Unexpected findings through my sensory cortex

by Yana Mokhonchuk (Ukraine)

I didn't expect to find Ukraine

Unexpected findings through my sensory cortex I perceive every place I travel through my sensory cortex: visual cortex, somatosensory cortex, auditory cortex, primary olfactory cortex, gustatory cortex. I do not only look, but I also analyze the details and notice little things, I do not just talk to people, I penetrate their feelings and lives, I do not just explore, I integrate into the local life. I try to see the world inside out, make notes, take pictures, memorize every detail, and find what I do not expect to find. Visual cortex ISRAEL, 2018 It`s 5 a.m. I am opening my eyes and they are instantly filling with heavenly blue and pink signs of approaching sunrise. I was sleeping in the middle of the dessert in the open air. Sleeping bag metaphorically became my cozy bed, kibbutz - a perfect version of Ukrainian cities. It was not a trip, it was a real expedition, we spent a week leaving with Israeli people, we experienced all the subtleties of Shabbat: we commemorated the colors of the fresh-baked Hala bread, the wine with a prayers` whispers, and the candle flame 18 minutes before sunset. The huge, never-ending desert, to the openness empty, full of my thoughts. Desperation. The courageous desperation of a country that emerged from the sand itself. Freedom and at the same time restriction. Burgundy pomegranate combined with the sweet color of the dates and the dark skin of the Israelis. All shades of brown, yellow and beige. That`s how I saw Israel, that`s how I felt power through the color. Other than the tastiest dates in the world, I found the power through the color, something that I didn`t expect to find. Auditory cortex HUNGARY, 2016 I am shedding tears of happiness. At the moment, right at the moment, I am hearing the voice of my favorite singer performing my favorite song. It was my 2017 summer, I was 16, and I spent a week in the music world, living in a tent, dancing all night long and spiritually connecting with people from different countries. And that night, dancing under the stars with tears on my eyes I found something that I didn`t expect to find - unity with music, regardless of language, nationality, skin color, and age. Gustatory cortex USA, 2017 It is almost April, I am tasting an actual turtle in my soup with jazz rendition on the background. It was my exchange year, we were spending weekends in New Orleans, and my host family was fond of food and crazy combinations of products. And if someone says that you should try everything in your life, I would say that I have probably achieved this goal, regardless of food. I found the freshest taste of orange juice in the world in Florida state, but that`s not the most valuable what I didn`t expect to find. I realized that common tastes on food (and people as well) can tightly unite people. That is something I didn`t expect to find. Primary olfactory cortex GREECE, 2016 The calm muffled scent of olive trees, the fresh, with some citrus notes, the smell of flowering trees and the barely perceptible salty scent of the sea - this is how Crete smelled for me in 2016. I spent there over the week, however, my clothes, my lungs, and my memory will remember these smells for years to come. Tranquility and harmony through the smell. This is something I did not expect to find but found in Greece. Somatosensory cortex Ukraine After every trip, I`m returning to my small warm cozy nest – my home. I hugged my mom and found it. Feeling of love and peace of mind. Something I didn't expect to find in Ukraine but I actually did.