Back to work: oh crude awakening

Alarm went off 6:15am. The magic of xmas has passed and already feels long gone. A day of work 8am-6pm laid before me. Oh crude crude awakening!! And what a day it has been... the phone going off like crazy all day long leaving me barely a minute to save my voice. Honestly I wish to speak no more today.

I look back at the just passed weekend and feel happy and content. On the 25th it was time to party as is now tradition for young swedes. Kim was the host. I had full intention of coming along to the club, however after a long wait outdoors queuing up to the front door I felt my excitement slowly disappearing. I was quite happy going to bed in a decent hour to be honest. Was really good to see all my old frieds though :)

On the evening of the 26th my sister and I went to the theatre and saw the latest Sherlock Holmes movie. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend people to see it.

A truly "Svensson Christmas"

Xmas in the Nilsson house was just like any 24th of december, with one difference. I started the day on a very healthy note. Went to the gym and did a 30min run and1 hour session bodypump instructed by my friend Emma and her colleague. Then the eating began... and Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) on TV is a clear must. Under the tree I found hard presents, no surprise considering the coming move. 2 really nice gratin-dishes (Le Creuset), 4 lovely tea cups (Höganäs), some jewellery, the boardgame "Ticket to ride" and a vacuum cleaner (Electrolux) - not the most fun gift but very useful and will surely come in handy.

My sister and I played "Ticket to ride" and I won :)

RPM & Xmas break

Lately I have been very busy. I've squeezed in lots of hours at work while completing the last bit of uni-work before xmas. Found out about some good grades last week, so all in all I'm pleased with my first term of the Masters degree. Can't believe it's already over!

I applied to become a Lesmilles RPM instructor earlier in the fall, however at that time there was no need for new instructors. Last week I got an email from the girl responsible for the instructors, asking me if I'm still interested. Yes I am :) She is gonna look up when there's possibility for me to go do the training course to become a spinning instructor. I'm excited and bit nervous all at once. This will be good for me.

Xmas is now only 4 days away. How is that even possible? I'm starting to get into the christmas spirit just lately. Saturday I went to Charlotte's christmas party at her flat. Nice to spend some time with my classmates outside of uni-hours. Sunday (not hungover) I spent hours making christmas sweets together with my old Axis work colleagues Åsa and Lena. See pictures below...

8th of December - some thoughts

Most people would look in my diary and take a deep breath. Most days look crammed in. Uni 2 or 3 hours, work 4,5 hours, work-out, uni-work or see a friend. Barely no time goes to waste. While I enjoy being busy, always knowing I've got things to do, I'm starting to wish I could feel more relaxed. My aim for the xmas break will be to find the peace which this season promises. Perhaps it's hidden somewhere under the tree. Who knows?

Some thoughts about people calling any service people... you are looking for help, how does it plead your case to be rude to the person who is there to assist you? If you know you have extremely bad hearing, why not let someone make the phonecall for you? Remember that the person you are talking to is not personally responsible for the situation you are in. They are doing their job and want to get through the day as pleasantly as possible. It's enough with a rude comment or remark to severely destroy their day. A person commenting "I don't like your accent"... why do you say that? Why on earth does that have anything to do with you wanting help? Do you think insulting the person who is going to help will work in your favour? For all you people out there who make calls to people working in any type of customer service, think about the person at the other end, not as "the company", but as an individual. In order to achieve efficient communication please consider your choice of words. Thank you!

24 and Apartment-owner!

Yesterday was a really really good day! For the first time in 5 years I celebrated my birthday at home with my entire family. At uni we had a visit from an actress who taught us how to breath, speak, stand etc. Very interesting and fun. In the afternoon my dad called and said that the bank had finally cleared everything. We were good to go to sign the contract for the apartment. We went out to the apartment and signed together with the owner. Now things are actually happening for real. Wonderful! I will get the keys on friday 13th of January!!

