Claudia's Swedish Adventure

Ice Hockey!

2012-03-01T02:03:00.001-08:00

We were totally this close!

Last night I got to go to my first ever ice hockey game! and it was a big one! It was a 40 year anniversary game so the stadium was quite full! We went to watch the Malmo Red Hawks on their home turf.

Now to watch a game like this you would expect to pay a pretty penny right? Wrong! It was only 40 SEK (incl service charge) to go and considering that is about the same price as sandwich or a beer in Sweden it's a pretty awesome deal!

We had seats quite close to the front so we got to see some of the action up-close...they really do like to smack each other into the sides and the players didn't seem too fond of each other in the least!

During the break

Some things we learnt at the game last night include:

Hockey games are split into 3 20minute sessions
They like to punt adverts at every opportunity
If you are on your side of the rink you are allowed to use your hands (who knew!)
Hockey players like to push each other around....a lot!
Players can swap in and out as many times as they like.
They are super duper fast!
They don't have to keep the goalie on the rink, they can swap him out for another player (a tricky move)
Players wear a lot of padding making their heads look tiny.
When in trouble some cheesy music is played before the player is put in the box to cool off for 2 minutes
Mascots are cool!
They still have nothing on Rugby players but look good doing what they do.

Despite being a very educational, thrilling and all round awesome experience the Red Hawks lost: But I bought a scarf to show my support and hopefully there will be another game nearby again!

Here are shortl videos I took....

Royal Addition

2012-02-22T23:09:00.001-08:00

Big news in Sweden today...looks like there is going to be a royal addition very soon. Read more about it on The Local

Bicycle repair!

2012-02-22T04:02:00.000-08:00

Living in Lund and owning a bicycle means that you are likely to run into some bicycle problems at some point or another...

Sadly, that time came for me about two weeks ago when my chain decided to start jerking around and giving me a bad time. Low on cash and not wanting to walk my bicycle all the way into town I let it sit idly by until I could muster up enough cash.

Then, I spotted an advert, this advert:

I sent Lawrence a message and he came over (yes that's right...he comes to you!)...realised I needed a new chain...he then went and bought the new chain (amazing right!) and came back and fixed my bike! It's now operating better than ever!!

The best part is he loves what he does and he is a student so he takes whatever you can give whether it is beers or money...as long as it is inline with the quality of work you think he's done.

So support a fellow student and give him a call.....

Lovely Lomma

2012-02-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Lomma, like most beach towns, is quite during the off-peak season. But it is incredibly beautiful, especially on days like today when the weather is warmer and the wind is calm. Just a twenty minute bus ride from Lund heading to Lomma for a short break is a great idea. Walking along the promenade it is easy to see why people love this little town in the summer but it is also breath-taking in the winter with the sea frozen and a nice view of the Oresund bridge.

Here are some pics from my latest stroll:

Semlan...nom nom nom

2012-02-19T05:07:00.002-08:00

One of the greatest things about living is Europe is the seasonality of food! There are tons of foods and drinks which are only available certain times of the year. I guess this is the case everywhere but because of our great whether in SA I feel like we get everything (or at least most things) all year round.

One of late winter's seasonal pleasures is semlan! It is a treat which is unlikely to leave you wanting more because it is soooooooooooooooo sweet! But is also delicious!

I actually ate a semlan a couple of hours at a coffee shop and I can still feel it swirling in my stomach and I think I will have residual sweetness on my tongue till tomorrow. So if you are not a lover of sweet things semlan isn't for you! Accompanied by some bitter black coffee it makes for one hell of an energy boost and a great way to celebrate a fat Sunday!

Semlan, as you can see from the picture, is a bun filled with whipped cream. It also, however, as an almond paste at the bottom which gives it a unique flavour. Oddly enough this bun is not only rich in calories (+/- 500 calories) and flavour but also in history! It is thought (or at least mythologized) that King Adolf Fredrick died because he ate a semlan. Which funnily enough he washed down with a bottle of champagne! There is a lot more to this little bun including a fairy tale...all of which can be read from this very informative piece which also highlights different ways to eat semlan and a semlan recipe if you are keen! (Another cool semlan article can be read here aswell)

Just for a spot of fun....I found this Swedish video about semlan. I don't understand most of it but I guess the just of it is that semlan is awesome!

Soothing cemeteries

2012-02-19T04:35:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it makes me weird but there is definitely something soothing about cemeteries, especially these old cemeteries in Sweden. I find myself drawn to them. They are quite and the trees sway with a wisdom that only they know and which seems just out of reach of those that wander the paths beneath them.

I have been to two impressive cemeteries since August. One is in Malmo and the other right here in Lund. They are made even more enigmatic by the dates on the gravestones. Many of them are in the 18th or 19th century and my skin seems to stand on end as my imagination wanders to what things must have been like long ago.

I don't know if I am some macabre person but there is something so beautiful about cemeteries.

I went to the cemetary in Malmo in October when everything was still green. Right in the middle of town it's the type of place that makes you want to stop and read a book!

I went to the cemetery in Lund today. The snow started melting away on Friday but the cemetery still had this wonderfully enigmatic atmosphere as a result of the overcast weather.

I am no photographer so these photographs no where near do these cemetaries justice. They are quite large and really beautiful!

Money, money, moneeeeeeey

2012-02-18T04:36:00.000-08:00

It seems rather fitting that the title of this entry happens to also be the name of Sweden's most famous export, ABBA. To be honest, I had no idea when I wrote the title and then was pleasantly surprised!

So what about money in this rich man's world? What can you get for your money up here in Sweden..... and what is the history behind the images on the money?

As you can see from the images money in Sweden is called Kronor which is similar to but not the same as its stronger counterpart the Danish Krone.

Swedish Kronors are broken up into the following denominations: 1, 5, 10 SEK coins and 20,50,100, 500, 1000 (I've never seen it) notes.

Recently, this month actually, Sweden has decided on a new theme for the bank notes so the information I am telling you about money currently in circulation but I will probably have to do a very similar entry in a couple of months time outlining the new characters....But for now this is what the money is about

The picture on the 20 Kronor not is of Selma Lagerlöf a famous Swedish author and she was the first women to receive the Nobel prize for literature. The other images printed on the note come from her stories, most notably The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Now, practically speaking what could you buy for 20 SEK? You could buy yourself a beer from systembolaget (the state owned bottle store) or a take away cup of coffee and muffin.

The woman on the 50 Kronor note is Jenny Lind also commonly referred to as the Swedish nightingale and was a famous opera singer in the 19th century.

For 50SEK you can buy yourself a really a sandwich for lunch or even a delicious pasta salad! Alternatively you can stop at the pub and opt for a beer.

As I am sure you can guess from the images the figure on the 100 Kronor note was a botanist. More than that Carl von Linne was also a zoologist and physician. He is known as the modern father of taxonomy!

For a 100 SEK you can either go out for a cheap dinner or buy yourself a one way ticket from Lund to Copenhagen.

Now you have to be someone important to get your face on the 500 Kronor note and who better than one of Sweden's Kings. Carl XI who was the kind of Sweden during their empire days.

For just over 500SEK you can get yourself a room at Hotel Ahlstrom which is Lund's oldest hotel where breakfast is brought up to your room.

The illusive 1000 Kronor banknote has a picture of Gustav Vasa who was also a King in Sweden and who is often referred to as the father of the nation. And I guess for 1000 SEK you can get 2 nights at the Hotel Ahlstrom :) or do a little bit more travelling through the country.

I guess money is funny in a rich man's world if you yourself are a rich man in that rich man's world.

