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CHALLENGE #16

Challenge: To not speak for 24 hours (no email, no phone, no texting, no writing.)

 By: Gregorio Uribe @GregorioUribe

 “The quieter you become, the more you can hear. ” –Ram Dass.

When I was 15 years old, I went to a spiritual retreat where it was mandatory to not speak speak for 3 days. As were most of the high schools in my hometown, mine was Catholic. We were required to attend these types of exercises. Although it was difficult at the time, it’s important to mention that in that particular year (1995), no one in my school had a cell phone or internet, which made the exercise much easier. Nowadays, we all have this crazy need to always be connected.

When I received Gregorio’s challenge I immediately thought the best place to accomplish it was on a quiet place outside of the city. Therefore, I began my research and found a great Buddhist temple called Kadampa Meditation Center, located a few hours from NYC. Finally, the day arrived and I took the train. On the way to the temple, I decided to write two notes that could help me to go through the challenge without being rude with the people that I was going to be interacting with during the following hours. The notes said: 1/. I can’t speak for 24 hours; 2/. But, I can listen.

I arrived to the Center around 9:00 p.m. and immediately showed my notes to the Monks and they were totally cool with the idea. In fact, they gave me a warm welcome.  During the first night, I had a nightmare about the idea of not being able to communicate with anyone ever again. I dreamed that my dad (whom I haven’t seeing in a while) was visiting me, and I couldn’t talk to him at all. The next day, I woke up early and spend my time walking around the temple and its gardens, as well as meditating a lot.  To make the challenge more difficult, I had decided to not listen to music or read anything. It was only me and my thoughts in a very quiet place.

Everything went well, and at the end of the day I felt somehow liberated and lighter. In fact, I decided to extend my stay at the Center for one additional night. Finally, I “broke the enchantment” after 34 silent hours.

The whole idea was to carefully listen to my thoughts and emotions. Thanks to this challenge I ended up finding fascinating memories and ideas that I am still exploring and developing. It was also amazing to realize of how addicted I am to my smart phone, the internet, and communicating with others in general. I understand that communication is a necessity, but it’s very important to take time to listen to our hearts and to figure things out in the quiet of our minds.

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CHALLENGE #15

Challenge:  To do Ramadan for one day. The fast (no food, no drink from sunrise to sunset), breaking of the fast and spending time in a mosque for the Taraweeyah prayers.

By: Esra Doğramacı  [@EsraD]

Have you practiced or experienced a different religion than yours? This challenge gave me the opportunity to experience a tradition that I’ve always admired, but never had the opportunity to fully explore it.

As of today, the world’s population is estimated to be 7.1 billion of which 1.6 billion or 23% are Muslim, making Islam the second-largest religion. Ramadan is a religious obligation where Muslims worldwide fast from dawn until sunset during 29 to 30 days.

My challenge started by contacting my good friend Nadeem Mazen who has been doing Ramadan his entire life (in fact, he begged his parents to start very young.) Nadeem kindly and patiently explained to me the different insights about the religious tradition and gave me very precise tools such as smart phone’ apps, You Tube videos, and suggested readings to help me understand and prepare myself for my challenge.

Finally, the day arrived and I woke up at 4:20 a.m. to grab some food and then started with my first Taraweeh Prayer (FAJR) at 4:45 a.m. by following a YouTube video that showed in detail how the prayer was performed. Honestly, it was hard to wake up, but once I started to pray, it became very magical. I felt a strange energy as if I wasn’t alone. 

After my first prayer, I went back to bed and woke up again at 7:30 a.m to continue my day. I biked to work and attended several meetings. I thought I was going to be craving water or food, but then I started thinking on my friend Esra’s words: “Mind over matter,” and I didn’t feel the necessity to eat or drink. During lunchtime, I visited a Mosque near work where I did the DHUHR prayer around 1:10 p.m. At the temple, I met Jamal from Nigeria who worked for a bus tour company and explained to me how to perform the prayer.

At 4:55 p.m. I rushed the meeting I was in to an end and used the conference room at the place where I work to do the ASR prayer. During the entire day I practiced compassion and kindness as Ramadan suggests. I had a couple of moments where I was about to get hungry with people on the street, but instead I smiled at them and continued my way. It was awesome!

