Leaving Stockholm

Here I am, in the airport waiting to go home, and I am in utter disbelief. How did this time go so quickly? How can everything I have ever imagined for studying abroad be now a finished chapter in my book of experiences? When will I comprehend everything that has happened to me through this amazing, unforgettable semester?

 

None of my friends know (minus Scott, Ang, and Alma) that I am coming home today. I am planning on surprising them which is helping me keep my focus on that rather than how I get a pit in my stomach thinking that my time and semester at Stockholm is over. Looking at the beginning of the semester, I can reflect on my actions, my priorities, and my outlook, and say that now they are completely changed. When first getting here, I had no expectations of what was to come. I was in my habits of life which I had accustomed in America for the last 20 years and slowly, being away from the hustle, pressures, and habits (both good and bad), I can say that I feel more enriched thoroughly. There have been so many times in which at home I will get so much into my own head about problems that I think that I have. Never has this happened here. And now, after so many different perspectives, experiences, and individual time to make a life of my own without anyone who I had known before, I find that I can take so much from everyone I meet and learn from them, enjoy who they are through and through, and just experience and embrace everything we can in this short whirlwind of time we have in our lives.

 

I’m sad to leave Stockholm, Sweden, and Europe for many reasons. Stockholm is because I truly have come to love it. The city, the hidden gems, the good nature of all Swedes, even the transportation system. And of course I leave once I feel super confident throughout all of Stockholm (for the most part).  The fact that I won’t be able to find a cheap flight to Greece for $90 round trip through that despicable (but too amazingly cheap to care) airline Ryan Air, I will even miss. The accessibility of Europe and now the Europeans that I know, when will I be easily able to travel and meet them for a weekend? Obviously, there are and will always continue to be places in which I will want to travel and crave to see. That’s just instilled in me now since the Travel Bug first bit me in 08.

 

I will miss the life that I made for myself. Knowing that I had moved somewhere completely unoriginal from a normal study abroad program, and was able to figure out a system, get in a routine, and meet so many amazing friends. This is encouragement to me that no matter where I go in life, at least I know that starting a life new is not impossible, and can be one of the most enriching experiences.

 

But that leads me back to the people I met. Have I had a big impact on their life? Did they on mine? What can I take from my relationships that I had grown with these people who live all over the world? Especially when I think of the fact that with most of them, I will probably never see them again. It is in a way depressing knowing that with these amazing people, my encounter was so short with them, but it makes me reflect, that there must be a reason for having them in my life during this time. Either to help me grow or just to be a memory in an experience I will never forget, we don’t know. But that’s the beautiful thing about life all together I suppose. There is a reason for everything and not knowing those reasons at first can help develop who we are even further.

 

While I’m thinking all these thoughts, I know that in less than 12 hours I will be in the states again. I couldn’t picture this day ever coming, but now that it’s here, I feel like I’m living a dream. It isn’t comprehendible that I’m going home right now. As much as I will miss everything that Europe and more specifically Stockholm has to offer, I know I can take away so much more than I came with. Inevitably I had to come home sooner or later, and since my mind seems to be rejecting this, I just need to do what I’ve been doing all semester, and embrace this experience with all of the emotional things attached along.

 

Tourist in Stockholm

Yesterday, Lisa and I only have less than a week here. After finishing our school 10 page analysis for Business Ethics, we decided to treat ourselves, by treating those we love by souvenir shopping. We headed to Gamla Stan, rather early at 10 am and started to snake up and down the old time roads. We passed the typical souvenir shops and some more unique authentic Swedish stores, and decided to go into them all. After finding the perfect gifts for everyone we love, we still had some more to do, but we decided to stop for a fika break and get some tea.

 

After shopping from 10 am – 6 pm…actually though… we made our way home with lots of content purchases. That night we met some of our friends to go to dinner at the Lappis restaurant. Matt had to fly back to Australia the next day for some time so it was not only a catch up with how everyone had been or what was new, since everyone was just returning from their various trips over Easter Weekend, but also would turn out to be our final farewell for Matt while Lisa and I were in Stockholm. However, he’s promised to come this summer through to Chicago which we are holding him to! But yet, either way, our first official goodbye was one of the weirdest things to go through. After months of becoming so close due to sharing these experiences abroad together, it was symbolic that this was the first of many goodbyes we would have to face as our time was somehow coming to an end.

