Hejdå Ekeby!

So, the day I've anticipated with both sadness, trepidation and a bit of excitement has finally come. Today is my last day in Ekeby. My room is practically bear, just like I found it in January. I remember walking into the building, being a bit nervous and unsure of what the next semester would be like. There were so many things that I didn't know - what would the people that I would be living with be like, would I be able to survive a semester away from home? Now that I've officially ended the semester, said goodbye to many friends, and have all of my bags packed, its hard to find words to describe how amazing the last 5 months have been. Its going to be hard to go home and to be without the friends that I've spent nearly every day of the last semester with. We've shared so many laughs and learned so much from each other - the "cooks," trial and error with buying groceries at ICA, small language errors like "getting a baby," surviving months of snow and the eventual emergence of spring and summer, searching for kitchen utensils and clean plates or cups, overcoming laundry obstacles... My time at Ekeby has been like nothing else I've experienced. I'm very sad to say goodbye to the building and to everything that "Ekeby" has come to mean to me - friendship, laughter, a home away from home. I could fill an infinite number of pages with all of my cherished memories and pictures that I'd like to post from the last few months and last week in particular, but as I'm running short of time in Sweden, this will be my last post. Thank you to everyone here that has filled my days with fun and laughter. And thank you to everyone back home that has shared my experience with me through this blog. Its too hard to say goodbye to Ekeby, Uppsala, and Sweden, so instead, I'll just say hejdå...

Skokloster, Stockholm, Skansen, Etc...

The past week or so since my last post has been fun and exciting, but so busy! I feel like time is passing by so quickly! I've spent time with a visiting friend, did a bunch of things in Uppsala and Stockholm, said goodbye to a few more Ekebyans, and wrote 3 papers for my last course. Here's another quick and jumbled update before I run off to the airport to pick up my former roomies!

Justin and I took the ferry from Uppsala to Skokloster - a big baroque castle on Lake Mälaren

We had a formal dinner in Ekeby where George and Igne cooked for 25 people!
Me and my friends went to the Taste of Stockholm - a big food festival in Kungsträdgården
Took a short boat tour around Stockholm - view of the Royal Palace from the boat

Went to Skansen again with Sam and Justin
Justin and I went to the Icebar - it was pretty neat inside, everything is made from ice, even the glasses but its not that cold. We weren't able to have a drink because it was so busy that we were only allowed to look around for 15 minutes!
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Its a bit scary and sad to think that I only have 11 days left in Sweden. Where did all of the time go? Looking back through this blog has really made me realize that I've done and experienced so much since I've been here. Its all been so amazing and its an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world.

In the next 11 days, there's lots of fun to be had. I'm excited about reuniting with my old roomies and giving them a brief tour of my life in Sweden. I'm looking forward to our last hoorah - a trip to Falun. I'm sad about saying goodbye to the remaining Ekebyans, Ekeby itself and Uppsala. But, with plans already in the works for reuniting, I know that the friendships that I've made here won't end with our departure from Sweden.

Now, the kitchen's calling my name because there's a kladdkaka to be made! Hejdå!

P.S.

Another thing, whoever wrote the following on my Blommor post, please come forward:


Anonymous said...
marry me
11:05 PM


Tack tack!

Time Flies

It's been over a week since my last post - time is flying by so quickly! So, here's a quick recap...



1. We lost another Ekebyan
2. I made a Swedish kladdkaka
3. A visiting friend arrived from the US
4. It hailed in Uppsala... twice
5. I was sick and had a fever of 38C (the Celsius thermometer that I used to measure it was quite difficult to use too)
6. I ended my last class, but still have to write a few papers that I'm not excited about
7. Went to Stockholm



Now, a few photos to accompany the recap and some others just for fun!

Uppsala is very green Gröna Lund - an amusement park in Stockholm - Justin and my Uncle are at the top of this thing in the picture
Cool giraffe cranes seen from the Ferris Wheel at Gröna Lund

The Vasa - a salvaged Viking ship from the 1600s

The Royal Palace in Stockholm The remaining Ekeby kids
George and Johanna waltzing
Swedish high school graduates celebrating in the back of a truck More grads dancing in the fountain at Sergels Torg
And lots of people watching the crazy kids in the fountain An accident?

The countdown has officially started until I head home to Texas. The next few days will be spent going to Skokloster castle on a ferry, having a formal dinner in Ekeby, watching the Stockholm marathon, saying goodbye to one visitor, writing and finishing papers for my last class, welcoming two more visitors, and soaking up every last second I can spend with my friends in Uppsala and family in Stockholm. Vi ses!

Blommor

It's often said that, "April showers bring May flowers." Though it didn't rain that much in Sweden in April (it was still snowing!), there are flowers everywhere! Maybe I just don't pay attention in Texas and flowers are all over the place there too (besides the Bluebonnets that make a brief appearance)... but the flowers that I've seen in Europe in the past month are so nice and pretty and make me happy!

Flowers in Helsinki
Flowers in Paris

Flowers in Stockholm

Flowers in Uppsala

Another trip to Stockholm: Kungsholmen och Östermalm

I've lost count of how many times I've been to Stockholm this semester. But, there are so many fun things to do in Sweden's capital - fika at great cafés, shop at one of the hundreds of H&Ms, visit museums, or just wander through the city. During my most recent visit, I explored Kungsholmen with my Tita and Östermalm with Johanna...

Västerbron bridge on Kungsholmen - also part of Stockholm's upcoming marathon

View from Kungsholmen

The coolest baby in Stockholm

View of Sergels Torg from the massive Åhlens

The Linné statue in Humlegården - however, the actual statue part seems to be missing

Engelbrektskyrkan in Östermalm

I'm attempting to take a photo of the entire church. Johanna was taking pictures of me. Views of posh Östermalm from Engelbrektskyrkan

Engelbrektskyrkan and statues of Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" sketchesMe, attempting to get into the same position as the statue behind me
Walking to Karlaplan
Karlaplan fountain
Sweden's idea of public toilets - just kidding, Sweden actually has very nice public toilets... so nice that you have to pay to use them! The soapy statue outside of Uppsala's train station - the soap isn't usually there