Living in Lund:

For the most part things are comparatively more expensive in Sweden than in South Africa but that is to be expected I guess. Furthermore, people tend to earn more here. However, there are ways to be economically in Lund. For one thing follow what foods are in season. For example it is only 10SEK at the moment for a box of kiwi (super cheap!), also chose fruit and veg that you can pick and pack yourself as opposed to the pre-packed stuff, it's amazing how much you can save by doing this. Clothing at stores like H&M are reasonable but there are plenty of boutique places that are pricey. Travel in Sweden is not cheap but you can ease the burden by buying travel cards (student or monthly) but the best thing to do is get yourself a bicycle and ride everywhere. And when you want to party do as the locals do and have a preparty at your house first where you can get started on drinks bought from systembolaget as oppossed to breaking the bank at pubs and clubs.

So, living in Lund is not cheap but it doesn't have to be expensive either

The Language cafe

2012-02-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

The language globe taken off of olemiss.edu

Yesterday, quite by accident I stumbled upon a language cafe right here in Lund. I had heard murmurings about it but had never really ever had any idea where it was and what it entailed.

I left some friends in the SOL building to go to gym for an hour and when I came back unbeknown to my friends who were caught up in their own worlds they were sitting amongst a language cafe. hahaha....it was quite funny. They were sitting studying happily in between all these people speaking different languages and had no idea!

Oh right, I should probably back up a little and tell you what a language cafe is. Well, a flag is placed on a table and then at that table only that language is spoken. It is a fantastic idea to help people learn and speak different languages that they might be learning or just for fun. There was a German table, a Spanish table, an English table, a Swedish table (of course), and even a Hebrew table. It was great! And a bonus was that there were free treats and coffee up for grabs.

Maybe I shouldn't be so excited about the free treats but in all honesty back home as soon as there is something free, especially in such an open setting it disappears in minutes with people piling cakes and cookies into their bags and eating things they don't even like simple because it's available and there. I guess n South Africa the statement "Free shit tastes better" seems to be the rule to live by and people are quick to get as much of that free shit as humanly possible, even if it means others are left empty handed.

Anyway, back to Sweden and the language cafe. The Swedish table was quite full but luckily for me both the friends (Rebecka and Elin) with me were Swedish and volunteered to pack away their books and chat Swedish with me for roughly 40 minutes. Another guy from Portugal even joined us and it was a lot of fun! Now Elin and Rebecka have said that they will only speak Swedish to me :/ I guess that's the only way to learn!

So if you're in Lund and feel like practicing a language or are missing speaking your home language head to the SOL building next to the main library on a Wednesday at 5pm. I really think this a great idea and wonder why more universities don't do it (or do they?)

Thoughts this Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T00:34:00.002-08:00

Being in Sweden this February has been quite a different affair to what I experienced in both South Africa and South Korea. There hasn't been a barrage of hearts, flowers, and candy filling shop windows. There have been a few decorations but not the Valentine's mayhem you would see in SA.

Actually the only odd thing I did notice is that as soon as February hit a lot more lingerie adverts started to spring up. There is now one at almost every bus stop. Is this just coincidence? I have also seen more vanilla heart pastries in stores and being advertised in the paper and of course there are invites to all sorts of Valentine's Day parties including tag parties.

Yummy looking Vanilla Hearts (taken off of kingarthur.com)

The advert that's at most bus stops

I don't know if it's just me but tag parties strike me as being totally weird. What is a tag party? Well you go to a party and you were a tag or a different colour shirt to indicate your status: single, taken, not sure. How primitive? I don't mean to sound like a bitch here but seriously! So what if you happen to be wearing a taken tag at a party that is clearly made for a bunch of horny people only looking for single tags, or hoping to sway the likes of a confused tag, you are likely to be spending the night playing with your straw. It just sounds like a party that as you walk into the room all you would be able to smell is sex and desperation. And then, what if you are wearing an available tag (putting yourself totally out there) but still noone approaches you. Eish! OK, ok maybe I am overanalysing this and being a little to catty here it's more than likely just going to end up being a big piss up like any other party.

Moving right along....as I was saying, not much commercial hype around Valentines in Sweden (or should I say Lund because I have no idea what the rest of Sweden looks like at the moment).

The only tie Sweden has to Valentine's Day is that in the 1960s flower sellers inspired by American counterparts started to promote flowers for Valentine's Day (so it had commercial beginnings) and it started to gain some momentum in the 1980s. And that is about as detailed a history there is for Sweden and Valentine's Day but from what I can tell people still like going out for dinner and spending some quality time with people they care about (whether a lover or not) and Valentine's Day appears to provide the perfect excuse.

I like this! Although the commercial side of Valentine's Day back home could get overwhelming it was always a nice excuse to stop and do something with someone you loved. And yes I know there will be people saying but you should appreciate the people you love everyday but unfortunately, I'd hate to break it to these die hard romantics, that's just not reality. Inbetween stressful jobs, studying and all the other crap that requires our attention on a daily basis loved ones don't get the attention they deserve and Valentine's Day provides the perfect excuse to remind yourself to do something special for someone who is special to you!!

So Happy Valentine's Day everyone I hope you have a great time whether you are reading a book, cuddling with someone special (which would be epic considering the snowy weather today), going to a tag party, or just watching a movie.

Some Swedish Ads

2012-02-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

It's not very often that I get the opportunity to watch Swedish television....actually one of the only ways I get a chance to is when I log onto SVT which shows all of the programs and movies currently aired on national Swedish television. This is a great site to have if you want to watch more Swedish television to help you learn. I am still watching children's programmes because the adult stuff is too difficult for me.

But, I digress. Often when I watch something on YouTube Swedish adverts come up before so I thought this could be a nice and fun post where you can watch some funny Swedish ads.....

I saved the best for last and ofcourse showing you adverts without showing you something from IKEA would be incomplete...so here you have it :)

This IKEA ad was banned in Sweden and I guess you could see why but it is funny nonetheless. Actually, quite a few ads have been banned in Sweden but not all of them are as lighthearted....the one below actually made my jaw drop, and not on a good way

I could keep posting but there seems to be a plethora available online including everything from a Lufthansa ad about Swedish Women to Condom Ads so for now I will leave you with these...enjoy :)

The Polar Plunge!

2012-02-02T22:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, myself and some mates from class made a mission to Kallbadhuset (literally translated to Cold Bath House). I was a little nervous about the whole thing....one, you had to be naked while relaxing in the sauna and two it involved jumping into icy cold water.

I probably shouldn't be disguising either of those as 'have to' dos...If I had preferred I could have worn a swim suit and skipped jumping into the cold water all together but that wouldn't be getting the real experience now would it? Not to mention that I recently got enough courage to shower naked at gym and was markedly less concerned about the nakedness than I was the freezing cold water.

Anyways, moving right along. We took a bus to the Kallbadhuset (in Malmo) and almost immediately I was hopping with excitement.....when we were on the boardwalk I found myself flabbergasted that the water in the sea had actual frozen. It wasn't just cold, it was frozen! I kept saying to the others, "WOW! I never knew seawater could freeze like this" which in retrospect was a stupid thing to say...I mean we have all seem documentaries set in the Arctic and Antarctic right? But in the moment I was amazed by the frozen water and pleasantly surprised to see wild swans and ducks frolicking in the open pools of water.

So, we walked into the Bath House paid our modest 55SEK got a weird little towel, cloth thing to sit on in the sauna and off we went. After a brief rinse all three of us went straight to the sauna. It was smaller than I had imagined, probably being able to fix a maximun of 15-20 people per sauna. Instead of a square sauna it was styled as steps facing the ocean. So you could sweat it out while looking over the big blue!

Once we had had our fare share of heat we quickly dashed outside, down the stairs (of which there was a choice), and into the icy cold water below! It wasn't as much of a shock as I thought because your body actually seems to be relieved from all the heat. Then you stand in the breeze for a few minutes until it's time to go back into the sauna.