 

Then today, I finally made it to the Vasa Museum!!! The Vasa Museum, for those who don’t know, is the tale of one of the greatest and most powerful ship vessel made in the 16^th centuries which sailed from the Stockholm harbor, and sunk 30 minutes later. Because of the cold temperatures of the sea, Vasa was able to stay in contact under the water for over 300 years. Experts were able to resurrect the ship from its grave after hundreds of years, and after many repairs and much work was done on it, it is now on display in the Vasa Museum with 98% of the original ship. In Stockholm, it is a definite must see since there is nothing seen like this, preserved this well, and at that age in the whole world.

 

Agnes, Marco, and I toured around the ship which was so unique to see. Afterwards we walked towards T-Centralen to meet David and Lisa to tour the City Hall. After arriving over there, we found out tours were closed until later that night when City Hall and numerous museums around Stockholm would be open for free because it was ‘Culture Night’. So we hung out and soaked in the sun for a bit while enjoying the presence of our friends. Later that night when we came back, we were able to tour around City Hall which was illuminated with a purple light across the building giving a beautiful contrast to the deepening blue sky. In City Hall is where they have the reception/dinner after the Nobel Peace prizes are given each year. To know that so many amazing, smart people have dined in those halls after such a prestigious event is absurd. We walked upstairs into this beautiful gold room where a live band and singer were performing while couples waltzed and danced across the floor in the big hall. With big halls, studies, and rooms in which official parties hold meetings, City Hall was fantastic.

 

Afterwards, Briana Patten, Agnes, Lisa and I went to a Musketmuseum where they had live music and dancing. At 11, a jazz band performed along with dancing. But, the jazz band and dancers ages ranged from kids of 11 years old to 20 years old. Thinking of kids that age in a jazz band, you think ehh, mediocre, but this, my friends, was more. They were absolutely phenomenal!!! Not to mention that the lead director played his trumpet so unbelievably high, you could tell his talent. Mixed with the interpretive dancing with an obvious certain theme, these kids certainly had talent. The best part of the whole show was how into the music and performing that they all were. It set the bar high and gave me a glimpse again of why I love music so much – because getting lost in music is a beautiful experience.

 

We called it a night after meeting up with Jae and Nikki. While the others went home, I walked with them to potentially go into City Hall again seeing as it was holding a party for the whole city. Rumor has it that thousands show up to this party, and after seeing the line, we can concur. We decided to just walk around Stockholm at night while discussing everything, and made way for just an amazing night.

Skansen

I have mentioned Skansen in posts from before, but what Skansen actually is, is a huge section of the Djurgarden island which is a bit of a zoo… (actually though). Along with having some wildlife including elk, brown bears, seals, reindeer, etc. Skansen also have many markets which sell candy, smoked fish, handmade trinkets, and things of this sort, while most employees working in these shops are dressed in authentic old time Swedish attire. Some of these markets in particular that we went to include a traditional bakery, a glassblower, and a steel maker. This was absolutely how we wanted to spend our day.

 

Walking around where some of these trade makers shops are, it felt as if we were back in time in the streets of old time Sweden. Walking into the bakery, the smell was divine and sent from God himself, and all of pastries, cinnamon rolls, and bread looked just as good as it smelt. Having my first cinnamon roll from a hand-made bakery was too good to be true. We came across the glass blower next where you could see the techniques they used into making some beautiful pieces of glass and work. I ended up getting a beautiful glass bowl for my brother and sister-in-law that is authentic Swedish blown glass. Apparently, Swedish glass is a popular item to buy when coming to Sweden.

 

After watching the animals and enjoying the gorgeous weather, we headed back to get some groceries for a BBQ with everyone else back at Lappis. Once the sun started to go down a bit more a few hours later, I headed back for my corridor dinner that Marco had put together.

 

My corridor is mixed with a bunch of genuinely interesting and kind people. Most of them, which I don’t know their names, or ever will due to my bad memory with names, came and each had something traditional from their country to give. There was risotto, seaweed, rice, spicy chicken, potatoes cooked a specific way, these amazing desserts (which took this one guy who is the sweetest and quietest guy from Serbia three hours), and what did I bring… Walker’s shortbread cookies bought from the English Store of course. At first, I’m not going to lie, I thought it would be more of a drag seeing as we never have communally gotten together and shared something of this sort. However, I was surprisingly pleased and had a fantastic time! We talked about what always seems to be the topic in a bigger international group of people, which include differences in culture, differences in food, our studies. Overall, it was a great idea put on by Marco, which I know everyone had enjoyed thoroughly.

