Who am I?
I’m Ariel, pronounced like the letters R+E+L slurred together, and I am the American half of the couple and primary writer of this blog. Originally from the Washington DC area, I moved to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa in early 2011, where I soon thereafter met my (now) fiancé Johan, an infinitely patient Swede from a small town outside of Gothenburg. After my initial visa ran out in 2012 and I had to return to the States, we did an “accidental” ten months of long-distance the between the DC and Sydney (it is possible, kids) which ended with my moving back to Sydney (and into his studio apartment) in 2013, where we remained for the next five years.
I started this blog to document our everyday adventures, as I drag my orderly-loving Swede to more and more chaotic places and consistently test the limits of how much he loves me.
Why the name “This Lagom Life”?
Lagom is the first Swedish word I ever learned, and quickly became my favourite. Much to Johan’s dismay it has also become my go-to answer approximately 99% of the time he asks me a question, because it can be applied to nearly everything.
The word has no direct English translation, but loosely translates to the perfect amount of something. It can apply to anything from the weather, to the height of your Tinder date, to how many meatballs you want to eat for dinner. And just like Goldilock’s perfect amount of porridge would differ if she were a 200lb man instead of a petite young woman, everyone has their own idea of what constitutes lagom in their own life and in different situations.
…”How interesting, tell me more!”
As a couple, Johan and I are complete opposites in many ways. He (being a stereotypical Swede) likes white walls and orderly lines, while I tend to gravitate towards a bit more (in my mind orgainised) disarray. Since we met, our dating life has been all about finding the perfect balance of who we are as a couple: He tries to fulfill his neverending quest to make me a lady, while I aim to inject a bit more colour into his life.
Similarly, living and traveling abroad as a couple (with two very different traveling ethos) has forced us to find a sense of Lagom as a couple that combines our individual interests. While this means we still get to do some things my way (e.g. packed schedules, 24 hour layovers, and eating lots of street food), we also do some things Johan’s way (e.g. more relaxed, with nicer hotels, and preferably with some sort of adventure sport). As a result, we both end up doing things we wouldn’t do otherwise. For me this means things like learning to kitesurf in Sri Lanka, or doing a dirt bike tour in Bali (despite never even driving a scooter). For Johan, this means staying in a rickety old treehouse in a small Vanuatuan village, or flying to Germany at Christmastime with zero accommodation booked.
In short, we believe that living a lagom life means creating an everyday life full of adventure… and the perfect amount of whatever makes you happy. This is what is lagom for us, and we hope to inspire you to find your s too!
