Holiday privilege; is what summer vacation truly is. Not everybody has the chance to rest that long or to plan a two-week vacation on an island in Yemen or a road trip in Eastern Europe to discover the Circassians’ unique ways of life. 

Holiday at home; is also a luxurious option. Not for Parisians this month, though! Hosting the Olympic Games in the capital city will crowd it even more, and organizing this 1500-year-old celebration has been a true relay race: offering the best options to athletes and tourists without jeopardizing the inhabitants’ wellness is a true sport. This human puzzle pictures the strategic process of decision-making on a global level, where competition and collaboration have to play on the same court.

Holidays for our brains; would be a good break from what society or our inner judge is expecting from us. Taking a rest from our habit circles is essential for stimulating our creative sides: how could we listen to our new American music composer if there was no silence? Where could our fictional circus character go, if our imagination could not take him on an adventure?

Holidays on an adventure, at last, are no longer my favorite. Feeling the atmosphere of an environment, deeply connecting to its people, and having a new favorite local yogurt recipe are some life pleasures that I cannot achieve in two weeks – but maybe during the month of July in Macedonia…

Among my mental peregrinations about holidays, I have included clues to some of the topics we wanted, as happy writers from VCS, to include in VOICES this month. You have plenty of reading choices for your holidays in July!

Zoé Marilier