Just came back from the cinema with Bob. This is the first time i go home this late in Gothenburg... This is also the first time i go home alone in big swedish city. I could not help hearing mom's voice back in my head, telling me to watch out so i dont get stabbed, murdered, robbed or raped.
Well i didnt get any of these things tonight luckily. I think that i live in a safe neighbourhood but i still could not stop feeling a bit unsafe. A feeling i never had in Taiwan. That country has to be the safest place on earth for a foreigner.
Other reflections I had when I walked home was that the streets were full of the smell of alcohol, shouting, noice from empty bottles, people that cant stand straight. All of it very annoying of course... for someone who is not a part of the drunken crowd...
so now i have actually started studying again, im sitting with the enormous book in my bed and reading about Retailing location strategies... It is actually interesting! Especially when thinking about all the shops i have been in all over the world. but my bed is not really a good studying environment so i will head down to the library soon and sit there instead but now it has started snowing again! And its heavy snow also..bah
I came over this song before, its the Swedish artist Darin who made a cover of Viva la vida. I havent decided yet but i think it might be better than the original!
OOh my god, sometimes I just dont have the discipline to start with stuff. The whole day has passed and I have only been sitting on skype.. skyping... But i must say that the time has not been to any waste at all :)
I've been sitting still for too long now so time to get serious! I'm heading to the gym! Hope its not too crowded, never been there at this time before
I have discovered a new kind of love for glasses.. What do you think?
Så äntligen så fick jag min semla, en vecka försenat men den smakade lika gott ändå!
Idag var jag på min första föreläsning och den var till råga på att redan kl 8 på morgonen! Jag är inte van vid att gå till skolan så tidigt så självklart blev jag försenad... "Lektionen" varade ändå bara i 20 minuter typ så det kändes inte precis så nödvändigt att vi skulle vara där så tidigt men men! Jag kom ju upp ur sängen i alla fall så nu har jag extra mycket tid att ta död på. Kanske skulle plugga istället, fick ju ändå en ny uppsats som vi måste göra klart till nästa vecka. Får se hur motiverad jag är, börja lite kan jag ju!
Så här glad kan man va en underbar dag sån denna :)
My doctor wanted to check my back if it was fine and all. I don’t have any problems really so I guess it was more like a routine thing since I have been gone for half a year. What funny was that I had to wear this kind of “shirt” (?) when I went in.
Latest fashion in healthcare, notice the wonderful baby blue colour and the modern collar. Must have come directly from Paris ;)
I went home this weekend again because I had to go to get an x-ray done. So right now I’m sitting on the train actually writing this. I was so happy today when I found that I was sitting next to an electricity plug! Last Thursday when I went home to the family I got so bored and I was not tired at all. I had forgotten my ear phones the cell phone and I nothing more to read. Luckily Alex came to my rescue and killed some time by calling me all the way from Austria!
The trains here in Sweden is anyway not to be trusted, they are always late or cancelled because of the heavy snow fall. The state company had cancelled all their trains to Gothenburg, they are late always anyways so they were better of cancelling them at once! I missed my train yesterday evening so I am one day late back to Gothenburg so maybe I’ll stay one day longer in the end of the week instead. I was a bit relieved to miss the train yesterday anyway. I have heard so many stories of people getting stuck in the middle of nowhere inside the train. And it’s a bit scary to travel in this kind of weather when it’s dark. One train has even gotten outside the rails and crashed!
The train is already half an hour late and I’m not halfway in Gothenburg yet… Bah!
Yes very very much snow here yesterday, today, tonight and tomorrow. Snow storm it is! I just hope the electricity doesnt break down!
Loads of snow!! (and yes, I love it!)
Now I'm off to see one of my oldest friends Lova for some catching up. The big thing is also that I am going to drive there, and I haven't driven a car in half a year and especially not in this kin of weather! Well. wish me luck
Im leaving the town ones more. Mama wants me to come home and well... I must say that I dont say no to home made food and some company!
This short week here in Gothenburg I've only been sitting inside and working on this 7-Eleven project. Whole day and in the evenig watching movies. Its a quite way of living, a little bit too quite for me! So if anyone in Gothenburg is free next week, dont hesitate to send me a mail. Maybe a cup of tea?
