The Graz bits so far

I think its probably a good idea to tell a bit of the Graz story now, before it all gets too far away.. too crazy and none of us can remember what really happened.

Actually already the beginning part is a bit of a blur, when people ask why we chose Graz for our second location of CE, I have to scratch my head and think back quite a bit to the part where we were really making that decision.

It’s a huge story already, and its only just begun. You know you have been through some crazy times when someone asks you how it started and you just cant imagine having time to tell the story all the way through. No matter what happens with CE Graz, whether it becomes a huge success or… whatever else… for me its going to be a truly precious memory of fighting for what we believed in, struggling through many odds, faith , courage and teamwork. For each member of the CE team, its been a pretty crazy few years, and from every angle they could tell you a story that would be equally thrilling.. I can only say from my perspective of the things I went through up until this point, that its been unbelievable.

The outside

the inside being made

To answer a few questions one by one…

1.       Why did we choose Graz for our second location?  Well the truth is that when we were having to split up and leave Novi Sad (or most of the team anyways) most of us decided to continue with the CE project… even though most of the team members would not be allowed back in to Serbia, we wanted to build another CE. The question was where to do this, it was kind of like putting a pin in a map while wearing a blindfold. We all had different ideas of where we wanted to build the next CE… some said England, some said Italy, some said America… and some said Graz… The fact was that we had some links with Graz already, some good friends and some possibilities. So with the only main leads being here, we decided to push in that direction. Also Graz had some similarities to Novi Sad, being a small city, with a friendly environment.. and of course, we could pretty much all live there without the Visa hassle we got in Serbia. We also had good feelings from Graz (ha… sounds weird… oh well.. at least I did… )

2.       What were the CE crew up to during these  14 months that they have been out of Serbia… The original team that decided to keep on with CE are Daniel and Leilani, Simon, Mary and myself.. the others who were on the original team decided to do something different. We have also acquired new members, and the team has grown. In the time when Simon and Mary left Serbia they went to the States, and worked to earn the capital for CE Graz, Danny and Lani also did the same thing. Simon came back with his family around April 2014, moved to Graz and began work on CE2. Danny and Lani stayed in the states to earn the capital to start the project. I was between Graz and Novi Sad pretty much the whole of last year, working on both projects. 

Oh my goodness… I am so tired, its hard to finish this post.  To summarise, we are now in Graz… we are now working on CE Graz, we are covered in dust of every kind… the amount of dust resembles the Arizona desert…. We are working as a team on the building, paperwork and all that it entails to open the next CE… I will write more about it as soon as I get my energy back
Oh and one more thing, check out the link to the video we first made almost 2 years ago when we were thinking of making our 2nd CE, its really funny
http://vimeo.com/62684678

Thoughts for the Road

So guys I am preparing to go now to Graz, leaving at 10am tomorrow morning, my bags are packed, things in Novi Sad are ready to run, and now it’s just me that is not sure I am ready for this big change….. It is exciting.

The start of CE in Graz has been in the cooking pot for 2 long years, the team of CE has faced many a challenges, we have thought, prayed, tried, worked and prepared every day to get towards this goal. Some people tell me that because of starting the one in Novi Sad, I must not be afraid of this new challenge. Let me tell you that is not the case. Do we ever lose our fear? I think in some ways we learn how to handle it, but it’s still there, that knawing feeling that perhaps you will fail.. and then what will everyone say… then what will everyone think… and more importantly… how will I feel, what will I say, what will I think.

I read a quote that said… ‘Once you trust yourself you will have learnt how to live’. I never quite got a hold of that one yet, I still doubt myself every day in so many ways. I think of it like working out… you can run up a huge hill… it will be easier the 2^nd time round, but it doesn't mean that it won’t hurt or that you won’t be tired, it doesn't mean that it wont require every ounce of strength from inside your body and soul.. it doesn't mean that you will believe that you can do it. Every time I work out I am in pain, I think it’s the same thing with conquering your fears, it does get easier in some ways, but if you are pushing yourself to your limits, it will still stretch you and still cause you some real pain.

What are my fears regarding Graz?

