Arrivée sur l’île, je ne savais pas grand chose sur cette île du Pacifique. Je savais qu’on y parlait français mais c’est à peu près tout. Je ne m’attendais pas à une grande ville développée avec, à côté, des plages de sable blanc.

Nous avons été accueillis lors d’un dîner par des représentants de Coca-Cola et des gagnants d’un concours Facebook. Nous avons eu droit à une dance traditionnelle kanak (ou canaque) et un plat typique appelée le bougnia (poulet ou poisson préparée avec des légumes dans une feuille de bananier et cuit sur des braises le tout mis sous terre).

This choir from New Caledonia performed different songs for us and it was truly special. We had the chance to witness all the time, effort, energy that this group of kids put into their singing and it reminded me of how those things we love to do (singing, painting, writing, swimming... Whatever!) bring happiness to our lives. So if you haven't done that thing you love to do: go for it and do it! Do it because you're alive and you wanna celebrate life doing that thing that makes you happy.

Il y a beaucoup de Français ici, certains sont implantés depuis plusieurs générations. Ceux qui l’ont découverts et forcémént y sont restés parlent de l’incroyable chance qu’ils ont de vivre dans un endroit si paradisiaque. Le tourisme n’est pas très dévéloppée en Nouvelle calédonie et les habitants en sont très contents. Un Français venu y vivre par amour m’a confié: “nous voulons protéger notre petit coin de paradis. C’est un peu notre secret à nous.”

On m'a dit qu'ici le bonheur c'est de partir en excursion le weekend avec famille et/ou amis faire le tour des îlots. Forcément nous étions obligés d'en faire l'expérience pour vivre le vrai bonheur calédonien. Un bateau, un îlot, un picnic, de la compagnie. Il n'en faut pas plus.

J’ai appris que le bonheur ici c’est tout simplement de profiter de tout ce que l’île apporte. Le gens font des excursions les weekend et explorent les quatre coins de l’île avec amis et famille. Pour que nous en fassions l’expérience ils nous ont amenés passer un après-midi sur l’îlot Maître, l’un des multiples îlots à deux pas de la ville.

Un bateau, un picnic, un îlot et des amis; voilà la définition du bonheur en Nouvelle Calédonie. Je n’en dirais pas plus. J’ai déjà trop dévoilé du Grand Secret! 

As we were approaching Greece an infinite sight of land and sea was intertwined in front of our eyes. The plane was about to land and everything we could see was nothing but one of the most beautiful combinations of earth-like colors and blues –from the most deep blue to certain spots of aqua blue- I’ve ever seen. Then our plane landed and we were received by our hostess, Sofia, which was going to show us around. We went to different places: we met the guys from the Special Olympics that are going to be held next year. They showed us a very positive way of looking at life. For them it doesn’t matter if life supposes, sometimes, a greater challenge. They just keep doing things and enjoying everything as much as possible; that was something that really touched us and that we appreciated as you don’t have an idea. After that we met the visual artist, Caroline, which created the commemorative bottle for Greece. She explained us about the concept behind her bottle but the coolest part was listening to her talking about what she enjoys the most in life: painting.

Later on we went to drink a frappe and to eat some yoghurt with honey and hazelnuts. Our hosts told me about the happiness Greeks find in sitting down for a long time enjoying a cup of coffee and sharing with their friends. The last part of the day was going to Acropolis. Greeks are very proud of their past, their history and their culture. While walking through its ruins, feeling the wind and watching the large group of tourists in the site I remembered being a 7 year old back in Mexico City and going to a huge exhibit of Greek art and thinking: “One day I have to be there”. I could did nothing else but to smile and enjoy the view that I had in front of me.

To get to American Samoa from Samoa we took the smallest commercial airplane I have ever seen. 20 small seats squashed into a tiny propeller plane. I was sitting in A1 (first class baby!) and subsequently had my knees halfway into the cockpit. It was a jittery but fun experience.

It barely fits 18 people squashed together for a 30 minute flight to American Samoa. I guess I won't expect any drink trolleys coming down the isle on this on!

Arriving in American Samoa we had a few hours before we had to fly out again so time was precious. Our hosts took us straight up into the hills where we could get a beautiful view of the coastline and vegetation. As opposed to Samoa, which is very flat, American Samoa has a beautiful landscape marked by green mountains and giant rocks jutting out from the sea. After taking in the breathtaking view and enjoying a ride on the winding roads that course through jungle, we headed back to the town where we were set to meet locals for lunch. After talking to the people we realized that what is most important to them is family. Now ‘family’ is a common theme when talking about happiness, but in this place the family bond is stronger than anything we have seen before. This bond and the very religious culture culminate in this one peculiar tradition (which can also be observed on surrounding islands) : burying the dead in one’s back yard. When a family member dies he or she is laid to rest close to the family home. Death does not mean separation in this culture. The deceased family member is still part of the household. “Sometimes when the children are misbehaving they are sent outside to spend time with their grandparents!” says our host.