Well now I dont have time sit here anymore, I'm of to see the best friend Bob before going home. Oh joy! I need to get away from the computer a while
i've been sitting here all day (except when I went to the gym) in front of the computer working with a project for our class in Retailing management. The task is to write anything about any kind of retailing and the teacher found it suitable for us to write some comparison between Taiwan and Sweden. So we came up with the idea to write about 7-Eleven!
So now I have been reading about 7-Eleven all day and trying to find facts and figures about it. Its amazing how much funny stuff you can find when studying.
For example, do you know when 7-Eleven has its birthday? July 11 of course! (Lol!!)
Another sentence that I just found is this:
In a strange city or in any faraway place, there will always be a 7-ELEVEN store to give comfort and security.
hahahah, I just love it, because its true!! So many times I've been lost in Taiwan and trying to find something to eat. 7-Eleven was always there for rescue!
7-Eleven meant so much for us exchangestudent that we had to eternalize it by turning our own pictures into their logo :)
Nu ska jag äntligen iväg för att köpa mig ett gymkort! Alltså jag har liksom längtat till denna dagen då jag äntligen skulle släpa mig tillbaka till gymmet igen. Inte så ofta man har den känslan antar jag... Jag hade så mycket muskler och var så vältränad innan jag åkte till Taiwan. Väl i Taiwan så anpassade jag mig till den asiatiska livsstilen vilket innebär, shopping, äta på restaurang och minimalt med motion. Denna oerhört bekväma livsstil gjorde ju självklat att alla muskler försvann och nu har de alla blivit till fett. Fett som framförallt sitter på rumpan och runt midjan... Inte så kul eftersom det innebär att jag kan inte komma in i mina byxor längre! Helt hemskt, speciellt eftersom trenden med slimmade jeans fortfarande är stark här i göteborg.
Så nu ska jag äntligen iväg. Gummet ligger typ 10 minuter bort så det är nära. Det enda jobbiga är att det kostar 1300 kronor! AJ! (sa min plånbok)
So we are there again, damn you stress I have not missed you! I remember I was stressed in Taiwan for like one week and then it was over... And now the semester here in Sweden is just starting and I already feel over my ears with work! Today we sorted out with the teacher at least, now we need what we have to do to survive this course. - read 500 pages in a book - one project - one exam - litterature seminar with extra task
On top of this the thesis has to be started... At least me and Bob is sharing the burden!
I dont know if it was because of the school in Taiwan that made it feel easier or if it's just because I was an exchange student but university felt so much easier over there.
Maybe it was the Asian weather that made it easier!
Friday we had a little snow storm here at home, lovely... But I just had to get away from my computer-game-addictiveness that I have every time I get back home. I seriously think that I have a weak spot for games. My little brother is already stuck in an addiction and is sitting in front of the screen every day for hours! When I start playing something I just have to finish it and I will keep on playing the game until I'm totally fed up with it (if that limit is ever reached!!). I have made myself the promise to not install any games on my new computer because then I would never get any school work done at all!
So I have a word for everyone one else who has this addiction,
YES, you can break free!
Celebrating the freedom from computers! (when I got back home I sat there anyway for an hour... oh well :P )
I found this song from my playlist the other day. If you just listen to the lyrics, so beautiful... Its like the perfect song for people who are unhappily in love with someone. So cry all you babies out there!
No just kidding, its really horrible to be unhappily in love... I think most of us knows how it feels. Dont cry but enjoy the song please!
Happy Valentines day to everyone! I know that this day is really to sell more heart stuff and chocolates but anyway, take your time to say and do something special to the people you love.
And to all you out that dont have anyone special to hold this day, just keep on looking! Love will come to you whne you least expect it and that is for sure! It is all about keeping your mind and eyes open and yes, Love will come and knock you down...
Today over one billion people in the world is celebrate new years eve. It's Chinese New Years! I wish all my friends over there all the best for the new year, the year of the Tiger!
2010 is the year of the tiger in the chinese moon calendar
Jag känner att jag har en lite speciell relation nu till det asiatiska nyåret på grund av alla kompisar jag fick i Taiwan. Jag önskar verkligen att jag kunnat få uppleva firandet för fyrverkerierna lär vara helt otroliga! Jag menar fyrverkerierna kommer ju ändå från Kina så de de ju experter ;)
Här är nu lite info om hur nyåret firas, allt ska jämt vara så himla symboliskt så det är ganska komplicerade saker somsker där borta inatt.
