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Greeting #43

Better late than never ....

The year flew by, so my greeting will be a little late this time.

Let's start with the good news - everyone is well and in good health. The year has offered many wonderful hours in the company of family and friends, and not least some travel here and there.

In February, we spent a few days in Austria skiing and reminiscing about previous trips with fun and snow and skiing. In April I visited a good old (not in age 😉) friend in Norway - and her husband - for an extended weekend. We know each other from Malaysia and haven't seen each other since before Corona, so it was a nice reunion and nice to spend time together.

Erik and I spent the summer vacation together as both children now have their own plans and don't want to travel around Europe with their parents. We took a trip to Corsica with good friends, where we biked, walked, had fun and chatted. From here we went to our neighbors, who have a house in Italy, where we also visited last year - Erik cycled with the neighbor around the “hills” of Piemonte in the lovely heat and I was shown around on foot, which is always nice where they have a house. The last part of our vacation was at Lake Garda, which we have been to a number of years ago - this time it was in a different way, however, as we rented electric mountain bikes, and then I could suddenly join in too. That way you see the area is completely different from a bike. We also took a long hike in the area around Lake Garda's highest point, the Bald Mountain.

In September, I had invited Cat on a girls' trip to Vietnam to go hiking in Sapa, North Vietnam, and see some of the places where I have sold trips over the years but have yet to see myself. We planned to hike for 3 days, then go to Halong Bay to sail and enjoy the beautiful bay, followed by a visit around Hoi An, which she had been to but couldn't remember, and then finish off with 3 days in Kuala Lumpur (after all, you should go home when you’re in that part of the world 😊). The trip turned out to be a bit different than planned, as North Vietnam was hit by a typhoon just as we arrived – we were lucky and avoided being in the “eye of the hurricane,” but we felt the outer edges of the typhoon as the area we were in was hit by rain and rain and more rain. It rained continuously for the first 3-4 days, and the area experienced landslides, so our trekking tour had to be shortened, and we couldn't get on the trails we were supposed to be on, as everything was washed away – our trip was cut short, but we went on alternative tours on local motorcycles that got us where cars couldn't. We received incredible help from the hotel we stayed at and ultimately had to purchase private transport away from Sapa back to Hanoi when both trains and buses were canceled for several days, so we had to choose between leaving privately or staying in the area indefinitely. Back in Hanoi, we ended up canceling the trip to Halong Bay just to get away from the rain – and Hanoi was full of toppled trees and floods. Sad and fascinating at the same time. We went to Hue instead and enjoyed some warmth and culture before finishing our time in Vietnam in Hoi An, where we relaxed and enjoyed the lovely little town.

Kuala Lumpur is KL – and we know it, and it feels nice to visit places we know and just enjoy being in the warmth again. Conclusion: We had a trip we hadn't planned, but one we won't have again – we will go back another time and take the trip we were supposed to take 😊

The biggest reason our annual greeting didn’t go out before or during Christmas was probably that we spent Christmas in Austria with Erik's side of the family. Unfortunately, Christian chose not to go; he has his reasons, which we of course respect. Knowing that he is where he wants to be makes it a bit easier to accept.

We had some lovely days – some with snow and some with sunshine and managed to ski a lot. Christmas Eve was cozy, and we prepared the food – opened cans without a can opener and whipped cream without a whisk.

Back home on the early morning of the 26th, we also made it to a Christmas lunch with my family. New Year’s was celebrated with the neighbors and some of their friends, whom they gather with every year.

Among the less pleasant experiences this year was saying goodbye to our two dogs, Mindy and Molly. It was a tough day – and a difficult time afterward. Mindy lived to almost 14, and her body could no longer cope. Molly's body might have lasted a few more years, but her fragile mind wouldn’t be able to handle being alone, and introducing a new dog didn’t seem like a good solution for her either. Even the veterinarian had said not to underestimate mental illness in dogs. Her separation anxiety would lead to epileptic seizures – some she has had over the years, and some were quite severe. She had leaned against Mindy when we weren't nearby, and standing alone would not have been dignified for her. So, it was a very heavy but right decision. When it had to be, it was a nice ending to two long lives – peacefully, and we buried them in the backyard, where they now rest. Many good memories, but there was no reason to prolong it – for that wouldn’t have been for their sake, and that would have been a shame.

