Stories

After several days of disconnect – not having internet, that is – and even more days of wrongdoings and debauchery, I'm writing once again.

The days are really starting to fly by here. They are really, sort of, blending all together. Each day has been pretty much the same: start off with a bowl of Frosties; kill time on the internet for a few hours; maybe run and errand or two; and after dinner, head to the pubs. Then, obviously, there must be the recovery days, of which today happened to be one. The body was punishing me, harshly, if you ask me, for what I did to it yesterday evening.

Since I've mentioned this drinking activity in some previous entries, I guess I should humor you with a story. Maybe two.

Story One
Wednesday, we (a gaggle of Australians, an Austrian, a German, several Americans, and a French) made a trip to Stockholm to celebrate one of the Aussies' birthday. After walking around the Kulturhuset – the name "culture house" makes it sound a lot more interesting than it actually was, although I did play chess on a giant chessboard – we visited a café for dinner, a chicken caesar salad since you asked. We then headed to the Absolut Ice Bar, appropriate because of Absolut vodka's Swedish origin. For those who are underinformed, the Ice Bar is made entirely of ice. The glasses are molded from ice, the furniture is made from ice, and the bar is a block of ice.

After a celebratory drink at the Ice Bar, we ventured to a pub which was advertising cheap beer, and proceeded to spend two or three hours and too much money there. We caught the last train home to Uppsala at 23:09, and since it was still early in the evening, some of us headed to Västmanlands-Dala (V-Dala for short) nation to finish the evening. One beer and a Jack Daniels shot later, we parted and managed to stumble to our respective lodgings.
Estimated Hangover Time: three hours

Story Two
Yesterday evening, for yet another birthday, we had an American drinking games night. Of course, this included the mandatory Beer Pong (Beirut, for those people that care), Kings Cup, Flip Cup, and, a new game for me, Roxanne. Roxanne is an absolutely dreadful game. Those present grab two beers, split into two teams, and wait for "Roxanne" by the Police to begin. One team drinks whenever Sting sings "Roxanne" and the other whenever he belts out "red light." Truly awful.

So after several hours of playing each of the games – and dominating at Beer Pong, I should add – I once again managed to stumble home.
Estimated Hangover Time: eight hours

Obviously, the drinking stories provide for some self-deprecation and hilarity, but life is not about the drink. I've taken a liking to cooking chicken [pictured below] for dinner. I've also recently been riding my bicycle around the city with a huge smile on my face, thinking, "I'm in Sweden!" followed in close succession by "I sure look like a giddy fool right now."


Basic Swedish class starts on Thursday, which I'm very much looking forward to. I really want to learn the language, both because it would be a shame not to and because I want to know when the Swedes are talking about me.

Don't even get me started on Arsenal or Eboue.

Song: "Starlight" – Muse

Snow

As of now it has been snowing for the last three days and has been scheduled to snow for the next five. I have been in some less-than-satisfactory weather in my life – that Thanksgiving in Mammoth when the entire mountain closed down, or the freezing rain of Boston – and a day here doesn't compare to those times. But never in those places has the sun failed to shine for so many days. I feel like I am in Seattle.

On the brighter side, some fellow international students and I took a trip to Stockholm from Uppsala (about a 40-minute train ride) yesterday. We left at nine in the morning, which may seem early to you, but as I have had trouble sleeping lately, I had been up for four hours already. More on that later.

We arrived at about 10:30 and walked to the royal palace. Now in London, the palace guards are famous for their nifty red suits and their lack of movement. King Gustav's guards here are equipped with the very latest in military apparel and a shiny M-16 with a shiny bayonet – rather more intimidating. They also move, and therefore, look alive. We stuck around until 12:00 to watch the changing of the guard, which seemed to take hours given the freezing rain we were subjected to. It was a rather comical ceremony. Each time we figured it was coming to an end, a Swedish general would begin speaking into a microphone (which he held too far from his mouth so we could not hear him), alternating in English and Swedish. The highlight of the ceremony was the palace's drummers, which were extremely talented (tossing their sticks as they played and whatnot).

We then decided to find food, strangely deciding to give Sweden's tacos a try. If I'm being honest with you, it was comparable to Taco Bell and did not sit well. This was only a day after I had eaten curry and felt sick – a rather stereotypical Indian food experience I had not yet recovered from.

After warming up inside the restaurant we headed to the Moderna Museet, or Modern Art Museum. Oddly, given what I would politely call an apathy for artwork, I actually enjoyed the museum, which featured works by my countrymen Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. Although it was interesting, I felt we spent too long in the museum (but friends make sacrifices, right?).

We left the musuem in search of, obviously, a pub. We found one near Stockholm Central Station but were astounded to find that one pint cost 66: SEK or $8 USD. Some of us abandoned the plan to purchase a fizzy and headed to the nearby Max instead. Sweden's energy-conscious version of McDonald's tastes about the same, but the service is much friendlier! If there is one thing I have noticed about the Swedish so far, it is that they are very friendly people. I just have to be the one to make contact, as they are also very shy.

After a long day, I returned to my room and finally got my first good night of sleep in Sweden.