Hur firas det kinesiska nyåret?
– I Kina är nyårsafton det viktigaste tillfället för familjen att träffas. Alla åker hem och äter middag oavsett var i landet de bor. Traditionen är så stark att det leder till trafikkaos varje år.
– För kineser som är utomlands är det hopplöst att försöka ringa hem. Det går aldrig att komma fram.
Motsvarighet till julpynt?
– Dörrgudar klistrar på portarna. Det är bilder av generaler eller sagofigurer som funnits i historien. Gudarna skyddar de som bor där så att det onda inte kommer in. Många skriver även dikter i kalligrafi och klipper figurer i rött papper för dekoration.
Presenter?
– Vuxna köper inte presenter till varandra, men barnen får pengar i röda kuvert. Det ska ge dem lycka.
– Det är också tradition att köpa nya kläder och skor inför nyåret. Det symboliserar att allt är nytt.
Typiska nyårsrätten?
– Att äta god mat av olika typer är en viktig del av nyårfirandet. Men vad man äter beror på i vilken del av landet man bor. En klassisk maträtt är water dumplings. Det är degknyten som man kokar eller steker. Man brukar också fritera ganska mycket kött och grönsaker.
Vad händer efter maten?
– Tidigare samlades familjen alltid och tittade på den nationella tv-kanalens nyårsgala. Men i dag har programmet förlorat i popularitet och många unga träffas kanske för att spela kort, gå till något tehus eller sjunga karaoke. Men de flesta brukar vänta till tolvslaget och gå iväg först efter fyrverkerierna.
och på nyårsdagen?
– På Nyårsdagen ska man kliva upp tidigt och gå för att hälsa på släktingar. Man brukar inte stanna länge bara gå förbi och hälsa. En del tycker att det är gammeldags, men traditionen sitter fortfarande ganska djupt förankrad.
Finally my stuff from Taiwan has crossed the seven oceans and is back in my arms! Oooh the joy!
At first someone wanted to make the package nicer than just the carton but when I looked closer I realized that half the side was covered with stamps! Hilarious! Those cunning little asians ;)
It was such a relief to have all the stuff back with me again, not only because it is a lot of money but mostly because of the affection I have for all the stuff. Every item that I have bought has a little story behind it. Like; "Oh this bag I had to bargain for twenty minutes to get" or "These glasses I had on that crazy party we had". I have become so sentimental lately that this just have to stop. I got a wet eye when watching over all the stuff when they were out of the package, I mean come on get a grip! it is only stuff after all... well well loads of clothes, bags, shoes and accessories are now ready to be used, watch out Gothenburg!
Looking at all my new crap.. I mean PRECIOUS PIECES ;)
University people here in Sweden are always so dressed up. Since this is gonna be my first day that i go to school for school work so I have to at least try to fit into the image! This is going to be annoying in the long run especially since i dont have so much winter clothing anymore and since i'm extra large on my ass now a days i cant wear long pants under the jeans! I'm so gonna freeze to death but at least I will die a beautiful death on the street...
The second reason for this outfit is also because im going to a H&M seminar later. They are having an introduction about a trainee that i really really want to have! I will bring my CV, sit on the front row and try to look as smart as possible, wish me luck!!
I can't describe my happiness for how glad i am to be here now. I'm now sitting in my new home. It's a temporary one but im happy to have some place here in Gothenburg that i can call my own. For so long have I been searching and searching for a place to live here without finding anything. So much anxiety that I had in Thailand and Malaysia for coming here without any place to stay! I took out all that energy on the way here. I had my big bag full with clothes. It's a rolli-bag but there is not really any use for wheels when the street is full with snow! There is a steep hill to come to the apartment and the bag was so heavy!!
Well now im here, im happy :)
Here are some pictures of how it looks like here. It's a bit like my old room at home, blue and ocean inspired which I love!
och så har man gått och blivit göteborgare! Jag gick och kollade ett rum idag och det var väldigt fint. Jag ska bo som inneboende hos ett gammalt par som har fått alla sina barn utflugna. Rummet var typ lika stort som det jag hade sista terminen i Växjö så jag kommer nog trivas bra. Bara det att jag har ingen egen toalett och dusch som känns lite jobbigt.
