little bit old I would say and was not the cleanest but okay. The electric plug near my bed on the top was not working, so I got to be creative. I took the extension for the sleeping lamp and then create a set up for myself. They have the "wooden locker" under the bed (you can see from the photos), it was quite heavy but I would not leave my things there. 

Breakfast / Common Area / Kitchen : They have big common area and kitchen I would say, quite fancy and nice. But there were a lot of people using it and I did not cook a lot in Budapest since it was pretty cheap if I compared it to other EU country so I eat out to the fullest.

Storage : I didnt leave anything with them, but I think they can hold your bag after check out.

Toilet & Bath : There were no women/men separation for the bath. It was practically for everyone so it was kind a "battle". My trick  - I usually wake up very early (in the eye of European like at 6am to take a bath) because nobody will be awake during that time and practically it will be empty. At night sometimes it was kind a hard because everyone wants to go to party and they start to take a bath around 22:00-23:00. 

Public Transport Access: This area was nice and safe but I would say don't go alone in the deep night on the street of Budapest, you will never knew. 

I give them 6.5/10 because mainly the room has no lock! I was in a culture shock. What if a bear open my room and want to eat my gado-gado when I was sleeping. Another downside of this hostel also it was kind a hard to find, and you need to go inside an old building very mysterious one, because this hostel was inside a regular old apartment complex! So when I walked in I saw a grandpa with no T-shirt brushing his teeth, staring at a girl with hijab walking down his apartment complex. What a scene!

By the way the first night in Budapest I was cruising so I was kind a late to arrive back in hostel and it did not feel the nicest when I walk back home. 

4. Hostel Tabor, Ljubjana, Slovenia

Rating 8/10

It was very scary when I booked this hostel because the picture was very old and if I can be honest the place looks awful in the photos (you can check them on google). But I have a faith it was not that bad because it has 4.2 ratings on google. It was around 18Euro per night I think which was very good for summer for a bed in 3 bed female room including breakfast. 

But when I arrived, I was very surprised. It was not bad at all. In fact, it was fantastic. They have all facilities like common area, washing machine, luggage room and they even have activities like free tours from the hostel. They have 24/7 receptionist during summer so I think it will be fine to check-in whenever you like.

Room: It was a room with 3 bed for female. The room was very nice and spacious. It was like a student dorm with a big desk and big lockers (It was not a bunk-bed style). They have plugs but it was not beside your bed, but it was totally fine. The place is spacious and clean. The lockers were very big. There was no AC, but you didnt really need one for summer in Slovenia.

Breakfast / Common Area / Kitchen : The free breakfast was SUPER. I would like to say I missed my first day of breakfast because I thought it was going to be only one piece of bread and I need to leave early for Bled. So I skip the "good part" it was more like a canteen food with more options.They have eggs, bread, milk, cereals, and basically you can load your tray as you wish but you couldnt take them home. 

The common area is huge and also the kitchen is very proper. I did not really use them (didn't know why!) I was struggling to eat in Slovenia, I should just cook something. But I think during that summer trip "cooking" wasn't my thing yet and I was tired hiking and stuff so I just want to grab something quick. 

Storage : They have big room to keep your stuff and yes its free of charge.

Toilet & Bath : The toilet and shower room was nice, its quite spacious. The hot water works well. There was no towel or multipurpose bath so bring yourself bath-necessities. There were no women/men separation for the bath. So everyone in the floor can use the bath. But I always bath when its empty using the early morning trick! 

Public Transport Access: You need to walk I think 30minutes depending on your speed to the station. I walk everywhere in Ljubjana, its pretty walkable.

I give them 8/10 because for the price it was too good I think, especially the surprising breakfast. This hostel was very popular even among families, so it most likely always fully booked. Very-very recommended.

Again I have no photos of the room, I think mainly for the privacy issue I don't want to take pic when there is someone around. 

But yes, that's it for part 1- stay tune in part 2!

Ibnu Batuttah - and Why You (Must) Travel

Jadi dulu, nama kelas saya waktu SD adalah "Kelas 5 Ibnu Batutah". Karena kegigihan kedua orang tua saya yang memiliki visi anaknya paham agama, maka di kelas 4 SD, saya pindah ke sekolah Islam. Dulu ayah-ibu saya tanya, "Kamu mau pindah sekolah nggak?". Sekolahannya masih baru, muridnya cuma 8 orang. Saya yang nggak mengerti apa-apa dan dulu kelas 3 SD yang hobi dan cita-citanya jadi penyayi qosidah bilang "Iya" dengan semangat. 

Ibnu Batuttah? Siapa itu? Dulu guru saya bilang, beliau adalah ahli geografi dan pengelana dari peradaban Islam yang menuliskan dalam kitab perjalanannya, nama pulau tempat kita tinggali sekarang "Sumaterah". Beliau sampai pada abad ke-13 di Kerajaan Samudera Pasai. Dulu, jujur saya nggak tahu kalau istilah bekennya Ibnu Batuttah adalah "Travel blogger" kalau kata anak generasi Z sekarang. 

Jujur saya nggak tahu kalau beliau adalah orang Moroko dan sebenarnya adalah berber (bukan Arab). Kayaknya ini distorsi ya, karena sejak dulu yang kita tahu kalau orang yang "berbahasa arab atau muslim yang datang ke Indonesia" ya "suku arab" padahal bukan. Sejak pulang dari Maroko sampai sekarang, saya banyak baca biografi beliau dan juga baca buku Al-Rihlah yang sudah diterjemahkan (walaupun masih sepotong-sepotong). 

Jujur, saya terkesima dengan judulnya. Judul aslinya ya bukan "Al-Rihlah" saja.. yang artinya travelling. Tetapi judul asli lengkapnya adalah: Tuhfat al-anzar fi gharaaib al-amsar wa ajaaib al-asfar (A gift to those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the marvels of traveling). Merinding banget baca judulnya. 

