Tagged: americanabroad

04
Sep
2007

COME ON AND ZOOM, ZOOM

Even when I have an evening when I “don’t have anything to do,” I can suddenly realize that it’s 9:41 p.m. and where in the hell did my evening GO?! Out the bloody window, apparently. At Weightwatchers after work I managed a pleased, if slightly pained smile, at the revelation that I lost 4 hectograms this past week. All summer long I have been struggling with the same damn kilo. It will NOT GET OFF OF ME. It’s like everyone’s nightmare small-child tantrum, clinging with a pincer grip around your legs (or in this case, your hips) and shrieking NO...

30
Jun
2007

OH SAY CAN YOU SEE

Here in Sweden, next Wednesday is just another work day. The majority of people with whom I spend my time every day don’t know or care that the 4th of July has any special meaning. Considering that the Swedish national day is a latecomer and had nothing to do with winning independence from anyone, it’s not really surprising that national feeling doesn’t run particularly deep for a patriotic holiday. In fact, there are other countries nearby who actually celebrate THEIR national holidays on the day they gained independence from SWEDEN. I don’t know how it is for the rest of...

26
Apr
2007

AT HOME WHEREVER I FIND MYSELF

Tomorrow it’s time to return. Back to real life (and my hair’s evil twin Barky). Back to family and work and routines and the life that fulfills me and makes me who I am. Back to “home,” though I’ve long since given up being able to define “home” with a specific location. Home is where the heart is, they say, but my heart is all over the place. What an unexpected and welcome treat a month in the States has been. After 3 years away, it was all new again and big and overwhelming and bogglingly expensive and full of...

18
Apr
2007

PRESERVING RANDOMNESS

Even though we are “in Boston,” we are technically about 45 minutes north of the city, and so far what I have seen of Boston is limited to the skyline at dusk and the airport. We plan to meet up with e11en on Sunday downtown so we will be able to finally see something OF Boston. We would have gone some evening this week to see something of Boston, but hello horrible weather, we’ve been living through a real live nor’easter here and it’s been raining cats and dogs all week. Feels just like home, though my children informed me...

06
Apr
2007

HAPPY HAPPY

The air here smells right, the water here tastes right. My body remembers Michigan. There are red-breasted robins and grey squirrels and black squirrels in the yard. There are 2 pairs of cardinals flitting around. There are deer walking through the woods…the snowy woods. We have been shopping 4 of the 5 days we have been here, for clothes, for books, for CDs, for food, for STUFF. We have been to a hockey game and our presence meant that the Detroit Redwings won 3-0 (we have the Magic Power). We’ve had our pictures taken and we’ve been up at 4...

31
Mar
2007

GETTING READY

laundry – 3 loads 2 loads 1 load send final translation project scrape tank and change water in aquarium clean bathtub drain empty wastepaper baskets water plants buy last present collect cameras – batteries – cards select activity books for kids fill kids’ backpacks pick up kid’s department dust and vacuum house go for a walk in the spring sunshine, buy pansies at the nursery, clean up the front garden beds and plant them in pots empty fridge set timers put “ingen reklam” sticker on mailbox call farmor and farfar with flight info check michigan weather online one more time...

27
Mar
2007

WHEN IT WORKS

Now THAT’S what a women’s club meeting SHOULD be like. Electric atmosphere, pleasure in seeing friends and smiling new faces, a record attendance turn-out. An inspiring and interesting guest speaker talking on a subject we could all relate to (intercultural relations and how to find your way as an expat), people coming up with ideas, people volunteering for things, people laughing in good spirits, a high-pitched hum of chatter after the official meeting ended and a record-setting profit at the media sale. I bought a game (Lingo…ever heard of it? Ever played it? Is it any fun??) a book of...

15
Feb
2007

THIS THAT AND THE OTHER

Another Reason to Love Sweden: Today I went again to the pharmacy, to pick up the prescription I had dropped off on Tuesday. They had sold out of the medicine I needed that day so I had to come back. Because I had requested to fill the last 2 months of the prescription (normally, they only let you fill one at a time) due to the trip to the U.S., I had to show my travel itinerary as proof that I was actually going to be out of the country and therefore unable to wait. I had another reason for...

13
Feb
2007

NOT GIVING PEAS A CHANCE

Why I Love the AWC: Because I can send out an email to the 123 members asking if there is anyone who would like to take 2 cans of Campbell’s Green Pea (shudder) soup off my hands and 5 minutes later get not one, but 2 responses that yes indeed, there ARE people out there that would be happy to have them. (update: FOURTEEN FIFTEEN people have responded so far) One of my colleagues was in New York last week, and while emailing about work, he offered to bring me back something…I asked about my disappearing shampoo, but he couldn’t...

08
Feb
2007

BURNING A HOLE IN MY POCKET

One thing that seems to define most expats that I’ve met is their craving for things from home that they can no longer get, and the strongest feelings alway seem to be engendered by candy. jes6ica wrote a post earlier about childhood desserts and sweets that she missed and it got me thinking about it again. It’s always been amusing to me that if you put any group of expats together, after a while the conversation will inevitably turn to food and suddenly people are moaning longingly about Pop-Tarts and Tim Tams and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Here in Sweden,...