Men det kommer nog ändå i stort sett bli som när jag bodde i korridor. Man ser bara varandra när man ska ut i köket och om man känner för det så kan man ändå sitta inne på sitt rum och äta. De jobbar dessutom hela dagarna så jag kan i stort sett ha hela jättelägenheten för mig själv!
Kontakten med varandra kan bli så gott som minimal och jag kan drömma mig iväg att jag har en egen superlägenhet, centralt, utsikt över hamnen och en kvart att gå till skolan, aaaahh :) (bilder kommer imorgon när jag flyttat in)
I övrigt så var Bob och jag idag i vårt nya universitet, blev medlemar i kåren vilket är obligatoriskt (nius 240 kronor där!) samt försökte få tag i någon som visste vart vi skulle göra av oss själva eftersom vi ligger tre veckor efter de andra i klassen... Resultatet var att vi inte fick några klara svar utan bara informationen att de andra förutom kursen, även har börjat med sina magisteruppsatser! de lämnade till och med in den första skissen till hur allt ska läggas upp igår! mycket bra början där måste jag säga... Men vi har stora planer för vår uppsats den kommer bli helt totally lovely! (bara vi lyckas komma ifatt med alla kurser och deadlines nu!)
It's so annoying to be packing again. I just finished putting up all clothes from the asia suitcases and now i have to make the tricky choice of choosing which ones to bring to my new life in Gothenburg. Well, its not going to be so hard this time. I have a feeling that the clothes this time will be... how shall I say it?
...thick like hell! It's gonna be cold
Yes, so tonight im stepping on my train towards the great city of Gothenburg. I rembered yesterday that I have wanted to move to Gothenburg ever since I graduated from high school and now its actually going to happen! I just hope that everything will go according to plan and that I will enjoy my semester over there... I'm sure it will be fine, I have a natural instinct in finding myself in bad situations but with a lot of positivt thinking and occasionally some tears everything works out fine ;)
Nu har jag helt blivit installerad här hemma, väskorna är uppackade och rummet iordning gjort! Först bar jag upp väskorna på rummet och packade upp aaaallt! Helt plötsligt fanns det ingenstans att att stå för alla saker, kläder, papper och souvenirer från de senaste två månaderna tog upp hela golvet. Som sagt så har allt nu blivit tvättat, grejen är bara det att det finns ingen plats i min garderob ELLER i min byrå för alla nya kläder! Det är inte det värsta dock, mitt monsterpaket med 22 kilo kläder är fortfarande på väg till mig över haven! Jag vågar egentligen inte säga det högt men jag antar att jag har kommit till den fruktansvärda punkt när jag måste...
RENSA UR MIN GARDEROB!
Jag har jämt dömt andra folk för att de går igenom sina garderober och slänger massa kläder, jag menar man har ju köpt in dem en gång för massa pengar och om de fortfarande är hela så är det väl ens plikt att använda dem?Men jag har nu insett att även garderober har en begränsning. Man kommer till den punkt när man har så mycket tröjor, jeans, t-shirts, skjortor, bälten, strumpor och kalsonger att man inte ens kan gömma det längre...
Men som sagt så har mitt jättepaket inte anlänt till Sverige än så jag väntar med garderoben ett tag till ;)
Om det är någon som letar efter några utsökta plagg utvalda av mig och ni vill ha dem så är det ju bara at höra av er!
So now when im back from Kaohsiung I have to start over with my life here in Sweden. I got into a "magister"-programme in Gothenburg, second biggest city in Sweden. Magister is a one year study above my bachelor and I will do mine in marketing. its gonna be nice to move to big city instead of my old university town! :P The uni there has already forgotten about me anyway, blah!
The thing now then is that I have to find somewhere to live...
While studying I will try to find an extra job in some clothing store which I hope will make it easier for me to get into the company and get a job within marketing! I sooo hope that my plan will work and that i will get a good job for next semester so i dont have to study anymore. Sure the student life is amazing but the thing about learning stuff all over again is just getting a little too much for me.
