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):

Internship!

As you know (or maybe don't because I have been so crappy at keeping you up to date lately) I am doing an internship at the Nordic Africa Institute. Our departments back at the university encouraged us to write blog entries on their graduate blog so that other people could read about the process, etc. I have writtentwo entries for them based on my time at NAI.

Uppsala snowscape...pics

This year Uppsala was witness to a early snow and some beautiful weather. The landscape changed in what appeared overnight (but was more like a week of heavy snow) to one that seemed almost foreign. Rivers and streams disappeared under layers of whiteness and other distinguishable landmarks began to disappear. Cars, cemeteries, and streets where all under wraps as people worked through the night to clear them but often ended up losing the battle.

I have been in snow before and marvelled and its awesomeness but I have never had to walk home for an hour in snow that sits just below my knee because the buses couldn't cope. This was the most amount of snow I had ever encountered. Sure, I have been on mountain tops where the snow and whiteness is endless but I had never experienced so much snow changing my surroundings so quickly...Uppsala became a snow scape.

Below of some of my pics which don't do anything any sort of justice but might give you an idea of what Uppsala looked like

What the hell is floorball?

Taken from lcart.eu

I can't tell you how many times I have asked myself this question. I have quite a few friends that play it and I know that it is one of Sweden's most popular sports but the point of the game and how it works always seems to evade me.

Until I played it myself!

Every Monday at 4 a group of us head to the local hall to play some floorball as part of a work health plan. Needless to say it isn't very popular amongst us nerds who bury our faces in books and arch our backs at computers. We usually have between four to seven people every week which is well below the desired amount but does mean that we are always really stiff on Tuesdays!

Floorball was created in Sweden in the 1970s and is very similar to hockey. In fact, other than the ball and the stick I am not entirely sure there are any big differences. I would hate for my novice observations to piss someone off so I decided to do a little more reading about what exactly floorball is.

Tjörn - Photos

One of the prettiest places I have ever been, Tjörn is a real summer is treat!!! The tiny island just north of Göteborg is part of the Bohuslän Coast which is a natural gem with blue waters and rugged islands!

On Tjörn there is not much to do but sit and watch as little boats move in and out of the harbour while feeling the light breeze on your skin.

We spent a day driving the breadth and width of the island with every turn seemingly more beautiful than the last.

The little swimming holes, some of which had diving boards, were simply epic and the calm waters were home to hundreds of star fish and other little critters.

There is not much else say other than it is an exquisitely beautiful place! I'll let the photos (as much as they can) speak for themselves.

Volvo and Saab - the cars of Sweden

Volvo! Is there anything more Swedish than a Volvo? Fika? IKEA? a Daclarian horse? There are many things that are distinctly Swedish but the world over everyone knows Sweden for their ability to mold both safety and style into a car that has become a symbol of automotive innovation!

A romantic getaway

Why did it have to rain today? Why today? Why when I had made plans for a romantic getaway, out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Why today?

Sadly, Mother Nature doesn’t always play along with our romantic gestures and life plans and today was no different. I had been planning this little excursion for a while and it took every bone in my body to keep it a secret.

You see, Oliver and I are in a long distance relationship, while I complete my Master Degree in Sweden, and knowing he was coming over I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a surprise. And when I stumbled across Kolabryn online I knew it would be the perfect romantic retreat!

The best road stop in the world

As we drove up the Swedish east coast heading toward Stockholm our bellies rumbled and our eyes started to get watery. It was time for a stop...We needed to fill up on some coffee and have a stretch. Little did we know that this would be the best pit stop in the world!

We saw the lake from the highway and thought it would be nice but while standing on the pier - in all our clothing we went for a spontaneous dip. And it was fantastic!!!

There's something liberating about randomly taking a dip in your underwear not giving a damn what anyone thinks :)

Österlen

During our two week road trip Oliver and I spent two days along the little coast which stretches from Ales Stenar to Kivik in the Eastern part of Skåne which is beautiful with a lot to see and do.....

Ales Stenar

Constructed around AD 600 the 67m ship-shaped rocks of Ales Stenar are fascinating. It is believed that the stones were erected as a solar calendar.

Foteviken Viking Reserve

After spending a lovely morning strolling through Hjärup and Lund, Oliver and I decided to take a trip to the famous Foteviken Viking Reserve.

Our Swedish roadtrip!

I am sooooooooooooo excited!!! Today, Oliver lands! Yiipppeeeeeeeeeee! I haven't seen him in four months and I am just over the moon that he is coming to Sweden and I get to show him around! I have quite an awesome itinerary planned with lots to do and see. The next two weeks are going to be incredible!

Tomorrow afternoon we are picking up a car in Göteborg and then on the 17th we are starting a roadtrip. Here is what's planned:

A hike in Söderåsen National Park

Knowing that my Jojo Summer Card was about to run dry I decided to make one last cool summer trip on it to Söderåsen National Park. I expected it to be pretty but no where near as diverse and as beautiful as it actually is.

Bjärred Beach

Bjärred is a little coastal town 10kms from Lund with a nice little beach and some fancy looking houses!