Backpostage... 'cause I'm behind

I'm actually writing this on the 9th, but filing it on the 4th, because my sense of Order demands it so.

So what has been happening lately? Well, I was sick from Friday the 2nd until Monday the 5th. However, on Saturday I THOUGHT I was all better, so I decided to go with Anita and Magnus to see the "Day of the Dead" celebration thingie they have. It's not called Day of the Dead, and it isn't the festival you hear about in Spanish-speaking countries, but on the Saturday after All Hallows, many Swedes go to the graveyards of the people they've lost, light candles and honor them. The sentiment was something I appreciated, and something I kinda wish was more popular in the 'states. We went to one of the biggest Cemetaries in Sweden to light our candles- because both Anita and Magnus' family live far away, and the importance of the holiday is about remembering, not where you are.

It was, quite simply, beautiful. It's one of the few cemeteries that has a forest in it, and as we walked the cemetery you could see all the candles- oftentimes more than one candle- at almost every grave. There had to be traffic control to channel the flow of people.

Unfortunately, it was more walking than Anita made it sound, and I very quickly discovered that I was not up to my normally charged batteries. I had to go home because I was feeling faint. Still glad I went though.

In other news, take a look at this:

Yes, it's what it seems. A purple potato. It comes from Gotland. Anita says something in the soil makes them look that way. I really want to make mashed potatoes out of them simply because of the color. It also puts a whole new spin on the song, 'Purple Stew' that's sung at camp.

Swedish Test

My Swedish test kicked my butt and left me whimpering. I'm still recovering.

But, I was able to wear the really cute Halloween socks and stickers Michael sent me, so life is good.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

my last day of International Relations

So get this: my International Relations course was only half a semester long (same amount of course hours though because it was twice as long as the rest of my classes... and added to that he often ran 45 minutes over- and the class was supposed to end at six- so sometimes I wasn't getting home to 8:15). And today was the last day. Now don't get me wrong, the class wasn't that bad... I just think that there was a cultural difference between how American teachers teach and how Swedish Teachers teach. It meant that at times there were crossed wires and miss communications. And well, the subject matter could have been presented in a more interesting way. But the class itself was informative, and the evaluations were papers, so I'm pretty happy, because that's my preferred method of learning.

Anyway, with the exception of a final paper, the class is done, which means I now only have three classes, that happen mostly in the mornings. It's actually quite exciting, because I'll have my afternoons entirely FREE! *dreams of going to museums dance in my head* And my course load is going to drop considerably now. It was really hard to keep up with all the reading with the class moving at double pace, but now that it's done I'm quite happy. It also means I'll be able to take advantage of the sunlight more often!

I had a particular Swedish observation I wanted to point out... AH!

So big news in one of the local papers today... a new cafe opened in Södermalm (I think that's how it's spelled), or near there. It has entirely white walls, and it's really bright in there. Apparently the lights are special ones that simulate sunlight. See, many Swedes go to have light therapy during the winter to counteract seasonal depression, 'cause it gets dark here (the sun's been going down just after five now... or somewhere close to there). Well, this guy had it really bad, and decided to invest in his own lights. Well, then he thought of how nice it would be if people could go to a place where they normally spent time to get the doses of light, without having to spend time out of their day going and just sitting in the light.

Thus, this cafe is born.

I think even if I have to pay a cover charge it might be worth it to go once a week. I'm starting to get really nervous about this whole dark thing. Although, I think the Swedish version of Daylight Savings Time is starting to come up, so I'm looking forward to that a bit.

In other news, Halloween is coming up in the US, and it is greatly saddening to me that I'm not there for it, because it's one of my favorite holidays. I know the precise costume I would use though... involving hot glue guns, feathers and leaves. *evil grin* I'm debating if I want to do that here, or just pay a smaller tribute to Halloween in Sweden. The Swedes might not take my attempt at American Pride in stride, and I'm afraid there's not as many crazy harmless people as there seem to be in other cities. I would actually attract attention dressing wired, where in other American cities it would just be like, eh!

My last and final thing- I've noticed wandering around the city occasionally these knit or crochet... objects wrapped around lamp posts or other places. Finally, I took a close look at one, realized there was a tag that went to a blog. This neat a frivolous (yet in a serious way) site is about knit graffiti. I have to say, I might be in love. Check it out: Masquerade.