1927-2011
My wonderful and very dear Aunt Ingrid Wallerström has passed away.
Her love of life and genuinely positive attitude have meant a great deal to me over the decades, and have been an inspiration to me as far back as I can remember. Going as far back as the mid-60s, Aunt Ingrid and her visits were always associated with a very real sense of fun for me.
This sense of fun has never abated, in spite of repeated and serious health issues, and shows a strength of character and ability to focus on, and be grateful for, the good things in life. Something I will miss terribly when I think of her. Her enthusiasm was contagious. A phone call would be enough to catch a bit of her vibrant spirit, which was still true just a few weeks ago when she rang me and we spoke on the phone for quite a while.
One example of Aunt Ingrid's wonderful love of life, enthusiasm and sense of adventure is from when she and Uncle Olof came to visit me for a month in Egypt in early 2001. This was just a couple of months before I started blogging, so I don't have anything written down from that time. But I remember this: Aunt Ingrid and Uncle Olof went on endless walks around Cairo every day, and coming back from work I would listen to their stories of who they had met, who had invited them for tea and which shops or markets they had found themselves in. When we were invited to my friends Youssef, Mourad and Isaac and their family in a small flat above the bustling streets of a Cairo suburb, this had such an impact that Youssef and Isaac and their family are still enquiring about Aunt Ingrid when I talk to them. A fabulous testimony to my aunt's amazing ability to connect with people from all backgrounds - despite the fact that she didn't speak English at all.
Another fond memory I have is from a journey we made together by car from Karlstad, where she lived, to Trondheim in Norway. For a bit of background to this car journey I can just mention the Aunt Ingrid had just undergone major surgery and was turning 80 that year. And Trondheim is over 700 km from Karlstad. Here's the blog.
Similarly, Aunt Ingrid's visit to London - while I was writing my MA dissertation - is another wonderful memory, and example of Aunt Ingrid's tireless sense of adventure. I will never forget her infectious laughter at Guildford Station - lasting for about 15 minutes! - when she thought a British driver had interpreted her hand signals when he was driving by as a sign of her flirting with him. Blog here.
The last time I saw Aunt Ingrid was last July, when she arranged a spectacular 80th birthday party for Uncle Olof and I happened to be travelling through Sweden. She was still chatting to the dozens of guest - including me -way past midnight and that is a memory I will cherish. She had a love for life, a love for fun and a love for all the people she knew.
Aunt Ingrid, I will miss you so very much.
I think Khalifa is studying at the Abu Dhabi Men's College. This song was specially made for the Education without Borders Conference in Dubai a couple of months ago.
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