XII

Hej!

Light is getting very scarce these days in Stockholm. It starts getting dark around 14:45 and around 15:30 it is completely dark! It’s a very strange experience to walk around town thinking it is very late because it’s dark, but it’s actually only 4 o’clock! These circumstances seem to take their toll, as I’m very tired most of the time. I hear similar stories from other exchange students luckily. And of course it does not keep us from doing awesome things!

The trip to Helsinki is an excellent example of this. We went with a Viking line ship, which basically means that you only spend around 8 hours in the city. The good thing about it is that you travel with a big cruise through the night, and it’s relatively cheap. So we gathered on a Friday to board the ship, and had an excellent time there. Once we finally arrived in Helsinki the day after, we had a perfect guide to show us where we had to go; my good friend Johannes is born in Helsinki! He showed us the places to be, and Helsinki is also a very nice city, with a lot of atmosphere. He even knew where to get some cheap food, in the form of a pizza buffet! We also went to a small market, where they had some awesome winter hats. They were however, of real fur (from seals to foxes, you name it!), so they were ridiculously expensive, in addition to the fact that it is kind of unethical of course. The disadvantage of a Viking line trip is that the time you spend in the city is not too long, and time seemed to be flying! Before we knew it, it was already time to board the ship again for the journey back.

There was a storm on the way back, which had quite an influence on the balance of the ship. Walking straight through the hall ways was quite the challenge, and everyone was doing their best to keep their balance. This effect even had an aftershock, because when I was sleeping the day after I had the feeling my complete building was moving!

Studying is progressing quite fortunately. I got my first grades (finally!), with a B in History of the welfare state and a B in International Marketing! I was very satisfied, especially with the first one, since I’ve put quite some effort in that paper. The other two courses are also done as of this moment, and I’m currently laying the last hand on the final assessments for Human Resource Management. If everything goes well and I pass these courses, it means that I will basically be done for this semester, which will be a very satisfying feeling!

Anders, a Swedish friend of mine, had a birthday party last weekend, and he was so nice to invite some exchange students as well. It was nice to be invited to a party of a real Swede and not an exchange student for a change. It’s an interesting way of getting a taste of the real Swedish life, and some real Swedish people. We had a very good time that evening, and we decided that we should meet at least once before everyone is leaving.

The end is indeed coming near, as the first exchange students are announcing their departures. It is a strange feeling that this exchange is coming to an end. It is the ending of a chapter in life in a way. I’ve already booked my ticket home, and my departure will be on the 15^th of January. I will leave with a double feeling (like most exchange students I guess); It was a fantastic experience and I’ve made some really good friends, but home begins to call me, and it’s a good thought to be reunited with my girlfriend, family and friends.

Next week is my trip to Lapland. We’re going to the ice hotel, dog sledding; see the northern light, ice climbing, and much more! I’m extremely sicked and my expectations are very high, so I hope this trip can match them!