Tapi ditulisan ini saya nggak mau bahas Ibnu Batuttah, saya mau bahas hikmah kenapa Allah menyuruh kita berkelana dan berjalan-jalan dimuka bumi (termasuk Haji - bila mampu). Disini saya merasa cukup merinding, karena di buku Al-Rihlah tersebut perjalanan Ibnu Batuttah dimulai ketika beliau mau naik haji. Beliau mau naik haji, jadi beliau pergilah berjalan ke arah Jeddah. Disitulah perjalanan beliau dimulai. 

Allah sendiri berfirman : "Berjalanlah di (muka) bumi, maka perhatikanlah bagaimana Allah menciptakan (manusia) dari permulaannya, kemudian Allah menjadikannya sekali lagi. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Kuasa atas segala sesuatu." (Al 'Ankabut ayat 20).

Banyak banget surat dan ayat dengan "Berjalanlah di (muka) bumi..".

Nggak tahu kenapa saya menjadi flashback dengan stempel paspor pertama saya untuk hidup di Malaysia 1,5 bulan. Saya ingat Abi membantu merapikan tas saya dan menginspeksi apa yang harus dibawa dan tidak, dan apa yang harus disiapkan diimigrasi, semuanya detail. Bapak saya juga membelikan saya payung warna kuning gonjreng di warung dekat kosan - yang juga saya bawa ke Eropa tapi hancur dan patah di Rotterdam 8 tahun kemudian.

Bapak saya bilang, "Abi ajarkan skillnya ya.. nanti harus bisa sendiri,". Menurut bapak saya, travelling adalah skill dan anak-anaknya harus bisa, karena merupakan bagian dari "Berjalan dan mencari hikmah di(muka) bumi". Bapak saya ikut dengan saya sampai satu minggu, kemudian pulang. 

Dua tahun kemudian, tibalah saat saya harus ke negara muslim minoritas pertama, dimana kita harus apply visa. Skill baru - pengalaman baru. Pertama kali merasakan susahnya sholat dan tanya sana-sini dimana bisa sholat, semua dibawah komando bapak saya. Saya ingat waktu itu di Bandara Hongkong menuju Indonesia - mungkin Bapak saya sudah nggak ingat, beliau bilang "Sudah bisa ya Rima, sudah lulus." 

Dengan bekal 'contoh' yang sudah diberikan - dan segenggam kepercayaan - bapak saya merasa saya sudah lulus.

Bapak saya yang sudah pergi kemana-mana dan "Rihlah" sendiri dari tahun 90-an memberikan saya contoh bahwa, seluruh jalanan yang dipijak ini bumi Allah dan dimanapun kita prioritas kita adalah persiapan kembali. Saya baru sadar bahwa.. Bapak saya adalah Ibnu Batuttah-nya saya (tanpa travelogue) - beliau memberikan contoh bahwa -- dalam perjalanan di episode-episode tempat-tempat perjalanan yang sunyi sekalipun kita bisa memprioritaskan iman dan Allah tidak pernah membuatnya sulit. 

"yang membuat sulit adalah ketika kita tidak berilmu". Begitu senyap bisikannya. 

Bapak saya mungkin tidak pernah memaksa belajar fiqih, tetapi beliau membawa berkardus-kardus buku dan membacanya tepat di depan muka saya. Buku-buku yang kadang dibawanya dari Jogja -- dari toko loak itu berserakan diruang tamu kadang. Dengan senyap sayapun membaca buku-buku tersebut, mempelajarinya pelan-pelan.

Memang seringkali, tindakan memang lebih mengena dari bisik manapun.

Berjalan-jalan dimuka bumi, sungguh luar biasa cobaannya. Sayapun kadang ketakutan luar biasa. Diatas unta saya menghabiskan hafalan saya yang hanya sedikit karena saya takut untanya akan melemparkan saya. Punggung saya rasanya mau patah, kemudian saya berdoa "Ya Allah hamba-Mu sedang kesakitan, tolong mudahkan hamba," Setelah surat Nuh -- surat andalan saya supaya sabar - unta yang saya namai Siti itu berjalan dengan lebih santai sehingga hentakannya berkurang. 

Jalan-jalan di Maroko - banyak cobaannya. Banyak juga hikmahnya. Disetiap negara yang saya lewati, banyak sekali ilmunya - - terutama ilmu kehidupan. Bener Allah bilang untuk "Berjalan-jalan dimuka bumi". Mungkin itu juga sebabnya Allah menyuruh kita haji dan umroh. Kita "Bergerak" dari zona nyaman kita, kita bertemu muslim yang lain, bertemu beranekaragam orang yang kita bisa belajar dari mereka - selain itu kita belajar untuk melepaskan apa yang kita punya, apa yang kita ketahui dan berserah dengan Allah.  

Maroko adalah negara ke-27 saya, tetapi adalah negara ke-3 mayoritas muslim yang saya datangi. Dari perjalanan ke Maroko kemarin dan "Al-Rihlah"nya Ibnu batutah, sepertinya semua perjalanan saya - ada atau nggak ada yang baca harus ditulis. Saat ini saya sedang mengumpulkan folder kota-kota yang pernah saya datangi A-Z. Walaupun saya mungkin lupa karena nggak punya travelog (bahkan sebagian saya nggak pernah post juga karena saya nge-post suka-suka saya). Tapi setidaknya harusnya itu bisa jadi pengingat - untuk diri saya sendiri ketika saya sudah tua. 

July 2023 Marrakech-Merzouga-Fez

Ramadhan 2023 Reflection - Apa kata Allah tentang Kulit // Kenapa Neraka itu Siksanya Dibakar?

