Friday, February 26, 2010

Friends

In addition to all the old ones, we have made a new four-legged friend. I've never been much into cats, but the cuddling crazy Mao has made me reconsider.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Stepping into an Old Pair of Shoes

We're here! In L.A. and it's G.R.E.A.T. To new readers I should probably mention that we left Los Angeles in June 2009 after three years studying and working here.

Coming back can best be described as stepping into an old and comfortable pair of shoes: Seeing familiar faces (even those you don't know personally), knowing your way around town as well as being familiar with social codes of communication make up a smooth navigation through daily activities. I guess recognizability is much more important in terms of feeling at ease in place than I have previously been aware of; and now comparing our level of "recognizability" here in LA with that of Vienna, it seems like we still have a good way to go in the land of Wienerschnitzel and Apfelstrudel. And besides, who knows maybe some places you naturally fit into more easily than others?

Alright, before I get lost in my own thoughts about resettling abroad, let me explain some of the things we have been up to after arriving. Anna, Bjarni's sister flew in from DC to spend a couple of days with us, Bjarni attended his committee meeting (which was the reason for coming back in the first place) and I was invited for a group baby-shower along with six other pregnant friends! (they're all due before me, and looked much more pregnant than me!).
It's so good to reunite with everybody again. We have the most generous friends in the world: Joyce and Kjong handed us their spare car, we have been provided with a vacant apartment and a US cell phone free of charge by other good friends, and last but not least a lot of baby presents have come our way. It's so sweet and I hope I can pass on the same kind of hospitality and generosity.
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Friday, February 12, 2010

Goodbye Snow -- Hello Sun!

We are flying back to LA on Sunday and are crazy excited to spend a little over two weeks in warmer temperatures among friends, taco stands, palm trees, and frozen yogurts. Will keep you posted...

Weather forecast: Vienna -- Los Angeles
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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Danish Visitors

In the beginning of the week three lovely guests arrived from Denmark along with candy from home, Stryhn's leverpostej (a Danish must-have spread for lunch) and one of these happy fellars. Great!
As our visits in Denmark/Iceland are always rather short, seeing old friends usually means catching up in a few hours, which never really feels like enough. Thus having Jane and Rasmus here for five days was a real treat, which allowed in-depth conversation and lots of time to watch and play with little Jeppe. Speaking of Jeppe, turns out our apartment is not quite baby-proof yet, which among other things meant the little guy had to drink from a shot glass! (picture 1)
After as much sightseeing as possible in the cold winter weather, we were treated with the Viennese speciality Sachertorte, a much talked about chocolate cake at the fancy Sacher Hotel. And fancy it was -- the cake itself probably a bit overrated though.
Tak for besøg til I tre! Det var skønt.

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