On the benefits of celibacy and late marriage

While reading on my labor class topic of this week, the economic role of women in pre-modern Europe I bumped into this lovely poem written by Anna Bijns in the fifteenth century! It is on the benefits of celibacy and late marriage in the North Sea region:

How good to be a woman, how much better to be a man!

Maidens and wenches, remember the lesson you're about to hear

Don't hurtle yourself into marriage far too soon.

The saying goes: 'where is your spouse? Where's your honour?'

But one who earns her board and clothes

Shouldn't scurry to suffer a man's rod...

Though wedlock I do not decry;

Unyoked is best! Happy the woman without a man.

E-learning

Studying a MSc at one of the top universities in the world within my area of specialty can be extremely hard, sleepless nights, bad posture, lack of good food and going-outs, yet technology makes it easier. Imagine to be the computer of such a person like me, a nightmare for the poor device!! that is why I decided to stop the degrading situation of my poor computer worsen by my habits of reading some 10 hrs a day, on it on my ecological effort of diminishing the burden for the environment. Poor mac, its fan sounds now, then I decided to buy a new gadget, just to read. Now I can say I spend more lovely nights in my bed reading all the time, since I wake up, until I fall sleep.

Now I have stopped hating London, this hatred-love relationship has its ups and downs as usual, however I've been discovering the nice bits recently, and at the very end, no matter the traffic, the pollution or the crowd, I live in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the whole world and I am enjoying it, as much as being part of a very prestigious institution. I've got to say it deserves its reputation.

Gray

I am in London now and I cannot even found what to say about it, there are as many interesting stories as people in the crowded streets, countless places to see, it was a dream’s life to study here, but since I’ve achieved my goal I feel nothing but a little bit clumsy. Have had a immensely amount of activities, have met hundreds of people, top-world researchers and proffesors, have been once again to all the must-see places in the city, have started learning in a whole new revolutionary way, still there is something missing, despite the fact time flies, I enjoy what I do and I spent everyday at the uni.

I have begun thinking I might have spent such an amazing time in Scandinavia that now I just miss it deeply. I would like to be there, strolling in Copenhagen, Stockholm streets, any od them, with my friends, my boyfriend. I was in Sweden last week, to have a break, to breath and I managed to rest and have a 4-day top weekend with my love. Then I came back, days have been passing by really fast even though there is something missing. What has London lost since last time I was here four years ago, what happend with the rapture I felt once for this city, where did it go? Come on, I just need a hint to know what happened to this fanciest city that has transformed in front of me! I don’t even have a clue and everything except school is dull now. However I won’t give up and will certainlty keep looking to see what happened to London… or what happened to me.

To be KØBENHAVN

Køvenhavn-Köpenhamn-Copenhagen-Copenhague: my home. It was difficult to make a distinction between sounds in pronunciation in four languages in the first instance, but after a year I can clearly distinguish them. København has been my home for almost a year now and I cannot describe it better if I say this is the most wonderful city I've ever been to, or at least it was my impression when I first came. Apart from a home and a place where I learnt to be myself is where I met friends and knew the feeling of freedom, because in Copenhagen everyone is free to do, free to be.

Free to be for a woman coming from a very restrictive society as the Latin American posed such a challenge to me, to get into the Scandianvian mentality and way of doing. Shocking sometimes, slow to understand or totally lost, I learnt to accept, see and do as they do.

Not for nothing here was once where the happiest people in the world lived: they look indeed happy. You can walk on the streets without having to be afraid of being robbed, raped or victim of any crime or scam, nothing matters, even if you are a girl going out clubbing dressed as a slut and walking drunk as a fish 4am in the morning, you really are safe (if you don't look for problems), even if you leave your purse over the table in a club while dancing, it will be there when you come back and no guy will be trying to hook up on you only by dancing, they respect you!

Absolutely freedom to be myself is what Copenhagen has given me, and it's priceless. There are many things worthy to talk about, which I'll keep posting on that will make you understand my deep love for this city.