We did this a good couple of times hot, cold, hot, cold, etc until eventually all of started to get hungry. Who would have thought naked polar plunging could be so hunger inducing?

And what better thing to eat after an experience like this than curry!

All in all it was a fantastic day and something I highly recommend to anyone who has the chance...forget about the nakedness and the giant blocks of ice at your feet and just do it!

More Snow

2012-01-22T00:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend we have had some more snow and I must say it is quite beautiful....here are some snaps from my walks.

Not sure why these next pictures are blue in colour, I assure you everything was super white. Clearly I am a dope and did something wrong with my camera settings or something

Snow show

2012-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last night Lund got a show of snow and it was awesome! I had no idea it was snowing and was about to climb into bed when I realised what was going on!

I opened my door and all of sudden heard screams and laughter....a snow fight!

So I grabbed my jacket and beanie and headed to join the fun (even though I was wearing tracksuit pants with bears on it).

Lund hasn't seen a proper snow fall yet this season so this was a real treat!

A whole group of international students played for well over two hours lobbing snow at each until our fingers hurt from cold! It was fabulous......

Eventually the snow turned to muck at the clock hit 23:00 and I needed to head to bed.....but what a great surprise.

Most of the snow was gone this morning but it was a glorious day with blue skies and speckles of snow everywhere!

Yes! It is interesting...

2012-01-18T07:43:00.000-08:00

Taken off of swan.ac.uk

I realised today that most of my posts have been about events and things I have done in Sweden but in actual fact most of my time is taken up by studying and reading, of which I have written little about.

As you know I am studying gender studies but I am amazed at how few people (including myself prior to this course) actually know what it is about. Whenever I tell people what I am studying I get this niggling feeling that I am being judged (this could be insecurity but the follow up questions and responses confirm my suspicions). "Ooooh, thaaaat's interesting." I always feel as though people think I am some raging feminist, ready to go out and chop penises off of every man I come across. Although a novel idea (wink wink), this is not what I am studying and not what I hope to gain from the course.

The course I have started this week has some incredible insights into what gender studies is about. Gender studies traverses many fields of study including everything from sex work to political economy.

I started reading a book on Monday by Joan Acker titled Class Questions, Feminist Answers and have also now had two lectures on a book by Ehrenreich and Hochschil, Global Woman which have highlighted several issues that are very gendered and very racialized which I think people are very unaware of.

Joan Acker discusses how class is innately racialized and gendered and how our access to capital and income is influenced by our gender and race. Now this might sound like some abstract, outlandish idea but once you sit down and give it some thought you realise how almost everything is influenced in this manner.

I think back to South Africa when I held numerous jobs including a bartender, waitress, swimming teacher, tutor, and assistant; and how some of these jobs were directly influenced by my race and gender. For instance, the swimming school had no male swimming teachers because of the idea that men are "sexual predators",an idea I don't agree with, but which many parents felt strongly about. Also, as a waitress, I was one of many young, white waitresses who were hired based on our race and gender. Although there were both waitors and black staff how we were treated by management and customers differed. I remember nights when I would earn more tips than the male waitors and how this would be attributed to "tits and ass" as opposed to my skill. These are tiny examples taken from my own life but I am sure if you sit down and think about it you will realise just how gendered and racialized class is and how our access to (of denial of) certain things is influenced by this.

A big topic of discussion is the global care chain. Because women are increasingly entering labour markets there is a gap at home with noone to look after children and housework. Now I know some people might be thinking..."Well, that's why women should stay at home". Ummmm, no. This should not be understood as solely the women's responsibility (another hot discussion). But anyway, now this gap exists and what is happening is that cheap labour is filling the void and you have immigrants and people from poorer classes taking up these roles. It is interesting and it is a gender issue.

So the next time you hear the word gender think a little further and don't be intimidated. It is an interesting field and once you enter it your perspectives shift and you begin to look at power dynamics in a whole new light.

Before, I stop my mini tutorial on why I think gender studies is valuable it is important to realise that gender studies does not equal women's studies. We are not only talking about problems that affect women but how relationships between men and women, women and women, men and men, etc impact on aspects of our lives.

Take for example issues surrounding paternity leave, the fact that the most growth in unemployment is amongst men, and that men are 3 times more likely than women to commit suicide. Why? Well, that's the question isn't it and that's why studying gender studies is fascinating!

So with this in mind, I think I am going to start doing a blog enter every now and then about topics that have arisen in class. I would love your thoughts and opinions on gender studies, gender issues and your own experiences!

Thursday night

2012-01-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

Taken off of vinyljourney.blogspot.com

After missing my arrival sittning in August I decided to crash the arrival sittning meant for the latest exchange student arrivals. And man was it fun!
We sat down at loooooooooooooooong tables and were meant to sit boy/gitl/boy/girl but this proved too difficult for us and we totally botched it up. Food is not the most important part of a Sittning....not by a long shot.....singing and drinking are in fact the main events. And both involve a fair amount of theatrics.

Firstly, whenever you want to cheers girls need to cheers to the right, then the left, then forward each time shouting SKOR before taking a gulp of your drink! This ends up being addictive with people just randomly staring the cycle. You are meant to cheers (or skor) after every song....and the drinking songs are a hell of a lot of fun. Some you just sing and others you find yourself on top of chairs looking like a dork.

Here here are two songs that made me giggle (note the melodies):

27. I Had A Blackout (Mel. You’re my sunshine)

I had a blackout
A major blackout
Guess I was happy
What is your name?
How did I get there?
I don’t remember
So please just take my headache away!

16. Birth Control (Mel. Yesterday)

Birth control, is the only way to save my soul,
When I’m going up my girlfriend’s hole,
Oh, I believe in birth control.

Suddenly, there’s a shotgun hanging over me,
It was unexpected pregnancy,
Oh, I believe in birth control.

Why I had to come I don’t know,
She wouldn’t blow,
I stayed in too long,
Now I long for birth control.

Syphilis, it all started with a little kiss,
Now it hurts me when I try to piss,
Oh, I believe in syphilis.

Leprosy, there are pieces falling off of me,
I’m not half the man I used to be,
Oh, I believe in leprosy.

There were loads of songs in a wide range of languages including German and French. If you would like to have a look at the ESN drinking song book click here.

Now I had decided to take the bus into town because it was cold and windy and I didn't feel like riding my bike. Man would this come back to bite me in the ass. I looked online and because it was a Thursday the last bus went back to my place at 00:19. So I had to leave the sittning early. Which I totally wasn't happy about....I was having a scream and meeting some really nice people. But alas, I also had an exam paper due the following day and really couldn't stay out until a crazy hour.

So anyways, we leave, and there is still sometime to spare for me to catch my bus so I am in no hurry. But then I get to the bus stop and see that the next bus is after 5am. Nooooooooooooooooooooo! Dammit! But luckily I Sweden is safe enough to walk home (20 min). I also did I sigh of relief because the wind had died down and it wasn't too cold but about halfway home it started to drizzle and I was caught in it :(

Eventually I stumbled through my door. Gulped some water and prayed I would be able to get up on time to finish my exam paper and hand it in. The alarm was set for 06:30.

Luckily I managed to do all of the above even though my head was pounding! It was an awesome evening I seriously suggest going to a sittning....maybe when I'm back home I'll host a sittning of my own :)

VIVA 2012

2012-01-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I am back in Sweden and ready to get the year rolling. In all honesty I have been back since the 2nd but it has taken me a couple of days to get my ass into gear and start the New Year.

My little vacation was wonderful. After a jam packed semester getting away to do nothing was amazing. And I got to see Oliver! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! After four months of not seeing each other I was worried that things would be awkward or strange but it wasn't. But after a beeeeeeeeg hug and kiss at the airport we were back to Oliver and Claudia. It was awesome to spend time with him.

