Upptagen (busy!)

Kalmar nation with buds!

Hello!!
I am taking a short break from paper-writing and exam-studying.
Not too much happening these days except for school and study... the term end is near!!
Last week our class went on a field trip to Norvatten, the company who purifies tap water for Stockholm, and Käppala, the wastewater treatment plant. I visited a wastewater treatment plant in Langley when studying at TWU, and WOW the difference! The treatment plant (I think on Annacis island?) was very low-tech and plain... the Swedish one? Underground, high-tech, decorated with mosaics and artwork. Yes, artwork, in the wastewater treatment plant. One of the operating sheds was painted to look like a house, and had flowers in the window. Underground. Amazing.
This week, we took a trip to Nynäshamn (an hour south or so of Stockholm) to look at some man-made wetlands, designed to trap nitrogen and phosphorus to prevent eutrophication (nutrient buildup) in the Baltic sea. Really interesting stuff!! Unfortunately all the paths were covered in ice, and it was a warm day so the top layer was water... ever tried walking uphill and ending up further down than you started?? Not fun!!
Lectures have finished up and we're meeting now and then to finish up our GIS project on Stadsskogen (city forest) park in Uppsala.

Some new Swedish pronunciations for you!
Jello - probably means yellow...
Washing - could definitely mean watching...  
Cash crops vs. catch crops... you will never know which one they mean.


Also, trips booked to the Netherlands (April 20-23) to visit friends from last term at Wageningen University, and to Reykjavik (May 5-9) hopefully to see a volcano!! Luckily the summer season doesn't start in most places til May 16, so prices are really cheap!

Hope you're all doing great!!