The Swedish Dream - Live your Myth in Sweden

Moi/Hej everyone.

It has been a while, whoever is left here might have been wondering what is happening. Well to be fair...not that much. I still have my moments, but the bubble of living the Swedish Dream is about to burst. Mostly because of reality checks, my uncertain future in many aspects, as well as my inability to force myself to learn the language yet.

My problem in writing in this blog is twofold. First of all I have studying and 5 courses running on the same time. This along with the economic factor impacts me greatly. I practically have no social life apart from eating ribs that have absolutely no meat from Jaime's barbecues and watching him die from zombies and the Gas-Masked Man in Dying Light while playing on about 2.5 FPS.

How about I write for once how things are going on in Sweden or what actually happened for a change?

One day a took a ferry. I took a ferry at 7:45 am from Stockholm, which meant I had to be there at 7 and wake up at 4:30. I decided to do that the previous night and before I could think about it I found myself in a Viking Line ferry to the Aland Islands and Turku. I felt intimidated in the beginning because I heard stories about dozens of drunk idiotic teenagers that caused mayhem. I ended up having to take a cab to the ferry but it was alright, now I know how to get there again.

The average age on the ship was not as expected. I expected something like 18-30. But it was more like 75ish. I kid you not. The moment those pesky tourist Bangladeshians got off the boat at the Alands the age just kept going up and up. Even the dog I met there was 11 years old (77 human years). Those tourists kept asking for weird info in the reception and I can only commend the poor Finnish guy at the helping desk for his calm as I would have thrown them overboard and yelled "Yarr".

I had my fun and solved a lot of cases in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney as 11 hours were too many at some point. And after a couple of days I returned. Same situation, better weather as I went outside and relaxed gazing at the beautiful Swedish archipelago. I took a bunch of pictures but the best one came in Stockholm as I was walking my way back to the Central station.

I absolutely love this city.

I also applied for 2 scholarships. I am about to visit a kennel of Irish Setters. I have 5 courses and 2 of them are really weird. One of them is actually run by students. Last time me and Ebba drew dead fishes there.

Things like this. Ebba was impressed.

I finally got things moving with my thesis. This is a big step for me and I am awaiting anxiously about further news from my Finnish connection in Turku. It has also been a topic of uncertainty and great personal stress to me for various reasons. The land of tears is mysterious and I keep finding myself there. In another course we were asked to split in groups and make a Wikipedia page. 40 people are in the class and 37 are Swedish. Me, Shahar and Fabian are the only internationals it seems. Guess who I got paired with because everyone has their own "favorites". Sweden's multiculturalism is a blatant lie and it is as easy as getting to Canada without a visa unless you speak the local language like a native. Even the teacher started giving the lectures in Swedish before I politely told him to speak English, in an ENGLISH speaking class.

I started eating healthy and not wasting food as much as I can. I am drinking milk, eating salads and trying a bunch of new things. I am also seeing a lot of weird posts by people on Facebook that are really creepy and makes me wonder how many psychopaths walk among us. Maybe I am one myself.

I am not sure if and when I will write again. I am done asking for shares, likes, comments as they have dried as much as my posts lately. I was thinking of transforming it or making a new one and actually be helpful, like making it into an actual hydrology teaching place. We will see what time brings.

Until next time...hyvää yötä, мы будем говорить, vi ses och vi hors, je vous aimes tous και όνειρα γλυκά. 6 languages in all their glory. Puss och kram.

Lights, camera, action!

I have been thinking today. Our lives is like a live scripted play. Or a tv series. Full of changes, twists, expansion and it keeps you on your toes for what will follow.

But have you ever felt that you are an extra or a body double in your own script? That the script is just linear and you  simply follow it around and play no real role? That is so interesting.

I certainly felt like this until i moved to Sweden. My life was scripted and linear. Go to school, stay with that boring girl from Thessaloniki, go to the dog park, back home, eat, finish university for no reason, go to the army, help in the family business without having any say in all this.

