After all the worries and problems in Guatemala, and before I start stressing about turning my fieldwork into a thesis, I decided to come visit my boyfriend in London. It's been a great week so far, and time has gone by really fast with all the gap-minding in the tube and looking tot he 'wrong' side of the street before crossing it.
The days have been really nice: not that much cold and hardly any rain. I also got a bit of sunshine for my birthday, and got to welcome my 29th year of existence with a whole day at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Magnus has gone with me to so many amazing places and even though he has to do his fieldwork, I know he's taken extra time off to be with me :)
Today, I took the day off from London and decided to catch up on a little work. The day is clear and sitting in the sun with my computer is so nice that I haven't managed to work that much anyways!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Leaving on a jet plane!
And I'm not sure when I'll be back again.
I've always left Guatemala knowing when I'm due to return. I've also never been away from home more than four or five months at a time. However, 2010 looks like a heavy travel year and I'm not sure if I'll even make it home before 2011.
I feel bittersweet about that not coming home for so long. On the one hand, I have my internship, my papers to finish (and a mid-term seminar to be had), two little vacations with Magnus, and so much work ahead that I can't help but be excited. On the other, I won't have my mom around. Today is the last time I'll stuff myself with her perfectly made rice in a long time (and then my friends Alison and Gerd will have to pick up the rice-slack as I usually refuse to even try to make it). I won't be hangin' out with my youngest brother anymore and my sis will finally have some rest after 10 weeks of goofing off with her... and I won't have my puppy around anymore! I think I will miss her so much (and she is very anti-Skype, so that will not be happening as much as I would like).
I know its already mid-March, but I can't help but feel like my year is just beginning... and also like I have to leave a lot behind to do all the stuff I need to do before 2011 comes around to knock!
I've always left Guatemala knowing when I'm due to return. I've also never been away from home more than four or five months at a time. However, 2010 looks like a heavy travel year and I'm not sure if I'll even make it home before 2011.
I feel bittersweet about that not coming home for so long. On the one hand, I have my internship, my papers to finish (and a mid-term seminar to be had), two little vacations with Magnus, and so much work ahead that I can't help but be excited. On the other, I won't have my mom around. Today is the last time I'll stuff myself with her perfectly made rice in a long time (and then my friends Alison and Gerd will have to pick up the rice-slack as I usually refuse to even try to make it). I won't be hangin' out with my youngest brother anymore and my sis will finally have some rest after 10 weeks of goofing off with her... and I won't have my puppy around anymore! I think I will miss her so much (and she is very anti-Skype, so that will not be happening as much as I would like).
I know its already mid-March, but I can't help but feel like my year is just beginning... and also like I have to leave a lot behind to do all the stuff I need to do before 2011 comes around to knock!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Four days
Its only a few days until I have to grab my suitcases and travel half-way around the world...again. I've been in Guatemala for about ten weeks and it has been quite an interesting ride. However, I am really ready for a change. I miss being in Europe and riding my bike, but most of all, I miss my boyfriend. It's been really hard to be apart for this long.
On being in Guatemala:
Being 'back home' has been a strange experience. It doesn't feel like home anymore. My family is here, but most of my friends have moved away. My house got taken over by my roommate's decorating sense (which is not necessarily a good thing) and I already moved the stuff I won't be carrying with me to Sweden to my parents' house.
Traffic has been something awful, and the ever-pending fear of being mugged seems to have escalated (whether the violence here is really higher or people are more hysterical about it, I don't know... but it sure stuck with me) to epic proportions. On the other hand, I got to spend 10 weeks in shorts and sun dresses and sandals, a luxury I could have afforded for myself in the north of Sweden (nor in Bergen, where Magnus lives).
I also have to say I missed my mom's rice. Having it almost every day has to be the highlight of my trip here.
On packing:
I hate packing. I don't know why I take so much stuff with me. I keep thinking I will only take a few things but then my suitcase is almost at the 'Mam, we'll have to charge you extra' level. To avoid this, I made a 'draft' (or several ones) of my suitcase but its still too big. I will have to go through it again tomorrow and take out half the stuff. I know I can do it, but leaving behind a pretty dress or a shirt I've had forever is hard :)
On leaving:
Honestly, I can't wait to go! Not because of school, certainly not because of my thesis (that I can always cry over later). I can't wait to go to London and spend two weeks walking around the city with my boyfriend. I plan on spending my 29th birthday 'in town' and I'm so excited to go and celebrate with him!
So...
In conclusion I feel like my time here is up, and I'm happy its only a couple of days until I have to make myself squeeze into my coach travel arrangements and walk off T5 at Heathrow and see Magnus waiting for me!
On being in Guatemala:
Being 'back home' has been a strange experience. It doesn't feel like home anymore. My family is here, but most of my friends have moved away. My house got taken over by my roommate's decorating sense (which is not necessarily a good thing) and I already moved the stuff I won't be carrying with me to Sweden to my parents' house.
Traffic has been something awful, and the ever-pending fear of being mugged seems to have escalated (whether the violence here is really higher or people are more hysterical about it, I don't know... but it sure stuck with me) to epic proportions. On the other hand, I got to spend 10 weeks in shorts and sun dresses and sandals, a luxury I could have afforded for myself in the north of Sweden (nor in Bergen, where Magnus lives).
I also have to say I missed my mom's rice. Having it almost every day has to be the highlight of my trip here.
On packing:
I hate packing. I don't know why I take so much stuff with me. I keep thinking I will only take a few things but then my suitcase is almost at the 'Mam, we'll have to charge you extra' level. To avoid this, I made a 'draft' (or several ones) of my suitcase but its still too big. I will have to go through it again tomorrow and take out half the stuff. I know I can do it, but leaving behind a pretty dress or a shirt I've had forever is hard :)
On leaving:
Honestly, I can't wait to go! Not because of school, certainly not because of my thesis (that I can always cry over later). I can't wait to go to London and spend two weeks walking around the city with my boyfriend. I plan on spending my 29th birthday 'in town' and I'm so excited to go and celebrate with him!
So...
In conclusion I feel like my time here is up, and I'm happy its only a couple of days until I have to make myself squeeze into my coach travel arrangements and walk off T5 at Heathrow and see Magnus waiting for me!
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