For us Scandinavians, Christmas Eve is the highlight of the season.

It’s a family get-together, and for us Garvis in Africa, Christmas involves a merge of Swedish & Norwegian traditions, mixed with some African improvisations.

I always try to have a new dress made for Christmas. Last year, Ringo made me a halterneck piece in Asian fabrics, [...]

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It is Christmas time even here in hot Africa. Miriam, Renate and the girls have been preparing diligently and just a few days ago, Miriam invited Tabita over to make a gingerbread house.

First, they made gingerbread cookies,

…which turned out very well!

…and then there was the Gingerbread House itself,

which they decorated with ice sugar and smarties.

The [...]

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After the celebration in church, the newly weds hurried off to take pictures,

while the rest of the guests assembled outside the feast location.

My father and sister

The bride and groom arrived under full sunshine, which is not something to be taken for granted for, especially not considering the weather that had just been.

Nearly a hundred guests [...]

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The first major happening after my arrival in Sweden was the wedding of my cousin Lovisa and her beloved Oscar, that took place on my mother’s home island, Smögen. Although it rained up until noon, the clouds distanced themselves in time for the wedding ceremony and throughout the rest of the day, we had bright [...]

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With so many things to learn and enjoy in this country, it is actually only when I look in my parents’ image archives that I realise how long I’ve lived in Niger! Christmas 20 years ago? Well, let’s take a look!

Christmas celebrations at the club with the French school (December 1988)

Moi on Christmas Eve (1988) [...]

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Home-made Christmas candy means that the season has begun. There is lots more to prepare, but that’s a starter! Now I’m only waiting for my father and sister to arrive… which is soon!

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It’s been exactly two months now since I headed up to Jönköping with my father, in order to attend my sister’s final PhD ceremony, where she was to receive her own hat (the one she was given when her dissertation was admitted was not hers to keep) and official PhD diploma.

It was a grand ceremony, [...]

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On this day, two months ago, I arrived by boat on a cosy little island on the Swedish West Coast called Donsö. Donsö is fairly similar to Smögen, where my mother grew up - just a little bigger and free from traffic (no cars are allowed on this island and the only way to get [...]

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Miriam Garvi, Ph.D, is an external affiliate at CeFEO. She defended her thesis “Venture Capital for the Future - Implications of Founding Visions in the Venture Capital Setting” in June 2007. Garvi’s research draws on the complexity of human nature by studying founding visions for unfolding initiatives in terms of purpose, intended beneficiaries, and psychic [...]

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I am off to Karin’s wedding today, in the very dress that Ringo made. As I know you will be eager to see some pictures, I will leave you with images from the Bachelorette Party (in Swedish called a ‘Möhippa’) that was held a few weeks ago.

The morning started with Hanna and I kidnapping a [...]

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