Today I went to the Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. My favorite display: 3 rooms of gems, precious and semi-precious stones. Raw amethyst reminds me of my childhood. I followed the museum with a hamburger, it was the first time I’ve had red meat since NC. There are 86 museums in Stockholm.
Two amazing parts of my last few days:
Serving up swag on ice -
& more epic party time with some pretty cool hoes -
I can’t explain why, but I cook more in Sweden than I ever have. Tonight I made Indian for the first time — I wish my sister, mama, or host family from India were here. Instead I’m sharing with my flattmates. Off later to cook some sweets with my exchange family..
Happy Valentines Day
California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled.
From last year on Fresh Air: Courting Attention: Covering Calif.’s Marriage Trial
How life makes me feel.
I respect Sweden, as a country, for it’s values. Swedes are famous for their unique appreciation of style, practicality, simplicity. I truly believe that the way a country defines itself and the things it openly values are influential in shaping personal thoughts - and subsequent lifestyles.
My favorite Swedish word is lagom, a word roughly translated to ‘moderation; balance; just-right.’ The term is accompanied by a beautiful state of mind that is foreign both literally and figuratively to most Americans. Swedes believe in finding an appropriate balance with all things, shaving excess, appreciating appropriate portions. This word, because of it’s simple existance, shapes the lifestyle of Swedes all over the country. The Swedish possess less things, but truly value good quality, they take up less space, they eat smaller portions, they sip coffee out of tiny cups, and they find a healthy balance in the way their lives are executed. The philosophy of lagom is more than brilliant, reminding me of the values my mothers been expressing to me for 21 years and I can only hope will return with me permanently in the US.
That being said, the presence of this in Stockholm’s museum of modern art is no suprise either:
While lagom is appreciated greatly, so too is the concept of enjoying life’s pleasures. Sweden does not have a WalMart. Swedes do not dress in sweats. Swedes do not buy little Debbie cakes. Everything is valuable, everything is worthwhile, everything is of good quality and style. Replacing small American purchases of tshirts and junk food with the infrequent but exciting purchases of higher quality goods not only de-clutters your life but also ultimately brings more pleasure.
In adopting the Swedish lifestyle I’m learning to avoid meaningless pursuits and instead open myself up to spending money on the things that really matter— a weekend trip, a good pair of leather boots, the occasional gourmet cupcake.
Eat Sugar, Spend Money - words to live by. Just remember, not too much!
Because grocery shopping is sort of an ordeal unless you are already out & about, Sweden has taught me that I’m more like my father than I thought.. He can make a salad out of anything.
Left over pesto pasta, with salami and mozzarella.
Now I can stay in bed all day.
LIVE UPDATE: My flat mates from Cameroon are teaching me “Pidgin English” while they cook fish heads. For example, “baby you are fine” in Pidgin is “baby you dey fine.” REAL SHIT.
In conjunction with my time in slash fascination of Sweden, I am aspiring to become a viking. Because being a viking is somewhat relate-able to a modern day thug, it’s only natural that I adopt this lifestyle.
I’m just saying, I would totally rock those boots:
If you’d like to learn more, check out wikipedia (the only article I could find in English using Google Sverige): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking
Last night I went to club Ambassadeur in the center of Stockholm with two amazing ladies that are year-long exchange students. After missing our train, frantically toying with the idea of taking a taxi or bus, dashing from a unpaid taxi cab, sprinting for blocks in downtown Stockholm, & some Spanish flirtation for the door man from my new friend Maria, we made it into the night club without paying the entrance fee (~ $30!!!!).
Today we went on a tour of Stockholm. It was the first day since my arrival that was beautifully sunny, blue skies. Today I fell in love with the city, and the people that are here with me.
This is my Erasmus family —
