Believing in elves

Throughout my years of living abroad I've had many discussions about cultures and traditions. By this time, there are few questions about Icelandic culture that I haven't heard or don´t know how to respond to. However, there's one recurring question that I've never quite known how to answer properly.

Do you believe in elves?

Now, I've never really known what to say to that. My answer has never been no. But a simple yes doesn't quite cut it because if you tell people that yes, you are a highly educated and rationally thinking adult who really does believe in magical people living in rocks, it usually requires some follow-up explanations and proof that a) you're not on drugs or  b) you don't suffer from illusions caused by mental illness.

I've always found this follow-up part to be a bit tricky and I'm very sure that I'm not the only person I know who feels that way. But I think I've finally managed to put my belief into words, something that makes sense and proves to me that my belief is actually pretty rational (or at least as rational as I can make it).

First, if you don't know much about elves, here's a little crash course with the basics:

Elves are also known as huldufólk or hidden people. They mostly live in rocks but are also known to live in cliffs and hills. Their homes have played a large role in Icelandic culture for the past centuries as elf dwellings should not be disturbed or damaged in any way. Why? Because even though elves are fascinating and beautiful creatures and can prove very helpful at the times of need, they are also known for their severe temper if angered or betrayed. Icelandic folklore has countless accounts of individuals who came across elves and made promises they couldn't keep or angered elves in others way. What would happen to these people? They would, and in some instances even their descendants, be cursed and suffer from severe losses, insanity, or even death. Now don't get me wrong. We like elves, a lot. We truly do. They're just not to be angered, that's it (When I think about it this sort of seems like a really weird case of codependency).

There have been several instances of altered construction works in Iceland throughout the years just because of elves. Plans have either been altered to avoid disturbing large rocks believed to be elf dwellings (Preventive measures = lets be really careful not to make them mad) or halted, and eventually changed, due to sudden and repeated equipment malfunction believed to be caused by elves (Reactive measures = that's it, they're pissed. Let's pack up).

So, do I believe this?

Here's the thing. Yes, I believe in elves but my belief is more of a matter of symbolism. There are three things I see in elves.

Beauty

Power

Respect

And to me these three words crystallize nature.

Nature, just like elves, is incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing. It can steal your breath, give you energy you didn't know you possessed and make you forget all your troubles for a while.  Secondly, it's a matter of power. Just like elves, nature is incredibly powerful, something which becomes rather evident when living on a windy, volcanic rock in the middle of the North-Atlantic, a place where nature either makes or breaks you. But the most important aspect of it all is that just like elves, nature, with all its beauty and power, should be respected. Fail to respect nature and the consequences will be dire, not only for you, but - yeah you guessed it - your descendants as well. 

There you have it, my two cents on elves. 

They kinda make sense now, right? 

xx

E 

Monday morning

This week is going to be busy and I'm gonna make it a good one as well.

Why?

Because happy leads to productive.

It's time to show this thesis who's boss.

xx

E

book nook

Besides the previously mentioned indoor hammock my dream house has another essential item, a little reading nook. 

Ideally it would be a small and cozy space with soft seating and plenty of space for pillows and a blanket. It would also have to include some sort of shelves where I could keep books along with an occasional cup of tea and some cookies.

It would be a space where no phones or computers were allowed. The nook would serve as a little escape from daily life and buzzing technology, a little escape where I could relax, forget about time and space, and allow my mind to enjoy the awesomeness of books. 

a little corner with only one purpose

pillows, pillows and more pillows

A bench like this would be a dream

If this one were in my house I'd tuck away in there on every cold winter night

Now next on the list following the reading nook is a beautiful private library. 

How amazing that would be. 

I will leave those speculations for a post of their own though.

xx

E

Wanting spring.

Please don't let the sunshine and, the seemingly exotic, 10° weather that's been here for the past couple of days be a mean joke. Instead just keep up the good work and do even better by bumping up the temperature a tiny bit, I'd like to give my winter coat a rest now.

Snälla.

xx

E

Study Saturday

Here's the thing I've figured out when it comes to thesis writing. 

There comes a point where you see everything clearly and things look pretty straight forward.  It's sort of a magical point. At that moment you're more or less confident that the thesis will get done on time and, additionally, it actually might make a bit of sense.

Then there are other moments when what seemed so clear to you turns into a blurry mess and a little bit of panic starts creeping up your stomach. These moments might include you starting to question your choice of method or the quality of your data. You might look at the calendar and realize that somehow the deadline all of a sudden looks way closer than you thought it would, calling for a slightly panicked restructuring of your schedule. You might just look at your computer screen and the only thing that comes to mind is I have no idea what I'm doing. You start debating with yourself whether it's better for you to wake up early and study or sleep in and work late. You seriously consider to finally start forcing your taste buds to like coffee, just for all the caffeine you're missing out on. You become sort of sure that writing this thing will be the end of your mental health.

And then there are some days when laziness and procrastination take over, and any motivation you thought you might have has all of a sudden fled the building.

Well, for all these moments, it's good to listen to the study bunny. 

Study bunny knows best.

Yes bunny, me too

xx

E

My little escape

Sometimes when I need to take a little break from the things I'm doing (these days "things" mostly refer to thesis writing) I  like to grab my camera and take pictures of random things or places. I find it to be a nice way to relax a bit.

It's a bit cold outside so tonight I decided to stay inside and try to catch my room on camera (by clicking on the photos, you get a larger display)

Living in a small student room means that it's a bit hard to divide the living space into areas. I decided to hang up an old lace curtain in order to separate the entrance from the rest of the room, it's not much but it sort of works.

