APOLOGIES! I am back on the grind...

To start off, in response to my previous post; the water finally turned on a day later, but unfortunately the internet and electricity has been going out frequently, about once a week for a few days here and there. Such a pain in the ass! I have now realized what a blessing it is to have consistent running water, electricity, and Internet in the good-old USA.

Since the last post my life has become fast passed like I am used too. After returning from my Barcelona-London Trip my first set of exams began. They were interesting to say the least. In Sweden they give three grades No Pass (U), Pass (G), and a High Pass (VG). How these grades transfer back equally to an A-F scale, I have no clue. It does not make any since that we should receive grades back at home for these courses, especially if our home University new how horribly structured, run, and non-educational they are! I cannot say the courses are easy, and at points they are actually quite difficult, but the structure and teaching resembles an elementary classroom style. I believe they should be strictly based on a pass/no pass evaluation scale, especially since the largest benefit of Studying Abroad is not what you learn in the classroom, but the experiences and cultural differences/similarities that you learn when living abroad.

I was thankful to receive a VG, and I still do not know what I received in my other course. Post the exam period I made a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark for the Sensation White ‘Wicked Winter Wonderland’ Rave/Extravaganza. It was insane to say the least. As well, I have done some sight seeing around Malmo and Lund. The Swedish Country Side is beautiful, especially in the Fall.

Ass well, my second sets of Courses have begun. One of the courses is in Management Control and the other is in International Business for Multinational Enterprises. Both of these courses seem to follow the same unorganized, poor-lecture status as did my two previous courses, but with this I have been able to do a lot of traveling. It’s a catch 22 depending on how you want to look at it.

Fall and No Running Water

Well, the wind and cold has come. The leaves are turning orange and yellow. The ivy is turning shades of red on the building exteriors. Everything is changing here in Lund. The cold weather is definitely a lot nippier then back in Portland, Oregon, but the town and campus make everything refreshing. Lund is so peaceful and quaint, except for when the water is turned off…

I woke up this morning to a cold shower that shut off halfway through the hair-shampooing phase. Too be honest I am not a great morning person and this pushed me over the edge. The water did not turn back on until 1am, great timing. What happened, I have no clue. Will I send a complaint tomorrow to Housing, Oh YEAH! Otherwise, my Lund Experience has been rewarding and great. In the next coming weeks I have my first set of exams, and then I am onto a new course schedule. It is exciting…later this week I will give the response update to my formal complaint!

Barcelona and London Baby!

Wow, Barcelona was amazing. Barcelona is located on the Northern Mediterranean Coast of Spain. My friends and I stayed in a Hostel one block away from the coast. The views of the city were amazing. One day we hiked to a castle that looked over the city, and on the same day we checked out the 1992 Olympic Park and Stadium. Sadly, a lot of the Olympic Park grounds were all run down, but it was still very cool to see. Then the next day we spent seeing Gaudi’s art and architecture around the whole town – from the park, to his house, to the Temple de la Sagrada Familia. These sights were amazing, especially the temple which is not going to be completed until 2026.

Every night we all drank Sangria, and ate Paella. The Paella was so delish. On two random nights we stumbled across traditional events and festivals. One of the events was very weird and dangerous. Spaniards dressed in devil and dragon costumes, and shot fireworks at people in the street. As a group of travelers we really could not figure out what this odd tradition represented. The next night, we found out Spain was celebrating some Independence Day event. This day included an amazing firework display that was choreographed to music, and a huge colorful fountain, and went on for 45 minutes. Thousands of Spaniards joined in on the event. This was very cool to take part in. All-in-all Barcelona was great!

London was also awesome to visit again. I saw old friends, and met up with my colleagues I worked with at St. James Place Wealth Management. I also saw the show Chicago, which was great. It was very refreshing to be back in the town I love and miss so much. I was the head tour guide for this portion of the trip, and took the group on the London Eye, toured the Tower of London, and saw many more other London Town sites.

Pictures Below!

Barcelona (Top to Bottom)

The pictures below are of Barcelona (Gaudi’s art, the castle, Olympic Park, and the city landscape). London pictures include (The London Eye, and Tower of London).

Some Extra Info...

Hello, everyone! I have been doing great over the past week. Classes have been going well. I have noticed a consistent example used in all my courses…Ikea! I would have to say in every lecture or course conversation with my professors, they use Ikea as an example or case study. I realize Ikea has been a great Swedish accomplishment, but I do feel the professors should diversify their examples, but I do smile every time it is discussed. I am starting a tally sheet.

Below are some pictures of campus, Lund, and the Malmo Coast. The weather has been beautiful! I will be in touch in a week. I leave Saturday for Barcelona, Spain, and then I am traveling back to London, England to see new friends and some more sights. I cannot get over that city!

Pictures!

From Top to bottom: Malmo Coast Line, Central Station (Lund), Student Building, Observatory, and the front of the Business Building.

Novisch Party – Friday

Wow. This was a Swedish Event to remember. There was a Formal Attire sittning which started at 5:45. The ballroom of the castle was filled with tables, fine china, and had 400+ seats filled with a majority of Swedish Students. You are assigned a spot and the drinks are served. A three course, two intermission meal follows. Two Swedish students who work for the 5 Torno Nations (the best nations on campus) MC’d the event. Through the whole dinner songs were sang and cheers were made (In Swedish and cheer is called a Skull). Language and inappropriate videos are not a problem during this event. Professors spoke at the 3 hour long dinner, which then lead into a massive after party with more than another 1000 students joining in with the festivities. The Melody Club, a good Swedish band played, and then a DJ took over. The party went into the early hours of the morning. And then the after party began, once we all left the AF-Building. During this event I realized something about the Swedish culture, they are very Liberal and Free Spirited about sex, drinking, and having fun. It does not matter the generation… everyone is LIBERAL with the social views of the world. This is great, especially when the population is soooooooo attractive.