The Interview With Dde: A New Approach to a New Challenge

It is a great challenge to many good writers and a good challenge too. The many years of writing have taken me to this point.

I have given the challenge a careful thought and here I am and have written about myself but not in the bragging aspect of myself.

It has never been easy to blurt out about myself in conversation and in writing. I took on this interview with a positive mind, as I have done everything else in my life.

I am not a bragger!

My achievements are not much spoken as much and I felt the need to make myself known to others by going ahead with the interview. I admire other successful individuals including myself but writing about me has never been so easy.

I was inspired by other Hubbers to get into the challenge.

About Me:

I was born in the Republic of South Africa, of Indian origin and speak four languages. I speak as I was taught, and English is my first language.

I grew up during the apartheid system and to me, that kind of life felt normal, and I spent my school years and college years back in South Africa.

My move to Croatia changed everything in my life and that was my greatest challenge of other challenges. I faced changes bravely and have moved on from those experiences.

I studied, Communication, Office skills, Typing and Computers.

Due to the increase in unemployment, I had not had the opportunity to land myself what I wanted to do with my life.

The writing was not what I had planned, but since living in Croatia I had to find what could allow me to share my experiences.

I decided to take on the opportunity and write whatever I am familiar with and know best of in researching different topics.

I showed myself I could write when I wrote my first e-book Child Development, thereafter I have written several other new titles. My work has been published online since 2008.

I chose to write often when I moved to Croatia. I had not much of a choice and writing had given me a positive lifestyle. I speak English at home and speak a foreign language when or if required.

It has never been easy to have moved from one country to another, but these experiences have opened my mind to another life.

I prefer to be happy and alive, rather than to sit and mope about ''what was, ''What would have been, or ''could have been.''

I am self-employed during the summer and enjoy what I do for myself. In my small ramshackle shop, I sell refreshments, traditional souvenirs, and ice cream to tourists and this is my best time of the year.

I enjoy meeting up with different people from different backgrounds. Summertime is the best outdoors to enjoy the good weather.

The winter is not my best time of year, I feel it much colder, but try to keep occupied to avoid boredom. Reading and watching movies or casual visits to a friend occupies my winter days.

I cook winter meals and bake what I like and this allows for a cosier winter. I have thoroughly researched many writing sites and finally found my convenient site, Hubpages.

I find that I express myself freely here and have a friendly community. Since the nineties, I got interested in learning more about herbs and spices.

I was amazed to learn of the different types of herbal teas and Indian spices.

Growing up with the daily spicy meals I had no idea how important these herbs were and are too many scientists.

Through personal experiences I found myself writing The Simple Uses of Herbal Teas and Indian Spices.

I am confident though still at times I do get into that shy mood.

Question:

What inspired you to write?

Answer:

I was inspired by a new country.

My move from South Africa to Croatia allowed me a better opportunity to write and share my experiences with the public.

I did not want to speak a foreign language at home. I preferred to continue with my first language and writing and expressing my feelings were my better choices.

Question:

If you could turn back the clock what would you change about your life?

The thought had crossed my mind many times.

Answer:

I am perfect in this way and have no intentions of changing anything about my life. I don't believe I would have continued my stay back home after my son had grown older. All I did was for my son's future and for our freedom.

I would have had to leave someday if not in 2002.

Question:

What do you enjoy best?

I have grown used to walking through the wild and I feel safe in my new haven.

I enjoy walking, meeting people, outdoor adventures, writing about personal experiences and keeping my family happy.

Question:

Do I have new ideas for another book?

Answer:

I have been busy for days and have been for weeks working on my new book idea.

Soon to be released!

Reading is my other greater interest and I enjoy watching movies, especially during the winter period. Gardening has become one of my natural moments in the summertime.

I learned more about gardening while living in Croatia. My life has changed in my ways and writing has helped me emotionally to move forward in a foreign country.

Question:

What do you feel contributed to the success of your abilities?

Answer:

I know from my old and new experiences writing pulled me through all those times.

I have expressed in my work my life from the past and my present life. During this time, I have remained helpful and happy each day not only for my sake but also for the sake of my son.

Writing more and more each day has allowed me to look at my life from a different perspective. I don't negatively look at my life.

Taking on this challenge took a while to get in reading the challenges of other hubbers I had to get mine into action.

Question:

What is your best advice to avoid writer's block?

Answer:

I try to be relaxed and continue my day with something new. Recently, I haven't had the chance to write due to my extensive research on my new book. I got to be focused and think with an open mind to allow myself to write at my best for another idea.

The best idea is to read and write when you have the time.

If writing is what you choose to do surely you can look at that as your responsibility and fill that gap with new ideas. Be social to grasp new ideas for writing or read often to gain knowledge of a unique idea for a book.

I don't like to brag about myself on anything new I have bought. Life for me went from one to another quickly and there are just some parts of my life that will not be the same again.

I can't go back and make that be for me, and I can only go forward and make new friends, avoid isolating myself from others, enjoy my life and make new choices.

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Writing to me has been most helpful and enjoyable. My life changed and I accepted moving on in a foreign place.

Question:

How did I cope with learning a foreign language?

Answer:

Learning the Croatian language was the most difficult. I had to do it by myself to start speaking the language and it is what I knew would be best for me. I first started speaking the Croatian language after three years of my stay in Croatia. Communication is important in any language.

I felt it difficult to communicate right from the beginning of my stay in Croatia. The moment I began speaking I felt much better. The difference between speaking and sitting in a room with several people is enormous.

In not having anything to say for not knowing the language made me see the greater importance of communication. I had not once before sat in a room with people and did not chat with anyone. I had to do this when I first came to Croatia.

What I learned in Croatia opened my life to many avenues.

I needed to get out and see another part of the world to know what my past life meant to me.

Question:

How did the changes affect your life in Croatia?

Answer:

I did not know of the Croatian culture nor did I know of the lifestyle, and that was my weakest point. Not knowing allowed me to see everything in an almost negative way.

I tried to be happy immediately!

I realized I had to gain my happiness all over again from my own ways and habits. I needed time to get my life together. My life turned around without me even realizing how it would affect me. I had to communicate and learn a new culture.