I can’t believe it’s already been three days since we picked up the new Eden car, packed it over night and started the long journey the following morning! It feels so good to be on the road again, not only because we’re heading HOME, but also because it’s been fourteen years now since our last [...]

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We are still in Sweden, preparing for a trip south. We are all eager to go back home (to West Africa), but while we are here, there are many beautiful places worth visiting and it’s nice enjoying snow, mist and cold for a change… There will be enough heat awaiting in Niger during hot season [...]

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Arne & Bettan’s cottage in Sweden, February 2010 Resting in Staffan & Inger’s livingroom Falkenberg, March 2010

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Yesterday afternoon, we went bowling and had a wonderful time. A simple life quality moment full of laughter and togetherness. I could not ask for more. After the past two months of pure surreal, every hour of normalcy is a luxurious treat. Full recovery will take its time, but every day brings more ups than [...]

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Every once in a while, we turn a chapter in our lives. Although we always know where we came from, we won’t always know what’s ahead. Will there be peace or stormy waters? I really can’t tell. What I do know however is that in the constant fight of good and evil, light always wins. [...]

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Smögen 2010 An old classmate of mine (from my elementary school days!) just sent me the sweetest email. She wanted to send me some encouragement in all that we were going through, and sent some beautiful pictures of Smögen, my mother’s home island. I have no memories of having experienced these parts of my roots [...]

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For us Scandinavians, Christmas Eve is the highlight of the season. It’s a family get-together, and for us Garvis in Africa, Christmas involves a merge of Swedish & Norwegian traditions, mixed with some African improvisations. I always try to have a new dress made for Christmas. Last year, Ringo made me a halterneck piece in [...]

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It is Christmas time even here in hot Africa. Miriam, Renate and the girls have been preparing diligently and just a few days ago, Miriam invited Tabita over to make a gingerbread house. First, they made gingerbread cookies, …which turned out very well! …and then there was the Gingerbread House itself, which they decorated with [...]

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Today is my grandfather’s 80th birthday (!) and my father and sister have flown to Stavanger (Norway) for the occasion. Yesterday, my dad sent me some lovely pictures from Stavanger city, which is situated on the West Coast. It’s a beautiful city that holds a lot of family history, with a street named after my [...]

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After we had been skywatching on Ven earlier that day, Anette and I had supper with Julie (owner of Sheba’s sister and aunt) and her family, in their beautiful home in Ystad. After a warm and sunny day, the sky promised a beautiful ending! The ridgebacks however were equally fascinating! Sheba would have LOVED to [...]

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Yesterday, I took a morning train to Copenhagen, to meet with two good friends – Signe & Marie – whom I haven’t met in a very long time. Twenty years pass so quickly, it’s almost unbelievable it’s been that long! It really doesn’t seem that long since we were children in Niger and going to [...]

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Sweden, Europe Niger, Africa (Copyright Eden Foundation) To see how you can help the population of the least developed area in the world achieve a sustainable life, visit Eden Foundation. For more water related posts, check out Watery Wednesday.

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I am off to my mother’s island Smögen today to share a moment with family and friends and to hold a presentation about Eden’s work in Niger to the very first Friends of Eden (dating all the way back to 1985!). Talking about Eden is one of the things I love best in Sweden, because [...]

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Yesterday, Anette and I went pre-shopping for our nine month stay in Africa, which is only five weeks away. It has been a while since I saw her, since we’ve both been busy working, but during my first month in Sweden, I took the train to Varberg twice. I love traveling when I have someone [...]

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