Haii, kembali lagi di episode ovethinking bersama saya.. (lu bisa bayangin gua ngomong gitu ga wakakak). Sebenernya gua udah overthingking ini cukup lama sih, dan iya gua akan bawa kalian bersama dengan penemuan cocokologi detektif Conan gua. 

Kali ini, kita akan belajar tentang bagaimana Allah itu Maha Tau tentang desain manusia..

Kenapa Neraka itu Dibakar?

Pernah ngga kalian berfikir, "Kenapa sih Neraka itu disiksanya dibakar, bukan dibekuin?" Kan sama-sama menderita, sama-sama mati juga. Mungkin kalian gak kepikiran. Iya dulu saya juga begitu kok. Sampai kemudian sampailah saya pada pelajaran anatomi fisiologi kulit dibagian persyarafan kulit.

Jadi di dalam kelas, saya belajar persyarafan kulit termasuk reseptor-reseptornya. 

Manusia memiliki reseptor panas yang juga sekaligus reseptor sakit yang paling utama bernama TRPV1. Nah, kalau kalian ngikutin Nobel Laurate, tahun lalu penemuannya tentang penggunakan zat dari cabe bernama Capcaisin untuk mengetahui mekanisme dari Channel TRPV ini.

Lebih mudahnya lagi.. kalian kalau makan cabe pedes kan.. ada rasa panas, ada rasa sakit juga (kayak numb gitu), dikarenakan reseptor yang distimulasi sama. Jadi panas, dan rasa sakit itu bisa distimulasi dengan satu reseptor ini. Jadi dunia dermatology saat ini sedang mencoba untuk mengeksplotasi reseptor ini untuk mencegah rasa sakit guys..

Sumber : https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-020-01429-2

Oke guys, jadi disini kita paham ya.. kenapa neraka itu dibakar.. ternyata pain and heat alias rasa sakit dan panas itu reseptornya sama, jadi manusia akan lebih tersiksa ketika dibakar, bukan dengan metode lain... pada saat belajar itu, saya betul-betul kaget...

"Siksa neraka bagi orang-orang yang kufur saat di dunia kelak akan dibuatkan pakaian dari api neraka, kemudian kepala mereka disiram dengan air mendidih yang menghancurkan isi perut dan kulit mereka." (Al-Hajj Ayat 19-22)

Manusia Tanpa Kulit, Tidak Bisa Merasakan Sakit

Taukah kalian, ada sebuah fakta yang sangat menarik lagi.. bahwasanya manusia itu tanpa kulit dan reseptornya tidak bisa merasakan rasa sakit. *Tet tet terettt*

Hal ini sangat bersesuaian dengan ayat Allah sebagai berikut: 

“Sesungguhnya, orang-orang yang kafir kepada ayat-ayat Kami, kelak akan Kami masukkan mereka ke dalam neraka. Setiap kali kulit mereka hangus, Kami ganti dengan kulit yang lain, agar mereka merasakan azab. Sesungguhnya Allah Mahaperkasa lagi Mahabijaksana,” (QS. An-Nisa: 56).

Disini ada pernyataan "Diganti dengan kulit yang lain". Yang berarti, ketika yang diazab oleh Allah sudah hancur, maka manusia akan ditumbuhkan lagi kulitnya, karena kalau tidak maka tidak ada rasa sakit lagi... merinding gak sih.. 

Beberapa ahli tafsir menjelaskan bahwa, penggantian kulit ini artinya kulit akan ditumbuhkan dan dikembalikan secara sempurna, sebelum kemudian disiksa lagi. Kemudian dihancurkan dan ditumbuhkan.

Sains modern yang bisa tau kalau memang hakikatnya "kulit" ada persyarafan dan reseptor yang penting untuk rasa sakit. Tapi Allah yang mendesain manusia, jadi Allah lebih tahu, dan demikian pula yang ditulis di Al-Quran. Another Eurica moment.

Firing Rate Panas vs Dingin Thermoreseptor yang Berbeda

Ada satu konsep lagi yang penting tapi kayaknya saya bakalan susah jelasinnya. Jadi guys, firing rate antara thermoreseptor panas dan dingin itu beda. Jadi singkatnya ketika reseptor kita menerima stimulus panas, maka kemudian akan disampaikan ke otak (thalamus). Kalau panas, maka impuls ke otak perdetik ketika sudah lewat treshold panas akan naik, dan sinyal akan diberikan terus menerus. Intinya impuls (stimulasi) seperti menjerit-jerit "Panass panass" akan dilakukan terus-menerus. Sedangkan kalau dingin, stimulusnya akan cenderung sampai puncak kemudian turun. Jadi ini alasan kenapa kalau dibakar, atau disiksa dengan api itu jauh lebih sakit dibandingkan dengan dibekukan. 

Kenapa siksaan paling ringan pakai sepatu api?

"Penduduk neraka paling ringan siksanya adalah Abu Thalib, dia memakai dua sandal (dari neraka)" (HR Muslim). 

Kenapa sendal api ini adalah siksaan teringan? Sedangkan siksaan reguler adalah dengan pakaian panas (Al-Hajj Ayat 19-22). Karena di kaki ada layer tebal bernama "Stratum Lucidum", yang dia adalah keratnocyte tebal yang mati. Sedangkan badan kita ini adalah korneocytes reguler. Ya Allah naudzubillah ngetiknya sambil merinding guys.

Kayaknya cukup dulu tulisan kali ini. Rasanya sedih karena sehari-hari kita banyak dosa. Semoga Ramadhan kali ini bisa jadi penggugur dosa-dosa kita. Semoga tujuan hidup kita tetap dimaknai untuk mencari Ridho Allah saja, apapun yang kita lakukan, apapun yang kita usahakan. 