I am afraid that it just won’t work, I am afraid of myself not having the necessary skills, I am afraid of not having the will-power or mental strength to get over every challenge, I am afraid that I will fuck something up and ruin something for the rest of the team, I am afraid that we won’t be accepted in the city, that no one will come to CE, that we will have legal problems.. and blah blah blah…

Why am I telling you my fears?.. Why am I writing them down or even voicing them?. Because I want to make a point. These fears sound strangely familiar, like old friends they greet me at every turn in the road. It almost feels like as soon as I am about to head off on a journey, I turn to go and they are all waiting for me at the door.. with all their bags packed and a big smile on their faces saying ‘are you ready to go, because we are’. I remember when we were starting CE in Novi Sad, how terrified I felt of failure. I would go to the Danube and sit on the ledge, put on music and close my eyes and pray as hard as I could… I remember telling my boyfriend ‘What if no one comes?’. After time passed, my fears were obviously unreal, some of them unbelievable and funny. I have a tattoo on my foot that reads ‘Fear is Fiction’. It is a fictional story we tell ourselves, we make up the reasons why things won’t work, we run over them again and again, and like a child might believe in Santa, we believe our silly stories and scare ourselves.

True courage is to face your fears. I am not a strong enough woman to live without them, I know that I will doubt myself, I know I will sometimes lack faith in my goals and in who I am, but I also know I will carry on. I need to throw my heart into everything I do, regardless of what happens; I just have to know that I did my best, that I gave 100 percent in every single task, and to be proud of my own commitment, effort and determination. Try or Die guys… every single day… try or die. 

Interview with Thomas M. Schnolzer, owner of cafe ERDE

The man himself

 This is a much awaited interview with my friend Thomas, who is the owner, chef, worker, and pretty much everything in his Vegan Café/Restaurant Erde, situated in Graz.

 I met Tom through a friend who was working there, and because of us opening a place in Graz, I had plenty to ask him about the way things work in Austria. He helped me a lot with understanding the system over there. I also got the opportunity to work some shifts in Erde and see how things are run and get to know him a little better.

 Erde is definitely a hippy place, with plenty of cool people working there and hanging out there, there is such a great vibe of sharing, happiness and care throughout it and this is of course a direct reflection of the owner. Not only is Erde completely Vegan food but it checks every single thing to make sure that nothing with any animal products is served at the restaurant… for instance even the beer has to have labels that were made without animal substances in the glue (I don’t even know how he manages to do this much research and careful selection).

 His food is delicious and healthy, his place is beautiful and cool, his staff are happy and loads of fun to work with, and he is a generous and caring manager. Everything starts from the top, and I am pretty sure that the success of ERDE is a direct reflection of the hard work and care of this guy.  Tom pretty much works tirelessly to make sure that everything is working right at ERDE, sometimes he seems super stressed out and is literally running all over the place to tie up every loose end. I could really relate to him on that feeling, and it was cool to meet someone who had a similar amount of pressure in his work (though his is far greater then mine).

 From meeting him I really saw how much work it is to run a restaurant (a good one at least), and how much of yourself you have to give if you want to succeed. If anyone is going to Graz I highly recommend you to check out ERDE and have a meal there, it’s a great place. I am so thrilled that we will be in the same city. Let me tell you guys, this is a short interview, but you can learn a lot from a person like this.. so give it a read.

the outside of Erde packed with people

Q. Why entrepreneur?

A. Being your own boss is giving you the opportunity to be the change in the system like you wanna have it.

Q. What made you want to start your own company, Why not just work for another Vegan restaurant?

A. Especially as a vegan living person it is very difficult to find a working place in a restaurant where you don`t have to be in contact with animal products. And because there was no existing vegan restaurant in Graz at the time I had to open it myself

Q. Would you ever work for someone else’s company?

A. Of course. But it is very important for me to work in a friendly and respectful environment.

Q. If you didn’t set up your own business what would you have done?

A. Maybe I would have finished my studies and would have become an ethic teacher at school.

Q. What are the greatest challenges for you personally?

A. Trying to separate private from working relationships.  An employer can be a friend but it`s getting more difficult if you can`t keep a certain distance.

Q. What changes did having your own business bring to your life?

A. Lots of broken relationships because of never ending working hours… no free time at all.

Q. How did your friendships, family and other relationships react?

A. Some were of my family members and friends were sceptical (doubtful) if my idea would work out and wanted to make me stop my business before I even started it.

