Hello dear family and friends :)
I have been very busy this month making new friends and going to lectures EVERYday. The fun started almost the day I got back, with a big group presentation, then right into the new classes. Had some fun switching around the courses, so I am now taking Geographic Information Systems and Land Use and Watershed Management with focus on eutrophication (mouthful I know). But, with this new combo of courses I have lectures basically every morning and afternoon. I don't mind so much as most of the lectures are really interesting :)
Said the last of the goodbyes to friends from last term, but there are plenty of new neighbours to hang out with. I haven't been up to much, just getting to know my new roommates (Rebecca & Elias, swedes of course), loads of Finnish neighbours, plenty of Canadians (including two Vancouverites!) and half the state of Colorado.
Temperature last week was between -15 C and -20 C... I have never felt snot freezing in my nose before (!)... it feels like inhaling little shards of ice. Which it probably is. Very uncomfortable. One day last week I made the mistake of walking one block back to my apartment carrying some wet clothes from the laundry... they were nearly solid when I got to the door!! What is this madness?? Luckily this week it's been around -5. The snow and ice are getting pretty nasty by this point. The one thing that is breathtaking still is the morning hoarfrost. It makes everything look like it's covered in little icy spikes... my classmate (not me!) took some amazing photos of it on his way to class the other day:
One day I will take my own pictures... it just seems that I'm always rushing for the bus... like the harried student I am :)
Last night was the Term 2 Reccegask, the 'orientation' gask for all the new students at the nations. Every nation holds a gask on the same Friday night, and you are supposed to go to your nation's gask (but again, I went to the Värmlands gask because S-Nerikes sold out!!). It was no problem, most of my friends joined Värmlands so we had a really great night!! It was just like the first gask I went to, but this time I knew when to drink and what to sing and the proper way to toast... felt like an expert. I'm at the point where I can pronounce most of the words in my sångbok and I remember most of the tunes... which makes it infinitely more fun! I promise, if I can find any of the songs somewhere... I will post them.
This time around we ate bloody reindeer meat... it was AMAZING. Absolutely the most delicious roast I have ever had. I have now eaten moose, ox, and reindeer at gasks! I love this country! Made lots of new friends at the dinner (remember you're assigned a random seat), and have now become partly deaf. I wouldn't be surprised if I was wholly deaf by the time I return... :S maybe I'll bring earplugs next time...
Well, my sångbok has plenty of new bite marks and funny commentaries in it, night well spent. Managed not to have the same dress as anybody else (miracle, as it only cost me 150 kr) and stayed atop my chair successfully while waving around my napkin (that had been a hat at some point). This morning we even dragged ourselves out of bed to get to brunch at S-Nerikes for 11am. This term it's run by a bunch of Californians, so we ate biscuits with gravy, 'american pancakes', bagels (you can't get those at ICA!) and with lax and cream cheeses :D
This weekend will be spent catching up on a bit of sleep and starting up on my term paper... "The influence of forestry on water balance and water quality and measures for improved water quality" blablabla.
Hope all is well in Canadia (oh non-english speakers, how I love them).
In case you ever visit Sweden, and hear words you don't recognize, I will start a guide (in no particular order) of what the Swedes are probably trying to tell you.
If you hear shildren, it's probably children.
Ships... chips
Ships... ships (hmm)
Shill... chill (as in chill out)... sensing a trend? I also heard an ad on TV for Sheerios.
Shopping... chopping
Shopping... shopping?
Neetroyen... nitrogen.
Weenter... winter.
Jeeld... yield.
Sheelos... kilos. (born from swedish's inexplicable decision to make some K's make a 'sh' noise. and others make a K noise.)
Also if you happen to read any powerpoints or handouts from Sweden, don't be surprised to find...
1960-ies
Oktober
prize (sw: pris =price & prize)
Time to enjoy some more photos!
