annis

Walking. My face is whipped by sharp icicles falling fast from the black sky. Tiny, perfect formations of frozen water particles, each and every one of them unique, supposedly. I can't tell, they all sting the same as they crash into my cold cheeks. I'm wondering why I'm doing this to myself. “Sure you want to go for a walk in this?” ask Ingemar as I exit the car. “Oh, but the warmth of our fireplace will be even better after I've been outside!” I answer with the cockiness of a person whose feet are still dry and cozy. Good thought in theory, and one I'm eating as I'm walking in the hostile snow that doesn't fall so much as attacks me sideways. I'm half regretting my outdoor initiative, but then I see a horse standing ... read more

The ubiquitous and equally mysterious authority that we commonly refer to as “they” claim everything bad brings something good with it, and generally I'm with them. But then there are times when the positive effects of a situation are so hard to spot that one almost loses faith in the adage, and not surprisingly my deportation - still fresh in my memory - springs to mind as the perfect example of such occasion. It was pretty damn hard to grasp just how that particular personal catastrophe would turn out to be beneficial to me. However, even during that now famous border control debacle, I managed to find positive elements in my new position just minutes after I had been handed the dismal verdict from Anna the Interviewer. Once I had established what solid advantages were to ... read more

I’ve really, really missed writing this blog. Really. Recap of the last 4-5 months: Back in March, when I had to return to Sweden for a month because my Australian Work Visa ran out, Life asked me to rethink my home country as a possible habitat. Considering how things turned out, that’s quite ironic. Or brutal, depending on how you see it. To convince me moving back home would be fabulous, Life threw the most compelling argument she had at me; Scandinavian sunshine. To an outsider it might be hard (if at all possible) to understand how extraordinary this is, but being something of a rarity to us Swedes, we happily relish in the slightest bit of warmth, and feel strangely privileged when the weather is good. And Swedish spring really is something else. The air ... read more

Due to perfectly crisp and sunny spring weather in Flagstaff while Santa Cruz suffered overcast and rain for several days in a row, I extended my Arizona days a fair bit. I had intended to spend only one night in Flag (my backpack with one change of clothes confirming this original idea), which would be just enough time to collect my stuff and turn around, but by the time I eventually left it had been 10 days. By now I had secured my spot in the house as an ever welcomed guest by making a Swedish pancake breakkie for everyone, and I had enjoyed Flagstaff to its fullest; a couple of nights out dancing, hiking in Sedona, and during my last weekend I even made an overnight hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. When ... read more

On Jan 31 I walk up to the Qantas check-in counter with one large and one small backpack. The woman behind the counter has long, blonde hair and clumpy mascara, and judging from the way she greets me I’m guessing she’s had a long day already. She prompts me for my passport, and when I hand it to her she flips through it hastily and asks me where the documentation for my flight out of the States is. My brain goes numb and I feel a bit of panic setting in. “I beg your pardon?” She repeats that she needs to see a printout of my ticket out of the US. How come I’ve never run into this problem before? I think to myself. It’s not like this is my first time flying to the States, ... read more