Ice Hockey!

We were totally this close!

Last night I got to go to my first ever ice hockey game! and it was a big one! It was a 40 year anniversary game so the stadium was quite full! We went to watch the Malmo Red Hawks on their home turf.

Royal Addition

Big news in Sweden today...looks like there is going to be a royal addition very soon. Read more about it on The Local

Thoughts this Valentine's Day

Being in Sweden this February has been quite a different affair to what I experienced in both South Africa and South Korea. There hasn't been a barrage of hearts, flowers, and candy filling shop windows. There have been a few decorations but not the Valentine's mayhem you would see in SA.

Actually the only odd thing I did notice is that as soon as February hit a lot more lingerie adverts started to spring up. There is now one at almost every bus stop. Is this just coincidence? I have also seen more vanilla heart pastries in stores and being advertised in the paper and of course there are invites to all sorts of Valentine's Day parties including tag parties.

Yummy looking Vanilla Hearts (taken off of kingarthur.com)

The advert that's at most bus stops

I don't know if it's just me but tag parties strike me as being totally weird. What is a tag party? Well you go to a party and you were a tag or a different colour shirt to indicate your status: single, taken, not sure. How primitive? I don't mean to sound like a bitch here but seriously! So what if you happen to be wearing a taken tag at a party that is clearly made for a bunch of horny people only looking for single tags, or hoping to sway the likes of a confused tag, you are likely to be spending the night playing with your straw. It just sounds like a party that as you walk into the room all you would be able to smell is sex and desperation. And then, what if you are wearing an available tag (putting yourself totally out there) but still noone approaches you. Eish! OK, ok maybe I am overanalysing this and being a little to catty here it's more than likely just going to end up being a big piss up like any other party.

Moving right along....as I was saying, not much commercial hype around Valentines in Sweden (or should I say Lund because I have no idea what the rest of Sweden looks like at the moment).

The only tie Sweden has to Valentine's Day is that in the 1960s flower sellers inspired by American counterparts started to promote flowers for Valentine's Day (so it had commercial beginnings) and it started to gain some momentum in the 1980s. And that is about as detailed a history there is for Sweden and Valentine's Day but from what I can tell people still like going out for dinner and spending some quality time with people they care about (whether a lover or not) and Valentine's Day appears to provide the perfect excuse.

I like this! Although the commercial side of Valentine's Day back home could get overwhelming it was always a nice excuse to stop and do something with someone you loved. And yes I know there will be people saying but you should appreciate the people you love everyday but unfortunately, I'd hate to break it to these die hard romantics, that's just not reality. Inbetween stressful jobs, studying and all the other crap that requires our attention on a daily basis loved ones don't get the attention they deserve and Valentine's Day provides the perfect excuse to remind yourself to do something special for someone who is special to you!!

So Happy Valentine's Day everyone I hope you have a great time whether you are reading a book, cuddling with someone special (which would be epic considering the snowy weather today), going to a tag party, or just watching a movie.

This festive season

For me, back home, this time of year is characterized by hot weather and lazy behaviour (except for the crazy Christmas shopping). It's quite different on this side of the world.

I have been insanely busy with two exams last week as well as an assignment. It's also been rather chilly with us getting our first little bit of snow yesterday. But I must say Lund is rather mild.

Another cool thing is the seasonal merchandise. In SA you can pretty much buy the same things all year round but in Sweden (and I assume much of Europe) there is a lot of seasonal food and products and I think this stands out even more round the festive season.

First up, there is Glogg to keep the winter chill at bay. The there is Christmas (or Jul to use Swedish) merchandise everywhere including Christmas beer, a Christmas soft drink, and Christmas treats. It's quite fun!

Due to my busy schedule I haven't had much of a chance to embrace the Christmas atmosphere. Lund is quite pretty now with streets and trees being decorated with simple lights that add another splash of charm to this already charming town.

On Friday, after exams and assignments were done and dusted I made my way to Tivoli, a super old theme park, in Copenhagen.

Myself and Nina strolled around the pretty gardens and marvelled at some of the tummy churning rides. Tivoli was really special. It was like a little wonderland cornered off inside Copenhagen filled with lights and festivities! It was a cool way to get into the festive spirit and get ready for my Christmas shopping.

It's amazing how buying something small here and something small there for the people you care about adds up.

So now I am in the festive season and ready to do some relaxing! And oddly enough I will be having a scorching hot Christmas this year! haha! Yip, I am flying to Ghana on Wednesday.

Oliver's dad works in Ghana so we are meeting up there to celebrate and relax! I am soooooooo excited! I can't believe we have been apart for four months already!

So on that note I just want to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!