Wonderful Christmas!

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under My life

I love Christmas! Or Yuletide, rather. Influenced by Northern European folklore, Dickens, and Hollywood movies, it is to me a magical time of the year. Possible because it is the time where we in the Northern hemisphere bring in lights and color into the darkest and coldest part of the year. Everything is glowing and pretty, we eat good food and dress up to match the beautiful decorations around us. Angels and wights surround us, bringing us as closer than ever to fairytale (maybe with the exception of Halloween). Perhaps also because Christmas is a time that we spend with our close ones, it reminds us of what really matters. It is also a time of giving, inviting, and sharing, which I think makes everyone feel good. It’s the ending of the year and a time to recuperate, summarize the past and reevaluate what is important. And then, when the New Year comes a few days after, we can bring all this with us into the next year.

This year, I actually worked most of the holiday. In Sweden we celebrate Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, but my work had a half day on December 24, and so I worked then. But the rest of e holiday was filled with nice gatherings: dinner and brunches with lovely food, and I invited friends over one evening for Swedish glögg (mulled wine) and ginger bread cookies. For some reason, I didn’t want Christmas to end this year. Maybe because it was so cozy? Here is my favorite Christmas decoration this year, at the New York City Library.

I actually met Mayor Vincent Gray of Washington DC when buying my last gifts at Macy’s the day before Christmas Eve. I let him pass me in line!

Pre-Holiday Weekend in New York

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

So it seems like the more I worked on setting up my new blog and other social media, the less time I had to actually write posts. Sorry for that, will try to better (though I can add that when my personal social media advisor, i.e. my friend Anna, reduced the target I set for post per week from four to three. So although it is probably more realistic, there is apparently little hope for me improving!)

Admittedly, not much has happened anyway in this period. At least not that much that is worth blogging about. I have worked a lot and prepared for the holidays. To really get into the spirit, Anna and I decided to take the bus up to New York last weekend, to see the Christmas decorations, buy Christmas gifts, and go ice-skating in Central Park. It was a wonderful weekend! Unfortunately, it was a little too warm for us to be in ice-skating mood (it hit 17 °C, i.e. over 70 °F our last day) but we did see the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center and all the Christmas decorations on 5^th Avenue (my favorite were definitely inside Saks and at Bryant Park and the New York City Library), we went to no less than three Christmas markets (at Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, and Union Square), took a walk in Central Park, and had long lunches and dinners. Perfect New York weekend in other words! Since my favorite Brooklynite wasn’t in town this time, we stayed on Manhattan this time, which meant that I got to try a bunch of new restaurants and bars. Worth mentioning were:

– The Bar Room (Upper East Side) – low-key, bistro style with comfy environment and good food, and with gorgeous art deco interiors. We went there for lunch, which was perfect!

– Perla (Greenwich Village) – Italian inspired restaurant with good food and nice atmosphere! I had amazing fettuccine with black trumpet mushrooms.

– Acme (East Village) – New American food with Nordic influences and also with kind of a bistro-style interior but less art deco and more functionalistic from what I remember. We ordered a bunch of small, tapas-like dishes to share and they were all delicious!

– Little Branch (West Village) – Speak Easy with an almost hidden entrance and with a very small bar. Only a few people are let in at the time and the bartenders really take the time to provide you with the perfect cocktail.

– Café Kava (Hells Kitchen) – a coffee shop close to our hotel that turned out to have the best muffins I’ve had so far in the U.S. They actually tasted like they had been in a real oven for a while. My favorite? Pear and pecan! And the people who worked there were very nice!

Actually, in all these places, the people who worked there were really nice and friendly, which makes such a difference. We stayed at the Yotel in Hells Kitchen, and although nice for the price, I think it targeted a younger audience. Perhaps most interesting was their bathroom set-up which didn’t include a proper door. A little odd! But other than that, the room was quite nice and at least we had a good view of the city from the 15^th floor. And as always, I wish I could have stayed longer than the three days we were there.

