This morning at breakfast, I read a couple of interesting articles in Swedish SvD with interviews with women in North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, followed by some other articles on gender issues in the same paper. French Le Monde also had the International Women’s Day as one of their main topics with a couple of articles on domestic and issues. (In fact, there is an entire section on the topic behind the initial front page headlines) But when I moved on to the New York Times (and yes, I do go through quite a few news sources every morning!), I realized that there was nothing at all written about the International Women’s Day. So I got a little curious and continued browsing some main European newspapers like the Guardian, El Mundo, and La Repubblica, and all of them had articles on women’s issues and gender equality (or the lack thereof). But just like the New York Times, neither LA Times nor Washington Post even mentioned the day on their opening pages. I wonder why this is? On the other hand, it was Mardi Gras here today, which got a lot more attention than anywhere else I have ever lived. But I still think the U.S. could benefit from paying at least a little attention to women’s issues and gender roles on this day.

One of my favorite running routes here in DC is down 16th Street from my house, through LaFayette Park, and around the White House or around the Ellipse. However, living in the U.S. capital means that traffic seems to be redirected more often than not, and hence my jog around the White House often implies a detour around an extra block. So also today. I of course discovered too late that the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street was closed, which meant that I almost run into a security fence and a police on guard in front of a few hundred tourists that were hanging out in front of the White House. I really should avoid running there in the weekends….

My mom gave me this really great dishcloth for Christmas and I’d like to take this opportunity to promote it. It is made out of 100% linen and so as it gets dirty, it can be washed and used again many times. It also dries quickly. And when it is no longer of use, it can be composted. It thus carries an environmental label.Check it out at Växbo Lin.

I am just back from my weekly brunch with Patrick. He does yoga in my neighborhood Saturday mornings, so after his class, we meet up for brunch and discuss every aspect of life. Most of our brunches have been at this really odd neighborhood restaurant called Trio. It is kind of like a diner where they serve traditional American brunch, and a waitress comes by our table and refills our coffee on a regular basis. Its interior goes in purple and most of its staff seems to have been working there forever, which is kind of rare in the service industry here. It feels very genuine, but I am not sure how good this is for my figure… Regardless, it is definitely one of my favorite part of the weekend!

Yesterday was Ärtsoppan, or the Annual Pea Soup Dinner, arranged by SWEA. I am not sure why but for some reason, Swedes used to eat pea soup (with pork and mustard) and sweet crepes on Thursdays. It is still quite common for lunch restaurants to serve pea soup and pancakes (as we call them) every Thursday in Sweden. So once a year, SWEA arranges a pea soup dinner and yesterday, I attended the dinner for the first time. It was very nice and it seemed to attract an older crowd than generally comes to these events. I always find it interesting to meet the older generation of Swedes, who spent most of their lives here, and to learn how they come over in the first place. Our common connection is Sweden but their Sweden is very different from the place where I grew up, just like my Sweden is already beginning to differ from the Sweden that my friends and family live in. What we also have in common is the experience of coming here and how it feels like to be a foreigner in the U.S., and somehow it gives us a sense a connection. So the dinner was very nice, even though I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of pea soup (but I did take pancakes with jam and whipped cream twice!). I also met a woman with whom I had a common friend in Madeleine from my time in Moldova, which confirms that Sweden probably is just as small as Americans (and the rest of the world?) thinks!

A left today for a job in South Sudan. I guess it is something we must learn to live with when being in our line of work, but it is still sad. I will miss him terribly!

Here is an interesting article in the New York Times about how Mc Donald’s have managed to transform something as healthy as oatmeal into a processed sugar and calorie bomb. The author makes a good point in that seemingly fast food in fact often takes longer time than cooking at home. Unfortunately, food processors here seem to have done their best in ruining people’s relationship with proper food and in making people believe that cooking with natural ingredients is complicated. Like making a bowl of oatmeal. Do read the article! With rapid urbanization across the world, this phenomenon is likely to spread, and with it the negative impact it has on our health and the environment. And perhaps most importantly, the loss in real taste that comes with it and in the joy of having a good meal!

The other day, I heard the sound of birds singing outside my kitchen window. And when I googled the weather today, this I found this forecast for the next days. Could it be that spring is finally on the way??

I have finally set the date for my long-planned but much postponed New York weekend! Will go up in two weeks and enjoy the city and spend some time with two dear friends for a few days. I really look forward to it! Feels like it’s been way to long since I packed a bag and spent a few nights outside of DC.  And New York is really a fantastic place – I can’t think of a better get-away for a few days right now!

I finally submitted my Food Policy assignment today! It took a lot longer than I expected, but I wasn’t as productive as I usually am for some reason. I learned a lot though, and I have found a lot of interesting research for the thesis that I will write next summer. (Since I am doing this program part-time, it takes a bit of time to get through it.) I will now start the next part of this Program Unit and our next assignment will be even more interesting than this one was, so I already look forward to it. I will enlighten you all in time, but for now I can tell you that it will be related to chocolate or strawberries. I guess no-one questions why I enjoy my studies!?