I already have a plan also for my second thesis. I dont want to say too much but if everything goes well its gonna be within marketing and it will have something to do with France! ;) So all you frenchies out there, stay updated on the adamlife!
The main thing now then is to fix a plce to live, I called someone yesterday. It is a room in an apartment so it's not what im used to. It will be interesting! I also have to contact the university to find out how much i've missed. Classes started 3 weeks ago!
Im feeling lonely. It only took one day for me to stop enjoying being back home. I realized yesterday that I dont have any friends left here at home really. Everyone that I had some contact with has either moved or has their own busy life where I dont feel like disturbing...
The sadest part is that my best friends is located all over the world. I guess that's the down part with going abroad, you gain one million friends and when the semester ends its just to say "bye bye" and hope that one day you will visit them again... At least I have Bob now when I'm moving to Gothenburg :)
Right now my best friends are the cats! (isn't is sad?!)
... from outer space! No but almost. Landed yesterday in a cold and snowy Sweden. The monster flight that was supposed to take me from one side of the world to the other was not so bad this time. This plane was better than the one we got from Amsterdam to Hong Kong, this time i got a seat next to the window and I had my own little TV where i could play games, listen to music and watch movies and TV. At the beggining I thought I wouldnt sleep at all, just watch my little screen all night! Well that didnt happen really, after some dinner and a movie seen i slept for some hours, then more food and movie and some more sleep. The flight took almost 12 hours but it didnt feel that long at all. Poor Bob though, she didnt get mush sleep at all...
We left Kuala Lumpur around 12 in the night and arrived in Gothenburg in the morning around 9.30. (yes it's easy to get confused by these time zones!)
Mom and little brother met me at the airport with a thick winter jacket, the only thing i had with me was a shirt (and it was not even thick!). After loads of hugging and maybe some happy tears we took the car back home. The car ride felt longer than the flight, I didnt really realize before how far away in the middle of nowhere my house is...
Back home everything was as it has always been. It was so nice to see it all again, to cuddle with our cats and say hello to our horses. The nicest thing about being back though is that everything is in Swedish! It was the fisrt thing that i reacted on when i came into the arrival hall in Gothenburg airport. I just couldnt stop smiling, it was just too good to be true. I mean it's really crazy how long I have been away. And I have been so far away where not even letters are used but characters. It was also the fact that everyone looked like me and i could actually sneak hear what they were talking about, oh the joy!
So now I have been home for a little bit more than 24 hours, I have almost already adapted my body to the new time zone, I have felt the snow on my skin and even rolled around in it a little bit. The motherland and the forrest are thick and white outside.
I could not be happier to be home, could I? Maybe I have grown out of this, I have gotten the taste of asia and the big cities, places that not at far can be found in Sweden or even in Europe.
Well, I am going to enjoy with just being home for now :)
So this is the end. Exactly today I have been in Asia for 5 whole months and I cannot understand that time has been flying by so fast. I still remeber how it was the very first time me and Bob arrived in Hong Kong. It was asia at its best. Over crowded with people, the smells that is so strong that it is sticking in your nose and makes you wanna hide, the trafic jams, the food you would never taste at home and the pushy salesmen.
But i learned to love it and I realized that Hong Kong is merely the "soft" Asia for beginners which works good as a transit from European standards to Asian ones. I learned to love the black haired masses, the tall tall buildings, the smells of the street soon fell away and among the food I found favourites that I will really miss when back in Sweden. And something else I will really miss is the prices which made my shopping habits going way of the chart!
I have also learned so much when i thought that I could not learn anything new. The cultures I have met during this semester has taught me more than i could imagine, people here are really different from the language they speak to the mind in their heads and this has opened up my eyes further towards other cultures. The mindset that I have encountered here is nothing like I've known from before. From the biggest kindness and friendlyness i have met from strangers on the street in Taiwan to the most greedy tuk tuk drivers in Thailand.
Asia has really grow on me. It took a time to like it but now i just cant help loving this part of this enormous contient. Tonight me and Bob sat and took a drink in a sky lounge here in Kuala Lumpur. We were watching over this giant city, its sky towers, enjoying our cheap drink outside in a 25 degree midnight. And then i felt it really, a sentimental feeling taking over my mind and making my eyes wet.
