My name is Sarah, but my friends and family call me: Sarah Bagarah
Who is Sarah Bagarah?
Originally, I was going to be named Elizabeth. My dad made the last minute change to Sarah in an effort to keep me from having a bunch of nicknames. Ironically, not long after I was born, he nicknamed me “Sarah Bagarah” and it stuck. Others have picked up the habit of calling me by that name and it will forever be dear to my heart.
Why a Danish word?
At 10 years old, I read Robert Elmer's historical fiction series "The Young Underground" detailing the story of two Danish children during and after World War II. It was through the inspirational stories, real life events, and bravery on those pages that I originally fell in love with Denmark. The unparalleled unity of the Danish people during a time of great adversity captivated me. I couldn’t ignore the desire to know more about this remarkable country. Ever since then, I have lived and breathed Denmark. The more I research and learn the more my passion (obsession?) grows. I can’t get enough of it.
The summer of 2018, after nearly 12 years of dreaming, I visited Denmark for the first time. I was afraid my beloved country wouldn’t be as grand as I had envisioned for so long. With only Google Images and my imagination to compare it to, my favorite little country did not disappoint! I returned home, my love for Denmark invigorated all the more.
What is hygge?
After visiting Denmark and observing daily life there, I was eager to dive into a key element in Danish culture—hygge. I knew about hygge through my many years of Danish culture research, but that was nothing compared to seeing the Danes themselves live it out. I began studying the hygge philosophy extensively and implementing hygge practices in my daily life.
It can be difficult to articulate the profound impact such a small, funny word that doesn’t even have a direct English translation can have on who a person is. @christinaswilcox explains it beautifully:
What is Simply Sarah Bagarah?
Simply Sarah Bagarah was originally born out of a desire to share all the things I love in one place. In March 2018, I created my Instagram account @simplysarahbagarah without any clear direction. I began posting photos of food, travel, friends, and more. It was an eclectic collection of things I love, but they all had an important unintentional element in common—hygge. My passion for Denmark led me to embracing hygge into my life which shaped my style, my habits, and helped me appreciate the simple things in life. As SSB grew and developed, I created a separate Instagram account @ssbhyggephotography devoted solely to my photography.
For so long I didn’t know how to share with others about my love of Denmark. I only felt awkward or nerdy about it. Simply Sarah Bagarah allows me to share my love of Denmark and hygge with others in a way that helps them create cozy simplicity in their homes, relationships, and businesses through the products in the SSB shop and photography.