 

Another filled day of beautiful people, sights, and food, as the countdown of leaving this beloved place sadly continues.

Food for thought

Today I had quite the laundry experience. While getting back from Dublin, my laundry had piled up to where I had almost no clothes. Finally going to my allocated time for laundry, I brought me three loads full and left to go say hi to my friend Andrea. After leaving his place to go switch the laundry, I quickly realized I didn’t have my keys I needed in order to unlock the laundry room. In a frantic rush, I ran back to Andrea’s, then to the laundry room, to see them sitting on top of the washing machine, exactly where I had left it. For the next 45 minutes, I proceeded to wait outside in order to catch someone going in. FINALLY, I switched over my laundry with an hour left to dry my clothes.

 

During this time, my friend from Switzerland Marco, had invited me and Lyle for some burgers since they were grilling out in Kungshamra. With the weather so nice and some good company, I enjoyed the sunny weather with some fresh burgers off the grill. To my surprise (but then again not really), I learned how it had snowed the day before in the morning. Classic Stockholm, for it to be almost spring and then have a random snowy day. During this time though, me being me, I completely forgot to go and grab my clothes from the drier. The laundry here works that you must book in advance online for an allotted 2 hours of laundry time, and then an extra hour for you to dry. After this time, your key will not allow you to come in again seeing as that should be enough time. Fifteen minutes late, I had to wait again to grab my clothes by hanging outside the door and knocking to see if anyone was in there already. At this point in the game, all you can do is laugh at how idiodic I was.

 

Tonight, some of my new Italian friends invited me for dinner in Lapis with some other international students. I was debating whether or not to even go until Andrea persisted he was going to rip me out of my room. So, I put my homework aside for the next few hours and headed over from Kungshamra to Lappis for dinner at my friend Niki’s place. Niki is from Australia and one of the happiest people you will ever meet. Always so gracious, she had about 10 of us over for dinner. I didn’t eat much seeing as I had already eaten at the grill out, but still enjoyed everyone’s company and a lot of laughter and fun. I feel like these encounters with multiple international friends is something I can’t take for granted here. Knowing that my time in Stockholm is limited, I must enjoy and grasp every opportunity to spend time with these people, I most likely will never see again. It not only makes me sad, but allows me to feel blessed for having met such amazing people in such a short amount of time.

Spring is coming

Today, Lisa and I made plans to go to Skansen and find some of the local bikes around Stockholm that we could potentially ride with the usage of our SL card. We got off at Karlsplan and walked over to an the island of Djurgarden. There are no subways to this island but rather trams or even a ferry to ride from another island. This island is beautiful because there are many different attractions to see. Finally being tourists in our own city, we walked all around the island while trying to find the bikes. Our SL cards did not appear to work for the bikes because we needed to register our card, no one was around to assist since it was just a machine, and everything was in Swedish on our phones. So after finally saying we would figure it out for another day, we went a little souvenir shopping outside of  the Skansen museum.

 

While wandering right outside of Skansen, we came across the cutest restaurant that had the traditional Swedish food, including meatballs which I hadn’t tried. So since it was a beautiful day, we decided to splurge and have an Easter meal a day early outside in the sun. I got the traditional Swedish meatballs, since I hadn’t before and our days in Stockholm were quickly approaching, and Lisa go a delicious lok salad. Enjoying the beautiful sun on the patio of this classic traditional restaurant, we ate ourselves full until we waddled back towards the metro.

 

Deciding to take a new way home on the Kungstragarden T-Bana, we walked from the island of Djruagarden, along part of Slussen to find the local beautiful Cherry Blossoms. There were blooming cherry blossoms on each side of a long fountain that led to a statue in which suddenly looked familiar. The statue was surrounded by green turf, and covered with people of all ages relaxing in the sun, eating ice cream from a nearby stand, wearing colorful clothes, and embracing the beauty of Stockholm in the springtime. This was the exact same spot that Lisa, myself, and the others we called our good friends now had first gone ice skating months ago. To be able to see the transformation from a beautiful ice rink at night, to months later the liveliness it held now, was such a beautiful thing to encompass.

 

After taking in the beauty of the cherry blossoms that led to the TGIF, which we had gone to after ice skating, we proceeded to make our way back to home going through the Kungstragarden T-bana. Lisa had told me how this was her favorite T-bana stop, and I could see why. While heading down, there were piano keys all along the ceiling, but once reaching the bottom, the stop turned into an oasis of beautiful ancient ruins. I couldn’t stop and gawk for long since the subway had just arrived, but I made sure to always make an excuse to go to this stop since it was the most unique stop I’ve probably seen. For a day where we had all these expected plans, it once again turned out to be unexpectedly full of surprises and led us to discover a little bit more of the beautiful Stockholm that I am quickly falling in love with.