Semoga Allah tetap jaga iman kita, karena iman yang paling mahal dan bisa dicabut kapan saja. Semoga Allah memberikan kita ending bukan sembarang ending.. tapi yang terbaik yaitu khusnul khotimah.

Selamat berpuasa semuanya,

selamat menikmati hari-hari terakhir puasa. 

Ramadhan 2023 Reflection - Puasa, Pembersihan Diri dan Autophagy

Puasa sejatinya menyimpan banyak manfaat. Baik yang kita tahu, maupun yang kita tidak tahu sama sekali. Puasa tahun ini memberikan makna yang cukup dalam buat gua karena beberapa bulan sebelumnya di mata kuliah dermatologi molekuler ada salah satu dosen yang mengajarkan konsep menarik bahwa puasa dpat membersihkan "sel-sel" dengan cara autophagy melalui pengendalian mTOR pathaway.

Di dalam kelas pada saat itu kalo aja gua hidup di dunia kartun dibelakang gua kayak ada gambar petir detektif conan. Gua mengalami "Eurica moment" itu sekali lagi. 

Kita sering dengar bahwa salah satu ibrah atau manfaat yang bisa kita petik dari berpuasa adalah Tazkiyatun Nafs atau pembersihan jiwa. Mengaitkan dengan konsep kesehatan dalam Islam (yang gua imani ya - mirip lah sama yang sering dibawain Dokter Zaidul Akbar), bahwa pada dasarnya kesehatan tubuh dan mental itu saling berkaitan.

Ternyata "Pembersihan" pada saat puasa itu bukan cuma jiwa guys! Tapi sel-sel juga! Amazing! Mungkin ini juga sebabnya kita di encourage buat puasa senin-kamis dan juga puasa tengah bulan (ayamul bidh), ternyata puasa ini betul-betul masyaAllah masih menyimpan misteri dari sisi sains.. dari sisi biologi molekuler. 

yang aku tulis diblog ini adalah salah satu "hikmah" ya guys. Tapi tujuan dan niat puasa tentu saja sesuai yang Allah bilang, puasa itu untuk Allah supaya kita bertakwa.

Konsep "Autophagy", "AMPK" dan MTOR

Jadi dosen gua namanya Prof. Vicente Michol.. (beliau juga bos di grup tempat gua kerja sekarang). Jadi beliau mengajarkan konsep "Autophagy", "AMPK" dan MTOR. Apa itu dan apa hubungannya sama puasa? Bentar ya, akan gua jelaskan pelan-pelan, semoga bisa dicerna. 

Mungkin flashback dulu kenapa beliau ngajar ini dikelas gua (semoga gua bisa menulis ini dengan ringan). Seperti kita ketahui kalau banyak penyakit di kulit yang ada hubungannya dengan ketidaksetimbangan pada saat regenerasi dan diferensiasi sel-sel kulit. Misalnya atopic dermatitis, psoriasis. Seperti kita tahu kalau sel-sel kulit itu selalu regenerasi terus-menerus. Tetapi dalam "regenerasi"nya ini harus seimbang, kalau engga maka akan menjadi sel-sel immature dan akan menimbulkan berbagai macam penyakit utama disebabkan ketidak sempurnaan "skin barrier".

Beberapa penyakit kulit menunjukkan bahwa sel-sel tersebut regenerasi terus tanpa mengalami maturasi. 

Secara umum dalam regenerasi sel-sel tubuh dan metabolisme sel ada satu protein kinase yang mengatur dan sangat penting yaitu yang disebut mTOR (lebih spesifik lagi mTORC2), dengan jalur prosesnya disebut mTOR pathaway. 

Apakah mTOR C2 ini jahat? Tentu tidak. mTOR sangat penting untuk regulasi metabolisme pada sel-sel tubuh, dia mengatur sintesis protein, proliderasi sel dan metabolisme. 

Tetapi (ada tapinya), ketika mTOR ini aktif terus-menerus maka sel-sel tubuh akan kehilangan kemampuan membersihkan diri sendiri yang disebut "autophagy". Pada sel-sel yang muda, maka mTOR akan sangat baik karena meningkatkan produksi energi, sintesis protein dan otot. Tetapi pada sel-sel yang mature dan aging, maka "autophagy" sangat dibutuhkan.

Terus apa hubungannya dengan puasa? Ternyata salah satu cara untuk menekan mTOR C2 adalah dengan berpuasa. Belum ada penelitian (tentu aja ga ada), apakah puasa ramadhan bisa menekan mTOR C2, tetapi secara umum dari penelitian yang ada puasa bisa menekan mTOR dan meningkatkan master energy sensor cells yang disebut dengan AMPK. 

AMPK ini jika teraktivasi masyaAllah bisa menekan sintesis kolesterol, menekan lipogenesis (terbentuknya lipid baru), menurunkan sintesis glikogen, meningkatkan transport glukosa, meningkatkan lipolisis, dan yang terpenting meningkatkan autophagy.

Kenapa autophagy ini penting.. karena sel dalam bekerja juga banyak salahnya.. maka komponen-komponen yang tidak betul, rusak, kelebihan dan bisa merusak sel harus dibuang dari sel. 

Akibat dari mTOR yang terlalu berlebihan berasosiasi dengan penyakit kanker, autoimmune, diabetes, obesitas, alzheimer. Jadi mTOR yang berlebihan ini sangat tidak baik. 

Saat ini di pengetahuan sains yang terbatas ada 2 yang bisa menekan mTOR, nomor satu puasa. Nomor dua adalah olahraga, 

Manusia dan Overeating

Gua merinding banget jujur pas belajar ini dikelas (karena gua tau pathawaynya lebih detail dan sebegitu kompleksnya desain manusia). Seolah-olah perintah puasa dan regulasi mTOR ini menunjukkan kekuasaan Allah ... bahwasanya Allah sudah jauh lebih tau kalau manusia jaman sekarang akan terjadi fenomena over-eating. Allah sempurnakan Islam, sesuai dengan manusia pada zaman tersebut. Satu, demi satu, kita jadi tahu "Oh, ternyata karena itu?" (dengan penemuan dan otak manusia yang terbatas ini).