If you're interested, this is my apartment: Branteviksgatan 30

The meaning of democracy

After a nice workout saturday morning i went to Malmö to meet up with Lina for a nice fika. Following that we joined the crowd at Stortorget in Malmö to look at the spectacle which was the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) expression of opinion. Malmö was completely invaded with police coming from other cities such as Gothenburg and Stockholm. Roughly 600 in total. The problem was not the approximate 100 Sweden democrats, it was the protestors in the crowds surrounding them. The kept yelling "Inte rasister på våra gator" (No racists on our streets), booing them and making so much noice that their speech could not be heard. I don't agree with their message, but at the same time Im rational enough to understand that democracy works both ways. They have a right to express their opinion peacefully in a little marsch. They should not need 600 police officers to protect them. If ppl only understood the foundation of democracy, there would be no such need. If we were to push all this underground, what good would that do? Has history not taught us what happens when important issues and small extremist parties are ignored and not allowed to air their concerns? One thing however that did annoy me and confuse me was that the Sweden Democrats are allowed to use the Swedish flag in their political marsch. It does not feel right for a national flag to be connected to one particular party. I don't see any other party ever flagging the national Swedish flag. They all stick to their own party flags. Why should it be any different for the Sweden Democrats. I don't wish the national flag to be associated with the ideals and values which the Sweden Democrats stands for. Rationally it doesn't have to be, but people are emotional and thus likely to make that connection whether conscious or not! So in short, you have the right to speak your mind and engage politically, but please do so without involving the Swedish flag!

So much to tell, where do I start?!

So much has happened since my last blog. First of all, I do have an excuse for not writing. I simply have been unable to sign in. Good excuse is it not?

Here's the story of the last two months of my life if you care to know :)

I've started getting used to my job as a "pest expert" and "people-calmer-down-person". There are so many nice and polite people, even a few that makes me smile and laugh. Then there's the few that just have this amazing ability to destroy my day.

The first course of my masters is completed and the second one if well on the way. I'm happy to start getting to know my new class mates. A great bunch of people. Looking forward to our first proper get-together soon.

I've been visiting my sister in Kalmar. Nice little weekend away from the parents and catching up with Erika. Got a lot of studying done but also just simple relaxing :) apart from the little run I decided to go for on the Saturday. I got slightly lost out in the forest and nearly ran 20km. Took me 2 hours, 15min to return back to my sister. Needless to say, next day I couldn't walk!

Latest news!

One of my new class mates who knows a girl who is moving out of her apartment in Malmö any day now. If my finances allow, I might decide to take over her contract. I might make this decision already monday next week. I will keep you updated on this! It's so exciting! Finally finally I might have found my first true place on my own!

Tomorrow is Friday!

Life's new adventures

So life goes on and I've just started a new chapter. This chapter is called Masters. The programme is "Strategic Communication". In England or the USA this would translate to something like "Corporate Communication" or "Communication Management". Its been two weeks by now and I can already tell the difference between masters and bachelor, but I like it. It's intense, lots to read, but really interesting.

I've also started a new part-time job for a company called Anticimex.
My job title is "Handläggare" (meaning "Administrator"). My work tasks are to answer customer phone calls and help them with their questions and concerns. Sometimes it might be enough for me to inform and advice them what best to do. However often I must book in a time for a technician to go help the customer with their pest problem. Yes...that's what the company does.. they take care of pest, dampness in the house and some other related problems. I have now learned lots of interesting things about mice, rats, bedbugs, wasps, moths... you name it!

The end to an adventure

So here's a few last word on Paris.
On friday 12th we woke up nice and early. Had a croissant for breakfast as you do. Following that we headed in to central Paris. First we went into "Conciergerie" a building which has been both palace and prison. Many famous people were held here before they were beheaded etc., for example Marie-Antionette. Very interesting (and for free).

We entered the building next to Conciergerie and visited Sainte-Chapelle - in the building which was the residence and seat of roayal power from 10th to the 14th century. Very pretty.

