Ann and Erik

Sorry for being a slacker in updating my blog. So much to say, but so little time these days. So first, let me finish this friend blog: Ann and Erik. Unlike my previous entries, these are their real names. I am sure that no readers of mine will ever know who they are, so further protection is unnecessary.

Since I have preemptively claimed myself as racist in previous entries, I have no trouble to say the following out loud. I hate white-male Asian female couples, for a mixture of reasons. For one, I understand the racial hierarchy, so I partially envy those Asian girls who have an easy time climbing it and I am also partially disgusted by white guys who seek a sense of power in the relationship. For another, I pity these couples because of their usual unhappy endings. However, Ann and Erik are a different couple. Ann was a Chinese American, and Erik is a Swedish. They are the perfect couple.

Both Ann and Erik are outdoor persons. Erik joined the army for half a year and had much experience in surviving in the wilderness, on land or in the sea. Ann grew up skiing, lived in different places, is very organized, almost to an extreme. They met in a university as students. After graduation, they did some free-lance teaching of computer sciences. Ann sought further education in my university now, and Erik had a job nearly. But their passion is always in the nature, usually making friends along the trips.

I was lucky to have them as the trip leader in a snow-camping trip last week. In the car up to the mountain, we discussed the educational experiences of different countries. On the way down, we talked about why no countries could invade Sweden. Pretty random, isn’t it?

They were experienced, but they left no one behind. For the first time in a long time, I realized that I could learn so much in someone who had a completely different knowledge set. We used two sleeping bags to fend off cold; we hang two water-bottles around the neck in the jackets so the water wouldn’t freeze. We learned cross-country skiing; we learned how to tell directions from the sun; we learned a variety of knots (most of which I already forgot)…. After the trip, Ann sent us follow-up emails about the recipe of energy bars and lunch, breakfast. We got a bill: 18.82 dollars, so precise that the calculation actually filled a whole spreadsheet. Ann and Erik are leaving for Sweden soon, to see their new house after decorations.

In a way, this blog is not well planned. I do not really know Ann and Erik. Even if I know them well, their life is rich in details so that any summary descriptions in a blog will pale. However, I still want to write it. They are the people I really want to know well. They make me feel: being opposite to my life style is really really cool. I follow the plan, but they follow the passion. Isn’t that strange that they are happier than me?!