Sara Azzam
I live in the USA and divide my time between Lincoln, Nebraska and Alexandria, Virginia. I also travel frequently to Sweden, Morocco, and Dubai. I am a scientific researcher and writer. My hobby is watercolor painting – some of my paintings can be found on my website.
Augusta’s journey has become a multi-faceted research project where each side trip has become an interesting research topic: Women writers in the 1800s, the history of Kashmir Shawls in Europe, steam-engine trains, lace making, spas and treatments for tuberculosis, just to mention a few.
Making and wearing 1840s outfits have also been fun and interesting. Living a life in tight dresses with layers of petticoats and wearing a bonnet make you move slower and speak softer. And when you do that, you become more aware of your surroundings and of small wonders.
Kerstin Melin
Kerstin lives in Spånga, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. She is a journalist, photographer, and a creative artist.
For Kerstin, Augusta’s journey is a great opportunity to get acquainted with Swedish history, especially women’s history. She also finds it very special to be able to re-create August’s travels to the fullest extent – just the experience of wearing 1840s outfits makes the world appear a little different! Kerstin has also written two books about Augusta and our Augusta project.