review: PURA VIDA BRACELETS

Hey, sweeties!

Today I wanna talk to you about a brand called:

It is kind of a special bracelet/jewellery brand established in 2010 and every bracelet purchased helps provide full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica.
The brand was founded by the two Southern California friends Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman. During a visit to a small community in Costa Rica, they crossed paths with two men named Jorge and Joaquin who were peddling bracelets on the street. The colorful bracelets were handmade in a simple way that seemed to capture the essence of their journey. Soon after Thall and Goodman returned to the States their friendship to Jorge and Joaquin blossomed into a full-fledged business relationship.
The phrase “Pura Vida” (pu·ra vi·da) means "pure life" in Spanish. The pura vida lifestyle is embodied by the enjoyment of a life lived slowly, the celebration of good fortune, and the refusal to take anything for granted. It's about being free and living life to the fullest.

Their Charity Collection was created to give back to charities all over the world through the sale of individual charity bracelets. In 2013 we were able to donate over $140,000 to 190+ charity organizations and the brand has only grown since then.  From the protection of our ocean habitats to cancer research, this wonderful company tries to support as many causes and organizations as possible.

instagram.com/howepuravida

instagram.com/jewelboxno

I ordered my first pack of bracelets in January 2015 as a late Christmas present to myself and they arrived  surprisingly quick at my place (eventhough the shipping was just 10$!!).
The moment I opened the parcel was a good one, I was sitting on my sofa with a glass of red
wine.
Anyway, the quality of the bracelets is wonderful, like they look exactly like on the photos
on their homepage and each bracelet string is covered with a "plastic", a little bit sticky,
jacket to protect the bracelets from water, dirt etc.
I could leave them on 24/7 and they would still look beautiful after years.
As many of you may know, I work as a nurse, so I have to take the bracelets off whenever I go
to work, which brings me to another positive point of Pura Vida Bracelets. They have a special
clasp/ fastener (no knot needed), which allows you to take them off anytime and also
allows you to vary the different bracelet depending on mood and what you wanna represent.

I am so happy about the existence of this brand, I love wearing bracelets and I was so unhappy
when I had to take them all off when I started working, so having found this brand is my inner
14-year old screaming with joy and me wearing the bracelets with a huge smile on my face.

For more information, check out the brands homepage:
http://puravidabracelets.com/
or their instagram page: 
https://instagram.com/puravidabracelets/

Lots of love, Eva

Churidar vs. Sari - A Merrytale about Indian Clothing

Hey sweeties,
Today I wanna tell you some things about the traditional, typical clothing of women here in the southern part of India. Of course, in big cities like Mumbai and Delhi women are dressing VERY western (actually too a little bit too much), but here on the countryside, where except 3 other volunteer girls and me are no other 'tourists', women and girls are still dressing veeeeery traditional. So, girls wear a Churidar (just for special occasions and events they wear Sari) and women almost always wear Sari....that's how the people here want it to be, that's the tradition, that's how they did it for hundreds of years.
A Churidar is a set consisting of long cotton pants, long cotton blouse and a scarf that is used to cover the breast (300 - 1000 Rs.). Supersuper comfortable and although you are wearing long pants it is very cool even when it has 40 degrees outside!!
A Sari is consisting of an underskirt, a blouse and a 9m x 1,5m long piece of cloth that is beautifully and artfully wrapped around the body (800 Rs. up to 10.000 Rs.!!). I still have no idea how it really works. BUT I bought a Sari a few days ago and gonna upload a photo on here if I wore it for the first time....because it is tradition here to own a Sari and the people go mental and are so happy if a foreigner wears one. With 40 degrees outside a Sari is impossible to wear and so uncomfortable and I always live with the fear that the parts fall down and I am naked, because it is just draped around the body and not really fixed.
As I wrote last time the most important thing is to cover the breast area. And as soon as the start of the breast can be seen on a young girl she has to wear a scarf, no matter if she wants to or not.
On the 19th June me and 3 other volunteer girls are allowed to go with the founders of the Ashram to a REAL Indian wedding!! I'm gonna wear my Sari there for the first time AND it will be the first wedding I ever attend. That's so exciting! It is the wedding of the daughter of a hospital owner, so I expect it to be very expensive, colourful and breathtakingly unique! So looking forward to that....I am already counting the days!
xoxo Eva

