How I Love Stockholm In The Morning

Fog, mist, drowsy cafés. The crispy air of autumn and lazy sunrays trying to make it through the clouds.
The sharp feeling of nothingness when memories of a time long gone hit through to the surface at the moment when the hand touches the wooden door.
Yesterday I finally held a sword in that very same hand. Not a real one, yet a sword. It made me feel graceful, powerful. One day I will be dancing with a sword in my hand.

Beginning of Autumn

Hello August! A time of year that makes me somewhat melancholic. Autumn is always a new beginning, more so than the new year, but at the moment nothing new and exciting is happening. Must come up with a project of some kind...

Here the summer has been awful. I kid you not, there have been about three days of sunshine. While the rest of Europe has been suffering from an intolerable heatwave, we have been listening to the smattering of raindrops.

Yesterday was one of those sunny days. It is amazing what some sun does to you.

Silence.

With June Come the Holidays, Cheers to That!

Outside my window the typical Swedish summer is showing its face (it's raining cats and dogs and elephants) and here I am, sitting with my cup of tea. My good ol' friend the Laptop has finally been switched on. Two weeks of freedom await me. I have plans for the first three days. Today I will be attending a seminar on comparative politics (Finnish and Swedish) - this is fairly exciting, as the political situation in Finland is very interesting at the moment. Tomorrow I will attempt to run a 10 K. Wish me luck! And on Wednesday my taichi group is planning on getting the best of all worlds with taichi AND wine (ehem, actually a picnic) in the park. 

I know someone how told me that she'd spend half of her summer holiday cleaning. CLEANING! Now, I know that people are different and who am I to judge anyway? But... for me, time off work means more time to explore and learn new things. And possibly to catch up on missed sleep. 

One of the must-go places in Stockholm: the library

City Life/Suburbia

[500 Days] Last Days of April

During the last days of April, Stockholm was lovely. The masses admired the cherry blossoms at Kungsträdgården, Hagaparken was suddenly green and at Walpurgis Night bonfires were to be seen everywhere. And the food - as always - was delicious.

Howdy!

Howdy! 

Long time, no see, my friends. How are you? I hope you're well, enjoying the sunshine wherever you are. Life here in Stockholm has been far from dull. Here's an update...

...I managed to burn my hand and thus decided to stop drinking tea. Apparently drinking tea is very, very dangerous. Fortunately it was my left hand and I have also forgotten my promise. So, there was no real harm done. In fact, a smoking hot cup of tea is waiting for me! 

...Belgium was lovely - much less conservative than I expected. To me, Brussels equals the European Union, a haven for all bureaucrats. Glad to admit I was wrong.

...Dutch is a funny language. All language learners have come across false friends. Klant is a spectacular false friend. Look it up! 

...speaking of languages, it's funny how one can hold a fairly decent level in a foreign language, but then struggle with other aspects. My fancy British university did not teach me how to write copy in English. Then again, I studied Politics and Russian, so maybe the initial plan did not include copywriting. Practice makes perfect, though, so no worries. I love writing in English, so I'm glad to be doing what I do. 

...we are addicted to Elementary. Or rather, I've got a wee crush on Sherlock Holmes. And that British accent. Lovely. 

...best of all - Friday is a public holiday, so there are not many days left of this week. All in all, May will be exciting and June will start with two weeks of holidays. Looking forward to that. 

Now, how are you? 

Saturday Wine & Cheese

Back in Slovakia we had a tradition of regularly gathering all our friends for wine and cheese. It's nice to keep good traditions alive so yesterday it was time for our very first Wine & Cheese party in Stockholm. The basic idea is that everyone brings some cheese and a bottle of wine.

Lime and raspberries can never go wrong... 

Spooky

Yesterday we had an all-day team event with work, which was absolutely great. It included all kinds of activities ranging from discussions on the future of book publishing to team projects and a treasure hunt. As the company I work for is a part of the biggest publishing house in Sweden, we do get to hear a lot about books. 

As the event was arranged at the Museum of Ethnography, I also had the chance to take a rather lovely (but spooky) walk in the morning, 

I started at my new position on Wednesday and I'm very excited about it. The job means that I get to write, translate and use my language skills. And there are books, so I'm happy! 

[500 Days]] 2014

Natalie asked how life and work were going. It made me think back on the year and all the things I have actually experience. Once again, I can say wow! 95% of the time I think my life is uneventful, but when I start summarizing the year, the summary may include moving to a new country or crisscrossing across Europe.

So, in 2014:

• I moved to Sweden. This far I'm happy with the decision. There have been no great culture shocks of any kind and we have been very lucky with finding somewhere to live and finding jobs. Apart from this, my boyfriend's family has been really supportive, which has also helped us a lot. 
• Started a new job. Also happy with the decision, it has been stressful at times, but I feel that I'm doing something much more important (to me) than IT. Besides, they give me A LOT OF BOOKS. 
• Travels. The aim was to go to five new capitals: only one of the capitals I visited was new (Vilnius), but hey, I have been to more than five capitals :)
• I started tai chi. You know how yoga people can be completely obsessed with the benefits of yoga? I think tai chi is a bit similar, albeit in a less trendy way, 
• Language-wise I have not done much new. Unfortunately. I did read a couple of books in Spanish - does that count? 

When December came, I decided to be diligent with the blog. It started well, but ended not-so-well. I think this has been the most social month in a very long time. We have managed to squeeze in trips, dinners, and parties. 

Here are some photos from the past month. 

Alexander II guards Helsinki

I <3 helsinki="">

Christmas dinner Finnish style

Catching the sunset in Åland

Winter day in Stockholm

Cooking!

500 Days: Day 1

500 days from today it will February 23, 2016. 


I wonder what will happen in 500 days. What places will I have been to by then? What will I have seen? What will I have done?

Today, on October 11, I am sitting under a blanket in our living room. I am drinking a lemon-flavoured energy tea, feeling quite satisfied with myself and life. My boyfriend is sitting at the kitchen table, studying. The sun is shining outside and I'm getting ready for the things I want to do today: clean the bathroom, dry some chilies and feel inspired. 

Lately I have been thinking a lot about appreciation, inspiration, gratefulness, thankfulness. I have read about Ayurveda, schema therapy, mindful eating, the importance of narratives, Spanish grammar. I have started to practice tai chi. I have enjoyed the colours of autumn and visited my brother's baby daughter.

The world around me is wonderful. 

But I think we need more simplicity. And goodness. The other day there was a drunk man on the train. There was something so innocently sincere about him when he cheerfully talked to the people around him. All the sober ones looked dreadfully bored. The most beautiful thing was when he thanked the couple he had been conversing with: thanking them for their time and the half hour well spent on a good conversation. 

One of the highlights of any weekday morning is my morning walk. Fifteen minutes from the train station, through the city centre. As long as my feet don't get wet, it's a time that I cherish. A time for collecting thoughts.

After work

Before work

Last Stop Before Home: Stockholm

The stop is right outside the station building;
no other bus stops here.
People are gathering; they carry blue bags from IKEA, black garbage bags, colourful plastic bags. They pull trolleys, or push them.
The women hide their long, dark hair inside scarves - red, green, patterned, blue. Their faces are tired, teeth are missing.
They talk, they shout, they bicker and they are.
They dress in pink and yellow and orange, in any colour you can imagine. The men are more neutral, more polished, more black and white. They seem protective, but about their words coming out of their mouth, I can say nothing.
The sign at the stop reads one word only: Romania. 

Clouds Over Stockholm 20/8/2014