So what did we do in Ghana? Well, like I said, not much! I did a lot of reading (odd I know, considering I wanted to get away from Uni but this was enjoyment reading which is different), we did a lot of swimming in a gorgeous pool right next to the beach, a lot of chess (I lost every single game except for two on New Years Eve...could this be a sign of good things to come?), and a lot of chilling! It was awesome!

Awe!

This is serious!

The first time I beat Oliver ever!

The awesome pool

It has taken me a few days to get back into the swing of things. Arriving back to an empty apartment takes some getting used to all over again. But I couldn't take too much time as I have an exam paper due on the 13th and I officially need to get grafting.

However, other than a lot of work there are a lot of exciting things that are going to happen this year. In April I will be visiting South Africa where my brother would have just had his second daughter and where my sister will be expecting her first child. Then shortly after I get back from SA a friend from Switzerland is going to come visit me in Sweden. Then, shortly after she has left I have two friends that I knew in Korea coming to see what Sweden is all about. One of them has a course to take in Malmo and the other is just coming to have a great time! So April is going to sublime (and busy as all hell :).

Also in April I will hopefully be starting my second course on Swedish. I got 83% for level one and am hoping that by the time I leave Sweden I will be able to speak Swedish fluently.

As we inch closer to the middle of the year we reach summer vacations. I am hoping to do a spot of travelling during summer going to see friends who live in Europe. Then in July or August Oliver will be coming to Sweden! Can I get a whoop whoop! We have an awesome road trip planned and are going to camp across Sweden and see as much as we can possibly see in the time we have available. Oli is a photographer so be sure to check in in September I am likely to have some kick ass pictures up on the blog.

The next semester begins in September and I am not too sure where I will be. I have applied for several internships in Stockholm. If I get one I will be there for the next six months. If not, I will be doing some elective courses either in Lund or at Stockholm University. I am in two minds about whether I should live in Stockholm for six months. What do you think?

Either way, there is a lot going on this year and I am super excited to see what happens. I'll keep you updated on anything interesting along the way!

VIVA 2012!

This festive season

2011-12-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

For me, back home, this time of year is characterized by hot weather and lazy behaviour (except for the crazy Christmas shopping). It's quite different on this side of the world.

I have been insanely busy with two exams last week as well as an assignment. It's also been rather chilly with us getting our first little bit of snow yesterday. But I must say Lund is rather mild.

Another cool thing is the seasonal merchandise. In SA you can pretty much buy the same things all year round but in Sweden (and I assume much of Europe) there is a lot of seasonal food and products and I think this stands out even more round the festive season.

First up, there is Glogg to keep the winter chill at bay. The there is Christmas (or Jul to use Swedish) merchandise everywhere including Christmas beer, a Christmas soft drink, and Christmas treats. It's quite fun!

Due to my busy schedule I haven't had much of a chance to embrace the Christmas atmosphere. Lund is quite pretty now with streets and trees being decorated with simple lights that add another splash of charm to this already charming town.

On Friday, after exams and assignments were done and dusted I made my way to Tivoli, a super old theme park, in Copenhagen.

Myself and Nina strolled around the pretty gardens and marvelled at some of the tummy churning rides. Tivoli was really special. It was like a little wonderland cornered off inside Copenhagen filled with lights and festivities! It was a cool way to get into the festive spirit and get ready for my Christmas shopping.

It's amazing how buying something small here and something small there for the people you care about adds up.

So now I am in the festive season and ready to do some relaxing! And oddly enough I will be having a scorching hot Christmas this year! haha! Yip, I am flying to Ghana on Wednesday.

Oliver's dad works in Ghana so we are meeting up there to celebrate and relax! I am soooooooo excited! I can't believe we have been apart for four months already!

So on that note I just want to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Tis the season to be jolly

2011-12-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

.........tralaaalalalalaaaaa la la la laaaaaaaaaaaa......

Did you know that there are some seriously bizarre Christmas traditions out there? I did a show for radiop AF today and I decided to focus on weird and wonderful Christmas traditions.

And when I say weird I mean weird. We spoke about everything from streets being closed in Caracas, Venezuela so that people could skate (with rollerblades) to church mass on Christmas to "The defecating man" in Catalonia, Spain which is literally a nativity figure of a man taking a dump to symbolise fertilizer. Others include, stirring to the right when making pudding in Britain so as to bring about good luck; people in Norway hiding broomsticks on Christmas Eve to stop evil spirits from stealing them, single women throwing shoes in Czech Republic searching for love, and hollowing out a log putting sweets in it and trying to make it "poop". These were all incredibly fun and made me wonder a bit about some odd traditions in Sweden over Christmas time.

Turns out on Christmas Eve every year at 15:00 TV1 airs "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas". Most of Sweden stops what they are doing and settles in to watch this old Disney film. This tradition has been going on since 1959 when Swedes had just started to buy their own personal televisions. It's called Kalle Anka (pronounced kah-lay ahn-kah) in Swedish and oddly enough "Kalle" is a nickname for "Karl" and "Anka" means duck. So in their film their duck is called Karl, not Donald. Why at 15:00 you might ask? Well apparently this is the best time for a break in the day whether you had lunch before or plan to have dinner afterwards it allows you to plan your time so that you are able to stop what you are doing and sit down with your family to engage in the fun.

Tis the season to be jolly! Just a little something to get you in the mood and bring back all those warm fuzzy memories!

Another Swedish Christmas tradition emerged 40 years ago in a town called Gavle. Originally an act of vandalism every year the city Gavle erects a giant goat made of straw to mark the start of the festive season. Every year vandals do everything they can to try and destroy the goat including setting fire to it. Others try to protect the goat. And so the battle ensues. The goat has managed to make it to Christmas 10 times in its 40 year history. The vandals seem to be winning this war :)

Taken off of ottocontest.blogspot.com

It's strange how things become tradition. Something that makes that time meaningful and a little more special. A memory frozen in time!

I love these Swedish traditions they are quirky and strange but they are also fun, different and somehow totally Swedish! So if you feel like doing something Swedish this year...be sure to sit down at 15:00 on the 24th and watch some old school Disney magic! (Or burn a giant goat made of hay ;)

Baking with Buddies

2011-12-03T23:27:00.000-08:00

There are few pleasures quite as sweet as baking your own awesome creation and then getting a chance to guzzle it down with friends!

Not too long ago we headed to a friend's house, Ulrika, to bake Lussebullar. Lussebullar?

Bulle (buns) are huge in Sweden. the most famous variety is kanelbulle (Cinnamon buns) but around this time of year you see yellow buns with raisins in them popping up everywhere, and these yellow buns are what are known as lussebullar. From what I gather they are a 'either you love them, either you don't' kind of food and this may have to do with their saffron flavouring.

So we arrive at Ulrika's house and first things first we heat up the Glögg which is kind of like German Gluwein but sweeter (a mulled wine I guess). You can buy it with or without alcohol and with a wide range of flavours, some with coffee and chocolate aromas or some with hints of rum or whisky but people seem to prefer the classic Glögg which is slightly spiced and simply delicious to drink, especially when the weather is cold outside!

I was expecting to be handed a large mug of this amazing smelling stuff but instead I was given a mini mug, slightly largely than a shot glass. Huh? I know right! But it is a good way to pace yourself and it feels quite quaint. Then, everyone started dropping raisins and nuts into their tiny glasses (along with the Glögg) and started sipping from their little glasses. Yummmmy (Or "Mums" as they say in Swedish).

Anyway, back to the baking!