Finally, at the end of the day I went back to my neighborhood and went directly to a Mosque near by my house. I arrived there at 8:00 p.m. Most of the attendants were sitting on the floor and suddenly a bunch of soft food and water were served.  As soon as the sun went down, everybody started sharing their food with each other, and we ate for 15 to 20 minutes. The environment was full of brotherhood. Everybody was super kind and welcoming regardless of how lost I looked. At some point, all the attendants were mobilized to the second floor where we performed the MAGHRIB prayer and when we finished, a lot of food was served again. I stayed at the Mosque for about 2 hours talking to people and sharing the story of my challenge.

I really enjoyed the love and support from the Muslim community that I spoke with during this challenge. I really admire the discipline, kindness, and devotion during Ramadan, and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to experience this tradition. Remember: “Mind over matter.” (:

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CHALLENGE #14

Challenge:  To legally become an ordained minister, and to perform a wedding.

By: Juan Pablo Davila [@davilajp]

My grandfather used to tell me that magic was real and manifested in our lives every single day. Perhaps this has been the most amazing challenge that I’ve ever received. What I learned and witnessed during the development of this dare simply reaffirmed my strong belief in the power of love, magic, and destiny. 

This challenge originated at a lunch with my good friend Juan Pablo Davila, who mentioned the story of a wedding that he recently attended that was officiated by one of the bride’s cousins.  Immediately after Juan finished his story, he turned to me and challenged me to do something similar by becoming legally ordained to officiate a wedding.

I immediately liked the idea and in less than an hour I was filling out my online application to become a minister on a site that I found on a Google search. In the United States, you can easily get ordained as a Minister to officiate wedding ceremonies, baptisms, and other religious ceremonies. When I started the process I was a little bit skeptic, but after doing some research on the topic I found out that it was totally legal and easy.

Once I started my ordination process, I posted a message on my Facebook page looking for a couple that might be interested in allowing me to officiate their wedding and by an amazing random coincidence, a lovely couple that I met through some good friends contacted me and gave me the honor of officiating their wedding. 

I could not believe how lucky I was not only to be able to accomplish my challenge, but more importantly, to have gained the couple’s trust to be part of something very intimate and unique in their lives. I was very touched when I got contacted by Isabel (aka the bride) who asked me to meet her and Peter (aka the groom) at the New York’s City Council to officiate our credentials and get super legit to officiate the wedding.

After they received their marriage license and I got my official certification from the State of New York, we immediately moved to plan the logistics for the wedding. Isabel and Peter decided to have their ceremony at a El Beit Café which was the place where they met for the very first time and it was there where I started learning about their story. 

The story of Isabel and Peter was impressive and magical to me because it highlights a deep truth about the nature of the universe — why these people love each other, and why all of their friends and family love them. They remind me some of the principles that guide my life: Love, Magic, and Destiny. 

Their wedding was celebrated on July 11th in Brooklyn. It was a beautiful day that I know I’ll never forget. Most of their beloved friends and families where there and the atmosphere was filled out with love and happiness. I really can not describe the positive and beautiful energy that happened that afternoon. In fact, I will remember this day as one of my favorite days since I’ve lived in New York City. Peter and Isabel’s love for each other gave me hope and showed me once again that magic is real. 

The challenge was successfully completed. In fact, a few days after the ceremony the largest newspaper in Colombia posted a picture of Peter, Isabel and me on their front page during the entire weekend with the title: “The Happiness Entrepreneur.” Coincidence? I don’t think so!

Very special thanks to my dearest Aurelie Hug, Peter, and Isabel for have gave me the opportunity to be part of this special day.

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CHALLENGE #13

Challenge: Go vegan for 7 days

By: Andres Rotmistrovsky [@andresrot]

After completing one recent challenge, I ended up in a conversation about the project with Andres Rotmistrovsky who challenged me to eat vegan for 7 days. I was intrigued by Andres' idea and immediately agreed because it was a great opportunity to explore this unknown world.

For those who are not familiar with this topic, veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in one's diet, as well as an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of sentient animals. Basically, my challenge was to not eat anything derived from animals (meat, milk, eggs, honey, among others) for one whole week.