Q. What about your business is unique and gets the attention of the market?

A. We are the first and only vegan café/restaurant in Graz and what it makes unique in my opinion is that it combines the atmosphere of a restaurant and alternative culture meeting point in the middle of the city.

Q. how much money did it take and did you have support from other sources of financing?

A. I needed about € 30.000 to start my business. It was mostly about kitchen-machines and interior.

Q. Where do you see it going?

A. It seems to get more and more popular. And if I manage to handle the financial situation it will be a great success. Because in our third year we still see no limit to the top. Every day are more people coming and spreading our name and idea.

 

 World Adventure

 Interview with Harriet Roberts (Harry)

This last year a few of my friends have stepped out to do some pretty adventurous and impressive things. I can’t help but be amazed and in awe of some of the outstanding steps of courage I have seen. I have watched their journeys with great interest, and have asked my friend Harriet to tell us a little about some crazy life-changes that she went through last year.

First let me briefly introduce her… I met Harriet 2 years ago when she came with my sister Sarah to Serbia for EXIT festival (she is my sister’s best friend). Since then I saw her a few times when I came to England and she was back in Serbia last year also. She was working as a manager at a restaurant in Leicester called Las Iguanas, sometimes I am amazed that coming from there she took off like a rocket.. as Leicester is one of the least adventurous places in the world, and I don’t meet many Harriets in that neck of the woods. After leaving all her family, friends and possessions in the UK, she took off to Asia for a 2 month trip, and then landed in Australia to start a new life.

She is a very strong character, a very good manager, hilarious with a great sense of humour, determined, stubborn and very compassionate and lovable.  I hope you enjoy the interview.

A-Can you just briefly explain what changes have happened in your life in the last few months?

H- I left my job and my flat and moved my things home, travelled around South East Asia and then moved to Australia.

What made you decide to make such a drastic life change?

H- I have wanted to travel ever since I can remember so I made it my ultimate goal to go after I finished university. It’s always been in the pipe line and I’ve always had it to work towards but I always let things get in the way (mostly boys). I guess I wasn’t truly ready though otherwise I still would have gone. After finishing university, I moved away to Leicester to be with someone and that didn’t work out and I always said I’d make sure I went by the time I was 25. Well, I ended up being 26 but I was finally ready in myself.

A-What did you do to prepare and how much time did it take?

H- All throughout college and university I had 2 jobs. (I stayed at home and commuted to uni). This allowed me to save all my tips over the course of around 8 years and this gave me the money to travel! Over the years I have written down which countries I wanted to explore but when planning this trip, I’d decided on 2 and a half months as I’d planned to go to Australia straight after. (my original plan was to go travelling for a year plus). With this 2 and a half months I initially wanted to mainly hit Vietnam but when looking at flights to Vietnam, they were double the cost of flying to Thailand. With this I thought I’d fly to Thailand (where I’d been 5 years before and loved) and see some more of it. Then I did more research and found out about the ‘classic’ backpackers route of going into Laos and then into Vietnam. (People also always hit Cambodia but I decided not to this time as I want to leave some places to come back to!).

Once I’d made a basic itinerary of the countries I wanted to hit, I could book some flights to get from A to B. That’s all though, just the flights, nothing else. I didn’t want to plan ANYTHING; I only booked flights for practical reasons and to make sure my trip kept moving forward.

Once that was decided, I had to think about vaccinations, malaria tablets, backpack, and all the little travel things that come in handy. (See my packing list @ www.harryexplores.com )


A-What were the reactions of your friends and people around you when you told them your plans?

H-The one thing everyone knew about me was how much I wanted to travel and so everyone was so happy that I was finally fulfilling my dream.

A-How would you describe your life now?

H-It is actually amazing how much I’ve changed…for the better. I know I’ve always had the potential to be this person but with my previous job, it really bogged me down and I lost all the fire in my belly. It’s not until I’d left to travel and been away that I realised how unsatisfied I was! I then had time to focus on me and wow was that refreshing! I found out so much about myself that I didn’t know and I also surprised myself, did things I thought I’d never do! I had certain personality traits that I was known for and honestly, they aren’t my personality, they were just induced by me being in a stressful job I wasn’t happy in. Despite me realising all this, that period of my life is where I did a lot of my ‘growing up’ and I don’t regret anything because it got me to my next step.
Now I realise that anything is possible if you want it to happen…I don’t plan on ‘settling’ and getting a ‘real job’ for a long time because I now have such a HUGE to do list! And right now, I’m living in Australia and I have no plans other than to travel as much as possible and work inbetween!

