plans, part II

So many times during my life, people told me to enjoy the fun of being young before it's too late. And I've heard so many people lamenting losing their freedom, missing the joy of being young. It is one of the most annoying things I know. Why didn't anyone say You think you're having fun now? Wait until you're thirty! I've only felt myself becoming more free, growing older. More free, safe, confident and proud. Not to mention happy.

I remember sitting in my room one year ago, thinkin Okay. I have things under control. Everything is going well. I'm happy and content. I'm ready for something to happen. And then, the giddy excitement: I wonder what it is that's going to happen? Something always happens in my life; I wonder what it is that's going to land in my lap this time?

I wasn't wrong;
six weeks later, I met Liam.


And because I met him and started this beautiful thing we're doing, it's been the best year of my life, and one of the more challenging ones. It's been so rich. I've grown so much. This is the time for adventures.

So, yes: I'm moving to the UK in December. And I'm ridiculously excited.


I'm not moving permanently. At this point I don't think I'll ever move permanently. The UK is not a good country for me politically, specially as I feel that feminism in the UK is at the level it was in Sweden when I was a teenager, about 20 years ago.

With that said, most other things about UK culture, I kind of love. I've been an anglophile since I was about thirteen, and I've always wanted to live there someday. (I wish someone could go back in time and tell Kristin age 17 that I would fall in love with an Englishman - I would have been so delighted! My heart swells when I remember me and my friends in high school, swooning over everything with even the slightest British accent.) Turns out that this is the perfect opportunity to live there for a while, since the love of my life is waiting there for me.

So it does feel like moving; I'll have my home there, rather than here, and if that's not moving, I don't know what is. Best bit isn't even that I'm moving countries. It's that Liam and I are moving in together.


All photos by the amazing Joel Höglund.

The plan is to stay for 6 to 8 months. I'll fly back to Sweden a few times during spring, to teach weekend choir workshops, and obviously I'll have all my blues gigs and photo work around Europe to make the financial side of this adventure work. Work wise it's exciting to be closer to all the UK festivals; it makes me less expensive to hire now, as they won't have to fly me in, which obviously is great. Other than that I intend to spend all my time with my music and singing and photography and dancing and books and walks and travelling and friends and love and this fabulous new country that I'll have the honour of getting to know better.

I can't wait.