At the beginning I thought that it was going to be a very difficult week. But once I started, I got a lot of support from my good friend Nicolas Ulloa, who has been a vegan for over 20 years. I also got a lot of suggestions from a very supportive Facebook community. In fact, this challenge was so easy that I've continued eating vegan even after finishing the week, and I'm seriously considering continuing on this path for a longer period of time. During my very short vegan adventure, I experienced the following:

1. Awareness: For first time in life I was aware of the ingredients of my food. I have always selected my food based on my taste, but I never took the time to check what I was consuming neither the process of it.

2. Solidarity: The vegan community is very special. They support each other in a very unique and honest way.

3. Discrimination: Although NYC is a very vegan friendly and diverse city, there are still places where being vegan is not very welcome. Some people show their discontent by making awful comments.

4. Health: On my 5th day as vegan I doubled the length of my runs. Also I felt lighter, woke up earlier, and had more energy during the day. I definitely felt awesome!

5. Information: there are tons of accessible information about: recipes, ingredients, apps, restaurants, etc. Vegans are silent activists behind a great cause. They provide you with scientific information and clear arguments about their beliefs.

I learned many things during this challenge and I really encourage people to do the vegan challenge.

Very special thanks to Andres and Nicolas!

Above picture: As a little celebration, we went to an awesome concert. At the end of the show, we were able to take a pic with the musicians. You can find each of them on Youtube: Jarle Bernhoft, Sun Rai, and one of the greatest bassist in the world, Mr.  Andres Rotmistrovsky!

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CHALLENGE #12

Challenge: Bike to the Cloisters and have a picnic at the gardens

By: Jessica Ilana Naimark

Summer has arrived in NYC and the beautiful weather brings new opportunities to accomplish unfinished challenges. This time, Jessica gave me a very cool challenge that took me almost an entire day to complete. The challenge was to bike all the way up to northern Manhattan to The Cloisters, which is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe.

It was by far one of the best days of this 2013. The bike ride from my apartment in Williamsburg took about 40 miles and brought me  across the entire island of Manhattan. Although my bike and my cycling skills were both a little bit rusty, it was definitely worth it. I can’t describe how astonishing and diverse the city is – but most importantly, there is a lot of green that is in hiding during other seasons. Outdoor community activities are also blooming in every single neighborhood that we crossed. At the Cloisters, my friend Lupe explains in this Vine how to make a wish. Gracias for the challenge, Jess!

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CHALLENGE #11

Challenge: Sit and chant with Hare Krishnas in Union Square for 30 minutes

By: Anonymous

Union Square is one of my favorite spots in NYC. Sometimes when I’m bored I just sit on the stairs next to the subway station to watch people from very diverse backgrounds performing or expressing themselves in unique ways. Among many groups of people that “occupy” Union Square are the Hare Krishnas. They are a religious group devote to follow a disciplic line of Gaudiya Bhagavata. My challenge was to sit and chant with them for 30 minutes. At the beginning I was a little bit hesitant, but once I approach them, they were very welcoming, and immediately made room for me to join them. I chanted their mantra while I playing some maracas that they also gave me. At the end, I got an apple as a recompense and a book that explained more in detail what is their movement about.

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CHALLENGE #10

Challenge: Leave sweet messages to strangers on books

By: Natalie Prolman

During a coffee break at a book store, my dear friend Natalie challenged me to leave messages of kindness in 10 different books. Her idea was to surprise readers with unexpected sweet notes. We rolled up our sleeves and in less than 10 minutes Natalie, Thijs, Ailin and myself wrote more than 30 messages and started adding them to several books on different topics. Some of our messages were:  "What inspires you?" "Enjoy the rest of your day!" "Enjoy the story and share with other!" "You have been a victim of the book fairy," among others. It was definitely a good experience and a good way to make someone's day with a simple but unexpected warm message.

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CHALLENGE #9

Challenge: Teach a children's song in Spanish to a non-Spanish speaker

By: Catalina Jimenez

On our way back to New York City from an event, I had the opportunity to tackle the challenge of the day. Thanks to the support of Freddy and Ignacio, we were able to teach the Spanish song "Los Elefantes" to my new friend Maggie. It took us about 30 minutes to get the entire song, but it definitely made our trip and the "lovely" heavy traffic a bit better. Actually, it was kind of fun to see four adults singing a children's song. This dare was definitely worth it! 