// The view from our hotel room // Central Park in snow // The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center // Tiffany & Co. // The Christmas market at Columbus Circle // Christmas decorations outside a private townhouse on the Upper East Side // Acme //

Snow Day in DC

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under Posts From Washington DC

Today is a quiet day. We’re having a Snow Day, which means that my office is closed and I’m working from home. It’s very nice, although it would have been nice if we had had a proper snowfall! Being from Sweden, closing down an entire city just in the anticipation of snow is a little ridiculous, but that’s how it works here. The car-bound population out in the suburbs can’t get out on the roads when there is snow or ice, and if they can’t guarantee that teachers can get to work, it means that the schools close, which means that people have to stay home and watch after their kids. And so on. And then there are days like today, when the weather forecast was wrong and we don’t even get snow. But I’m of course happy about the Snow Day!

I took this yesterday on my way to work: This year’s first snow on the White House lawn. It melted away immediately of course, and today we got even less snow so I think I’m back in the office tomorrow.

A New Blog Address

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under My life

So my blog is under reconstruction. Thanks to my very helpful and social media savvy colleague and her friend, I now have my own web address (www.asagierz.com), a new theme (which is still under development), and I am now on Twitter (asagiertz), Instagram (http://instagram.com/asagiertz), Pintrest (http://www.pinterest.com/asahgiertz/) and Reddit (http://sv.reddit.com/user/asagiertz/). Slowly but surely, I’m learning how to use all these media. Of course, I have to have something to say also….

Working on my blog at Busboys and Poets on 14th Street in DC.

Happy Advent!

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under Uncategorized

Traditional Swedish Advent: to light a candle each Sunday for four weeks before Christmas. One of all our traditions that involves candles in this darkest period of the year.

Getting Things Done Weekend

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under Uncategorized

I decided to make this weekend a Getting Things Done Weekend. Or rather, a weekend for getting rid of nagging little tasks. It started quite well yesterday (it was my Friday off) and I managed to cross a bunch of stuff off my to-do lists. And make a few new lists. What’s annoying is when you try to get things done and it doesn’t work. Yesterday, I tried to drop off three shoes at my neighborhood cobbler, but apparently, they only fix heels on the shoes these days. Since I refuse o throw my shoes away just because they need a few stitches, this item is still on my list. But it’s kind of hopeless to try to cut consumption when not even the cobbler can fix shoes anymore!

Before I start with today’s errands, I’m meeting two girls from work for brunch in Capitol Hill. I haven’t been there for a while so thought I’d combine it with a stop at the Eastern Market and produce shopping at their farmers’ market. For me, the best way to get things done is to prepare properly and to combine the errands with fun.

Back from Mongolia and Full of Impressions

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

I am back in DC now since a week and I am finally over my jet lag. It was quite bad this time. In addition to the 12 hour time difference between Washington and Ulaanbaatar, my trip back took over 30 hours because of the shooting on LAX last Friday. Although it was at another terminal, it happened around the time when I landed so we ended up being locked up in the customs area for over four hours, and after that the flights was really delayed. Which was nothing, of course, compared to the actual shooting – so terrible!! I don’t understand how anyone can do something like that? And it happens so often here… The flight between Seoul and Los Angeles was really nice though, because the sky was clear and I could watch the stars closely through the airplane window. And while I had breakfast, I watched the sunrise from up in the air. I often just sit through my flights like I am on a bus or a train, but when you think about it (and take the time to look) it is really quite amazing to be up there in the sky!

I still have my Mongolia trip in my thoughts. It was so different from anything I expected. As I wrote earlier, Ulaanbaatar felt a lot more globalized than I had pictured it and much more dynamic. Maybe in part because of all the construction that was going on, but also because of the people with their clothes and their gadgets, the busy streets and all the traffic. A family friend just commented here a few days ago that Ulaanbaatar used to be the most remote place anyone could ever think of, but it certainly didn’t feel like that now. Perhaps the most illustrative comment came from a Mongolian man in his 60s at a branch organization in the cashmere sector, who said that their best markets were in Europe, and although they should sell more cashmere to Russia, the U.S. was not a potential market “because Americans have no sense of fashion!” While nothing new, a month ago I would not have expected to hear this observation from a Mongolian, not the least because of how far away the U.S. is. But the world is getting smaller and countries are rapidly changing, as visible in Ulaanbaatar.

