Javisst....

Hej hej!!

Ok, it is imperative that I update once more before I leave for EuroTrip 08 Pt. 2 because then I'd be too far behind in keeping you all aware of my exploits. A lot has happened to since our last episode of Kayla in Sweden so a quick recap is in order. I can't go into too much depth considering I have tons to do before tomorrow (which will be explained later in this post)

Things that have happened in Stockholm worth noting:
-Consumption of 18 litres of mjöd (obviously this was over the course of one evening with a group of at least 10 people 3 of whom were parents...but of course they didn't pull their weight...ugh.....Tunnan will be my downfall...)
-The first time I participated in cutting a mullet. (No explanation necessary)
-The fall of darkness upon the land. (It gets dark at 4 o'clock these days. And so it begins...)
-Attendance of Tosca at the Opera House (in Italian... translated to Swedish.. talk about a linguistic challenge. I think I got the point though)
-First experience of suicide in Sweden (Yes,this is definitely a downer, but it actually happened today. Apparently, it is not uncommon for people to throw themselves in front of trains here. In the dark season, it can happen on average once every two weeks. T-Centralen was basically a mad house and I had to take the alternate route of two crowded buses to Universitetet. *sigh*)

It is important to note that those are only the things that happened in Stockholm since last I wrote. A friend invited me and three others to his grandparents up north in Älvsbyn and we spent a good four days up there during which I accomplished a lot of firsts for myself. Let's list them, shall we?

Firsts achieved in Älvsbyn:
-First 15 hour train ride (complete and utter mayhem)
-First time jumping into a body of water that was already iced over (No worries, we broke the ice first)
-First Finnish sauna (I don't know the difference between a Swedish and Finnish sauna but it might be the complete lack of clothes in the latter...)
-First Finnish sauna with FOUR guys (a.k.a. my worst nightmare...?)
-First FOUR HOUR Finnish sauna
-First skinny dip (obviously we weren't in the sauna for the full four hours)
-First time eating smoked reindeer heart...and other Swedish delicacies
-First time having a solid winning streak during Beirut
-First time being in the Arctic Circle

...oh man... so many details that need to be told that I just don't have the time for.. but honestly, it was amazing. All of it. Especially the naked parts. Hahahaha.

Quote from Mom after a recounting of the sauna, "So, should we be expecting any grandchildren from this sauna business?"

Eew. Mom. Eew. I'm a lady. Remember that.

Other things that happened that weren't firsts:
-An epic road trip to JokkMokk
-Some climbing every mountain, fording every stream business
-Lots of star gazing
-Lots of self-reflection (and self-discovery? ...perhaps)
-The education of a few Swedes in 'beat-making' (and I quote, 'We're Vikings!!! We don't have any rhythm!!!')
-Lots of laughs and many a' inside joke
-The education of a few Americans in more Swedish curse words (the worst idea.. ever)

Uh.. yeah, it was great. No doubt.

So what's in store for the oncoming weeks? Obviously, more adventures. As I write, time is slowly ticking away, inching me closer and closer to my Swedish exam (skit!), EuroTrip 08 pt. 2, finding out who the next president of the United States will be (I hope you ALL voted.. or will vote... I'll be very disappointed if you don't....) and the end of this insanely wonderful semester (AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!). I don't even want to begin to think about leaving here (and if Obama loses, I don't intend to).

EuroTrip 08 pt. 2 will look a little like: Granada, Sevilla, and Dublin. All with mi amiga, Claire. Should be interesting... and a bit warmer, I imagine. Unfortunately, it will be quite difficult to fully enjoy the time off considering the immeasurable amount of work I have to do during it. I guess I had to do this whole school thing some time, eh? Shucks....

November is looking pretty hectic as well. Visitors are coming every weekend in November, which means... more madness.. and sharing the Stockholm life with a few others. It'll be fantastic (and exhausting), I'm sure.

Things I have to do before my departure tomorrow:
-Study for my Swedish exam (ja.....)
-Buy some stuff for the trip (I'm sure I'm missing something)
-Pack mi maleta
-Get my academic life in order and pack that as well
-Not forget to pick up my dry cleaning...(cuz that'll just be a mess if I do)
-Sleep maybe?

K, that's all... I think. A little all over the place, ja, but one of these days I'll do a blog about my thoughts and feelings about stuff or something like that. Something that makes me sound a bit more.... intellectual?... and not like some reckless 20 something year old who has been let loose in a foreign country. Ha.

Ja. Ja. Ja. Sköt om dig!!!

Love and miss you all.

K

P.S.
HI CATH!