The colour and the shape of the fruit placed in my hand suggested it could be an apple, yet something within me said it wasn’t. The outer skin felt too firm and appeared much thicker than I would have expected.

I was perplexed as I continued to stare at this unfamiliar fruit (well, actually I wasn’t even sure it was a fruit at this stage).

“What is this?” I asked.

“Sipak,” was the response from someone in my family. I was 18 years old and my parents had taken my sisters and I back to their birthplace of Tucepi in Croatia. Not only was I meeting close family for the very time in my life, I was also being introduced to many new foods and traditions.

I looked at my parents confused. I was expecting them to explain what a sipak was – only they didn’t. Eventually I was informed that what was in my hand was a pomegranate – a fruit which grew in my grandmother’s front yard.

More surprises awaited me when I saw inside this fruit. Encased in a white membrane were seeds surrounded by small juice filled sacks. Before my eyes was a jewellery box full of gems. In the light these pomegranate jewels looked translucent. They shone and reflected the light just like diamonds.

Red juice dripped down my hand as I tried to release the seeds so I could eat them and experience their taste. I was surprised by the tartness of the juice but in the steaming heat of the day it was amazingly refreshing.

I think of pomengranates as nature’s red jewels. I feel that same awe every time I see inside one.

I love being exposed to new things.

Manifesto

29. Every day eat, drink, rest, work, exercise, play, love, create for your own good. And the good of others.
30. Every day use all your senses. Touch. Smell. Taste. Hear. See.
33. Every day try something new.