Manusia jaman dulu, mau makan susah.. harus berburu. Pada dasarnya manusia memang ga didesain buat kebanyakan makan.. dari grand-designnya gitu. Tapi karena nafsunya lebih maju, dan juga kehidupan bergerak terus, maka apa-apa jadi gampang.. Ada refined sugar, ada go food, ada junk food, process food... kita tuh kebanyakan makan guys.. mTOR ngga berhenti! makanya banyak banget orang pada kena kanker :<

Ramadhan ini juga jadi ajang untuk "nge-rem" kalau kita betul-betul mengikuti apa yang diperintahkan Allah (jadi pas buka puasa ga berlebihan). Sahur secukupnya, berbuka secukupnya. Jadi biar sel-sel kita ikut "membersihkan diri".

Jangan lupa juga ditop-up dengan puasa senin kamis dan ayamul bidhnya. Satu hal yang aku bener-bener terpatri adalah "jangan kebanyakan makan", dan makan harus sehat... karena kita adalah apa yang kita makan.

Segitu dulu Reflection kali ini.

Selamat berpuasa~

Ramadhan 2023 Reflection - Ilmu sebelum Amal, Beramal yang Berakal

Dari kemaren gua bikin kue lebaran untuk dibagi-bagi ke temen lab, sambil marathon Habib Ja'far di Youtubenya Om Dedy Cobuzer. Ber-episode-episode, loyang demi loyang. 

Nonton Habib Ja'far itu berasa lagi nostalgia. Kenapa? Karena secara ga langsung, gua dibesarin dengan cara yang mirip dengan beliau dalam beragama, dan ngga tau kenapa, gua pengen aja nulis ini sekaligus mungkin menjawab pertanyaan "Lu anak ustad ya?" dan kenapa gua kalo ngeladenin atheis nanya ini-itu sampe berjam-jam seneng-seneng aja. 

Sedikit flashback, gua dibesarkan dari orang tua yang beranggapan bahwa tujuan nikah itu sejatinya adalah menyempurnakan agama, gak ada yang lain. Jadi, investasi terbesar orang tua ke gua, adalah mendidik agama. Apakah gua dari keturunan kiyai, habib atau ustad? boro-boro. Gua keturunan jengis khan bro. Mungkin ditulisan gua sebelumnya gua cerita sedikit tentang kakek gua, iya jadi jawabannya gua bukan keturunan ustad manapun. 

Tapi seperti halnya ayat pertama yang Allah turunkan itu "Iqra" alias "Bacalah". Maka dengan ketekunan dan semangat yang kuat ayah-ibu gua belajar Islam kesana-kemari. Mereka bener-bener investasi gaes. Gua inget banget dulu sebulan sekali ayah gua selalu borong buku-buku fiqih, subscribe majalah islam (dan majalahnya banyak banget), bahkan beli buku fiqihnya dari luar kota. Tahun 2000-an dulu pas gua masih piyik, ayah gua bisa menghabiskan uang 500,000 buat beli buku-buku agama.

Pas gua kecil, gua dipindah sekolah karena ayah gua mau anak-anaknya jadi penghafal Quran. Dulu SPPnya mahal banget dan satu kelas cuma 10 orang, karena sekolahan eksklusif. 

Pas SD disaat anak kecil lain les gambar .. gua "dipaksa" les kaligrafi (walaupun gua juara sih LOL), tapi namanya anak kecil suka anget-angetan. Ibu gua selalu ngingetin buat dateng les dan tekun.

Pas SD juga gua digeret buat les ngaji dan bahasa arab walaupun tiap les ngaji gua nangis-nangis karena susah (alhamdulillah pas gede udah bisa ngaji). Dan lu bayangin itu lesnya kadang campur sama ibu-ibu. Gua nangis terus ibu gua bodo amat "anak gua harus bisa ngaji yang betul". Pas gua kuliah gua ikut les tahsin ulang ternyata investasi geret-geret gua pas kecil ini cukup berhasil karena makhrajnya sudah betul semua. Disitu kadang gua kayak ada "Eurika" moment, dimana investasi ayah-ibu gua menurut gua berhasil.

Gua selalu tumbuh dilingkungan yang haus ilmu. Apalagi ilmu agama. Cari ilmu gaboleh cuma disatu sumber, cari-cari-cari. baca-baca-baca. Itu yang gua lihat dicontohkan dari ibu bapak gua (makanya kita ga ada aliran tertentu karena kita belajar semua). Gua pas kuliah pernah lho guys ikut kajian mbak-mbak bercadar semua dimana gua kek "dihakimi" gitu karena gua pake baju pink gonjreng. Tapi lu tau gua, dan gua udah punya banyak pengalaman "mencari ilmu", buat gua kayak pendapat dia ga ada hubungannya sama gua. Gua kesini mau cari ilmu. Segitu gilanya foundation dari rumah (walaupun kadang agak bahaya sih, kapan-kapan kita ceritain episode gua mau direkrut aliran-aliran aneh).

Lanjut soal Habib Ja'far,

Satu hal yang menurut gua yang nostalgic banget adalah ketika Habib Ja'far muncul sebagai fenomena muslim yang belajar filsafat dan agama lain. Ini mirip yang gua alami ketika tumbuh. Gua inget banget sejak kecil, orang tua selain mengedpankan ilmu sebelum amal, juga dalam beramal harus berakal.

