Changes
I've been feeling inspired to write again. For me, writing and sharing the learnings I acquired on my personal and professional path is an essential part of my being in the world. For some months I've been focusing internally, on my mental health and healing. Though resigning from the Finnish university was a political act, it still caused disruptions in my life. It took much energy and financial resources to counter these disruptions at least in some way.
It is hard to serve nature, fellow humans and non-humans from a place of instability, insecurity and anxiety. Though love and care for nature and fellow beings provide a sense of stability, at least in terms of knowing what I live for, there are practical issues such as having a home and a residence permit.
The other day I got a Danish yellow health card (sundhedskort) which felt to me like a tangible evidence that I am finally in the Danish system. I had mixed feeling about being in Denmark when I relocated here from Finland, but now I am allowing myself to feel at home in this country.
I got an extension for my book manuscript from my publisher as I decided to allow myself to write more slowly and spend more time with the businesses I research.
With my co-authors we have been writing about economics of deep transformations, and it feels good to crystallise some new thoughts in an essay.
I have received an invitation from the Department of Service Studies at Lund University to become a visiting researcher with them for 3 months. This feels like a wonderful unfolding. One of the benefits, for me, of being here in Copenhagen is being close to Sweden. I don't any longer have a residence permit for Sweden, but I feel comfortable in that country and with its language. I lived there for a year and 4 months.
I miss some of my former colleagues at the Finnish university, but I don't miss being at that organisation. I feel healthier here in Denmark and at the universities in Denmark and Sweden. Something I've felt sad about is that the Finnish university has found no formal way for me to continue to supervise my masters students. Their projects are wonderful and those students are incredibly talented. I will continue working with them as an informal advisor.
It's so interesting that in such situations so many downsides or even ugly sides of the education system come to light.