My Game of Thrones calendar proudly on display. Yeah, I'm a terrible sucker for both the books and the show.

My front door is magnetic so it's almost completely covered with pictures. This little message is there to send me out into the day in a good way. 

The room is not big and being rented I can't put up any hooks. That's why I'm really glad about these knobs above my bed, they make storing things slightly easier.

A part of my desk and the string lights that literally hang all around my room. It's amazing what one string with 100 clear bulbs can do for a little room.

Yeah, that's about it. My little Swedish home.

My little Friday night snack also got captured in a few photos. Strawberries and blueberries dipped in 70% chocolate and coconut flakes. Followed by one cold beer.

Sweet, sweet Friday

xx

Eva

Friday!

I hope you have a good weekend!

 In fact I hope your weekend will be just as exciting as this little fella is about his spaghetti

In my case the weekend sort of gets cancelled until Sunday, then I'm off to a five day vacation!

xx
E

Being positive

I'm a strong believer in the power of positive attitude. I try to look at the bright sides of everything and it's for a pretty simple reason: it makes me feel better and I feel that it gets me further than having a negative outlook on life. 

Of course, like everyone else, I can have my bad days every now and then and that's alright. It´s not about  being a complete Pollyanna and not recognizing the existence of any negative happenings. Instead, whenever frustration hits me I make an effort to not linger in a negative attitude toward people and things. Usually I ask myself:

Is it worth it to hold a grudge because of this?

Is this worth being angry about? 

or Come on Eva, is this really the end of the world? 

The answer to this question hardly ever a yes. Why? Because to me holding on to hatred and other negative feelings is one of the worst waste of resources that I can think of. It gives you absolutely nothing constructive back while taking so much of your energy and time, it's absolutely useless.  

For me it comes down to acknowledging both the positive and negative things that happen to you and make an effort not to let the negative ones take over. It might not always be the easiest path but for me it's by far the most rewarding one.

Happy International Day of Happiness!

xx

E

little treats

Sometimes little treats are in order

chocolate muffins without any white sugar and flour

instead there's oatmeal, sugar-free applesauce, Greek yogurt and 70% chocolate

best enjoyed with a glass of ice cold milk

ommnommnomm

the recipe can be found here

xx

E

Anywhere in the world

Tonight I had an interesting discussion with some of my kitchen mates (I live in a student housing where I share a kitchen with other students). The question was asked: If you could be from any place in the world, what would it be?

Some countries got mentioned but when the turn came to me I didn't hesitate. Unlike the others I said I wouldn't change a thing, Iceland it is. The reason is simply that despite having lived in four other countries nothing comes close to beating home, even though I've really enjoyed my time in all of the places I've been. 

There's just something about it. The nature is truly one of a kind and I'll be the first to admit that I didn't appreciate its true beauty until I spent time away from it all. Only then was the first time that I saw the uniqueness about it.

Not only is the nature beautiful but you can also really grasp the power of it. That power is something that I haven't felt to as much extent in most other places. Maybe the emotional connection I have towards the country enhances that sense of natural power.  However I think the most deciding factor for me is the fact that you only needs to take a short walk outside of town to see clear examples of nature's power, such as lava rocks or strong ocean waves. 

That's how near the nature is. The nature is there, it's constantly present and constantly reminding you of itself, whether it's through stormy weather, northern lights or volcanic ashes settling down on your windowsill. 

Of course nobody's perfect, Iceland still has issues that need to be addressed whether they are economic, political or social.  When taken into a larger perspective these issues however become minor and to me mostly serve as a reminder of the privilege of being born in a safe and healthy environment.

The nature, the location, the size of the population, the language, the culture, the history. In my view all these things create some sort of quirkiness that makes it a privilege to be able to say this is where I'm from. To me this quirkiness gets confirmed in the reaction of almost every single person who asks me where I'm from. The reactions describe some fascination with a country that is so close but still so far away.

I'm a lucky one for being able to call this place my home and hopefully it won't be too long until I get to visit it again.

xx

E 

game of thrones fan treat

since I am a huge Game of Thrones nerd stumbling upon this sugar sweet peeps reenactment of the first season at Epicurious was priceless! 

I love this!

thanks for making my day, epicurious staff! 

xx

eva

:)

a few pics from the last days

now it's back to the books!

xx

eva

tiny words of advice

Do more of what makes you happy.

for me that for example includes

playing cards

I'm a sucker for cards and board games making game nights one of my favorite ways to spend time with friends.

reading

currently it's the game of thrones series, they're absolutely amazing!

watching penguins

my favorite animals, they're dorky but cute at the same time.. and it's even possible to visit them for free here in Gothenburg

one of my goals in life is not to forget enjoying the little things in life despite how busy times can get.. and of all the goals I set myself, I'm pretty much sure it is my favorite one.


xx
eva

getting comfy

it's a study day in the rain.. 

it's raining like crazy today and just thinking about the fact that I'll have to leave my apartment later just gives me shivers

so until then it's just enjoying doing the best thing possible in this weather

having a hot drink

in truth, I don't really like most coffee but will never reject some hot chocolate or, even better, some chai latte. So, despite my disinterest in coffee my mug couldn't really fit me any better.

a big comfy sweater

no extra words needed on the necessity of those on rainy days

some big nice socks

warm toes are happy toes

and something to read

the literature could be more relaxing but schoolwork needs its share of attention too 

(and being the nerd I am, I actually find reading about conflict resolution to be pretty fun)

Enjoy your day!

xx

eva