Oh hey Sweden

This past week was "Core Course Week" which means that instead of regular classes, we spent the entire time with our Core Course (in my case, Sociology). The first few days were spent in Copenhagen talking about diversity, immigration and the conflicts of a homogenous society. We got a tour of Muslim ghettos in the area and interviewed locals for a project. On Thursday, we headed to Sweden! The goal was to gain an understanding of both areas and contrast the two Scandinavian countries. We had some educational visits, we went to a Mosque and a museum of Global Culture in Gothenburg but it was really just fun to get away. We stayed in hostels, had dinner together (all 57 of us) and had plenty of free time which was great.

Pretty Malmo!

General impressions of Sweden? Fewer blondes, more jaywalking and more "welcomes" as you come into shops. We went on a boat tour of Gothenburg which was lovely. Our tour guide was hilarious and joked about the water level being so high, we'd have to get on the ground and duck to get under one of the bridges...except then we discovered he wasn't kidding. Oh Sweden.

Ducking under the bridge, definitely a highlight of the Swedish adventure.

Dinner that night was delicious. 2 courses of fish-filled fun along with two heaping glasses of wine (on DIS). After dinner, all 57 of us headed over to a bar across the street and someone treated our professor to a tequila shot (not kidding). We headed back pretty early because we had to kayak in the morning! It was a beautiful drive and I was so content just watching the rolling hills of the Swedish country side (I've missed car trips!) Kayaking was fun but a little scary once the wind started picking up. Two people fell in! After our last pre-paid DIS meal of the weekend which, of course, included Swedish meatballs, we began the four hour trek back to Copenhagen.

By the end, I was definitely ready to come home. Even after three weeks, I've come to think of this place as home. It's good to be back...and even better to not be on a bus with 56 other people. 

Home sweet home.