So today, we started off having to find our way to the Health School..by ourselves. Yep, our teachers are staying in an apartment separate from our dorms so we're pretty much on our own when it comes to getting places. Thankfully the directions weren't too hard and we hopped the bus at 9:19. And by 9:19, I mean exactly 9:19. The Swedes are all about that punctuality. And they're also all about that personal space. It's so strange because in the US, everyone is all up in each others grill basically all the time. Once we got to the school, we had breakfast. Don't worry everyone, it included coffee. The Swedes like their coffee, so much so that they have a special word for coffee break, "fika." Favorite part of the day?
After breakfast we learned a little bit about the school and Swedish culture from our SUSHIs. Then came the campus tour. All the buildings were so architecturally modern which was neat because they contrasted with the historic buildings in town. After what felt like two minutes after breakfast, we ate lunch in the cafeteria.
The SUSHIs showed us around the city next. We saw the match district, and the pier, and all that fun stuff. There were the most adorable restaurants on the pier with windows that completely opened up. Most of them even had blankets on the backs of all the chairs for if people got chilly (my kind of restaurant). We went to the shopping street next and I finally saw H&M, woohooooooo! We didn't have time to go in though because we had to change over our money and go grocery shopping before getting ready for Akademia tonight (apparently it's a club type thing for students with overalls and dancing? I'm a little fuzzy myself but I guess I'll find out!). Before hopping the bus again though, I had to embrace the legalness of being a 20 year old in Europe and buy my first legal bottle of wine, such a grown up! Such an experience, especially since all liquor/beer/wine sold in Sweden is controlled by the government (they own the liquor stores and mark up the prices insanely high). I guess the government might want to deter the Swedes from drinking but apparently it doesn't stop them because I was in line behind about 20 people! Grocery shopping was an experience as well. Think its hard shopping in an unfamiliar Walmart where you don't know where things are? Try shopping in a Swedish supermarket where you don't know where things are AND you can't read anything! I ended up with some peanut butter, yogurt, apples, bananas and some gluten free crisp bread so we'll see how that goes.
In my luck, I shorted out my plug adapter on the first morning (fyi Mom, that straightener didn't work hehe) but thankfully one of the teachers has an extra AND one of our SUSHIs let us girls borrow her straightener. But of course, since it's not like I'm finding a husband over here, it doesn't really matter what I look like;)
In a very rude awakening, yesterday morning (or today, it's 3 am so my body is really confused on the whole what day is it thing) I woke up to my entire Twitter and Facebook covered with posts and statuses about one of my sorority sisters who passed away along with another guy in a boating accident. The U of A campus just recently experienced a death in the Greek community, and now we've had two more. I'm overwhelmed by the outpouring oof love and support my sisters have for each other and I couldn't be proud to be apart of such a strong sisterhood. Please keep the families and friends of those two in your thoughts and prayers through what I know has to be a tragic time. I know I can't dwell too much on the situation since I'm all the way over in Sweden, so I'm going to try and enjoy what time I have here but it'll definitely be with a heavy heart.
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