Seperti halnya Allah bilang bahwa Islam bukan agama nenek moyang, dan hidayah akan datang bagi orang-orang yang berfikir. 

Orang tua gua justru meng-encourage gua buat mencari tau agama lain. Misalnya dari kelas 3 SD gua udah ga masalah nonton debat terbuka antar agama (yang isinya diskusi-diskusi gitu). Disitu orang tua gua ada bersama gua. Kita nonton bareng-bareng, dan di rumah gua juga ada buku-buku tentang agama lain, gua bebas baca dan ya.. gua baca. Disini semuanya adalah pembelajaran. Kalau orang lain mungkin dianggap "Nih keluarga udah gila". 

Bahkan dari kecil, gua mikir, "Kenapa gua muslim ya? Diluar sana orang selain Islam ibadahnya gimana ya?" "Sejarahnya gimana ya?". Gua berfikir dan belajar. Cari dan mencari. Ga ada yang namanya alergi dengan agama lain, ga ada. 

Ini mirip dengan keluarga habib ja'far, cuma bedanya bapak gua ga minta gua jadi pendakwah. 

I moved countries, everything fit into its pit

Jadi guys, sebelum pindah ke Eropa gua udah ngicip pergi kesana-sini. Tapi berhubung gua berkunjung bukan tinggal, jadi beda cerita. Kepindahan gua ke Eropa ini menurut gua membuat apa-apa yang udah diinvestasikan orang tua gua ketika kecil -alias agama, "Fit into its pit" alias kalo potongan puzzlenya berantakan, sekarang semua ada pada tempatnya.

Karena orang tua selalu membiasakan : Ilmu sebelum Amal, Beramal yang Berakal. Maka logika berfikir gua dalam frame-work agama cukup kuat menghadapi gempuran-gempuran tempation yang ada. 

Banyak orang pindah negara, mulai kehilangan nikmat iman satu-satu. Apalagi menghadapi gempuran pertanyaan dan lifestyle orang-orang disini yang kebanyakan atheis, kalau landasan ilmu dan akalnya ngga kuat maka luntur sudah. Biasanya dimulai dengan satu hal, kemudian yang lainnya akan ngikut.  

Berjam-jam menghadapi atheis

Gua pernah ngeladenin temen gua yang bimbang akan agama, kita diskusi sampe 5 jam di restoran. Sampe kayaknya mau diusir. Alhamdulillahnya semua yang dia tanya bisa gua jawab, sampe kita berhenti karena dia "agak takut, dia bakal masuk Islam". LOL. Gua ngerasa dia dalam hatinya sudah mengakui kalau yang gua sampaikan itu masuk akal. Setiap kali diskusi agama, dia selalu curi-curi pandang ke gua. 

Gua pernah nanya ke dia, "Lu pernah ngga belajar agama lain?" Dia jujur kaget. Gua bilang kedia, "Gua jadi muslim karena gua yang pilih, bukan karena orang tua gua, gua udah mengalami fase pencarian itu". Dia kaget se-kaget kagetnya. 

Jujur gua bener-bener berhutang sama orang tua gua, yang dulu geret-geret gua sampe nangis-nangis supaya gua bisa ngaji yang bener. Menurut gua, investasi yang sebenar-benarnya buat anak adalah investasi agama. Gimana dia tau cara "mencari", gimana dia berilmu sebelum beramal, dan beramal juga dengan akal. Gimana dia bisa menggenggam iman itu sebaik mungkin, ketika dunia itu jadi asing, karena dia tau tujuan hidup ini apa. 

Gua cukup beruntung karena ayah-ibu gua mendidik gua seperti itu. Tapi buat siapapun yang ga seberuntung gua, ga pernah telat untuk mulai dari awal. Inget Allah bilang "Iqra" (Baca!), gimana mau beramal yang betul tanpa ilmu. Secara fitrahnya logika kita akan sampai juga kok pada islam. 

Maka Ilmu sebelum Amal, Beramal yang Berakal

Selamat puasa semuanya

Ramadhan 2023 Very First Solo Trip

It is very hard to pass ramadhan without ton of tears. I decided to write random thing so I can remember. It is a month when you missed your friend and family the most. 

I think last year Ramadahan in Novara, was quite hard. I remembered that I did not eat very well, I fast for 17 hour after hitting winter depression where I lost ton of weight. I became very-very thin and I feel ill whenever I eat. Winter was very hard time for me.  

This ramadhan, well its a different story. This ramadhan, is my first solo trip ever in my life where I will be entirely fasting and breakfasting alone for the whole month.

But, what is the point of this world without experiencing everything in the first hand?

In 2014, I experienced my first full ramadhan and Idul Fitri Celebration without family, when I was in Malaysia. I remembered I did not cry that time. It was full adventure where the first time I throw the fire-Smokey fireworks which was very loud in the middle of Malaysian neighborhood. I was hosted by a family there, and also got pocket money from stranger's parents. 

When I came back home, then my sister left for her PHD in Japan. Later that we knew, 9  years later - ever since, our Idul Fitri Celebration will never be complete with 5 of us.

Live is strange isn't it?

I stopped experiencing mudik when I enrolled in Gadjah Mada University as student. I stopped. Why? Because my parent's parent was living in Java. I waited until the last week of Ramadhan - alone in the boarding house, or went to my grandmother house when everyone else was already leaving until my parents come, then we go to Malang together. 

But I did not know when I will go to Malang anymore, because grandpa was passed away when I was in Spain. I remembered my last conversation with grandpa was when he was asking, "So you are working with Chinese right?" "Chinese is very hard working,". He smiled, and started to tell his tale all over again. He always ask the same thing. I can see from the corner of his eye that he was so proud of having this blood, he said "You have this blood, you should work hard too" implicitly. 

