Thesis process - Lund Graduate School

OK, so now that I have just finished writing my thesis I thought it would be a good idea to write a post that helps to explain the process to future master students at the graduate school in Lund.

We were given a wide range of information regarding writing our thesis in the graduate school but to be honest most of the time I was confused until I was actually in full swing of writing.

The cause of my absence

I can't believe I haven't written a post since February! I have one reason for my silence - My thesis! The past four months have been insane with every waking moment being dedicated to creating my thesis and getting in it on time! I am proud to report that I did do just that :) I defend my thesis on Friday and then I start wrapping up my time in Sweden. I leave in just over two weeks! Can you believe it has been two years! Madness :)

Over the course of the next two weeks I have some final museum and day trips planned so you might just get  some final Swedish tidbits! i will also be posting a more practical post about what to expect when it comes to thesis writing at Lund - the process, etc.

For now, I will leave you with some awesome thesis meme's. I discovered this page on a down day of thesis writing and I found myself laughing throughout it's pages. Enjoy! http://seniorthesisproblems.tumblr.com/

Sparta - Life in a corridor room

The title might be a bit misleading. Truth be told I have only lived in the corridor for just over two weeks now but I think I have a good idea as to what some of the differences are between living in a corridor room and your own apartment.

Firstly...here is what my room looks like (excuse the crappy cell phone image quality)....

Fika! Have a break!

Fika may sound like some odd sexual endeavour or a swear word of sorts but in actual fact it is a coffee break. I cannot believe that I have dedicated an entry to this before. Oh the horror! How could I leave telling you about such a quintessential part of Swedish life till so late in the game.

There is more to a Fika than just a coffee break. Or is there? (Dom dom dom). Fika, as far as my understanding of it goes, is when you take a break from whatever it is your are doing and top up your caffeine tank and have a little something to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Believe it or not I didn't drink coffee before I came to Sweden. Well, not good coffee anyway. I used to think that instant coffee with milk and sugar was the way it was done and found that filter coffee made me feel ill. However, after only a few weeks in Sweden I was a convert in every sense of the word. I now drink coffee black and strong!

Anyway - enough about me and back to Fika!

Pea soup and pancakes

Did you know that it is tradition to have pea soup and pancakes on Thursdays in Sweden and Finland? Neither did I!

To be honest I am not a fan of peas. Actually that would be an understatement. I hate peas. I haven't eaten a pea since I was five or six and can barely remember what they taste like but I know I hate them and I have hated them for so long that I am too stubborn to try again. They are green and pop in your mouth. Gross! I love pretty much all foods but peas so you can imagine that I was less than excited when I found our about this Thursday tradition.

Pancakes peaked my interest. Mmmmmm. What's not to love about pancakes and in Sweden they are served with cream and Lingonberry jam. Yum!

So torn....pancakes and peas! Who does that!

Anyways, I soon found out that the pea soup wasn't those dreadful little green bastards but is actually a yellow pea soup sometimes served with bits of pork and with a dash of mustard on the side. I've never had yellow peas before and thought I should try this new un-ventured veggie territory

And it was delicious!!! YUM!

Turns out not only is it delicious but it also has a history. Eating pea soup and pancakes on Thursdays dates back roughly 500 years when Sweden was home to Catholics who fasted on Fridays and needed a big fatty and whole-hearty meal to last them till Saturday!

Good choice!

My boyfriend the genius!

There are some perks to dating a photographer one of which is that you are guaranteed to have some pretty sweet pics when you go away on trips together. This isn't always pleasant as I often stand tapping my foot waiting for Oliver to finish is image making awesomeness but then, when I see images like the one's below I realise that such wonderful pictures require time.

As you might remember Oli and I did a road trip of Sweden in the Summer. He had tons of raw images but my computer had just crashed so I had nowhere to put them. When I saw him in December he brought some of them along for me to see. As far as I know he hasn't yet had time to photoshop them. I just wanted to share Oliver's pics with you (if you want to see more of his stuff check out his Facebook page) as well as the the beauty of Sweden! It really is just incredible! The forests, the coffee, the cities, and landscapes - what a place. Below are some of the random shots he took:

I'm opinionated!

It turns I have a lot to say! Yip... I am opinionated! Who knew? So what does someone with a whole lot to say do with all these opinions and rants? Well, they write blog entries of course. This blog is more about my life in Sweden not so much about the things that get under my skin and make me what to throw a snowball across the room or slap someone. Nope, this is not the space for that.

So, if you are interested in reading my opinions....which of course you are (wink wink). There I go thinking I am important again (cough cough). But if you are interested you can read the introductions of my latest work below (note, most of it relates to African affairs and gender and is found on a blog called Africa Interpreted):