Our next stop was Notre Dame...again. This time we stood in the 1,5hours long line to enter the clock towers. Would not have done that if it had not been for free. Loved to see the gargoyles and chimeras up close. Check out the photos.

The last day was finished off in Montmarte, my favourite part of Paris. Went on a guided tour (English speaking guide). Found out the history and interesting facts about people and places. Really interesting

Saturday 13th my plane left for Copenhagen. My summer adventure has come to an end. However new adventures awaits. I will tell you more about this in my next blog.

Paris, Paris

Wednesday James and I took the ferry from Jersey to St Malo. Three hours later on a way expensive train we arrived in Paris. Found the hotel without much hastle. Dropped our luggage off and headed to the symbol of Paris: le Eiffel. After a nice (read "expensive") dinner we went to the top of a beautiful lit Eiffel tower for an excellent view.

Thursday morning we visited Notre Dame. Could not help thinking of the disney film as I was there.

Next stop: the world's biggest museum "Musée du Louvre". Magnificent :) and for free if your European and under age of 26/25. Pretty much everything besides the Eiffel tower offer this deal. So if you are going to Paris, bring an ID proof with you and you can get away real cheap in Paris. And yes we saw the horse face lady (aka Mona Lisa). She was puny and there are plenty of more impressive paintings and pieces of art.


And oh yeh.. check out this roundabout.. 9 or 10 exits! Scary!

Last Jersey Post

Managed to get internet working at the hotel so here come's a short little update. Holiday so far has been great. Sunday I went surfing in the morning before I met up with James at the airport. Strolled around St Helier, had some awesome thai food and then had an early night. Monday we spent travelling almost all the way around Jersey on bikes. I estimate that we covered 45km (full route is 65km). Pretty good going and pretty painful for the behind! Half the distance would have been plenty for poor James who is.. well let's just say... not-a-bike-person.
Today (tuesday) we have covered a bit of the culture and history of Jersey by visiting two castles: Elizabeth Castle and Gorey Castle. Another sunny day in Jersey.
Tomorrow morning our ferry to France departs 9am. Come afternoon we should be in Paris, and hopefully have found our hotel. Fingers crossed!



Here are some samples of my photos from our bike tour.

Byebye work, Hello holiday

So last day of work has been completed. I finished the day with a 45min run on the amazingly pretty and scenic roads around the Five Oaks area.


Tomorrow I'm moving from the host family house to Hotel de Normandie. I will go for a surf in the morning, then straight to the airport to meet up with James when he arrives around 1:30pm.
After checking in at the hotel we will do some seighseeing, followed by visiting a seaside festival.
Monday and tuesday's plan will depend on the weather. Wednesday morning we take the ferry from Jersey to St Marlo, France. From St Marlo we will take a train to Paris where we will spend 3 nights. On saturday 13th of august I'm flying back home to Sweden.

The beautiful place I've been staying at this summer

Awesome end to my summer with STS

SO this week has been pretty great so far, and I can't see how this trend would change.
Sunday I spent a few hours on the beach with a group of swedish students.
On monday morning I went on a banana boat ride.

Tuesday morning I finally got to do the activity I've been waiting to do all summer: Coasteering. Basically what it is, is climbing cliffs and rocks along the cost and jumping into the water from different height. Because of the high tide my highest jump was only 8meters (15 at low tide), but even that was pretty high.

The students and I agreed it was the best thing we have done in Jersey. Following the coasteering we went for a cliff path walk along part of the dramatic north coast. It is truly beautiful. Also been surfing a few times lately. I'm going to miss it...

Yesterday we had an end-of-summer meal with the whole Jersey crew (Vikki, Simon, Holly, Jo and me). Perfect evening with good food in St Aubin's harbour.

2 days left of work. Planning my holiday (I will give more details later). On sunday James is arriving :)