My grandpa, he was part of Late Navy Army with small figure, non-existence eye and pale skin. Very pale. He lived in Malang, but he could not speak Javanese. He was not Javanese. He talked to us in Bahasa with eastern Indonesian accent. Later that we knew, he was mixed.  

When I grew up, I have identity crisis. We moved a lot, and I did not realize that I was a third generation of "something".  All I knew, I was Javanese, coming from I was born in Malang. But coming as minority I was bullied even by the teacher, I will never forget the bully "Javanese is always apologize even we stepped their feet, so we should stepped on their feet" - one of my bahasa teacher told us that in the class. Phenotypically speaking, I looked like Sumateran, so I just hide myself as Javanese and quenched my teeth. 

Socially speaking, being different was very complicated.

My grandpa, was a very nice guy and he passed us down this selfish gene which always makes me wonder, "what I am", which stick to the rest of my life. But a lot of people said that "You were lucky you were mixed, mixed was high quality gene". They would not experienced bully like I do, if they do they would not say so.

Comeback to my Ramadhan Malaysian experience, the "bully" also happened to me there. Because I look like Chinese.

"You can't eat here, no Chinese" said Aunty Warung to us. "No Aunty, Indonesian". "No fake, no chinese here" they kick us out. I was hurt, of course. I was very young. I did not expect that wherever I go, I will experience this. Malaysia has very complicated love-hate between race, I should see it coming. 

Live is strange isn't it?

When Islam basically teaches us to be kind and acceptance, but why we do this to us? Why? I could not pick my parents nor my looks. Why? I was wondering. It take ages to accept yourself when people rejects you, but the question "Where do you come from? You did not look like Javanese? Are you a convert? (Mualaf)" Scared me the most. 

But, by this experienced. I understand logically why as muslim women we need to wear hijab. Without hijab, I was a regular Chinese girl you can see on the street, no one will ever identify me as muslim, ever without my hijab. Hijab means identity as muslim women. Hijab would not protect you, but gives you the sense of identity - and consciousness to follow the saying.

This Ramadhan, is my first Solo trip, I was the only Muslim in the entire institute. As I trained to be "strange" and "different" by Allah since I was born. This whole thing feels like a fate. As I used to be different, when I saw Salmon documentary that swam against the streamline I was thinking "oo probably it was me" - that was me patting myself when I was a kid.   

Today is the 18th days of Ramadhan, entirely solo trip. (Well) not entirely, because Allah is with me. 

But, honestly I realized that it was not really bad. You can focus on yourself and not being busy bukber sana-sini. I shut my instagram down, I read books, I work, I baked cookies and created mini parcel for people at work, I did a lot of stuff. 

Live is strange isn't it? and it will continue to do so. 

This world, is entirely lonely journey afterwards. 

Let's rest well later, in here after.  

Minimalism: The Art of Owning Less - Moving Across Europe

I carried one 30kg bags to Europe, one small carry on bag and a backpack to Europe.

Is it enough? to be honest with you It is more than enough. During my period of stays, of course. I bought some stuff with me. 

Like clothes, home appliances, etc. 

But as minimalist, if you buy something, you have to let something go. 

Otherwise, you need to clutter de-clutter something all over again which is just adding stress to your life. 

I realize this after just stacking stuff, then "Start decluttering".

Decluttering, is very stressful. I did not do that anymore. I will just discard them right away when I didn't need them, or I will set a time when I will discard them. 

Cause in the decluttering process, this cycle always happens: "Oo I might need this later" "I will be thinner" "I will probably need it". You probably will need that. But probably, you will buy a new one instead of using your old clothes when you were thinner. 

You buy, and buy, and buy again.

Is it wrong? Well, technically it is not. Everyone can do what they want. 

Here, I am just sharing my experience on having less stuff, which is very-very peaceful. 

The stuff that I bring with me when I moved to Elche 

Moving Across Europe

Here is some tips when you need to move. I think this is gonna be useful for EMJMD Student. 

1) Discarding Stuff. I recommend you to own less stuff. Less stuff equal to, less stress. If you have more stuff than you need you can donate them for the next intake, sell them or donate them. 

Donating the clothes. For the clothes you can donate them to H&M and they will give you voucher. In Italy you can also donate them on Yellow Box Humana. 

In Spain you can donate the shoes and the clotes on Ropa recycle box usually they are everywhere with pink color box. 

2) Plan. You need to plan early on what to do with your stuff. Ask yourself these question: Do you have enough bag to carry them? do you need some card box? Do you have the card box? Do you need to vacuum your clothes? Do you have vacuum bag? Do you need to send them? How you are going to send them?

Wow a lot of things to figure it out. Yes. So plan! I plan and started to pack two months before I moved to make sure that I have time to do everything that I want and clean everything because I hate to be in a rush and you don't know if anyone will help you later on. Remember, it is very stressful, so a plan will help you from all the stress. 

3) Carrying vs Sending. In Europe it is very expensive to buy the check in luggage when you are flying. So I prefer to send them. But another thing that I complain a lot. The distribution provider is very unreliable in Europe. I just realized that Indonesian logistic company are top notch after experiencing EU's logistic company. 

Sending Your Luggage

A lot of my friends got traumatized with sending. It is quite complicated here in Europe. But I have no problem. There are 2 keys: plan and research..

There are few things that you need to know about EU logistic/sender company (most of them) based on my experience.

1. You need to book in advance, they will send the labels (and you need to use their label) and they will pick up on your door. You need to get them ready (with all the labels when they picked your stuff), otherwise they won't pick your stuff. 

2. You can't send them during the weekend (Haven't found one with options to pick up during weekend)

3. On the day of pick up or sending they will "RING the BELL". Remember they probably will NOT CALLING you (some of them yes, most of them no), so put very specific address + DOOR BELL and make sure that you are in the house when they send it. 

