D/J - 30

...Only One More Month

So I have one more month of Blogging and I’m for once trying really hard to complete something I’ve started and not quit before the end of our life in Beijing. Because it seems like I take on a new hobby each time we move.

It all started in Argentina with a casual mud podge afternoon party, because the girls and I couldn’t only do so much Spanish lesson, shopping, and champagne luncheon (ah those endless luncheon!!!) followed by framing and a little needle points (everybody needle point when they are pregnant, no?). Hobbies frenzy took on a full swing in Scotland with patchwork (made my mother in law really proud), “cartonnage” (creating object with cardboard), book binding, a little Black and White photo development and even carpentry (yes I did!). We did stay almost 5 years in Scotland hence the myriad of different hobbies! In France I didn’t have time to start on a new hobby (we stay only 10 months), girls night out doesn’t count as one does it (Heather, Emily and Missy thanks for keeping me sane!) but I decided instead to go over all the projects I had started over the previous 7 years and tackled the task of finishing the unfinished business. In China I had a try at porcelain painting but mostly it was all about computer: blogging, learning HTML and graphic design but also about photography (you want to have your camera handy every single day, because there will always be something interesting, puzzling to document). I’m in no way as good as my sister-in-law (graphic designer and great photographer) but I’m having fun learning.
As you can see I’m a real butterfly when it comes to hobby. I like the learning process but once I get a grab at it I need a new challenge. My friends here were often joking that I could do everything (I kept saying oh I use to do that, and that…), the only thing I don’t know how to do, is how to knit so they forbade everyone to teach me! Oh I’m also the laminate queen (I know, I know you are just dying with envy!!).

So before this long babbling about my hobbies I was saying that I have only one more month of blogging because let’s face it life in Stavanger won’t feel as exotic as here and you’ll probably get really bored about the posts I could put on the blog!

Day 1: Had to scrub my own toilet AND do the laundry AND think about what to cook for dinner. Exhausting!
Day 2: Trying to make Jeff fold his own socks while ironing 20 loads of laundry. Where is Ayi when you need her?
Day 3: Another blue sky day and not a sight of pollution. How I miss the surprise of finding out if I can see my next door neighbor house every morning!
Day 4: Feel depressed that nobody tried to cut in line at the grocery store.
Day 5: Home sick today. I miss the sound before someone spits just inches from your feet.
Day 6: Could visit every single website I wanted to check and so fast that I don’t know what to do with the rest of the day. At least I could go get a cup of tea and go to the toilet when I was in Beijing between page loadings.
Day 7: Another beautiful picture of Stavanger and surroundings... expect the same from the next 600+ postings
Day 8: see day 1
…

I think that my next project (because I ALWAYS think my life will never be as fulfilling in the next expat’ so I tend to prepare myself) will be to compile my thousands and thousands of photographs to a 1049-picture photo album. And that’s a great challenge for those looooong nights awaiting us in Norway!