Ahhhhhhhhh the light!
What a difference a one hour time change can make. It feels so much like Spring since this happened. Our time change was on March 30th. With that we changed Rowan's bedtime and wow, he is waking at a decent hour now. Amazing! So, we are feeling like more rested and sane parents.
Not much to report on the job search front. Rob and I have a good contingency plan if he has not found a great job by the end of the summer, so we both are feeling good about this. We are planning to remain in Sweden for at least a month and travel to the north, into the archipelago, and along the Gota Canal. We will probably not be able to do all of this, but we will see. Our wonderful tenant, Jillian, will be moving to Portland for a job transfer (congratulations Jillian!) over the summer. So, we are lucky that we can then move back to our little house in Eugene for as long as we need. So, that seems to be working out well.
We are going to Sardinia, Italy in the next week for a week (that is a mouthful). The forecast says warm and sunny. So, we are psyched. Here are some pixs of the beaches there:
http://www.sardegna.com/code/photo_gallery/photo_gallery_2/MACRO_SEZIONE/3/COMUNE/0/LOCALITA/0/ALTRO/0/MICRO_SEZIONE/15/LINGUA/EN
We are feeling very lucky to be together as a family and have enjoyed our time here so much. I have to say, sometimes the less conventional decisions in life really are the best. What do they say about the road less traveled....
So, as you can see, Rob and I are beginning to feel very nostalgic about leaving. We keep looking at pictures of Rowan and Saniya when we first arrived. We are starting to talk about how it will be different in the U.S. and what changes we might expect. One thing Rob and I discussed was the portion sizes at restaurants. When we returned from Africa in 1999, that was a big thing for us. Rob and I would go out and share one meal because we were not used to it. We were saying that we will probably feel the same way this time as well. Who knows.
But, things I will miss in Sweden are: their polite aloofness, honesty, blond hair everywhere, no graffiti or odd characters on public transport, a total lack of fear about anything regarding our kids and their safety, great museums with play areas, free and competent childcare, six weeks a year of vacation, and (of course) great travel to other parts of Europe. It is like a little island of humanity here. This is not to say that these characteristics are not in other places, it is just very dominant here and can be sustained because of their size and cohesiveness as a culture. It does feel like one of the best places on earth to raise children. We are glad we were able to get a glimpse.
We will check in when we return from Italy with some good pixs. Happy Spring!
Yasmiene
Not much to report on the job search front. Rob and I have a good contingency plan if he has not found a great job by the end of the summer, so we both are feeling good about this. We are planning to remain in Sweden for at least a month and travel to the north, into the archipelago, and along the Gota Canal. We will probably not be able to do all of this, but we will see. Our wonderful tenant, Jillian, will be moving to Portland for a job transfer (congratulations Jillian!) over the summer. So, we are lucky that we can then move back to our little house in Eugene for as long as we need. So, that seems to be working out well.
We are going to Sardinia, Italy in the next week for a week (that is a mouthful). The forecast says warm and sunny. So, we are psyched. Here are some pixs of the beaches there:
http://www.sardegna.com/code/photo_gallery/photo_gallery_2/MACRO_SEZIONE/3/COMUNE/0/LOCALITA/0/ALTRO/0/MICRO_SEZIONE/15/LINGUA/EN
We are feeling very lucky to be together as a family and have enjoyed our time here so much. I have to say, sometimes the less conventional decisions in life really are the best. What do they say about the road less traveled....
So, as you can see, Rob and I are beginning to feel very nostalgic about leaving. We keep looking at pictures of Rowan and Saniya when we first arrived. We are starting to talk about how it will be different in the U.S. and what changes we might expect. One thing Rob and I discussed was the portion sizes at restaurants. When we returned from Africa in 1999, that was a big thing for us. Rob and I would go out and share one meal because we were not used to it. We were saying that we will probably feel the same way this time as well. Who knows.
But, things I will miss in Sweden are: their polite aloofness, honesty, blond hair everywhere, no graffiti or odd characters on public transport, a total lack of fear about anything regarding our kids and their safety, great museums with play areas, free and competent childcare, six weeks a year of vacation, and (of course) great travel to other parts of Europe. It is like a little island of humanity here. This is not to say that these characteristics are not in other places, it is just very dominant here and can be sustained because of their size and cohesiveness as a culture. It does feel like one of the best places on earth to raise children. We are glad we were able to get a glimpse.
We will check in when we return from Italy with some good pixs. Happy Spring!
Yasmiene
posted by Yaz and Rob at 1:41 PM
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