Sunday, September 28, 2008

Canche-news!

Not soon after I posted the infamous 'lagom' blog I got a phone call from Sweden!

Yay! my favorite German called! It was so nice to hear Gerd's voice and to find out he's still going strong in his intent to learn Spanish. So it seems this is turning out to be one of the best sundays I've ever had (only actually catching The Simpsons with Swedish subtitles would make it better).

So, great Sunday: sleeping in, great Sachs article on El Periódico, veggie lasagna (to feed my inner Garfield) and half an hour of great conversation. I miss my sweet German friend!

The Swedish connection

I am firm believer in the influence that the environment has on us. I often wonder how different my life would we if my family had stayed in the US, or if I had been born in a rural little town in Guatemala. Would I still be a sociologist? would I still have this need to be cynical, critical, sarcastic, and a little irreverent? The same also goes for my likes and dislikes... would they be the same? No one knows. I certainly don't.

And so, the lattest influence in my life comes from my brief stint in Sweden. One thing I discovered among the snow, elk and prinsesstarta was the lagom lifestyle. In one way or another, I think I have always strived for balance. However, I never realized how easy it could be until I experienced the quiet, full life that most Swedes enjoy. 

Because of lagom, I am now trying to balance having an active and fulfilling work life and a full, satisfactory private life. I might be stumbling a little bit, but I have to say that turning off the computer at a set time, having time for friends, family and myself has been a great treat. I think that for the first time in my life I can actually say that I know myself and understand more about me as a scientist, a person and a friend than ever before. 

So I will go back to enjoying a work-free Sunday, secure in the knowledge that I am a better person for that. As a note, my next big Swedish import is going to be the fika. Stay tuned for kladdkaka and fun, coming soon!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Onomatopeya

De acuerdo con mi amigo Alejandro, la palabra onomatopeya no tiene un significado tanto como que representa un sonido. Suena raro, pero lo que realmente quiere decir es que 'kikiriki' es la onomatopeya de gallo, 'muuuu' la onomatopeya de vaca y 'guau' la del perro (o eso entendí de todo el asunto).

Pensando en eso, y en los maravillosos hombres chapines, resulta que la onomatopeya del hombre guatemalteco para siendo 'cht, rica'...

vaya, eso sí que es orgullo nacional.

No, I did not drop out

For those of you who thought the worse: No, I did not drop out. Yes, I am still in grad school. And yes, I am still writing more on my blog than on my thesis. I just decided to change the address: my PhD(c) blog can now be found at ba2phd.blogspot.com

I decided to stay true to my 'patojacolocha' essence and have my regular blog here, which at my whim, might be written in English, Spanish or really bad Swedish...