Captain's Log, Stardate 92708.1

Hello everyone,

So this will be my second blog for my crazy adventures in Sweden (and Europe as a whole).

I've been in Sweden now for about a month and I'm really starting to get settled. I live in a corridor type setting with 5 others, and they're all Swedes. Three of them are really nice and cool. One is Mana, she's from Stockholm and we talk quite a bit, I usually speak to her in Swedish and she responds in English. It helps us both improve our language skills I guess. The second, Lukas, was born in Sweden but is from Poland originally and he's got a great sense of humor and is always helpful. The third, Nils, is not as social but still nice. The other two I don't really know very well cause they keep to themselves mostly and don't talk to anyone. Kind of awkward.

Mostly though, I hang out with other international students. They are way more social and we love to do stuff together (parties, dinners, pubbin', etc.) For example I went to a party last night for one of my French friends who just turned 23. It was a blast and I got a bit too drunk and ended up biking around campus for no apparent reason really. But everyone was drunk so it was a good time. There were Spanish students, some from Belgium and the Netherlands, some French, a few Canadians, one other American, and of course a few Swedes. They are really crazy when they drink. They played this game where everyone sat in a circle and slapped each other's faces in succession. Kind of ridiculous, I couldn't stop laughing.

I am finishing up my first class which is about Swedish social welfare (social policies and such), and I have to buckle down, write a paper for it and prepare a presentation for next Thursday. After that class finishes, which is next Friday, I have an online class and a class that only meets once a week during October, so that month should be pretty laid back, I'm hoping. So, I've decided to plan a trip to London with a few friends who are also studying here in Europe. I'll be there for 5 nights, from Oct. 9th to the 14th. I'm pretty excited!

The study system is one which I'm not used to, since here you take one class at a time (for about a month each) and then have an exam or a paper at the end. I like it because it's more laid back than the American system but it's frustrating because you have focus all of your mental energy on one subject which can get tiring. It makes me really miss the 'liberal arts' structure of the American universities where you can study many different subjects in the same semester, and do many different types of critical thinking.

I definitely miss the U.S., Madison and the UW, and all of my friends there and also abroad. It's the 'little' cultural differences that become really noticeable when you're in a different country. For example, none of the campus buildings have water fountains, the bathrooms are usually unisex, where they have separate rooms for the toilets and a main room for the sinks. Also, unlike Americans, Swedes really don't like sitting next to each other on buses, or to talk to each other unless they know each other, and they move a lot more slowly than Americans. It drives me crazy at the grocery store. Haha I know that sounds weird, but I really noticed how fast paced Americans are when I came here and saw how Swedes aren't.

I don't really have any new pictures other than the ones I posted on Facebook already, but I'll have more as I travel. Certainly after the trip to London. Well, that's about it so thanks for reading, and my next post will probably be after London.