The group before heading to the bad taste party. We did well, huh? :)
Photo Shoot: Keilin-- San Fran, CA, USA
Anja--Magdeburg, Deutschland
Antje--Berlin, Deutschland
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Greeeeeen food!
The timing of my trips worked out quite well. The first term is ending at the end of next week, meaning that for the first time since I have been here, there is a decent amount of studying to be done. While I have enjoyed having more free time, I have to admit that it is nice to have some more work to do. Having said that, I know it is a bad sign when I feel like I have a heavy work load, when in reality, it is still much lighter than what it would be at home. All I know is next semester is going to be a test for me :) I have been keeping busy though. Next week I have a listening comprehension exam in addition to a written exam for Swedish, and a ten page paper along with an hour and a half oral exam for intercultural communications. So there is plenty to be done.
However, despite the increase in homework, I have found time to have some fun too. Last
Thursday, there was an international night, where all of the international students got together with their fellow countrymen to make a main dish and a desert to share with everyone. The result was ridiculous amounts of delicious food from pretty much everywhere...Germany, Pakistan, Poland, France, Finland, Belgium, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Canada, and Sweden to name a few...as well as 100+ people waddling home after trying to get a taste of every dish. It was fun though, and delicious to say the least.
On Friday night, some friends and I went to a "bad taste party" where we all dressed up in horrible outfits, sported extremely out-of-date sunglasses and neck ties, and plastered on obscene amounts of brightly colored makeup. We looked bad. Excellent!
As you know, St. Patrick's day was on Tuesday, and so some friends and I got together to make a "green dinner". Its funny because I have always thought about doing that, but never had. Whenever I think about green food, I think about the story my dad used to tell about how he made green pancakes for his family breakfast one St. Patrick's day :) Anyway, since none of us had actually done it before, we decided it would be a good idea! We made green omelets
with green peppers and broccoli inside, as well as green bread, kiwis, and green milk (oh, and peas...they didn't quite go with the "theme" but they are green, delicious, and nutritious, so we added them in :) It was a fun time, and despite the appearance, everything was pretty tasty!
So thats a little "taste" of what I have been up to the past week or so. In addition, I have had some time to take more classes with kauif--I am really enjoying a kickboxing class I have started to attend with my friend Anja, spinning is great as always, strength training is good, and of course, I have continued to go to soccer, which seems to improve each time I go--I have also continued to take part in the church choir--we actually have a "concert" this Sunday!--I've made my way downtown for fika with friends, and have been trying to spend more and more time outside. At this point, the sun rises around 5:45 or 6:00am, and does not fully set until around 7:00pm, so it is quickly getting lighter later, and I am loving every moment of it. Plus, for the first time, today felt EXTREMELY "spring-y" Hallelujah! The sun was shining brightly, sounds of snow melting and birds chirping were abundant, and everyone was outside trying to soak up as much sun as possible. I even opened my windows! I can officially say I now understand why Swedes are considered to be "sun-worshippers". Its completely understandable :) Well, I hope you've all enjoyed hearing about a little piece of my life here in Karlstad! More updates to come!
Love,
Lauren