We went about baking the lussebullar which involved a fair amount of mixing and kneaded and before long we were twisting the dough into cool little twisted creations with raisins getting them ready for the oven...we then started getting creative making everything from snails, to penisis, and faces. I blame the Glögg.

This is clearly serious business

But man-oh-man whatever shape they were when they came out of the oven they smelt epic! Mums!!! I happily sat eating these baked creations and knew that I was definitely one of the "love them" people...

Click here for the recipe and let me know if you are a love them or hate them person!

The rooms of my mind

2011-11-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

A strange thing happens (or at least for me) when you get into paper writing exam mode. I can literally (literally!) see things fall apart around me the closer to deadline I get.

Dishes slowly start to pile up, I get sloppy with my clothing, papers are scattered everywhere, my hair looks like a hornet's nest, and I become a hermit in every sense of the word.

But I think that there is a hidden process to all of this. I think my surroundings are descriptive of what is going on in my brain. When writing week starts you can slowly see the order crash into disorder. It starts with opening your files and slowly unbinding the material you have been gathering and the more you take out the more it spreads across your floor and desk. However, at this point in the process it is still systematic.

But as the days continue and your brain toys with contradictory ideas fighting for the angle and focus of your paper those organised papers start to be flung across the room and soon all mayhem breaks loose. It is organised chaos. You know where everything is and if anyone dares to touch your precious mess they might be met with a fist.

Then the procrastination sets in. You have an idea but you're not sure about it. So with that you let it mull over in your mind and your apartment finds itself suspended, still not clean. Once your procrastinating is done you realise that you have left everything just that little bit too late and now the deadline is looming closer that you would like it to. Now things get crazy!

Cereal bowls mount up next to your papers. You forget to cook yourself a proper meal and decide to opt for a peanut butter and jam sandwich, cereal, or anything that you can grab. Cooking is simply too much when you are at the stage of delirium.

As you feel yourself slip closer towards dementia and your heartbeat starts to speed up as that inevitable paper writing frenzy washes over you. You stop. You take a look around you. Gasp! "I can't concentrate in this mess". And just like that you find yourself cleaning up: doing the dishes, stacking your papers, making your bed and brushing your hair. A weird calm washes over you as you sit down in front of your laptop. Yip, you are in the zone now. You have organised the space in your room and in some magical way you have also organised your thoughts. You are ready to argue.

Then the typing comes, flows, stops, goes. The rat-tat-tat of the keyboard falls into a steady rhythm and you are no longer at your wits end. "What will be will be"; "I can only do my best". With that you finish typing close your laptop and do something totally unrelated with your time before giving it one last squizz before hand-in which results in a couple of hyperventilated breaths as you start to question your arguments before you realise "it's too late now" and hand in the paper.

Then you take another breath and brace yourself for the next round of madness.

An abundance of acivities

2011-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest things about being at University is that you are able to explore many different things, find interests you never thought you had, and do things you'll never do again. And I'm not just talking about the course work ;) Universities provide a whole new world with so many things to try and do.

During my undergraduate and honours degrees in South Africa I worked several jobs so my ability to exploit these opportunities was limited. Despite this I still managed to have my own show on UJFM during my first year and worked as a tutor and assistant during my third and fourth years. Maybe it was just me or maybe it is because my eyes have been opened by Lund University that I realise there wasn't that much to do at UJ.

At Lund University the amount of things there are to do is utterly crazy! Everytime I go onto Facebook there is some party somewhere where you have to do something or drink yourself silly. But on top of this usual university garb there are trips to other countries, booze cruises, and generally just awesome excuses to get out of town. The only ones I have were my day trips to Goteborg and Copenhagen. Being in a long distance relationship isn't cheap so I am having to save my pennies to visit Oliver which unfortunately means I miss out on some of these great excursions (but it's OK I don't mind).

However beyond the travel there are tons of groups and activities you can get involved in: everything from set painting to unions and radios. So with so much to be had what have I opted to do?

Well I joined Radio AF, Lund University's radio station and every other Tuesday I go on air with other presenters and just speak about random shit for an hour. It's great and it isn't too demanding which is even better considering the unbelievable amount of reading and work that is involved in a Masters. However, I also wanted to get involved in something a little bit more meaningful.

Because of time constraints back home (a poor excuse I know) I was hardly ever available to get involved in volunteer work. However, here I have joined UNICEF Lund! Again it is not too time consuming but being an active member is super rewarding and we were encouraged to come up with project ideas and ways of improving the group. With this in mind I came up with a pen pal idea and luckily people liked it, even the big bosses in Stockholm. So the project (now called Writing across Borders) got approved and now it is underway. The basic idea is to get children from two different countries (in this case South Africa and Sweden) to write letters to one another to teach each other about their homes and in turn teach tolerance and curiosity. To read more on this initiative you can read the entry I wrote for the UNICEF blog last Friday. The only hirdle left in the project is getting funding to post the letters from SA to Sweden.

The kids involved in Writing across Borders in Sweden

Now I wish I could get involved in even more...and in the upcoming months I am sure I will! So I will be keeping my eyes peeled and let you know the next time I stumble into something awesome!

Trustworthy Swedes

2011-11-13T23:19:00.000-08:00

You would think that after living in Korea for a year I wouldn't still be surprised by trustworthiness. But I am! Sweden, like South Korea, has an incredible degree of trust and for someone from SA this comes as a nice change and blows my mind every time I encounter it. Let me give you some examples about what I mean when I say trust.

There is a nice little coffee shop close to the social sciences lecture halls and a lot of students stop off at this coffee shop in-between classes to get their daily dose (more like doses, they are caffine crazy here) of coffee. That's all good and well but how you go about paying for your coffee is what amazes me. Firstly, you stand in a queue and take what you want...you poor your own coffee, take your own piece of cake, apple, sandwich whatever. Then you continue along the counter until you reach the till where most of the time no-one is standing. However, next to the till there is money just lying there. Yip, you heard me, just lying there. You put your money down and take your change and boom your done with coffee and cake in hand! I mean SERIOUSLY!! That is just insane...They have money lying there and every now and then replenish the change. I have no idea how they keep track of their stock or their money and the best oart is that this isn't just a once off place that does this, quite a few small coffee shops take this approach. I am amazed, one that the owners trust their clients that much and two that the clients respect that trust and the thought of theft doesn't even cross their minds.

Another trust experience which blows my mind is how so many stores have their merchandise outside on display...and these displays aren't tied down or on security camera, often they are completely out of view of the shop owner yet the displays happily sit there all day without being disturbed unless someone wants to buy something.

Just the other day, a friend of mine Sara, bought a coffee and wanted to use her card but the teller said that he didn't want to use a card for such a small amount and that she was welcome to bring the money in when she had the chance! I mean what?! Wow! That is some serious trust!!

It appears the only thing that people don't trust leaving unlocked are their bicycles. Bicycles are always locked up. Despite being very ironic, bicycles are the one thing that is commonly stolen, in this otherwise safe and unbelievably trustworthy place.

A snapshot of autumn

2011-11-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

Autumn has got to be my most favourite time of year. I don't think I had realised it until we lived in South Korea where there were colours of every variety which was very different to the brown and greens in South Africa. Although the colours aren't as extreme as they were in South Korea, Lund has really been beautiful over the past two weeks with trees boasting their new orange and yellow hues.

I have some incredible photos on my phone but alas I do not have the cable to get them off my phone and I am clearly not adept at emailing them off of my phone either. So I took one or two snaps on Wednesday which don't quite do the prettiness of Lund justice

By the time I actually took the photos many of the trees had started losing their the majority of their leaves. It's amazing how quickly things change.

I tried to find you a cool video or set of beautiful photos of Lund in Autumn online but it appears that that is more difficult to do than I anticipated so instead you are going to have to settle for this brief snapshot of how pretty Lund is in the Autumn time...