For now, a gift from Danish musicians Clemens and Julie Marie, a hit in all dancefloors in CPH: Byen sover

Waiting time...

Last weeks have been full of despair, suddenly moving back to a place you thought you were not going to come back to in a long time, leaving family, friends and boyfriend, leaving a job and a so long waited quiet time for what? Waiting stranded in your old city, the old streets without the old friends have become absolutely and hopelessly boring.

Living alone, having to once again start a walked path you loved once, however this time no more hopes are present by the fact of being forced to remain in a place that not longer feels yours, waiting, waiting, waiting...

From Stockholm to Copenhagen again, until the waiting-visa time is over!

After a year: a life changes

Looking back in time, my last post "Disgrace" more than a year ago was a real disgraceful attempt to write something and a discouraging way to keep me away from blogging. It's been more than a year and when I see what my life has become I feel that this is the place where I belong.

Many important events have happened --important to me at least-- among them (trying to do an non-exhaustive list of them...):

1-I moved to Denmark and I've been living here for almost one year (sept 5th is my anniversary with this country)

2-I've been more in Sweden than in Denmark though, five months roughly of that year... the reason... <3 (l-o-v-e)

3-I have a masters now: MSc in Global Studies from Roskilde university!!!

4-I made a new best friend: My Italian alligator and not less important I met a bunch of the most wonderful people I've ever met, and I'll remember them for the rest of my days, TRUE!

5 I visited Finland :D (at the end!!!)

6-Living in Scandinavia increased my standards... (will explain in another post)

7-I became a good cook =)

8-I stop blogging

9-I noticed no matter how strong and independent I became I will always miss and love my family and friends back home

10-My stubborn and independent character made me safe and made me learn looking forward all the time, no matter what

11-I've accomplished all my goals during this year, even more than those I set in the beginning

12-I was, I am and I will remain in love and we even had our second year anniversary and our relationship is growing stronger <3. The distance is hard to stand sometimes, but it's worthy every second!

Last but not least... I've spent this year with "him", so my academic success has been intertwined with my emotional stability and the fact that now I have the time, availability and a very strong will to travel to Sweden every second week has made me happier than I thought.

Living this half-the-time period in Sweden has also allowed me to reencounter my friends, learn the language, the culture and to have a new Swedish family that cares of me and loves me, even so I am thousands of miles away from my homeland.

Life is just amazing, the weather sucks in Scandinavia though...

P.D. Even here, visas' bureaucracy sucks too!!! (another story)

Disgrace

I met Disgrace today, or watched the movie, inspired in the novel written by J.M. Coetzee and starred by one man I always enjoy, who plays with words and give sense to what sarcasm and nerve means, all integrated in one cheeky name: John Malkovich. There is something I never get to understand about him that intrigues me, it would be his parsimony or his open insolence. He definitely results a combination full of power and attraction to me, but he undoubtedly gets my nerves on while making me feel eager to watch him on the mattress once again.

Particularly in this movie, Disgrace, which was real but foremost raw. I cannot deny it is a deeply interesting way to get familiar with the habits of traditional mentality in South African isolated rural areas. There, amidst nothing rules the constriction of the majority's consent, which I name in western terms. However, is this matter of discussion if it's their decision to live the way they've decided to live, or is it that they have no other choice than that and they are just following the path of injustice that reigns well over their lands?

After watching how three men raped a woman and how they got theirs own way, coming up with the woman's accepting her being punished for some position she assumed belonging to that 'society' entailing an undeserved but 'wanted' pregnancy is, from my very western way of thinking, unintelligible and somehow a pregnancy under those circumstances looks to me as revolting. I terribly wish never being put through any of those unfortunate events and I do not know which my reaction would be, however given the circumstances it results disgusting giving birth such a 'baby'.

Disgrace is so far great, but it needs stomach to be watched, by not anyone.

Hus Nr. 9

Good manner to wake up on a friday and to inaugurate the month of July: new Röyksopp's release "Hus Nr. 9" Vilken ljuvlig sång, jag är leende och nöjd!

Listen at Röyksopp's website.