A visit from Rome

This weekend, a friend we had randomly met in Rome, Cort from ISU, came and visited us. He had a bit of a mishap leaving Barcelona seeing as he lost his passport. Surprisingly, he was able to get a temporary passport from the US embassy and made it about a day later with only 24 hours to spend in Stockholm. I had agreed for him to stay at my place, and at first although I was not too thrilled with having to host someone, I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice it was to have someone appreciate Stockholm who had not been living here for the last 2 ½ months.

 

He arrived yesterday around 1 pm. After walking to meet him, we dropped off everything, and headed to the classic Gamla Stan to show him the old town. Meeting up with Lyle and his visiting friend Colum, we headed to Art Café for a typical fika and to have everyone get to know everyone better. After this we headed to Slussen to walk around and see the lookout point showing Stockholm at a beautiful height and showing Cort Stockholm from a higher point of view. Luckily, Lyle is so knowledgeable about Stockholm since he has been here for almost a full year now and was able to give good explanations and details about Stockholm and it’s different parts. Our next stop was City Hall, which I hadn’t been to yet, where the Noble Peace Prize dinner is held every year. Walking across the courtyard, we made it to the shore at City Hall, and enjoyed a lovely sunset on the clear Baltic Sea with a view that reflected where we just were in Slussen. Cort was very impressed with not only City Hall but another museum building close to City Hall because he had multiple places he wanted to visit, including these. Seeing as Cort is studying to be an architect, he has a book of 1000 buildings to see around the world including these, the Library with a beautiful circle room, and a Subway that was beautifully decorated.

 

While walking around on this clear beautiful day, I felt so much more love and appreciation on how Stockholm is so open and beautiful. It is a bigger spread out city, but it is unique in the fact that although there are some taller buildings, the open water, multiple islands, and colorful low buildings allows you to feel as if you could never be Closterphobic. The beauty of Stockholm has completely began to shock me with the more time I’ve spent here and truly been able to explore outside of being a tourist.

 

While walking to find the library, (which was closed), we came across the subway plaza which Cort had wanted to see. When realizing how many Stockholm subway stations there are, it is pretty amazing that we stumbled upon it considering I had never even been at that subway station. After a quick dinner, we headed out to meet some of my other friends for an after –exam party that KTH was throwing. KTH is another university in Stockholm where all students who are studying engineering or any science go. All in all, Cort left earlier today, after having a successful 24 hours in Stockholm.

Eating Around Stockholm

Places to eat while in Stockholm—Hermen’s and Slussen Hall. My experience with Hermen’s is only amazing. Off the stop of Slussen, you walk a little bit up the road to find Hermen’s on the edge of the water. It is more of a cliff in which there is also a fika shop and museum in the cliff below it. Yet, a beautiful site of looking into Gamla Stan and right on the water, it is the perfect place to feel more authenticity of Stockholm. They not only have student deals, but deals during the week for buy 1 get 2 meals for an all you can eat Vegetarian buffet. When most people think of buffets, myself included, I think of gross, old food that is only quickly prepared giving you no nutrients. Hermen’s is all freshly made and includes bread, 7 different types of salads, curry, and unbelievable vegetable lasagna. Plus, all you can eat, so who can beat that?

Saluel Hall is a market off the stop of Ostermalnstorg which is adorable. Located on the corner, you walk and and are greeted with all different types of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, poultry, breads, desserts, you name it. You can even smell how fresh everything is in the wooden stands. I could spend multiple hours and a dangerous amount of money if I were in there which is why I have tried to restrain myself. However, when I went, I had a salad in which you could put anything in, including nuts, avocado, hard boiled eggs, aka my favorite things. There is this TO DIE FOR almond cake which is in the Salue Hall, made probably of 80% butter, and I am determined to go back within the next month for some authentic Swedish meatballs, and to find Mrs. Stover’s loved Swedish Flop, which is this pastry she had ever since she was a kid.*

(After going back, it was discovered that Swedish Flop – called another name in Swedish – is only made and served between Christmas and Easter)

Wandering Around Gamla Stan

Since I have just been home, and am heading off in less than 48 hours before we are traveling again, I made sure to spend extra time in Stockholm, rather than working in my room. So after returning home and a day of class on Monday, I made it an effort to wander around Gamla Stan and Slussen areas within Stockholm. Gamla Stan, as mentioned before is part of the old town which has more coffee shops on every corner than Starbucks or McDonalds’ in New York City… if you can imagine. I had heard of the underground cafes in which the Vikings had first inhibited in the 12th and 13th centuries. These underground locations found were the lookout points and hang out spots for the earliest Vikings way before America was even discovered. Determined to find one of these cafe’s I wandered around Gamla Stan for well over an hour, enjoying all of the old town feel.

