home alone and feeling at home

Bjarni had a meeting at Oxford University and left for UK over the weekend, and so it was the first time for the rest of us to be home alone in Cambridge. I know many expats are in work situations that require a lot of traveling, but I always find staying back a bit stressful, especially the first few times in a new place and even more so with a little one, who all kinds of things can happen to (yeah, my imagination never fails...). I know it's not much different than if we were two, and I know that most likely nothing is going to happen, but nevertheless I need to know exactly what to do or who to contact in case it's needed: If I lock myself out, if Silja hurts herself and needs to be checked, or if one of us needs to see a doctor after opening hours -- those kinds of situations. Having tried it before I know that I can relax with it if I make a list with all sorts of practical information and phone numbers, which I can pull out in case I need it. And luckily I didn't. However over those couple of days I realized that I've started to feel more and more at home right here. We kept running into people that we now know; at the  playground, on the streets, and in the library, and having this sort of familiarity with people, is so great. So much so that I don't think I'm interested in leaving this neighborhood, to start all over again, when we move to another apartment in September.
Now Bjarni is back. Back to play hide and seek with Silja, who runs to hide by covering her eyes. Although I can totally manage Cambridge and Boston alone, it's very good to have him back!

Oversæt til dansk

rhode island

Bjarni's lab were going on a retreat last weekend, and family members were invited to tag along. So off we went Friday afternoon in a big old rental Ford (one of those, where there's an extra seat in the front between the driver's and passenger's seat), driving south through Providence and arriving at a big house by beach in Rhode Island, Massachusetts neighbor state. The house boasted one of those huge American fridges with ice cubes coming out of a dispenser and God Bless light switch covers. Oh, the charm! I like those little so-very-American details. Coming from Europe, there are so many things that works and are more or less the same here. Still it's all the little details that makes a world of difference.

Oversæt til dansk 

exploring

A morning trip to one of the parks by Fresh Pond. After seven minutes of sitting still, Silja says her usual "baba, bless, 'vel" (bye in Austrian German, Icelandic, Danish), turns around to wave and then wanders off. When we ask her where she's going, the answer is always the same: the playground. And we usually need to run to catch her, because she keeps walking looking for a playground, talking to ants, stomping in puddles (not always with rain boots on), or walking up and staring at people. I guess there is just so much to explore when you are almost two...

Oversæt til dansk

harvard commencement

Today was the big commencement ceremony at Harvard. We pass through the campus area more or less daily, and have followed the raising of tents, flags and hundreds and hundreds of chairs throughout the area over the last week. Coming from Denmark where graduation ceremonies are not such a huge deal, I really like how it's celebrated here. I like the graduation outfits (which we don't have), and with the two universities we've been affiliated with, I love the international feel because there are people from near and far coming to celebrate, talking so many languages and dressed up in such different ways.
Unlike USC the area was closed off for the public in morning, but we passed through later in the day. In general Harvard seems a lot more restrictive towards people not affiliated with the university; you need an ID to go anywhere and do anything. Fortunately they do have very good support and opportunities for the family members of staff, so I'm not complaining.

Oversæt til dansk

cambridge and beyond

I'm taking lots of pictures, but am slow with getting them posted (blame it on American cable TV... It's a wormhole!). After a lot of rain the weather turned around this weekend, and we rented a car and went to the beach up north. It was crowded, but it was goood! I hope you had a sunny weekend too.

Oversæt til dansk

settling into new routines

While Bjarni is busy with a new job, the rest of us are also settling into new routines. Back in Vienna Silja was in day care, where her best little friends were Sophia and Jorli. When not with us, she was hanging out with the same nine kids every day, and she was well taken care of by Sandra, Brigitta and Marianne. I was working on my studies, and meeting fellow study mates for lunch or coffees dates in between classes or in the end the thesis writing.
Now we getting used to very cosy but also quite different routines. Together. We are rarely in a rush in the morning. We sometimes head to cafes for coffee/milk and to split a bagel with cream cheese, and we scout around for fun activities in the area, where we can play and talk to other kids and parents. So far we have joined sing alongs (and I'm getting the hang of American kids' songs: And Bingo was his name-o, shake your sillies out...), and toddler play groups for the Harvard community. There are so much available for a duo like us, so it's just a matter of finding what fits our mood and schedule, and getting the consistency of routines as well as the people we meet.
At least until my work permit is sorted out, we will continue like this. Right now I feel very confused about what I want to do after. I don't even have an overview of what is in fact possible (I'm working on it, but it takes time). I have to admit though that having the time to do what I do now, feels like such a luxury and if I'm able to balance it out with some time that nurtures my professional interests, well then I might as well grab the chance, and enjoy hanging out with my kid and watch her grow and develop, because I know it will be a time-limited thing.
Anyway, all this comes with lots of thoughts and considerations that needs more time to settle, but perhaps I'm able to share more later on? Till I'll know more I'm doing my best to enjoy the toasted cream cheese bagels, the library singing and my happy little sidekick.
Oversæt til dansk

coffee, hula hoop and new friends

The highlights of the past weekend included finding a great coffee place/speciality store nearby and having new friends over for dinner. One of the big challenges of moving to a new place is building up a new network from scratch, so being able to have people over after less than a month here.. well that just feels great! Little Leon, who's also half Icelandic, and Silja are new best friends. 

Obviously establishing a well-grounded network takes time, and we basically just arrived, but we're off to a flying start on that area, and that is such a GOOD way to begin this stay.

Oversæt til dansk