So now we've started looking after dogs if anyone has a need and it suits us – we have temporarily looked after one, and it went well – having taken short, quiet walks for several years, it's fun to get out walking again with a dog that loves to walk, just like Mindy did in her younger days.

Cathrine:
Cathrine's highlight this year must be finishing her final year of high school and graduating. May, June and July went with exam preparation, taking the exams, the graduation ceremony, and the subsequent celebrations with student parades, student parties in the garden, etc. They really know how to throw a party – she went to 1 or 2 parties a day for almost a month after the exams and graduation. At their graduation, she gave the student speech as she was the outgoing chairperson of the student council. It was incredibly impressive as she delivered the speech in front of a hall filled with all the graduates and their families – at least over 1000 people.

Now she is taking some well-deserved gap years, and currently, she is working almost full-time at Starbucks, but in February, she is going with a friend to New Zealand, Australia, and Bali for over 2.5 months – it will be so exciting for them – one is certainly not envious. What life will bring afterward is unknown, but there are so many possibilities, so surely there will be more adventures to add to her backpack.

Christian:
Christian has now studied for 2.5 years at university. He is studying Mediolog, and I must admit I don’t really know what that entails – but it involves AI, Virtual Reality, and a lot of other things that he finds super exciting. After he was diagnosed last year and found stability in his head with medication, he has found it much easier to focus and enjoy being at university. He has joined some good groups where he is experiencing university life for the first time as it is offered here in Aalborg – working together and solving tasks. Being diagnosed and getting medication has changed his life – he gets so much more out of learning and doing assignments. He has also been awarded disability grants, which is possible when you are diagnosed and have a permanent condition. This means he receives extra financial support, allowing him to manage daily life and studies without the pressure of having a job on the side to make ends meet.

Lotte:
The biggest thing that has happened to me this year is probably that I have changed jobs. I thought I would be at the airport for the rest of my (working) life, but that was not meant to be when suddenly an opportunity arose to become a project coordinator in a company that sends specialists on assignments all over the world. This meant saying goodbye to odd work hours, weekend work every other weekend – but also having weekdays off. I now work full-time from 8 to 4, Monday to Friday – but oh how I enjoy being free on weekends and in the evenings. There is a really good work environment in the company, and the owners genuinely want the best for all of us employees; it is a pleasure to be a part of. My biggest fear about changing jobs was that I was afraid every day would be the same – that was what I loved most at the airport, not knowing what I would encounter. They promised it wouldn’t be like that here either – and one must say they have kept that promise. I have been challenged with a plethora of different tasks. Right now, I am responsible for supervisors in Brazil, Ukraine, Iran, Morocco, France, and Denmark – so I get around a bit that way…

Erik:
Erik has been working hard with his job – perhaps too much, some would say. He has been in Vietnam, France, Sweden, etc. The company is up for sale – we knew that from the beginning – and to make it attractive for sale, they are cutting back and restructuring. Unfortunately, this meant that he was laid off in December and now has to look for new challenges again. With all the hours he has put into it – without any real reward – it is probably for the best, and now we will see what opportunities arise in 2025. Strangely enough, he is not released from his duties, so he is still working to complete his tasks.

However, we have played a lot more golf together this year due to my new job, and both of us have had our evenings free – I have done a little cycling, Erik quite a bit more – and now he is thinking of putting in more effort in the new year. We still have our horse, and it takes time with her (it’s mostly Lotte who spends the most time with her, not really Erik 😊).

We hope you are all well and would love to hear from you – who knows, maybe 2025 is the year for a reunion 😊

With that, we would like to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope you had a lovely Christmas and that the new year brings a lot of good things.

Best wishes,
The Petersen family