 

Upon wandering, I came across the old German church where I wandered into. The old Gothic styles had me entranced as I vowed to myself I should try to come to a Sunday service. The ceilings dipped low as a huge organ was the main focus on the side wall. After leaving, I managed to ask someone on the way out where I could head to find one of these cafes. Due to either not being able to follow directions sufficiently, or just being inadequate of understanding the street names, I finally made my way into the cutest old town cafe called Art Cafe. Opening the door, a steep stone stairway led down, where you had to make sure to duck your head, to a cafe where the doorways had low stone archways, a fireplace, and some of the best desserts and coffee drinks to choose from.

 

After ordering a hot chocolate to warm up in the stone dungeon type cafe, I sat down for hours of homework. Although the homework part seemed treacherous, it seemed to flow nicely while I was completely embracing this old town feel, and somehow, cozy cafe where I can only imagine the shenanigans that had happened there centuries ago. After hours of work, the flow of people coming in and out being constant, a woman approached me to ask to use a charger. Before I knew it, we were in an in-depth conversation about her personal life, Swedish traditions (including the cancellation of ice skating even down the Baltic sea due to the warm winter), and about what we have come to notice of the differences in the Swedish culture.

 

Evidently this was an unexpected conversation that went a lot deeper into personal matters than I might have even gone into with some of my friends at home. I say deeper in the since of opening up about different cultures, where we have come from, and the beauties of the differences we have experienced. For an afternoon where I wanted to experience more of Stockholm, wandering into this cafe has been a very memorable experience for me. It was a beautiful afternoon for me to embrace the old town, get into a deep, enriching, unexpected conversation with a stranger, and not to mention, finish my online class work for the week.

 

Ice Swimming

When in Sweden, apparently the hot commodity is Ice Swimming. What is that you say? Jumping and swimming in a frozen lake? Nahhh, who’d be crazy enough to do that. Well, apparently, it is a tradition that people still do each year, in which Lisa and I thought we should naturally take a part of. Now, I’m not very keen on extreme weathers or temperatures, but I figured, when else will I have the chance to experience this custom and crazy tradition

So Tuesday morning, I made sure to have a big breakfast, and headed towards the train station to meet everyone. I met up with Lisa, and Tommy and met a few other kids on exchange in the Business program as we rode a bus to this off campus site about 20 min away from Stockholm via bus. Everyone was talking, super nervous about what was to come, or else acting as experts because they have done it before.

Guys and girls were separated as we went into our different locker rooms. We first went into the sauna which felt sooo nice! I hadn’t been in a sauna in years but you can just feel your pores opening up and relaxing you. So after getting as hot as you would like, the first group went out. I immediately jumped up wanting to go first and not get scared, so about 5 of us run out. The wooden deck is so slippery and the shock of the cold air while you are in your bathing suit was a bit of a shocker. Running down and trying not to slip, we finally approach the dock and the lake, a girl started getting in by the ladder, but I knew that’d be so much worse. Without thinking, I jump in. The water was so cold it took my breath away. I came up for air and couldn’t even think about how I was in a frozen lake. I swam to the ladder and got out as I grabbed my towel and started to run back for the sauna.. for heat. While running back across the dock, as I’m slipping and sliding everywhere due to the wet wood, I almost fall but luckily a girl behind me grabbed my arm. I ran inside to run right under a hot shower, while breathing so quickly. Through the adrenaline rush of the hot to cold, to almost busting it, to hot again, my breathing was very rapid but I was so satisfied. The extreme temperatures and the rush of jumping in made the experience not only unforgettable, but exhilarating.

After I did it once, I realized how manageable it was to do it again…. and then once more. After the third time, I realized not only how exhausted I was, but also how the main part it really affected while running out there was the rush the cold water brought to my head. But REGARDLESS, I couldn’t have been happier to have had that experience… it was definitely one I’m not sure if I’ll ever do again and definitely one I will never forget.

Until next time my friends!!

xoxo