We enjoyed our little time spent on this beautiful island and were enchanted by the easygoing nature of its inhabitants. Every conversation I had was interesting, deep and yet lighthearted at the same time. I left feeling enriched as if some of their magical spirit had come with me.

As we arrived in the airport we were welcomed with an important cultural ceremony, the drinking of the Cava. Cava is a sort of alcohol made with the ground up powder of a type of plant. They mix the powder with water in a bowl and retrieve the sediment straw. The drink tastes like wood and makes your tongue go numb. Nevertheless it was an interesting experience and it was an honor for us to be received in such a traditional manner.

Happiness in Fiji? Well first of all, you just have to look around at all the island beauty to realize that happiness is not hard to find here. But there is something more in Fiji, that little extra thing they call the ‘Bula spirit’.

The ‘Bula Spirit’ is something you encounter the moment you get to Fiji. ‘Bula’ means ‘hello’ but it also means so much more. ‘Bula’ is the warm welcome you get from the Fijians. It is in their big smiles. It is in the way they greet you.

‘Bula spirit’ is a philosophy. It’s a way of living. The Fijians say they have happiness within them. This happiness is meant to be shared and transferred to all their visitors. It is something you receive when you visit Fiji and something you carry around with you long after you have left the island. 

“You see this?” said the lady pointing at a cell phone that was lying on the table. “Happiness in Zambia is not about cell phones, cars, money, having this or that; happiness in Zambia is about togetherness. Is about our capacity of being together, looking for each other regardless what.” After having this meaningful conversation we headed with our host towards the city. We went to some markets, then to a Cultural Village and then to eat Zambian traditional food. In every single place we went to we witnessed different manifestations of happiness. From the guys that are telling jokes and talking about their lives while they’re outside of the markets trying to make a living selling different things, to the artisans of the Cultural Village that are proud of their creations and to have a creative way of living, to our new friend, our host, that’s willing to take the decisions he has to take in order to be happy. Certainly Tony and I had a wonderful time while being in Zambia and we’re looking forward to go back there.

While in Australia we went to an Australian rules football Stadium. We met a well-known Aussie rules football player and he tried to teach Tony and I some Aussie Rules Football. I can tell you this: we had a blast while trying to perform to our bests and it was really special; but I can tell you this as well: I don’t think Tony and I have a future on this sport, haha. Later on our coach/new friend shared with us about his happiness: he loves playing Aussie Rules Football (or "Footy") and he’s really grateful because he’s had the chance of becoming a professional player and earn a living doing what he loves the most.

Then he told us about the friendship he’s developed with his teammates and how they share a very special bond: how it’s almost like being a family. After that we had the chance to share with some crazy, creative kids from “Beyond Empathy” -an australian foundation engaged in doing very positive projects. During our time with the kids we shared jokes, some dance moves, we talked about music and skating (skateboarding) and we showed our creative sides by painting some Coke bottles. It was really cool to share with these guys such a positive energy and moments of happiness. 

We went for a day outing from Zurich to Liechtenstein. It is only a couple of hours away and the border is so discreet you hardly notice you’re in a different country. The capital Vaduz is a small town lost in a beautiful landscape. The landscape IS one of Liechtenstein’s prominent features.

In our short time their we visited an artist called FauZie As-Ad. He is an Indonesian artist who has been living in Liechtenstein for quite some time now. It is very difficult to actually become a citizen of this elusive country. He prides himself on being the second Indonesian to become a citizen of Liechtenstein. FauZie was in charge of decorating the Coca-Cola bottle to represent Liechtenstein. But he did not stop there. He made one ‘official’ bottle which will be on display at the World of Coke in Atlanta. But he also made a twin bottle which he had other plans for. On this twin bottle instead of ‘Coca-Cola’ he wrote ‘Lucky-Cola’. He then put currency from a whole lot of different countries in the bottle followed by a note. He asked us to write a note as well. Then he sealed the bottle and asked us for a favor. The next time we would be by the ocean would we drop this bottle in the water? Of course we obliged. His idea was to grant someone somewhere some pure luck. He believes that happiness has a lot to do with luck. He considers himself very lucky to be where he his today (even his name means ‘Lucky’). ‘I am lucky to have met a beautiful girl form Liechtenstein and to have been able to follow her here. I am lucky that I am able to live off my passion, my art. I am the luckiest man in Liechtenstein!’