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CHALLENGE #8

Challenge: Give free subway rides to strangers

By: Brett Chamberlin - @99brett

Have you received a free subway ride? this time I went to Bedford Station in Williamsburg to offer free subway rides to regular commuters. The initial reactions were charged with a lot of skepticism. I got rejected by many people, but as time went by, I was able to persuade some commuters that were motivated by the positive reactions from people that kindly accepted to help me with this challenge.

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CHALLENGE #7

Challenge: Help a musician/artist increase his/her day's income tenfold by getting more attention from the people passing by.

By: Carlos Piera

Last night I attended a concert of Sofia Ribeiro. A magnificent singer who has the ability to immediately attract the listener to her unique musical universe. I arrived a little bit early and saw one her musicians very busy trying to put the show together while he was trying to offer Sofia's music. Immediately I remembered Carlos' challenge and decided to take action by helping Sofia to sell her CD's at the main entrance. At the end of the concert I not only sold 7 CD's, but also "was hired" to help another great musician next Friday to sell her music. Thanks to this challenge I got new friends and an awesome autographed CD by the beautiful Sofia.

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CHALLENGE #6

Challenge: Distribute a dozen of roses to lonely people

By: Javier Hernandez

It's amazing how easy is to make someone's day. This challenge was relatively easy. I bought a dozen yellow roses and a note that said, "Say Yes." I walked around Williamsburg, Brooklyn for about an hour distributing the roses. People were very receptive. I was also lucky enough to take this challenge with a couple of good friends from E2S, who were very helpful and ended up enjoying this exercise more than I was expecting.

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CHALLENGE #5

Challenge: Get an autograph from a famous soccer player to surprise a person that I just met.

By: Juan Pablo - @davilajp

Eating lunch today, I met a man named Martin who worked at the restaurant. He told me that he was a huge fan of Rafael Marquez, one of the most famous soccer players in Mexico. By coincidence, Marquez was visiting the office where I work, just blocks away from the restaurant. When I told this story to Juan Pablo, he challenged me to get an autograph from Marquez and give it to Martin. When I decided to take on this challenge, Marquez had already left the office. I ran down to the street and couldn't believe my luck when I spotted waiting for a cab a couple of blocks from the office. Marquez kindly agreed to sign a couple of autographs and a soccer ball not just for Martin, but also for Martin's other Mexican coworkers that are also big futbol fans!

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CHALLENGE #4

Challenge: Catch a fish at the Pike Place Market

By: Brett Chamberlin - @99Brett

During a short work trip to Seattle, Brett challenged me to catch a flying fish at one of the most famous fish stores at the Pike Place Market. The atmosphere was amazing and the people from the store were phenomenal. If you have the chance to visit Seattle, definitely try to spend some time at the market. 

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CHALLENGE #3

Challenge: Visit a beautiful place in the city that you haven’t being before.

By: Lara Crawshaw 

Lara's idea was to visit a beautiful place in the city that I hadn’t been before to. After a little brainstorm with her, we decided to visit the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

For those who live in NYC and haven’t visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, I really encourage you to go! It’s very easy to get there by public transportation, and the main entrance is just $5 if you have a student ID.

Also, after seeing so many names of plants, roses and benches, we decided to name an awesome “unknown” cactus: Maya Tulia from Mauritius (which was Lara’s second challenge of the day.) Finally, we had a blast with this dragonfly who posed for us for a long time, saw a fantastic fish jumping at the lake, and took a delicious nap at the grass. Definitely a good day.

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CHALLENGE #2

Challenge: Have lunch with a homeless person

By: Juan Pablo Ramirez

I had the fortune of meeting Robert who kindly accepted my invitation and we had lunch on the street. Robert was born in New Jersey in 1947 and has been in NYC for over 40 years. His favorite decade was the 60′s and he loves chocolates. In fact, if you are walking around 25th st and 6 ave, say hi to Robert and share a coffee with him. He’s definitely a fantastic person!

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CHALLENGE #1

Challenge: Sing and play ukelele on the NYC Subway.

By: Catalina Jimenez, Lulu Angulo, and Gregorio Uribe.

I'm happy to report that although my voice wasn't the best, the challenge was successfully accomplished and can be watched on the attached video.