When i finally realized how stagnant and boring my life had been i decided it is time for a change. But how do you do that when you are just an extra? You know what? You are the writer, you are the main focus of your own script, or you should be at least. And this is an ongoing process so what should you do?

It's fairly simple, even though harder to execute. I wrote myself into a new storyline. This time it was different, this time it was mine. I am done chasing my tail. Embrace change.

Today i went to the International Students Office here in Olofsgatan 10A. If you live in Uppsala and you need information about Erasmus or scholarships pay them a visit Monday-Friday 09:30-12:00 and 16:00-18:00. They were essentially the same people from the swedish seminar yesterday and they were pretty helpful. They answered all my questions in detail and now i am sitting happy with a 99% complete application to finally move to Turku in September. Yay! See, its like a spin off of my script! I want to write a new chapter!

On the way back the bus was full and there was a cute young lady with her baby on a carrier and she smiled and made space for an incoming man with his baby. Or so we both thought. As it turns out the man had filled his carriage with supermarket products and bags and during one turn it slipped to the door and everything crashed down. There was also a very old man that looked at me with a strange look i guess because of my loud music, but then i caught him staring at the butts of young girls.

I also feel a little of an outcast in one of my new classes. I don't know why again. I just don't feel like i want to get to know people and they don't want to know more about me. I tried to talk to some of the people from my group but after a few phrases its like they want to run away or i run out of topics and i can't/don't want to think of any.

Regarding to the events of friendship, i am pretty happy and i sleep well at night. Riding the bus home though i was thinking that i should have known the storm was coming when the clouds are big and black. And you know what? In the end i may as well let the rain come down and enjoy the circus of people.

You can sense sometimes when something is changing or you know when people can help you but they just don't fucking want to. I am sick of chasing, as i said, this is my time to shine and i will make the most out of it. I will set myself ablaze and i will take off like a shinning star, writing my own spectacular script, the way i want to, with the people i want to. And i have enough of them.

I like this one very much.

Along that bombshell, have a good day Sweden!

Update: Have you ever got so angry that you started saying things you don't mean? Or you made that racist joke just because your friend laughs at them? Do you always ignore warnings and take everything 100% seriously? Do you consider social skills a woman shitting in the forest in front of everyone in Sweden? Deal with it and take everything with a grain of salt.

Finnish adventure extraordinaire

I really wanted this trip to end first before i actually wrote a new post. But almost 15 days is way too much.

As my friend is casually pricing her unwanted clothes for a sale in a local flea market I though i would actually be useful. So i cleaned the dishes, washed the cups and polished the forks. And i thought about writing.

So here i am, at 2:16 am in Turku, Finland trying to reflect of the things i did so far in my first 4 days here.

Not much happened between the last post and traveling. Actually i sucked in the last exam, but that is alright since I am going to drop that class for something that is actually worth my time.

The only noteworthy thing is pretending to study for the exam with Jaime, when instead we were actually shooting green-eyed monsters to space with some things that resembled a spaceship and get them into orbit (Portuguese engineering bro!). The game was called Kerbal Space Program and it was fun seeing Jaime fume in frustration as he tried to crash his ship into the sun and make frankestein-ships that crashed meters after launching. I will also never forget his reaction when he just set the launch zone on fire and created an atomic bomb crater. Good job man.

Then we went for a walk in the city. More like biking with whatever was left of Marley. We went for a crapburger at MAX's and i got pickles in mine, which sucked because i specifically asked for no pickles. The baboon laughed at me but life is a bitch so i would take revenge soon. Hihihi.

We are off so he can buy a present for his girlfriend. We venture hopelessly in a store that sells accessories and after many fake jewels and even more shiny owls we get in a store that has actually nice stuff. He picks something after a lot of Mediterranean whining and we wait 15 minutes next to the counter. So i tell the owner of the store that if his girlfriend does not like the earrings then he should wear them to the exam tomorrow because they will match his eyes. He burst in to laughter, called me an idiot and we had more fun.

