I was envious of the five men with whom I shared the anonymous landscape office at the Volvo car dealership in Helsinki in August 1981. They all drove fancy four door company cars. I did not have any car. That was typical for all new graduates in Finland. Cars were expensive. The good public transportation system was … Continue reading Naively asking for a company car

Three years ago I had an opportunity to spend a couple of months in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is a posh place with many architect-designed homes, elegant hotels and exclusive shopping malls. Coming from modest Denmark, the number of well dressed, mainly middle-aged and older women with perfect make-up and hairdos attracted my attention. Soon the … Continue reading Movie captain promoting Minimalism

What hits me hardest when travelling in Central and South American countries is how children are treated, or maybe a better word would be - ignored. Their position is even worse than that of women in some countries. Just having returned to the US from Guatemala, the images and facts related to that country are vividly on … Continue reading Legacy of poverty and corruption

One of my worst fears when travelling alone is that I would get sick and not be able to take care of myself. Now it has happened. However careful I have been with what I eat or drink, somehow I have ingested something that started a war in my digestive system tonight. Maybe it was the … Continue reading Key to happiness