Up Up and Away

Saying goodbye at the airport

After months of waiting the time has finally come for me and Espoir to start the journey to Congo, and I still carry this feeling of unbelief. That is what months and months of waiting does to you I guess. This time flying is a little bit more of an adventure, because I now have a baby to care for and I have a lot more baggage. I have an over night stop in Turkey and by tomorrow evening we shall have reached our final destination. Nicolas. Espoir's dad. My husband. In a week we celebrate our one year aniversery but we've only had about a week together as husband and wife. Well that's finally about to change...

All Love

6 Months

Today we've had our little treasure around for 6 months. He's grown so much and we are awfully proud of him.

If the video isn't showing, watch it here Espoir 6 months

All Love

Tickets Booked

Today Espoir slept the whole morning and, running out of things to do, I finally sat down by the computer and decided today was the day. I booked a flight to the DRC, and if all goes well, we'll be landing in Kinshasa on the 1st of August. Now we just pray that all the rest will fall into place, that we will get our visas and that the political situation will be stable enough to travel.

I left for Sweden August 17 last year, and there has not been a day I haven't felt Nicolas absence. Going through the last trimester of pregnancy, labor, and finally taking care of a baby for 6 months without my husband by my side has been tremendously hard, but at last I see the possibility of an approaching reunion. We have been waiting for this so long it feels like a dream. The thought of seeing my husband face to face, touching him - it's almost surreal. In a month and a half, by the grace of God, we will finally be together again and Nicolas will be able to hold his son for the first time. A month and a half. I wish I could make time go faster...

All Love

Summer Is Here

Here we are, month of June and baby Espoir is already 5 months old, owner of his first passport and happily drooling his days away with constant demand of full attention. He is adorable, but I have to confess I like it the most when he's asleep. I reckon I'm not the first mother to feel that way.


Yesterday my dear friend Kicki came by and brightened up an already sunny day. A dip in the sea, lots of laughter, bbq and ice cream. And best of all - someone who gladly took over the hard job of entertaining the baby!

All Love

I'm Back

My blog's been down for a while for various reasons, and this post is the re-opening. So what's happened since last?

First of all, down in Congo I got happily reunited with Nicolas and we got engaged and later married in Matadi, a town in DRC. We also have a son together, named Espoir which means Hope in french.

Me and baby are currently living with my parents in Sweden while Nicolas is still in Matadi, waiting for his passport. Most likely we will join him there once little Espoir has had his vaccinations and is ready for the long journey.

So this is me today, a spouse and a mother - something I still can't quite get my head around. Though when I think of our little family it makes me happy, knowing that no matter what life throws at us - we are in this together.

Papa and Mama Espoir

Baby Espoir born 21 December 2015

All Love

Into the Unknown

They say it's a sign of ageing when you start going away for your birthday. Well, I'm turning 30 in a week and I'm making sure I leave on time! Bags packed, tickets ready - I will land in Pointe Noire tomorrow at noon. I am excited and a little bit scared, all I know is that I have a hotel booked for 2 nights and the rest is a mystery. Maybe I will return in April, maybe I will not. God knows where I am heading, and I trust him to be with me. I guess this is what they call an adventure...

All Love

Things I Dream About

Life on the ship can be straining from time to time, and lately I've found myself longing for the day when I get to say farewell to this big metal box full of people. I believe most of us have those days, no matter how wonderful and fulfilling our job is and how deep and loving our relationships are. Here are a few of the things that I quietly dream of...

- A home, that is mine to furnish and decorate however I want. With a possibility to be by myself, without people barging in at any possible moment. Also, a home to which I can invite friends and family, and possibly even have people staying over.

- Being able to wake up to the sun shining through my window.

- A garden, be it small or big, where I can watch plants grow (I would most likely watch them die as well, though that is not a part of my dream) and enjoy the beauty and fragrance of flowers in many colours. Where I can go out on a nice day, sit down with a good book and a glass of wine (real wine, not grape juice). I also secretly dream of having a couple of chickens pottering about in my little yard, snatching away my seedlings and laying eggs under the bushes. 

- Making bread, having BBQ's, eating breakfast after a lie-in.

- Along with these there is also the ability to live life without hundreds of people watching me and judging my every move. Where the opinion of my friends and family matters and the rest really don't care about where I'm going or what I'm doing. 

It is hard to describe what it is like living on this ship, there are things that are absolutely amazing and there are also parts that are incredibly difficult. Good and bad, ups and downs. I am grateful for this season in my life and the lessons I learn from living in this community. Some people stay here for many years, but for me, I think two years might be it.


All Love