If you don't know the door bell, ask. Or put your landlord name. I don't know what is the door bell, I put "The property belong to .... (name of the landlord) in local language" and they can find it, cause they are local. 

There is no exact TIME when they are coming, just the day. So you need to be ready and free for the whole day. (That's why planning is very important). 

I have friends that missed the bell ring so many times, and its really hard to get the stuff when you miss the ring. 

4. They will notify you by email / app. Most of time by email. So, put that pop-up button. I missed one delivery (yes they only ring the door, there is no call, so be ready) and they give me an email they said they will re-send it the next day. So be ready, don't go anywhere, try to see if you doorbell rings. 

5. You couldn't lock your bag when sending, and could not send everything (they will give you the guide). They will scan your bag. So follow their rules and be prepared if some stuff probably missing. 

Watch this video about the information on what you can send and what's not : https://vimeo.com/230908619 | I advice you to not send any liquid. Because they will throw them. Just send some stuff that has low risk like :

-Clothes

-Shoes

-Other home appliance (that you feel you are okay if they went missing)

6. A lot of bags are missing during delivery (I told you its wild), so if you can, I suggest you to buy some insurance that can cover just in case its missing. A lot of companies give the basic insurance of the stuff you send.  And never send important stuff and documents using cargo (bring them with you)!

7. Remember the labels will not be generated instantly as you might think. I need 1,5 weeks to receive my labels. Remember during the weekend all the places are close to print stuff. But the case might varies. (So again, remember to plan)

Try to pack way earlier than the day you need to move. Sort things you won't be needing in a while.

I recommend you to use "Send My Bag" because its associated with DHL. Try to use their student plan. They are very cheap and very fast. | Check here : https://www.sendmybag.com/student-shipping

Why Send My Bag?

1. For the pricewise I think its quite fair. When I need to send my stuff to Spain from Novara they charged me 30euro for 30kg. For me I think the price is quite fair.

2. They have DHL as their Logistic Courier. I don't know if this seems unfair, but I trust DHL and how they work. So far I send 2 items internationally with DHL I have no problem and surprisingly they were very quick. I could not say anything. 

3. Their call center is in The UK, so just incase you have complain or you need more service, you can call their customer center just in case that you can't speak the local language. 

4. They give you free basic insurance. One of my friend lost her duvet (yes. you can still loose some stuff, so be careful don't send something you treasured), and they gave her the insurance fee and the sending fee.

Sending-Stuff-Kit

Vacuum bag will be very helpful especially for clothes. You can print the labels in the university or in the nearest "Copisteria" (honestly never done it, but this is what they said). If you need card box, cello tape or cable ties to put your label you can always find them in the Chinese store.

If you are in Novara, you can find them on a Chinese Home Appliance Store "ShunFa" https://goo.gl/maps/Vj5X4p2rxgXU2tESA

Remember all the printing place are closed during the weekend and open not so early just in case you need to send them on Monday. Always print them ahead of time (seems like not very important, trust me this is very important).

Basic Italian/Spanish

When you are sending them, they will ring your door, and speak of course, in the local language. So try to be able to say "Wait" at least in the local language. 

Wait = Aspetta per favore (Italian). 

I don't speak Italian Sorry = Non parlo Italiano mi dispiace (Italian)

Do you speak English? = parla inglese? (Italian)

Wait = Espera por favor (Spanish)

I don't speak Spanish Sorry = Non hablo Espanol, lo siento (Spanish)

Do you speak English? =  Tu hablas ingles? (Spanish)

Remember not everyone can speak English, so get your phone with you, prepare your passport (some of them one to check if its really you) and always get yourself ready with some phrases that can help you moving in.

Art of Owning Less

Cause I am a proud minimalist, I want to share how convenient it is to life with less. I think becoming a minimalist has save me from headache of packing, of carrying heavy stuff and save me from spending so much time and money to send stuff.

I sent one kg of 30kg bag (30 Euro). Then I carried one small carry on bag and a backpack to Elche. I used promotion code to bring one check in bag that is provided by Ryan Air then I used bus to go to my apartment in Elche 1,6 Euro, very convenient. The flight itself to Elche is not the cheapest but I booked them pretty early so like 30Euro. 

In total my moving cost : 30 + 30 + 1,6 = 61,6 Euro. Very efficient and cost saving, and I would like to say I am happy too. Its not what minimalism about, but as the side effect, I did not reject the fact that I was benefitted by that.

How to Start

If you are not sure how to start, I can give you some recommendations. Remember minimalism is a journey, and not everyone fit into this kind a lifestyle. I am going to say it is indeed very-very hard because you are fighting consumerism that is promoted by modern society.  You are fighting the big brands that wants you to spend more, and using your favorite influencer to lure you buying more stuff and holding on to them. 

The easiest way to start in my opinion, by applying these 4 rules : 

1) If you want to buy stuff, you need to discard some stuff from your collection whatever it is. Except you have none. Slowly, let go "Just in case stuff". 

2) Ask yourself "Do I need it now?" "How long I will like this?" "Is it suitable for me?" before buying anything. If you are not sure with your answer, don't buy them. Postponing pleasure will create a significant impact in buying habit in your life. This is very important to fight consumerism habit that we build through all our life. 

3) Switch into more sustainable options while buying. It will probably cost more but indeed it is. (yes! Minimalism is not cheap! you need to be able to afford sustainable stuff, and most of the time by my experience they are costly, except if you are lucky).

4) De-clutter and try to let go. If you have something you probably never use in 2 years (for me couple months), except seasonal. It's time to let it go. 

Let it go, let it go let it go ~ Its time to be more purposeful in live. Let's go.

That's it! If you have any questions about moving or minimalism, I will be glad to answer