And then the contrasts between urban and rural Mongolia: the vast, stunning pastoral landscape and barely any sign of people for miles and miles and miles outside the cities. The transformation of the traditional lifestyle into something completely new with the herders who maintain their nomadic lifestyle but equipped with solar panels, satellite dishes, cell-phones and TVs. Some of their kids chose herding as a profession but some go university and get into high-educated professions. I met one herder who had four kids who had followed in his path and become herders, two who were in university, and one who worked as a doctor. A well-developed system of boarding schools for herders’ children makes the step from a nomadic childhood to university or medical school easier than it may seem.

A fascinating country – I recommend anyone to visit!

From Ulaanbaatar to the pastures//Mongolian Airline’s soft cashmere blankets (they fly in style!)//Front seat for the sunrise, though watching the stars from that altitude was even better!

Unexpected Event at Seoul’s International Airport

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under Uncategorized

Just passed this traditionally dressed group on my way to my connecting flight to LA. A reminder that I’m in South Korea. Although the flight is more hours than I care to count, I’m arriving before my departure time because of the time difference. The world is really fascinating!

Snapshots from Ulaanbaatar

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels

Sunday was a quiet day. I mostly walked around in Ulaanbaatar and did some souvenir shopping at the State Department Store and at the Gobi Cashmere Outlet Store. As oppose to State Department Stores in capitals around the Former Soviet Union (i.e. the ЦУМ), Ulaanbaatar’s Sate Department Store was completely modernized and looked like any department store in the EU or the U.S. It even had a food court on the top floor with stalls offering dishes from traditional Mongolian cuisine to burgers, past, pizza, and sushi. The main difference with this food court compared with the ones in the U.S. was that the food was served on proper plates rather than on paper plates!

It was nice to have a day off, although I spent the evening catching up on reading; reports on dzud disaster management and public expenditures, so real page turners! Here are some photos from Ulaanbaator. Again, it is a very pleasant, rapidly growing city, though road safety doesn’t seem to be a priority in current city planning and my colleagues have found my hesitation to cross roads here rather entertaining. But better safe than sorry!

Genghis Khan Square//The Government House with the Genghis Kahn statue//The State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet//Bell//Kids swinging at the foot of the Suhbaatar statue//Gateway to Pedestrian Street

Another Day on Mongolia’s Pastures

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Åsa Giertz under My Travels, On Agriculture and Food

Yesterday was our last day out in the field. We were further up north that the day before, close to the Russian border and near the city of Darchan, and for some reason the snow hadn’t passed there so the pastures were still green. Or greenish at least. Regardless, it facilitated our work since we were partly out there to get a sense of the quality of the pastures. Another reason was of course to talk to herders, which is my favorite part of my job, and we met three herding families of different income levels that last day. Two of them lived in ghers, the type of mobile huts that herders traditionally live in, so I was able to get a good look inside of them. They are very cozy and comfortable, and surprisingly warm despite the cold weather, but it must be a hard life to live in these ghers without water and limited access to wood when temperatures can drop to -40°C (though it can be noted that one of the herders that we met said that the winter was the easy season for herders). At the same time, there is something appealing about a lifestyle that aims to keep stuff to a minimum. Limited living space and the need to move the entire household multiple times per year make too much stuff a burden (traditionally, Mongolian herders move their livestock every season, but these days, the moves are normally limited to summer and winter pastures). The gher were well-equipped – most herders have a TV now, connected to a satellite dish outside the gher and running on solar panels – but otherwise, there were few things that weren’t intended for food preparation. All families that we met served us traditional snacks and tea. Most snacks were various forms of dairy products, some of them quite sour cheeses, and the tea was boiled with milk and salt. All of it was different from anything I’ve ever had before but quite tasty. We also drank fermented mares’ milk in one home, but just a sip since it can be tough on the stomach for someone who isn’t used to it. We were told that Genghis Khan drank this before he went into battle! So we had an interesting last day out in rural Mongolia, before heading back to Ulaanbaatar.