The fusion of samba and jazz born in the 1960s that became known as the music genre Bossa Nova is something I found very soothing to study to while I was still in college, along with smooth jazz. Later on, once the travel bug bit me, I began associating Bossa Nova with warm, sultry tropical weather and places like Boracay, Koh Samui, Phuket, and even Goa. This particular genre calms me down, and in some inexplicable way, dispels the ghosts of homesickness.
So even though I live in Germany, where Bossa Nova is not as popular as in Asia or Latin America, I still get to enjoy my tropical island feeling. It is not just the fact that I live by the river, but thanks to internet radio, I get to listen to a Bossa Nova station straight from Rio de Janeiro! If the weather outside is dark, cold and grey, all I have to do, much to the chagrin of my cats, is crank up the music, light a few candles, and voila! There is not much I can do about the heat, but a sangria or two will take care of that.
The point is, that paradise island is within us all. You just have to figure out how to create it in order to savour the oasis vibes that re-charge the soul. For me it is Bossa Nova and writing, my so-called Hemingway moments.
FrogDiva Thoughts 