It’s been a while… primarily because before Christmas, I got sick (for almost two weeks), and then I started packing and preparing to move to Malta. We’ve got a lease for one year with the possibility of terminating it after six months. 

 It takes a while to settle into a place where you have nothing and have to buy almost everything: a coffee machine, towels, rugs, food for the dogs, etc. And, of course, set up the Wi-Fi… which isn’t working correctly yet.

In some way, I feel more stressed here than in Sweden because:

• There’s a lot of noise outside (they build a lot here: bet 365, and similar business centers, more apartments) and inside (I’m not used to hearing the neighbors, how they shower, the doors, elevators, and so on)
• It’s quite difficult to sleep; I have to switch off the AC because I can’t stand that kind of noise during the night

• It is a very long apartment (note: never send a man to look at the apartment), so I have to do the long walk from one side to the other all day long. Just yesterday, I walked 25,000 steps. My house in Sweden has two floors, but it’s kind of ‘round’ – I don’t need to walk around inside much lol

• Too many dogs in the area. What surprised me most was that the people renting such luxury – for Malta – apartments (the average rent is 3,500-5,000 euros a month) can’t buy the bags to pick up after their dogs. 

• Service in Malta. Well, it’s better than before, but Swedish service is too perfect: so easy and smooth, that every challenge I’m facing here, in Malta, irritates me. In Sweden, we have so many delivery services; each drops the item at the door, takes a photo of the delivery, and sends it to you. We also usually know when the delivery will arrive – let’s say from 17:00 to 20:00 (most companies deliver in the evening because everybody is at home). For 2-3 euros extra, we can choose a 1-hour frame when we are definitely at home (for example, 18:00-19:00). All payments are smooth and easy via different Swedish apps.
• And don’t forget all the books I had to leave at home. I feel sad each time I think about it. Of course, I have bought 14 books already: three about Malta (bizarre, mystical, and historic places) and the rest – about spirituality, health, and personal development. I guess I’ll leave a library behind at the end of the lease.
• Let’s not forget about the storm last week, and absence of the tv connection for 4 days. 

You probably think I’m spoiled… and yes, I am (of course, I understand how fortunate I am to live here and there, to have choices and opportunities). 

 Despite all the challenges (mentioned and not mentioned above), the weather in Malta is great… this week is +15/16C and sunny. 

I didn’t read much last month and didn’t write a word. Before Christmas, I finished reading Paleofantasy by Marlene Zuk (I wouldn’t recommend for a simple chill-out-read, only if you are truly interested in the paleo topic) and Behind the Lens by David Suchet (played Hercule Poirot in the tv-show). 

Yesterday, I finished a book by Jason Prall, Beyond Longevity. The main ideas: to thrive and feel balanced, you have to sleep well and follow ayurvedic principles with food because they usually work for everyone (including vegetarian, vegan, paleo, macrobiotic, keto, or whatever you are eating). The cool statement/info: a) our unconscious is in a “brain-dead” state when we are toddlers, that’s why it is so difficult to consciously remember anything prior to two years old; b) about intermittent fasting and how to support your liver and gall bladder. 

This week I’m reading The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk. So far, quite fascinating… the book is about the effects of trauma (any traumatic stress) on mental and physical health. By the way, in between – I finished Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney (quite fun, I don’t read such books very often, so I finished it in 1 day).

 “One does not have to be a combat soldier or visit a refugee camp in Syria or the Congo to encounter trauma. Trauma happens to us, our friends, our families, and our neighbors. One in five Americans was sexually molested as a child; one in four was beaten by a parent; and one in three couples engages in physical violence. A quarter of us grew up with alcoholic relatives, and one out of eight witnessed their mother being beaten or hit… All that leaves traces on our mind and emotions, on our capacity for joy, and even our biology and immune system.”

 The author is a founder of the Trauma Center, which he opened 30 years ago. He met and treated thousands of children and adults: victims of natural disasters, wars, accidents, child abuse, and human trafficking; people who have suffered assaults by intimates and strangers. 

 “We don’t really want to know what soldiers go through in combat. We do not really want to know how many children are being molested and abused in our own society or how many couples – almost a third, as it turns out – engage in violence at some point during their relationship. We want to think of families as safe havens in a heartless world and of our own country as populated by enlightened, civilized people. We prefer to believe that cruelty occurs only in faraway places like Darfur or the Congo. It is hard enough for observers to bear witness to pain. Is it any wonder, then, that the traumatized individuals themselves cannot tolerate remembering it and that they often resort to using drugs, alcohol, or self-mutilation to block out their unbearable knowledge?”

I’ll discuss the books I’m reading a bit more later on. If you want to see where I’m living now, you can check the last reel on IG: @cloudberry_dogs. I will post two more times this week: Dry Pants VII by Dany Tanner and a guest post from Clara.

More info this Sunday! Hugs!