Hallo ihr Suessen,
Heute moechte ich euch etwas ueber die typische, traditionelle Kleidung der Frauen hier im Sueden von Indien erzaehlen. Natuerlich, in den Grossstaedten ziehen sich Frauen wirklich sehr westlich an, aber hier am Lande (wo ausser mir und anderen 3 Voluntaerinnen keinen anderen 'Touristen' sind) kleiden sich die Frauen  und Maedchen noch seeeeehr traditionell. Also, es ist so, dass junge Maedchen nur Churida anziehen (ausser bei besonderen Veranstaltungen, da ziehen auch Maedchen einen Sari an)  und Frauen eigentlich immer Sari....so wollen es die Leute hier, so ist die Tradition, so wurde es schon seit hunderten Jahren gemacht.
Eine Churidar ist ein Set bestehend aus langer Baumwoll - Hose, langer Art von Baumwoll - Bluse und einem Schal, um die Brust damit zu verdecken (300 - 1000 Rs.). Supersuper bequem und obwohl es immer eine lange Hose ist ueberraschend kuehl und auch bei 40 Grad super zu tragen!!
Ein Sari besteht aus einer Bluse, Unterrock und einem 9m mal 1,5m langen Stueck Stoff, das auf eine bestimmte kunstvolle Art und Weise um den Koerper gewickelt wird (zwischen 800 und 10.000 Rs.). Ganz ehrlich...ich hab noch immer nicht verstanden, wie das funktioniert. ABER ich hab mir schon einen Sari gekauft und werde ein Bild auf diesen Blog stellen, sobald ich ihn das erste Mal anhatte....weil es hier Tradition ist einen Sari zu besitzen und weil es die Leute unglaublich freut, wenn eine Auslaenderin einen Sari traegt. Ein Sari ist bei 40 Grad unmoeglich zu tragen, er ist unbequem und ich hab immer Angst, dass er mir aufgeht, weil der Stoff ja nur gewickelt ist, und nicht irgendwie fest verschlossen ist.
Wie ich schon letztes Mal geschrieben hab, geht es vor allem darum, den Brustbereich zu verdecken. Und sobald bei jungen Maedchen der Brustansatz zu sehen ist, wird von ihnen 'verlangt' ihre Brust mit einem Schal zu verdecken!
Am 19. Juni duerfen ich und die anderen 3 Volunteerinnen mit den Gruendern vom Ashram zu einer echten indischen Hochzeit kommen. Dort werde ich das erste Mal meinen eigenen Sari tragen und es wird auch die erste Hochzeit sein, auf der ich bin. Das ist so richtig aufregend! Es ist die Hochzeit der Tochter eines Krankenhaus-Besitzers, also wird es wohl sehr farbenfroh und atemberaubend werden. Ich freue mich schon wahnsinnig drauf...ich zaehle schon die Tage!
xoxo Eva

Churidar

Sari

Last Visit In School //

Hallo ihr Süßen,
heute war ich das letzte Mal hochoffiziell in der Schule...es war schon ein bisschen traurig,
obwohl ich wirklich froh bin, dass es nach 3 Jahren vorbei ist und wieder was Neues ansteht.
Es gab ein wunderbares (und extrem leckeres) Büffet und die Ansprache des Direktors einer anderen Schule/ Internatsleiter hat mich sehr gerührt und nachdenklich gestimmt.
Er hat das Buch 'Sophies Welt' von Jostein Gaarder erwähnt, dass ich heute wieder aus den Tiefen
meines Schrankes gegraben hab und erneut lese - tolles Buch! :)
Ich war auch wieder im Auftrag meiner Selbst auf den Straßen von Graz unterwegs, aber heute war einfach kein guter Tag! Nur dunkel gekleidete Menschen und die hippen Mädls hatten wohl heute frei...naja, vielleicht bin ich morgen wieder unterwegs!
xx Eva

Hey sweeties,
today I've officially been the last time to School....it was a bit sad, but I am very happy that it is over now and there are new things to come now.
I had a wonderful (and delicious) buffet and the speech of the headmaster of another school/ boarding school was very touching and made me thoughtful.
He mentioned the book 'Sophies World' by Jostein Gaarder, which I already searched in the deep of my closet and started reading again - great book! :)
I have also been on the streets again, searching for good styles, but today was no good day at all! Just dark clothed people and the hip girls must have had a day off....but maybe I'm on the streets again tomorrow!
xx Eva