Written in October 2018 Botanical garden of Lyon. There is something special about the stillness in a garden located in the middle of the city. The trees painted yellow by autumn, being reflected in the milky turquoise water of the lake. I can sense, more than hear, the bustle of the streets behind the treesContinue reading “a botanical moment”
Tag Archives: reflections
waiting for rain
[Written on August 4th] At the cottage. The smell of lingering dust, memories of mornings in the desert. No rain for six weeks. Reading “Grief is the thing with feathers” by Max Porter. It is short, so simple – and carries the heaviest on its shoulders. Death, sudden, to be left behind. It is aContinue reading “waiting for rain”
honouring the lives not lived
Some time ago, I listened to a podcast interview with the Swedish actress Eva Röse. When I was a kid, in the Swedish version of the Mickey Mouse Club, there was Alice, Johan and Eva. Every Friday evening, my parents made me TV dinner and let me watch these lively youths present loud American cartoons,Continue reading “honouring the lives not lived”
living in the age of humans
It has been an exceptionally hot summer, dry, an extreme high-pressure system stuck, looming over our parched Nordic soils. I found it tough. Working in July, walking through the oak groves around university, seeing trees start to drop their leaves. Hearing news about the largest forest fires in Swedish recorded history, crops failing, animals havingContinue reading “living in the age of humans”
forgive us our crazy and unease
It’s been more than half a year, now, but at the hostel in Oaxaca, in the mornings before the adventurous twenty-something backpackers had woken up yet, I read. In the tiny inner courtyard, with the small mossy fountain and potted plants, there were hammocks and the black cats would walk by, stroke their sides againstContinue reading “forgive us our crazy and unease”
Oaxaca epilogue: Journeying through the mountains
The conference ended with an extravagant party, with food and mezcal and performances. And it was like everyone was floating on the wave of a successful, inspiring conference – and now, the wave broke. An extreme discharge of energy. Everyone dancing, from master students to world-renowned professors. And I will forever remember this: Dancing salsaContinue reading “Oaxaca epilogue: Journeying through the mountains”
the care in cooking
Oaxaca is famous for its cuisine. Therefore, I excitedly accepted the offer to join a cooking class together with a couple of my colleagues one day before the conference started. The classes are run by a woman whose in-laws run a bed and breakfast where my colleagues were staying, and are held in the outdoorContinue reading “the care in cooking”
cold chocolate and the inspiration of the vagabond
I found a favorite café in Oaxaca. A chocolate place, only big enough to fit three small tables and the counter, squeezed into the one storey building opposite the Santo Domingo church and walls of the ethnobotanical garden. The floors had earth-red tiles and the cold cardamom chocolate that they served was divine. I don’tContinue reading “cold chocolate and the inspiration of the vagabond”
unravelling in deathly celebrations, part 2: Día de los Muertos
Yes. Remember. I landed in Oaxaca completely shaken up by delays and jet-lags and what-if-scares. On top of a general exhaustion from being a PhD student. It wasn’t the best of circumstances. Especially to enter straight into the Día de los Muertos celebrations in Oaxaca. There are individuals on the internet who claim that OaxacaContinue reading “unravelling in deathly celebrations, part 2: Día de los Muertos”
returning
One night in Copenhagen, I met up with Rikke, a friend from when I went to school in Tanzania. I haven’t met her since 2002. Strange, but nice, to meet someone from such a long time ago. We have taken such different paths – and still being able to relate. We are really not thatContinue reading “returning”
Katja Malmborg 