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 :)