A-What was your favourite part of the journey so far?

H-I have to say, riding a motorbike down Vietnam was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.

A-What was the hardest part of it?

H-Haha getting lost on some horrendous dirt roads or getting caught in a huge rainstorm and freezing and then driving in the pitch black and trying to find a place to stay for the night. I guess also, falling off a scooter and having to travel through Thailand injured.

A-What advice would you give to people who want to do something like that, but for some reason don’t push themselves to try?

H-It’s so easy to continue bobbing along in life and just accepting that it’s your life…even if you’re not happy, it becomes the ‘norm’.
I found an amazing quote the other day…’Don’t let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen’. People talk themselves out of anything because they aren’t confident enough in their convictions, there are so many negative ‘what if’s’ that can stop us from changing our lives, also people are scared of change because they don’t like the raw vulnerability that comes with it. The crazy thing is though, we ALWAYS land on our feet, whatever happens, if you want something to work enough, you will find any way you can! (just don’t try heroin cos that’s the only thing I think this doesn’t apply to).

A-What do you plan to do for the future.. if you have plans?

H-Well I’m in Australia until Dec 2015 and I think I will try to get my 2nd year visa just incase I want to come back. I also want to live in Germany or Holland and become fluent in either or both of those languages. I also want to go and visit some girls I met in Vietnam from Tel Aviv and also do a long bicycle trip across the States with my friend from L.A.

A-Any last thoughts on life for the readers?

H-If you have read this whole interview, then ask yourself this question:

Are you truly happy in what you’re doing right now? Is it getting you where you need to be?

I understand not everyone has big goals in life and they are happy to just do what they want to do to survive, but is that because they’ve never even entertained the idea of pushing the boundaries? Some people have fire in their bellies naturally, but others need to be inspired. If you have any kind of inkling of something you want to do, then go out and DO IT. There will always be things that will get in the way, but it’s possible to push past them. If you set a goal and you want to achieve it, you will make it happen.

Write down your goals now and then you will already have taken the first step to making them happen.

New Year Goals 2015

We are 3 days into the NEW YEAR... well almost 4 actually. I finally got around to organizing my goals into some kind of readable and understandable sequence. I decided this year to shoot for one life improvement a month.
 I took time to think about what areas I would like to change or improve and that I thought would make me happier this year. Last year I went through a lot of personal things, I always go through a bit of a summer time sadness in the middle of the year. This is really because CE is slow in Novi Sad in the summer, the lack of business affects my mood drastically. I am so connected to the business that how its doing has been the signs of how I am doing. Towards the end of this year I realized that I am much more then just one Cafe. I took a leap when I went to Graz, I tried to open myself to every new experience I could and see how I would fare as one little girl without a cafe standing behind her. Normally the security of CE and my place in the community of Novi Sad is so important to me, that I don't focus on who I am as an individual, I just see myself as this big lump of entrepreneurial business and all my thoughts and reactions are based on how the business is making me feel.
When I first came to Serbia I came with absolutely nothing that I had right now. I had to take a stand for who I was and decide what I wanted to do, all of these things strengthened me as a person, I took care of my relations with others, my reactions, myself... because I didn't feel I had anything that could define me.. So I had to rely on this little skin and bones body that I lived in, and of course my soul and spirit, that were my core. However like so many things in life, everything changed when CE came into my life, I took care of the business and not of myself. In so many ways my identity slipped and I felt like I had no skills or talents, love, compassion, honesty or strength to move forward in my life. I felt that if CE closed down or something happened, I would close down too.. I didn't know what I would do with my life.
When I went to Graz, I was scared. I was scared of failing, I was scared of people not liking me, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to handle the new business, I was afraid of being out on my own again, but I knew that I needed it. I went into it with an open heart, and I saw that I was a strong person, I understood that no matter what happened to CE, I could make something happen anywhere. I saw that there are good people in every corner of the world, that I would love, be loved and feel acceptance somewhere else. I saw that I could work in other businesses, that I could be a help to others and use my experience to make a difference. I know that no matter what happens to CE, Anna Powdrill is not going to close down, I know that I can make it and that I can learn anything I need to. I am so thankful that I took the risk of going into the next business venture of CE, as always its when you take that leap that you realize that you really can jump pretty high.
So in thinking of the New Year, I realized that I wanted to make not just business minded goals. I wanted to think about what I really wanted as a person, who I wanted to be. What things would make me happier. What things had made me unhappy this year? why did they happen? and most importantly... What could I do to change them.
I learnt a lot this year, I took time to write down a few main points for the lessons that I learnt.