Oh, Marley died. I am very proud of him because he died exactly when i wanted him to. The rear wheel was shattered exactly when i reached town to get my bus card for Finland. He got me to the examination building before. He endured and then just let go near the ending. Good boy. He is currently left next to the cafeteria next to the river, or so i hope, because he is not even worth scraps. Take care Marley.

It is the last day and i have to be at the airport around 5:40 as my plane leaves at 6:40. That means i have to take the bus from Uppsala at least at 5:00 and be there earlier since i live far away from the center.

So i pack my clothes and do random crap. I have a 1 hour bath and i have not slept at all. The time is 2 am and i do not sleep:

1. because i am an idiot
2. because i will probably lose my flight

Hoping i will get the first bus at 3:56 i wait at the bus stop listening to some music. I make it to the center at 4:15 and the bus leaves at 4:33 am. My god it is so cold. I wait at bus stop for number 801 to Arlanda. It leaves every :33 and :03 minutes.

There is this tiny petite thailand girl there and i get into a short boring chat with her just to pass some time. We talk about thailand and the cold weather and her working in MAX's in the airport. She was 19 years old.

The bus ride is nice, as it is so warm and clean and so cozy so i try to sleep a bit. But already i am in arlanda in terminal 5 so i blaze towards the Pressbyrån and devour 2 kanelbullars.

Apparently it is very easy to leave Sweden as i just printed my boarding pass and never had to show any kind of identity. I find a nice bench to die for a few minutes and casually wait for the boarding.

Waiting sleepless for the airplane.

I finally make it to the airplane, i stuff my small handbag in the upper storage and there i am sitting next to 2 french guys. My god i wanted to kill myself and punch them in the throat. One of them was singing Last Christmas i gave you my heart with ze mozt horrible acczent and the other one was mumbling until time stood still. I look at my watch. Only 10 minutes have passed. Dear lord.

I told him to shut up and he muttered something in french. I told him that i understand you you mongrel and he kept singing. Then Holger's picture was all over my head.

Something along these lines, but with a moose.

We finally arrive. I can't wait to get out of the god forsaken airplane. And the next 3 minutes until the doors open are a nightmare. These guys just don't shut up. And i get down the stairs and see them in front of me. Good grief.

I go outside the terminal and follow the crown. I get to a dead end and everything is just so confusing. I call Carita and tell her i am just outside terminal one. She says she is in terminal 2 which is like a kilometer in the other direction. Cry me a river Kostas, you wanted an adventure no? At least i had some nice things to see on the way.

One can always be happy when it involves chocolate!

There we are on our way to Turku. We have some chitchat and i am on the verge of dying from sleep deprivation. But it so fun and it is so beautiful outside, full of forests and rocks and water. And apparently there are signs that say *Watch out for the mooses*. 

Turku is a small town of around 100000 people in the southwest part of Finland and everything is also written in Swedish since it's some sort of the second official language. It took us around 1.5 hour to get there. We immediately slept for hours.

Her lovely dog Ippu was so scared of me in the beginning. She is so shy with strangers. 4 days on and she is sleeping on my feet in the time of writing. Yay.

Sweet Ippu, the lovely Shetland Sheepdog.

The first day was really casual then with the only thing worth noting was our dinner in a nice cozy student restaurant called Kerttu where we had fantastic food like a chicken spicy pasta. And then we slept again for so long.

The next day was more adventurous i guess as i had my first walk in the town center. I sat around in the local mall where i had more chocolate and coffee to kickstart my day with a smile.

Yummy right?

Then i was introduced to the local McDonald's like shops of fast food, Hesburger. I find it quite funny because if you translate it in Greek it can mean shitburger. But they were actually pretty decent quality and i was a happy panda after eating.

You could translate this into you will shit kebab. Lol.

Then we moved to the famous Ittala crystal designers and i bought stuff for my sister and my friend Afroditi.

The central square of Turku.