Great Göteborg

2011-10-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

Göteborg is the second biggest city in Sweden and although I haven't yet had an opportunity to visit Stockholm I have has a chance to see Göteborg.

Just over a month ago there were tickets for sale for a day trip to Göteborg. 400 SEK got you a return bus trip, a stop at the zoo to see a moose, a city bus tour, free time, and entrance into a pub.

After quite a beautiful bus ride into the city we stopped at a city park called Slottskogsparken which has a small zoo including a moose. Yip! I am officially a little more Swedish because I have seen a moose. They are huge! Most of the ones we saw had already lost their antlers but I was amazed at how long their legs were! That was pretty cool. And teh garden surrounding the zoo was pretty beautiful.

Unfortunately we didn't have much time to spare and we were quickly told to get back on the bus. I guess this is to be expected when doing an arranged tour...you are there on a set schedule and have to do what you are told to.

Then we drove around in the bus looking (albeit through the window) at some of Göteborg's top attractions including Lisebeg (A popular amusement park), Maritiman (the world's largest floating ship museum); the Opera House; as well as two soccer stadiums and a giant ferris wheel near the harbour. Then we stopped off in old town (I think it is called the Haga District) which has been around since the 1600s and walked around its quaint streets until we climbed up a massive flight of stairs to reach a vantage point which gives one of the best views of Göteborg. After a good amount of photos it was time to head back into the centre of town and then we had a couple of hours of free time to do as we pleased.

Unfortunately by this time museums and shops were either already closed or about to close so myself and some friends opted for walking through the streets, grabbing some brunch and just enjoying the city atmosphere. It was great!!!

Then at 20:00 it was off to a bar which thankfully had reasonably priced drinks (by reasonable I mean 35SEK for a glass of wine or draft of beer) and I really started to enjoy myself. There were drinking games, good music and I was meeting people from all over the world including Switzerland, France and Iran.

The biggest mistake of the evening, in my opinion, was leaving the bar and heading to a club. we had to pay for entrance to the club on the bus so by the time I realised I didn't want to go I was told it was too late. Once in the club they wanted more money for our jackets, etc to be stored. NO way! I paid 100SEK entrance and now they want money for coats as well. Hectic. Then we go upstairs and the drinks are all like 80SEK +. So by now I am really getting bleak...my happy vibe from earlier began to disapear so I decided to go get some food. I was then told by the people at the entrance that if I leave, I leave, and if I want to come back in I have to pay again. WTF??? No stamps....URG! So now I was really really bleak so decided to say screw it....I left the club grabbed some grub and waited for the bus which wasn't too bad. I should have known better, I am not a club person.

Other than that I have a fantastic day and I can't wait to go back to Göteborg on my own where I can go some of the other sites including the Natural History Museum which has the only stuffed blue whale in the world!

Drunken Woes....

2011-10-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Taken from http://geoventurer.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/sweden-surprises/

When I found out that I had got a scholarship to go to Sweden several stereotypical images flushed my mind! I thought that I would soon be living among some freakishly tall, beautiful, blonde people who like to drink beer and vodka, go on nature walks, as well as occasionally dress up as Vikings.

Well, sorry to disappoint but there are not as many blondes as you might expect....in fact I would say that there is a good mix of many hair types including pink and orange! There are some people that tower over me (although come to think of it thats not too difficult) but for the most part people only seem marginally taller. And yes, they do sometimes dress up at Vikings and more often than not this is at drunken parties!

And that's what I wanted to talk about...not drunken parties per se but what makes them drunk....yip, I want to talk about the good old booze!

Taken from http://www.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?PostID=4525771

Sweden is famous for Absolute Vodka, which is brännvin (literally "burn-wine"), that is, it is distilled from fermented potatoes or grain. Long ago, people used to make their own brännvin and some still do it today although, from what I hear, it is highly regulated.

Sweden has massive tax on its alcohol (Vodka is 40%) and it is under a government monopoly. That is, only the government is able to sell and distribute alcohol above 3.5 %. This explains why it is so expensive to drink in Sweden.

If you want to get an ordinary draft in a bar you are looking at paying between 50-60SEK (R55-R65) and you could end up paying just as much for a 'special' bottled beer! Crazy right? I mean in South Africa you would pay R20 (25SEK) for a draft and in South Korea you would pay even less, 2000Won (R12, 15SEK). So drinking in Sweden is expensive business and I'm not quite sure how some students manage to go out four times a week and get wasted!

Well, I guess they get smashed because they drink before they pitch up at the party (pre-parties are VERY popular! It's no wonder why). Alcohol in the state owned bottle stores, Systembolaget, are cheaper than restaurants and bars but in comparison to the rest of the world it is still pricey. For a mediocre bottle of wine you are looking at paying about 100SEK (R120).

And it is so unfortunate that it is that expensive because Lund has some awesome little pubs and bars where you could see yourself slowly slipping into a drunken stupor if you didn't have to watch your wallet steadily burn a hole through itself.

Now the beer you buy in bars is generally of a really good quality! I don't know if you can say the same about the beer you buy from convenience stores. Convenience stores are allowed to sell drinks that have a volume of under 3.5% and once I bought Eko-Beer from my local grocery store! It was horrible! Bleh! One the first sip, your like, Mmmmm, that's not too bad, but, by the time you get halfway through the can you feel your throat closing up and refusing to have anymore! Anyway! Don't drink Eko-Beer!!

Ok, so now I have been blabbing for a while...but now you know a little bit more about the drinking situation here in Sweden. So have some sympathy! When you are out tonight, raise your glass and have a drink for me and maybe through some bizarre form of osmosis I too will get drunk!!!!

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avl%C3%B6ningsafton_-_R%C3%B6sta_ja!_1922.jpg

Random Ramblings

2011-10-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

I have been stumped about what to write about. In all honesty...I have been busy with class stuff mostly!

However, there are some changes that are happening. Firstly, it is starting to get cold! Last weekend the weather was randomly spectacular (apparently Swedish summer weather), the temperature was over 20 degrees Celsius, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and all in all it was just glorious! Needing to get away from the books for a while I hopped n by bicycle and found a spectacular little road that was lined by green fields and I just enjoyed the awesomeness of riding in the fantastic weather and beautiful scenery. I had a feeling that was a good weather send off...I knew it was going to start getting colder thereafter. And it has...with wind chill factor is has been about 9/10 degrees Celsius.

Considering how quickly things are going to get cold I decided to visit a neighbouring city, Malmö, this afternoon! Malmö is the third biggest city in Sweden and it is gorgeous. Being Sunday, there weren't many attractions that were open but I found myself just randomly strolling through streets and admiring the clear skies and great architecture. In South Africa Sunday's buzz with shops and activities, I was surprised at how quite and closed everything seemed in Malmö... However, several clothing stores start to grumble open at around mid-day so I did a spot of shopping. I finally bought myself a pair of pants for gym so there is no more putting it off! Yip, I will be joining gym this week (another change).

In the next two weeks I will be finishing my first course and starting my second. At the moment I am writing and studying like some kind of psycho. The paper I am writing counts for my entire mark for this course so I guess I'm a little nervous about it! On top of that it is the first paper I am submitting for grading at Lund and I am scared of how I will be graded! eeeek! "The first cuts the deepest", right?

Anyway, I can feel that these are just random ramblings as I really have nothing concrete or of incredible interest to tell you!! But when I do, you'll be the first to know :)

The language mismatch

2011-09-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

OK, so anyone who has ever tried to learn a new language knows that it is no easy task and plucking up the courage to speak this new language is terrifying.