1. Being honest is fair and loving I had a hard time this year having the courage to stand up to people that I knew were wrong, or were doing unloving things. However I saw that when I did get the balls to talk directly to people and to get the people out of my life that were hurting me and causing a lot of destruction, it was only fair to them. Fake smiling and passive aggressive behaviour is very unloving to someone, its sending them the message that they can continue with those actions in their live and its just wasting both of your time.

2. There is always someone who is a blessing in your life and who will make you smile I often focus on the people I don't have in my life, or people who don't like me, I used to waste a lot of energy thinking about them and trying to reconcile or bring people in. I learnt this year the value of the friends that are there, and that no matter who walks out, you need to appreciate the people that stay and not focus on those who actually don't give a shit

3. Everything changes, your feelings change So many times this year on a whim I felt like giving up, I was having a tough time with the staff and I felt that I was a terrible boss. Change and growth are kind of best friends with hard times... the two seem to go together. I learnt this year that all my feelings about myself or others will change, its not forever and sometimes you have to wait out the storm and just hold tight and try your best.

4. Jealousy and Competitive attitudes will ruin friendships, fight against it Through experiences with others this year, I saw the destructive and terrible power of jealousy. I don't know what it is about human nature that makes us feel that if someone is too good, we need to tear them down. I have done this to others and I have had others do it to me. Now after I saw how hurtful and unnecessary it is. I take an active stand against competitive attitudes, destructive and negative comments, observations and jealousy. If I notice someone is very good, beautiful or successful, and I feel a twang of jealousy. I go out of my way to compliment them and let them know how much I admire them, then I think about why, and I try to learn from them.

5. Be who you are and that's enough As I said in my text above, I learnt how to be a person who is a person.. not just a CE manager,

6. Relationships and friends come and go, don't make your whole life about them This was my hardest lesson. I am kind of ashamed to admit it, but quite a portion of my year was spent crying over or thinking about different guys or friends. When I took time to review my year month by month, I saw that lots of months really stood out to me with strong emotional hurtful memories of certain people. I feel that this year I wasted a lot of time with sadness about silly things. I see that people change a lot, they come and go. If you focus on them and base your happiness and security on them, you are building your house on the edge of a volcano, it might seem calm.. but it will erupt.

Ok so this post was supposed to be about 2015 goals. I sidetracked with this other subject of lessons learnt from the last year. Are we ready to leave behind the old and move on with the new? YES WE ARE

Focus of the month of January: Organisation and business (I will be detailing this in a later post)

February Focus: The say YES month... (don't laugh.. and yes in February ask me anything, i will be more then open to new ideas, thoughts, activities and fun)

March Focus: Happiness from the inside out (exercise, food and body)

April Focus: New skill month (I will try to work on one skill that I want to learn)

May Focus: Friends and relationships (This is a month to work on being a better friend, worker, boss, or whatever I am, and improving the relations I have)

June Focus: Family (figuring out ways to be a better member of my family)

July Focus: Love knows no bounds (I will be working on love, being kind, and helpful in a very proactive way)

August Focus: Money, Travel and One big dream (seeing as its my birthday I think its a good time to think about and work on a dream I have had for a while but am not active about. I also wanted to add money, as a time to think about my finances, where I want to be going with them and how I intend on getting there)

September Focus: Learn from others (this month I will gain skills, knowledge and different ways of thinking from people around me)