Fazie, un artista indonés que lleva 15 años residiendo en Liechtenstein, nos habla de la suerte que le ha brindado la vida y cómo ésta le ha brindado felicidad: el haber tenido la oportunidad de estudiar arte y conocer a su actual esposa, originaria de Liechtenstein; el haberse mudado a Liechtenstein y formar una familia; el haber renunciado a un trabajo de 9 a 5 para dedicarse a su gran pasión, el arte... Me siento afortunado de poder estar en su estudio compartiendo y escuchando sus historias. Me hace recordar la importancia de ser libres y asumir nuestras responsabilidades para poder ser felices.

  By the way, in German ‘luck’ and ‘happiness’ are the same word. 

We arrived in Switzerland during a very (very!) hot day. Zurich is simply gorgeous: the sight you get is a clear blue sky, a beautiful city with really cool architecture (a mix between an old and a modern vibes) and nice people walking down the streets.  We were lucky to get there the same day that the World Cup Final was going to be held. So you can picture the sense of celebration that was all around the city. “But wait a second: Switzerland wasn’t playing that match! It was España vs Nederland!” you may say. But this is one of the things we’ve come across the entire world: there are top answers when it comes to happiness and one of them is football (also known as soccer in some countries). Regardless the fact that Switzerland wasn’t playing on that match, a general feeling of celebration and exhilaration surrounded the city of Zurich. The match was about to start… and the party as well!

Llegamos a Moçambique provenientes de Swaziland. Hicimos un viaje por carretera y una vez llegamos a la frontera nos encontramos con un grupo de personas que nos estaban esperando. Eran nuestros anfitriones que estaban deseosos de conocernos y que nos recibieron con mantas decoradas a la usanza tradicional del país. Platicamos un rato y celebraron el hecho de que puedo decir un par de cosas en portugués. Al día siguiente junto con nuestro anfitrión nos fuimos a conocer diversas partes de la capital, Maputo. Una de las cosas que más me fascinó de Moçambique fue la escena artística y la felicidad que ésta representa para sus habitantes. De alguna manera por dondequiera que se vea hay una u otra manifestación artística: música, artesanías, literatura, pintura, escultura y así hasta el infinito. Cuándo pregunté de dónde surgía tanta creatividad me contestaron: “Estamos orgullosos de nuestra cultura, de dónde venimos, hacia dónde vamos… y después de circunstancias adversas por las que hemos atravesado, cómo la pobreza o la guerra, hemos buscado medios de convertir esas cosas negativas en cosas positivas”. Ejemplo de ello son las esculturas de uno de los artistas plásticos de Moçambique que se ha encargado de recuperar armas de la guerra para convertirlas en hermosas esculturas. Definitivamente parte de ser felices es tener la capacidad de transformar incluso aquellas cosas negativas en cosas positivas.

Ukraine was simply amazing.  How can I explain what was felt there?  How can I describe the feeling I walked away with?  How can I explain the people?  The only attempt I can make is by saying simply that you cannot understand Ukrainians, you have to feel them.   

For lunch, we walked to a restaurant for a traditional meal where we met a host of great people and had some delicious food as well. The first traditional dish we had was borsch, which marks at least the fifth place that has claimed this tasty beet-based soup as their own creation and traditional staple. (That list includes: Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and, of course, the Ukraine.)  After the main course, our host grabbed a cherry-filled dumpling and proclaimed, "Now THIS is happiness," before gingerly popping it in her mouth.   

The day we visited, there was a large festival going on which we were told was a great gathering of Ukrainian happiness. We were told that during Russian occupation, many forms of the Ukrainian culture were outlawed and that this festival was a place to celebrate and enjoy all those things that made Ukrainians, well, Ukrainian.  This was a chance to immerse themselves in and celebrate their culture.   To say that this festival was amazing would be like saying Mozart was decent. In this place, you truly felt what it was to be, to live, to feel Ukrainian. Traditional shirts where worn, the older the better, crafts where sold and the crowd was beyond lively.   It rained like hyenas and lions for the concert, the rain shorting the sound equipment out, but that stopped nothing. Standing in the crowd, listening to the music, you got swept away by the dancing, quite literally!  As a line of people sped past you, someone would grab your hand and without a choice off you would go, a part of the never ending dancing line, snaking through the crowd.   Being at that place... Wow!  The vibe, the environment and the people, especially the people, were unexplainable. Like I said, you can't explain the Ukrainians or their happiness.  You have to feel it.