So it’s been a while since the last entry. I’ve not been keeping my promises to post as often as I said I would. It keeps getting harder to keep up with this blog as time goes by but it remains one of my favourite activities to record my experiences. I would even say that recording my stay here in Sweden has become an obsession that is devouring me from the inside out. I sometimes feel like I will regret not taking enough pictures or not writing enough journal and blog entries. This experience that I’m living, I am alone to live. Nobody back home knows of my travels, of the people I’ve met, of the places I’ve been. If I don’t record this voyage correctly, my four months spent here may simply be lost time. That’s why the photos are so important… that’s why the blog is so important…
“Je sais que je vais avoir besoin de toi à mon retour… je crois que c’est l’étape de mon voyage qui me fait le plus peur. Ma vie chez moi est en pause, sur stop, rien bouge. Et moi j’ai tout simplement réussi à fuire du cadre pour quelques mois.”
Enough of the serious matters… Friday we had an amazing party at National Husset! Yeah yeah I know, it’s not a party if it happens everyday. Sincerely, things have been getting much more quiet lately, for me at least. Some people continue to go out every single night. I personally don’t see the point but I’m not one to judge. So Friday a bunch of exchange students got together for supper, organized by the ESN (Erasmus Student Network). Students needed tickets for this and I was too lazy to go get one and quite honestly I wasn’t all that interested in the supper. However, I knew that there was going to be an after party, which everyone was invited to. So whether or not students were at the supper, we all showed up at National Husset afterwards. Seems the supper was quite good so I ate crow; I’ll know for the next time. At the club that night, everyone was just so relaxed and care-free, everyone was dancing, the music was great (what a relief). From what I’ve been told, I’m a podium hog: that gives you an idea of what kind of mood I was in.
Saturday was Japanese hand bell choir accompanied by the best ice cream of my life. At 11h00 Loïc knocked on my window. I had just fallen asleep at 4h30 that morning while writing in my journal. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best sleep I’ve gotten but I was feeling fresh in the morning. The sun was shining, the day was planned, music and ice cream… great stuff. So down we went, all five of us, to Domkyrka for hand bell choir, which for the record, sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard beforehand. My stay in Sweden has been filled not only with new sights but also with new sounds. I don’t have the slightest clue of how to explain what the bell choir sounded like. Ulrike a CD of their’s… I’ll try rip a song off of it and post it up here. However, I can let you in on what the choir looked like. After the performanc, all the musicians, some students, others masters of the hand bell, were very eager to receive curious audience members who approached them to find out more about the group and their instruments.
See Flickr for more photographs of the Japanese hand bell choir.
After our visit to Domkyrka we headed down a few streets for ice cream. It must have been 14h30… and I hadn’t eaten lunch (or breakfast) yet. Ice cream is great for lunch: mango, blueberry and chocolate. My mouth is watering, I swear.
Sunday was an easy day as usual. SundÃ¥gs fika has been incrusted into our korridor tradition. Every weekend I gain 2 or 3 pounds from all the chocolate and pasteries. This weekend Camilla offered some delicious rich biscuits filled with halloncräm (raspberry cream) and Loïc, being the French chef that he is, made us some wonderful profiteroles (sweet golden fluffy balls filled with ice cream and topped with hot chocolate sauce). Make that 4 or 5 pounds per weekend… Jonathan, you better be ready to whip me into the best shape of my life when I get back at Christmas.
So Monday, back to school. I don’t go to any of my labs because I can get all my work done from home where I happen to be much more productive and concentrated. Without labs I normally have two hours of lectures per day, except for Wednesdays which are totally free.
Indian Summer is upon us. Yesterday I wore shorts and sandals to go to the Göta Kanal which is located in a neighbouring town called Berg (pronounced something like Barrié in Québécois French). I got there by bike; I was expected the trip to be approximately a half hour’s worth of pedalling or so. It took about an hour in the end. The sun was vicious and I was passing by fields of cows without any water. I was relieved to finally get to the canal and to immerse myself in the lake. I know nothing of the Göta Kanal except that it is used to bring boats from point A to point B… I’m not conscient of its history whatsoever. I didn’t take the time… all I wanted to do was take a dip and shoot some photographs. Just my luck; the water was freezing and my batteries died upon arrival at the canals. It was worth the trek anyways, I got to chill out on the beach, talk to some friendly Germans, admire the view and get some shots, very few. If the weather remains as it is lately, I will definately get another chance to go swimming there.
