Entering a dreamworld
A little story that I wrote last year, but still feels relevant:
For the past 1.5 years, I've been embracing everything life brings my way with an open mindset, welcoming the weird, challenging, and exciting experiences that cross my path. That’s why I find myself writing this story in a cozy little wooden hut in the southwest Algarve region of Portugal, where I’ve been living for some months now.
It’s a fascinating place, not only because of its breathtaking nature—endless cliffs, the powerful, pumping Atlantic Ocean, and countless beaches—but also because of the diverse people living here. It’s not the local Portuguese I’m referring to, but rather the English, Germans, and Dutch who have come here on their quest for happiness. Every valley is filled with yurts, campervans, little wooden huts, eco-friendly clay houses, and every other creative place you can think of for people to live in. Since my arrival, I’ve found myself constantly observing the people around me and pondering why they left their homes to be here in this corner of Europe. “Why did they all come here?”
With an open mind, I’ve attended some remarkable events. Just last week, I found myself in a yurt in the neighboring village on a Sunday morning, in a ‘high state of mind.’ It wasn’t due to drugs but rather breathwork—a practice aimed at facilitating physical, mental, and emotional healing through breath exercises.
The yurt was filled with inspirational quotes and instruments and was surrounded by the most beautiful trees. Among like-minded individuals, we delved deep into our inner selves, trying to rid ourselves of all pain, traumas, and lingering emotions. During our individual journeys, we cried, laughed, and screamed. Because of the breathing, we entered a world where our conscious minds were shut off, and only our unconscious minds could speak to us. I saw a lot, much of which is too personal for this story. But I can share that after releasing the pain, everyone enters a kind of dream world where everything feels like light and love. That feeling is amazing—trust me. It’s like being high on ecstasy without actually using it.
“Bibi, I just had a quarter of an ecstasy pill; do you want some?”
This was the question posed by a friend just a couple of days later. This time, I wasn’t in a yurt but on ‘Tim’s Land’—a remote spot just ten minutes from my home, where a group of free-spirited individuals had built a festival arena. They party there almost every other day.
Picture this: a hundred vans parked amidst nature, a booming subwoofer, dogs running around, and everyone dressed in dirty clothes, caked with mud from the off-grid lifestyle. By 7 o’clock, it seemed like everyone was on ‘cloud nine,’ with one person even apologizing for being too “high and happy” to converse. That jovial character, I later learned, had been living in a beach tent for the past three years.
Because I’m not drinking alcohol at the moment, I went to the bar to order a drink. The bartender—a woman who looked like she hadn’t stopped partying for the last 30 years—clearly loved both her job and the atmosphere. I’d never seen a bartender so happy.
“Do you have any non-alcoholic drinks?” I asked.
“No, we don’t have that. Just beer and shots,” the drunk and happy bartender replied.
“Maybe some water?” I asked hopefully.
“No, we don’t sell water. Maybe you can ask someone if you can drink water in their van.”
Disappointed, I left the bar and found myself smoking joints with my neighbors instead.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the people here are the ones who didn’t quite fit in ‘at home.’ The free spirits, the crazy souls. The visionaries and the rebels. The ones seeking something else—a life full of adventures and possibilities.
Maybe, in a world riddled with problems—wars, climate change, and the challenges of modern life—we all just wish to enter a dream world, whatever that may be, and however we choose to get there. Perhaps, at the end of the day, we’re all just seeking to find a sense of home on this crazy planet we live on.
Love, B 💜