The town is pretty and i took pictures everywhere, however i cannot use all of them from my digital camera right now, so i will update later or just ninja them in a future post. This is more of a photo album from now on until the end actually. Visit Finland, it is worth it. Oh it is also very very cold, like -5 to 0 Celcius usually so dress warm, winter is coming.

There is always a river it seems! Just like Uppsala.

Friday i had some spare time so i just walked alone towards the center. It was around 2.5km from the student apartments so i walked in like 20 minutes there. I also saw a nice graffiti on a wall.

Such a nice view and artistic expression.

I met another friend, sweet Olka and we had a lovely cup of coffee in Robert's Cafe downtown. She is a lovely mother of 2 and a great person. Do not piss her off because she has biceps of steel! Thank you for the fantastic day Olka!

There is something majestic about the churches in Scandinavia.

She also took me to the library where i took even more pictures, taking my total tally to over 150 in 3 days.

What a lovely library and everything so quiet.

I went home and we took Ippu for a walk, then visited the old Turku Castle. It was very windy so we didn't stay long there.

Speechless by the scenery really.

Scattered around the garden were also small wooden houses that were inhabited by people back then. Can't beat a classic.

Imaging living there.

Back home again and my friend cooked me a delicious spicy chicken risotto to die for. I thanked her so much and slept happy like a cat.

Saturday, the day of the El Clasico and i did not give a shit about it. I have so much fun here and i feel so free and unchained. I just walk the dog, have fun, watch movies and eat. I eat a lot. Today we bought a huge bag of candies and we ate into Blanko, another overpriced restaurant where i ate papardelles with chicken thigh and vegetables. We then went to a bar downtown called Papu, where we drank sangria and sat on slings. It was mexican and i guess i look very young because the bartender asked for my ID.

I think i should sleep now because it is 3:21 am.

Goodnight Sweden. Goodnight Finland. See you soon! I expect your comments and opinions!

Halloween is coming!

The Swedish Crayfish Attack

In August things are about to get messy in Sweden. We are talking about a 500 year old tradition that will make you drool if you like parties and remind you how it was when you left a birthday party when you were ten with birthday cake all over your face and clothes.

Does this ring any bells?

I am talking about the crayfish summer festival, a tradition so old in Sweden, that dates back to the 1500s. A delicacy saved for the aristocrats, the gobbling crayfish is still very popular and enjoyed by people of all classes. The imports of crayfish from other countries such as Turkey led to a price drop and made the Kräftskivor (crayfish parties) a more affordable tradition that marks the end of the summer. People gather to eat, drink, have a great time. I'm hoping to experience it soon enough.

That's a lot of crayfish.

There have been restrictions that prevent the overfishing of crayfish in Sweden, for a couple of months starting from August and while you can import them from another country the local crayfish of Sweden always wins.

The very few who have private access, of course, catch their own crayfish. The little creatures are night animals, so fishing has to be done after dark. They are caught in wire traps and the bait is often rotten or raw fish. Crayfish must be alive when placed in the saucepan of boiling liquor (source).

There is also a nice little song that goes with it, but i will not spoil the meaning:

Helan går
Sjung hopp faderallan lallan lej
Helan går
Sjung hopp faderallan lej
Och den som inte helan tar
Han heller inte halvan får
Helan går
Sjung hopp faderallan lej

Lastly, according to thelocal.se don’t start the party hungry. It takes about 5 minutes to dig out the eqivalent of about a meatball’s worth of meat.

So this was a short intro to the  Kräftskivor, one of the many interesting traditions of sweden. In two weeks i am going to experience it first hand, while i also plant to visit Turku in Finland and Copenhagen in Denmark. Bursting with excitement! So for now take care, see you soon Uppsala!

UPDATE: Well, according to an anonymous user with apparent experience in crayfish parties..."Hey man you got the *don't come start hungry" part wrong, you're supposed to get there hungry, that way you'll get more drunk, and you will be eating for hours, You will get fed eventually ;) + there is often more food at the table than only the crayfishes :)"

So, go out there and have fun your way! Get those bellies full of beer and tiny little crayfish meatballs! Thank you stranger!