October Focus: Home skills month (I know I would make a wonderful housewife, but I lack knowledge of a lot of things that are done in a home, I want to work on improving my surrounding and focus on little basic things that everyone knows but I don't.. like buttoning my shirt up right... or cleaning my kitchen cupboards)

November Focus: Languages (This month I will focus on learning a new language to a really serious degree.. or progress with one I am already learning)

December Focus: THE EVERYTHING MONTH.. (I will try to be true to each of my goals and work on them all during this time.. so I will be a super loving, organised, shirt buttoned, listening, German-speaking, exercising person)

Now I know these are vague and without any concrete, reachable steps. The plan is to every month break down the goal into small steps. To make my list of to-do's and asses how I will judge if I have succeeded, and even more importantly if that success has made me happier. I will make the next post about my January goal and the smaller steps I am taking to fulfil them. I already took time tonight to organise all my business papers.. so I am off to a good start. 

New Year, part 1

Isn't it funny that we pick one particular day of the year and say it’s the end of something and the start of something else? Like.. why that day…

Anyways I do love New Year, I think its because I always like the thought of having a fresh start in something. I love to start a new day, a new week, change of country, change of season, and yes a New YEAR. Somehow I always think that this time.. I will really change and fulfil all of my dreams and goals. The thought of starting again has always really attracted me, and not just a little start again, a complete tearing down of the old and starting anew.

Last year someone asked me what I wanted for 2014… I said one word ‘Change’. I didn't mind what happened, I just didn't want things to stay the same. I didn't want to arrive at 2015 and be in the same place with the same people with the same problems and the same old negativity.

I remember on around the 3^rd of January I went with my friend for a walk and sat by the Danube, I carefully wrote down what I was hoping for the next year.

I wanted to write them here to show you what I was thinking and even I am kind of surprised that I put all of those abstract goals to be squeezed into one year. Today when I went through the 11 goals I had made, I only managed to fulfill 6 of them… arguably 6 and a half. When thinking about this, I realized that although all those things were good goals, some of them couldn't possibly go with the other ones, at least not for one human girl in one human year. I don’t think its necessarily wrong to put crazy goals that you don’t have a means to attain, you never know, one day you might have the opportunity, and just because it didn’t all happen for you in that year, doesn't mean that you won’t do it.

So here were my goals from 2014

1.      Keep clear financial records of every day of CE (I did not do this, although I did keep a very detailed book for about 5 months, I gave up when I felt it was pointless… ooopps)

2.     To Climb one mountain (When I was writing these goals, I had just read a book about the guy who climbed Everest, I was so inspired I put this goal. I did not climb a mountain, but I did cycle up one.. so I am taking this one as a done)

3.     To open the second CE (It is open… just not running fully… J can I take that one?)

4.      To keep the CE in Novi Sad open… YES IT IS… cha ching.. my first whole goal that is really and fully ticked off

5.      Perform in at least 1 stage show…(well, now I think I was thinking more professionally when I wrote this, but I did dress up as a Romanian magician and perform in front of all our guests at CE… I am gonna have to count it. I am taking everything I can get these days)

6.      Start saving towards buying a house (nope… my savings right now consist of a couple of 2 pence pieces wedged in between some crumbs and an old piece of chewing gum in my coat pocket)

7.      To Improve my coffee skills, Do pour over, be able to draw on the coffee and do a barista course (No not really.. though I did do pour over.. I can’t really take this one, a lot left undone)

8.      Learn 10 new recipes from other people (Me and Marija counted the new recipe’s I had learnt, and there was 6… so not quite there…)

9.      Learn more about building bikes and build 1 completely.. YES I DID IT

10.   Do another long bike trip over 1000k (I did ride to Budapest, a mere 300k, but that was the longest trip I did, so I cant really take it for the team)

11.   Spend time with God everyday… (yes I always have a spiritual moment on New Year, and as someone pointed out to me, if God is always with us, then we are spending time with him each day… So I think I can take that one)

So there are my goals from the year before, somehow it was hard to get all of that done. I also think I could have tried harder of course, and I will this year. I have decided to have a different kind of goals for 2015. This is kind of inspired by ‘The Happiness Project’, the author focuses on a different thing every month. She tries to work on every area of her life that is part of happiness. I think this is a great idea, and I will be making another post tomorrow about the goals I have made for 2015.