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!

Older (and the jury's still out on 'wiser')

I have always loved my birthdays. I think its because I've faced some 'health-drama' in my life... but even before that. It might be because I've always looked forward to being older, to have gone 'round the sun once more. I also like the by-products of being older: I understand myself better, I think I understand others more and I appreciate the people that I love and that love me back more.

Since turning 27 I have realized just how important friends and family are. I have amazing friends that love me, care about me and make me feel like I am not alone in this world. I think this is the year that I finally understood what it is like to be alone and how lucky I am to have so many friends and family around me. I have a great family that always makes me laugh and it is because of them that I can say that I truly like what and who I am.

I still don't know how I feel about being 28. Being 25 was fun, 26 felt very grown-up and 27 turned into a year that showed me that I was reaping the benefists of my past in my efforts in school, my work and life wise.

And while I'm still scared of the future, have insecurities, and fights, and problems, and 'issues' like everyone else, today I kind of feel like its more than OK to have them. So my conclusion is that turning 28 is just like turning 18 but with a little extra bump -and some gray hairs.