I'm not terribly good with learning languages. I can barely speak Afrikaans (a well known language in South Africa); Oliver's (my boyfriend) family is German and over the years my ear for the language has developed but my ability to speak it is still shocking; and lastly, after living in South Korea for a year I was able to master a few basic phrases like hello, yes, no, how are you?, where is the toilet?, etc but even after a year speaking the language was no easy task.

So I have been in Sweden now for a month...how is my Swedish panning out? Well, I start formal lessons from the 31st of October so I have been doing self-study at home off of the internet....my vocabulary is getting better but my pronunciation needs a lot of work...which became apparent when I tried to read for some of my Swedish and Danish friends who were mystified by what I was trying to say and were in fits of laughter by how I was trying to say it.

Well, anyway...On Friday for lunch I went with a friend of mine, Nina, to buy a Kebab. Before I ordered I confidently said to her that I was going to order in Swedish....

I step up to the counter and say ein Kebab, the man starts speaking to me and I realise I understand what he is saying (I'm blown away....wow...my home studying has really paid off)...he is asking me what sauce I would like, I hear sharf which I know to be hot and I quickly stop him saying sharf in reply. He then repeats the order back to me and I say ne (which is yes in Korean). Realising my mistake I quickly say yes in English and then step aside waiting for the order to be made and I start giggling at my mistake...Nina then asks me why he was speaking German to me. Confused I realise that I had order ein kebab instead of ett kebab and the very well spoken kebab man had been speaking German to me which is why I understood what sauces he was listing....so much for my at home study lessons.

After that Nina and I were in fits of laughter....we couldn't contain ourselves. Keeping in mind that placing the order only took a few brief minutes this post barely does the situation justice....I was throwing around little bits of other languages and some how I still got the right order.

This wasn't the first time I got languages confused and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last....

Just wait till the next time someone gets me drunk or I'm overly tired, or I'm just not paying attention...they are going to have a poorly speaking Swedish, Korean, German, Afrikaans English person on their hands....

Bicycle, Bicycle, BICYCLE

2011-09-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Why won't you let me ride my Bicycle, Bicycle BICYCLE", a famous lyrics from a song by Queen pops into my mind regularly while I am in Sweden. Not only because it is a ear worm and when I hear it on my PC it is invariably glued to my brain for the next couple of days but also because there are so many of these two-wheeled inventions darting and cruising around Lund.

Sure, its' not the bicycle mayhem of Amsterdam or Copenhagen but I have never lived in a place before where a bicycle is actually the main mode of transport. I see men in suits on their way to work, and women dressed to the nines with high heels and all happily glide along without messing up their perfectly done up hair.

Another way that you know that they are serious about bicycles here is the range of bicycle attachments and contraptions you see. There are the three wheeled covered bicycles for when it's raining, bicycles with baby seats, bicycles with baby carriages so that your kid doesn't get wet when it decides to rain (which is apparently a lot).

Taken off the website babyology

Taken off motherearthnews.com

taken off electric-bikes.com

Beyond the contraptions it's the skills you witness. I can barely keep my handlebars straight most of time (which is evident when you consider that I had a mild crash the other day when a kid and I connected and I was left with several bruises). But, people here have some mad skills. They are off their seats before the bike stops seemingly standing next to it while they guide it into a parking spot, they smoke, sms, and even hold umbrellas all while going a lot faster on their bikes than I could even hope to be on a bright, sunny day with no wind and both hands on the handlebars.

taken off of 4to40.com

taken off of ask.metafilter.com

Now I don't have any photos to prove these things to you because I feel like a bit if a turd whipping out my camera at every little thing that makes me go ooooh and aaaah but I promise you it's true and pervasive and I hope that before I leave Sweden I would have mastered the ability to park by bicycle in a fashion that is a little more elegant than my current heavy handed manoeuvring that makes me look like a bull in a china-shop.

Some sort of fool!

2011-09-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this isn't a personal attack against myself or anything but I must admit that I can do some pretty stupid things...put me in a different country when small, seeminly mundane things baffle me then you are bound to get some surprising results.

It all started with a bottle opener, yes, a bottle opener. I bought a can of sweet corn (mielies back home) but have been avoiding opening it because of the peculiar tin opener I have. Needless to say I tried several times to twist it around the can and puncture it but to no avail.

So just the other day I was speaking to my new found friend Nina about my little dilemma. She comes from Denmark and says she finds using these openers much easier. She then carelessly told me to push it in and pull it along. OK! So it's that simple I thought...I was just being silly, right?

So that night I decided to face the dreaded can and, no, it was not that easy. All I ended up doing was puncturing the can until it looked like something that had been left in a scrap yard. After a little while of puncturing holes in to I joined the holes to make a bigger whole (which was still quite small relatively speaking) and poured my corn out. What a mission!

So that was my one foolish moment and no I have not yet figured it out so until I find another opener to buy (which I have been looking for but this style appears to be the national favourite) I will avoid tin food! Sounds fair enough. The next foolish moment, caused me a little more pain.

Because it is so dry here...with winter approaching and the change of season etc I noticed that my skin was very dry so I went about trying to buy some body cream. So standing in the isle I pick up a bottle of cream and off I go. Now let me explain my skin is very cooperative, it gives me no hassles and makes very few demands of me so I usually use body cream for my face as well and I have never had any issues.

So after my shower I decided to put some cream on and while rubbing it into my arm I realise that the cream takes forever to rub in and a little stretches very, very far! Weird, must be a Swedish cream-thing I thought! So after a couple of days of using the cream on my body and face I realise that the skin on my chin is getting very dry. URG! So in an attempt to counteract the dryness I put even more of the body cream on my chin, seems logical. But it burns a little and the condition worsens, eventually I begin to feel self conscious of it so I head off to the pharmacy and I got a non-perfumed face cream. So now I have my remedy!

Then this morning I am about to put on my body cream (the first one I bought) and realise it says "duschcreme". I stop! Doesn't dusch mean shower or something? OMG! I've been rubbing liquid soap into myself for the past week thinking it was cream! What an idiot!! No wonder my chin decided to go red and hate me!! What a fool!!

And to top all of that on my way home today I realised I have absolutely no idea how to put the light on my bike on!

So yes...I am some sort of fool!

Let the madness begin!

2011-09-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so classes started this week and I can officially say I forgot how demanding studying can be. It's only been one week of class and I'm already running around like a crazy women let loose on a pig farm.

When I saw our schedule, which has two lectures a week and a seminar I thought that this would be easy peezy! Not because I'm being all overly confident but because during my fourth year at University in South Africa I had five courses each with two or three lectures a week. So when I saw that in Sweden at a Masters level you tend to only do one course at a time I stupidly equated that to mean I would have hordes of time to engage in all of the other cool things happening on campus.

You see, I have been given reading, but not just a little bit...each week we have hordes or material to wade through before the lecture. For next week Tuesday we have 12 chapters of a book to get through. Phew! And to top of all the madness as class started I also started meeting people, fancy that!

So with all this work to do what am I doing today on a gorgeous Saturday in Sweden. Staying home? Nooooo, I'm actually about to hop on a train and head to Copenhagen which is only half an hour away! And what will I be doing tomorrow you ask? Tomorrow I'll be reading like a demon...I'll be reading so fast the pages will be on fire ( I figure this is the better attitude to have...) As long as I have a mid afternoon nap to re-charge my batteries I'll be all set and ready for Tuesday. Nap!? I know right...but they are actually one of my little loves in life....mmmmm.

So this was just a very very quick entry to say that things are officially underway. Class has started and now it this time to step up to the plate and prove my worth. But it is also time to start to get to know my surroundings a bit better and in the coming weeks there are some cool things coming up. Unfortunately I won't be able to partake in all of the events, one because there are simply too many of them, two I need to make time for studies, and three some of them tend to be a bit pricey. But when I do go to one I will be sure to let you know what weird and awesome things I have been up to

Alrighty but I better start getting ready for my daytrip to Denmark...I'll let you know how it goes!

