Clearly recognizable, not from someone close (not close physically, although close to the heart). Thanks for the card and the candy :)

I’ve been doing a lot of things this week, but mainly I’ve reorganized my room. The mess I left before I went to Sweden was still there and with all the dust having their winter sleep in my room it was quite some work. But now I have a new life and work environment.

It helps a lot in feeling fine and being able to do some other work. Like evaluating the last half year for HKU and starting new project and work for an income here.

My new view from my desk (include a nice sky like this):

Official now, or at least, Frida can receive mail here :)

It is becoming a real ‘house’ now. Now practically every box is unpacked, things have their place. And the reward for that is definitely there, a nice place to be :) Even the guinea pigs start to feal at home.

But also the dishes (after eating tomato pies) start to pile up also. How to deal with that? The shadow side of decisions?

Be careful of what you wish for, you might get it all.

Luckily, I’m still very happy. It helps me a lot with the things I find hard in life. Growing everyday. That’s why we did this.

Click play or go to the gallery to view the photos in large.

The last weekend and the evenings around that, we – me and Frida, were moving together.

We’ve been installing new lights, packing, moving the packed boxes and placing everything in the new apartment.

But it takes more time than just that one weekend moving. Also cleaning the previous apartment, dealing with – and nervously waiting for – the rental company, and somehow, unpacking takes more time than packing.

And then come the more practical things.. A clock comes back in the apartment. How to deal with this and that? Were to place these things? How should this look? As said, moving takes more than 1 or 2 days. We’re welcoming the new adventures and conflicts :)

And things start to feel differently. The bed with the two nightstands suddenly looks like we’re a couple. Ah but wait, we are :)

And, we can now enjoy the new balcony.

On days that it actually snows the snowplows can be seen in front of my apartment three times a day.

Actually, the snow is not everywhere.. In the city they have a heating system for the sidewalks. Sometimes in the city you tend to forget that there is actually a lot of snow. You get reminded of that when the heating system is absent.. resulting in interesting pictures :)

In above video, due to numerous requests in Dutch – I hear you Maaike :) – I tell about how the Swedes don’t like winter or the snow that much as I do. They don’t like to go out when it is cold or snowing. So I have to go to other people for meetings, they won’t come to me. Not that I mind that, I like the snow :)

If it goes too fast, click pause and navigate it yourself.

It feels very good to create an own home like this. It gives a lot of rest too.. I slept well and woke up easily :)

I just need a few more things. A nightstand, a bed lamp and a table cloth. And a juicer and a kettle, which are very hard to find.

A short view of my apartment:

This evening we had the welcoming diner. They divided us into groups, we had to sit at certain places, it was an awkward situation. At my table the conversation didn’t really came to life. Most of the time – after some first introduction talks – we looked away, to other things, tables. Was it my dummy on the table? That got some conversations started though. Were we all thinking of talking to that person at the other table? Or the few empty chairs at our table which created some physical gaps? Or the lagom?

There also was a Swedish fashion show, with the royal family, miss IKEA and ABBA. Speaking of which, ABBA music was played all through the dinner :) Oh, and I got to wear a kind of ‘Jewish badge’; I got a pink paper for the (student) restaurant staff stating ‘Vegetarian’.