Sunday, October 11, 2015

Cykla, Resa, och Festa

Time seems to just have flown by the past few weeks! I finally started having legitimate amounts of work for my classes and other various activities that have made me wonder where the time has gone. On one hand, I can’t believe that my time in Sweden is halfway done but on the other, it’s hard to fathom that it’s only been a little over a month and a half. I’ve experienced and learned so much and met so many people from all corners of the world that it’s strange to think that so much has happened and I’ve changed so much in that time.

The crew at our birthday beach picnic
The past week and a half especially has been full of adventures around Lund and Copenhagen. Last week, one of my friends and I decided to bike to Lomma, a beach town about 10 kilometers away from Lund. The weather was absolutely beautiful, it was sunny and warm for the first time in days, so what better way to enjoy it than on bikes at the beach? It was probably the best use of time ever although somehow the ride is uphill both ways and we were riding into the wind the way there and the way back. But the beach was deserted and it smelled like low tide so it was completely worth it. It was so nice that we ended up coming back on Saturday to celebrate our other friend’s birthday with a night picnic. 


On Friday I took the train to Copenhagen for the day with a friend and some of her classmates. I’ve only been in the Copenhagen airport so being able to see the actual city was really nice, especially since it’s so close and so cheap to get to. Luckily, it was beautiful outside so we were able to walk around and take a boat tour without being completely miserable. We didn’t get to do a lot during the day but Copenhagen is so close that I know I’ll be able to go again and see more of the city before I leave. 

I swear it's grape juice
Unfortunately our great day was capped off by the bridge between Sweden and Denmark being closed and all trains to Lund being cancelled. So we took a two hour fika and then went straight to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. I was exhausted and a little hangry so good food was definitely welcome. Even though I had plans that night, I’m glad that we got stuck for a couple hours and wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. I had such a good time on the train and ferry back that I forgot about my plans, and sometimes you just have to accept what’s happening and know that you can’t do anything about it. Adventure is out there, whether it’s taking 4 hours to complete an hour and a half trip or whatever else.

The next week was pretty normal, I wasn’t feeling great so I was chugging homemade tea and Swedish Emergen-C to try and feel better. I watched waayyyy too much Friends, slept a little too much, and spent too much time in cafes not doing work but it’s fine.

The dining room decked out in OG colors
On Saturday, my nation (like a sorority or fraternity but not) hosted a ball that they have every two years. So needless to say, I had to go. I skipped prom twice so I felt like I earned my right to go, dress up, and dance badly. The first four hours (!!!) was a sittning with sooo many speeches, some cool performances, a couple home movies, and a ton of singing and drinking. It was all in Swedish so I didn’t understand most of it but it was great to experience a Swedish tradition. I’m only here for a couple months so I want to immerse myself in the culture as much as possible, something that’s really nice about LU and about studying abroad during the school year.

After the sittning was over, we waited outside while they removed the tables and chairs to make the room into a dance floor. Once that was done they had a legitimate band playing: four old guys on piano, drums, guitar and something else. They played actual dance music, which made the skater in me so happy since I started doing ice dance in my heels and long dress. The only thing that was missing was a partner and my skates. Nobody in the US really plays traditional waltzes and foxtrots anymore so being able to hear that outside of the rink and live made my week ten times better. Unfortunately (or fortunately as I didn’t have a partner…) the band eventually left, and the club club started. Even though I set a time for myself to leave, I was dancing long past that and eventually left at 2:30 and fell asleep an hour later. 

I love this picture too much to not include it.
OG Novisch group 5 for life
This morning was rough but looking back at yesterday, I’m content. Content with my choice to go, and content with everything. Life here in Sweden is so different from what I’m used to at home and I love it. The culture is amazing and the amount of spirit that Swedes have for whatever they do is miles beyond what we have in the US.


Anyway, sittnings are super cool and #SoScando so keep an eye out for another post about them. Everything from history to how to survive one without wanting to kill yourself too much the next morning.

Vi ses!

Em

Sex and the City takes Lomma

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