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recent
I'm just about to take off for Norway and then down to Belgium to meet a friend from my school days in Kyushu Japan (eight years ago... dang!). I'm excited about going, despite the anxiety I feel leaving my thesis group and work just when things are about to get rolling, but I will have some time to do some "deep thinking" about it, and part of my thesis requires me to take a much closer look at my own life than I have been up until now. This, of course, is something that I can do no matter where I am.
I am afraid though that it will be the most discouraging thing I do all year. Is it just coincidence that I am flying around Europe at the very time I am about to take a good hard look at my own "vision" and values? Is this a sign that I can't seem to recognize that I can live a complete and fulfilled life without compromising the life of any children I may have someday... just to save a few hours of travel time?
I had hoped to keep my feet on the ground for the entire trip, but it was not to be. Timing issues caused us to cave, and we will be flying too much... dipping into our carbon allowance for the next few years. It's strange and discouraging that flying is actually so much cheaper than taking the train. It just makes it that much more difficult to be strong willed. And if I who am constantly thinking about this, can't even recognize that I could be just as happy without flying around the world, what hope is there that others will?
Anyway, we will hop on a train to Oslo tomorrow, then a night train to Bergen, where we will arrive Saturday morning. From there we take a few days to work our way back to Oslo. Hopefully there will be much cross-country and downhill skiing along the way (thinking to stop at Voss for the downhill portion). From Oslo we fly to Brussels where we spend a few days drinking Belgian beer, and then fly to Malmo to see my sister before catching the train back to Karlskrona.
To those of you who have volunteered to be thesis guinea pigs, I thank you and I will be getting back to you with some more substantial information when I return.
The photos above are from back in Connecticut.
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