A week in...

2011-08-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

A week ago this time I was in a plan heading to Sweden ..actually that's a lie...I was in a plane heading for Dubai so that I could catch a plane to Denmark and then make my way to Sweden..but you get the drift. A week ago today, I left South Africa for the unexpected.

I arrived a week late for orientation which means that I was a bit lost and had quite a bit to figure out on my own. And boy was there a lot to do.

First things first I needed to open a bank account and pay my rent...So I walk the half an hour it takes me to get into town and at the last minute realise that I have forgotten my passport. Dope! I try my luck and see if I can open an account without my passport...I am obviously told no and then make the long trek back home. Eventually with all of my documents in hand I confidently walk into a bank and am swiftly told that I can't open one without my tax number ( which I have to apply for and can take anywhere between one to three weeks). URG!! I had just walked an extra hour to get my passport and I couldn't open an account anyway! Oh, the joys!! So I went off to Forex, cheque in hand and paid for my rent.

Then it was off to the Welcome Reception which was for Lund's international students..and man are there a substantial amount of us! Just to list a few, I have met people from Canada, Serbia, Germany, France, Russia, Spain and South Africa. Yip, I managed to bump into a group of other South Africans. High Five!

The Welcome Reception was actually good fun. I had envisioned impassionate speeches and the usual laadieda but it actually quite different. We had performances from Lund's male choir and Lund's comedic Spex which was good for a laugh even though I didn't understand a word they were saying. even the speeches were full of humour and quite enjoyable.

Other highlights this week include finally opening a bank account ( I found out that there is another branch of bank that doesn't require your tax number), buying a bicycle (that is orange has a basket in front and yes it even has one of those annoying..but semi cool bells), doing a treasure hunt (this was a whole day affair with lots of quizzes and activities...we find out next week who won...fingers crossed!) and best of all I bought a blanket (now my scarves are safely packed away and I can snuggle in my new, not so reasonably priced duvet).

My awesome bank card!

So I am slowly getting settled and I am now trying clean out the cobwebs and random shit from my mind and get ready for class next week! What a nerd! I know right! Anyway...I've been doing some reading and hopefully this will better prepare me for the abyss that is a Masters. On top of that I have been studying some Swedish.

I've learnt the basics like hellos, how are you, I am from, my age is, etc and I can count..which is totally sweet! The only downfall is I am too bloody scared to practice it. Everyone here speaks such fantastic English that I feel like a bit of a klutz speaking their language. The best is when I am paying for my groceries. I approach very confidently saying "Hej Hej", I even understand the amount the cashier asks for and then..the cashier says something else (I have no freaking clue what) and my confidence crumbles, I get a coy smile on my face, and leave...what a chop! Anyway..I'm only a week in, I'm sure it will get better...I hope!

Other than that I have just been noticing random things. For example..even though the tempreatures don't get too high here people aren't as translucent as I thought they would be, in fact they aren't translucent at all. Most of the locals I have seen have fantastically tanned skin. The reason I have also noticied this is because girls..or should I say woman (I don't freaking know) all wear very short shorts. I mean their pockets are longer than their shorts. So that's something I didn't expect. Another random thing I've been noticing are squished slugs. Not only are these slugs huge but they litter the pavement with their guts, obviously they met their fate under the tyre of of bicycle...

The hardest thing about this week is getting used to not being around Oliver. We have lived with each other for a good few years now and being apart takes some getting used to. But with messages like this....

...I think we will be just fine :)

I had taken a whole bunch of photos of campus to show you but I pushed a button and now the most of the photos have disappeared into the oblivion of my computer and I can't find them...so here are one or two (pretty crappy ones) but I promise I'll take more this week!

Other than that..not much else to report!!!

Ciao

Arrival in Sweden

2011-08-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

I remember the days when the thought of flying was exciting. Now, unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a painful process (a means to an end). At least I was flying with Emirates where the service is good and the entertainment is the best.

It was a long six hour flight to Dubai on which I managed to watch three movies, then a short three hour wait in Dubai before another six hour flight to Sweden (an older plan which didn't have their awesome movie selection and on which I coudln't figure out how to use the control..so instead I played crosswords the whole way. I feel smarter for it :). Once I landed in Copenhagen I thought all would be smooth sailing.

Unfortunately the airport was quite busy, appeared to be a little understaffed making it not nearly as efficient as I had thought it would be. This might have something to with it being a Saturday...everything seems quite dead on this side of the world on weekends.

Eventually I managed to buy a train ticket and soon I was lugging myself and my 30kg bag across one of the world's largest bridges to Sweden. The train ride itself was beautiful as we glided over the dark blue ocean which was dotted with yachts and windmills.

Once in Lund I tried to find a taxi and make my way to my home for the next semester (I have to get another apartment after this semester). My coordinator had told me to ask for the taxi price first and not to pay more than 60Krona for the ride. So I asked him but he insisted that the ride was 199Krona (which is a hell of a lot of money...over R200 for 4Km). I told him that I had been told otherwise but he was having none of it and left me with little choice. So I paid the fee and got a lift to my apartment. Exhausted after travelling for 24hours I had little fight in me and was surprised that this kind of behaviour happens here. The driver was "kind" enough to act surprised in the taxi when he found out I was a student and said that if I had reserved a taxi it would have only cost 65Krona....I don't know what to believe but I guess it doesn't really matter now.

So, I put the keys in the lock and walk into my new humble abode. It is one bedroom place with a kitchenette and bathroom which is a pretty sweet deal. I have a pleasant view and a nice working space...so I'm happy.....

Here are some pics:

My little kitchentte and dining room table

My kitchen leading into my bedroom

One half of the beroom

The other half of my bedroom

View from my kitchen

View from my bedroom

So...now I'm in my place, I've gotten settled but now I'm starving. So I head off to a small grocery store nearby.

Walking down the aisles I am lost once again. Although most Swedes can speak English it doesn't mean that their labelling will be in English. So I do my best to look like I know what I'm doing and I walk slowly trying to pick and choose what I need. I just needed something to help me for lunch and dinner. When I cash my cheques on Monday I will be able to do a more comprehensive shop. So with my basket of random things which includes bread rolls, milk (which turned out to be vegetable milk and was not tasty at all), cereal, salami, some weird spread I go to the cashier and in my most convincing voice I ask him for some airtime. He says "its there" and points up somewhere random. Feeling weird and with people waiting behind me I say its fine and expect him to keep ringing up my randoms. Instead he stares at me in wonder. Eventually I realise that the airtime hangs at the till and you need to pick it up and pay for it. Aaaaaah. I pay and leave in a hurry. Awkward!

Now that I had food and my tummy was full and I was freshly showered it was time to scope out my apartment. It was plainly obvious when I walked in that I had no linen and no pillow. Sad face. I ended up making a jersey my pillow and used some of my scarves as a blanket. The place it kitted out with a great desk, some nice lamps and furnishings but seems to be missing some of the basics like a kettle or toaster. Another oddity is that it has cutlery, plates and even a full set of baking equipment but no bowls. Strange.

Other than that I have not much else to report. I went on a walk today...it takes about half an hour to walk to the centre of town which has a massive cathedral in the centre and is covered with cobblestones. There are more people on bicycles than there are in cars. Everything is face-brick with awnings and is very pretty with a cool character. Unfortunately everything was closed and quite. It appears Sunday is not a big day here but I am sure it will get busier once the semester actually begins.

I will need to buy a bicycle which will help take away from the burden of walking for half an hour as it is obviously much bigger. Also on the list of things to do is to open a bank account, sign up for student nations and union, get course information and hopefully meet some people.

Will keep you posted!