Euphoria, forever, ’till the end of time

...  The title of this blog post, "Eurphoria, forever, 'till the end of time", are lyrics to the most popular song in Sweden right now called "Euphoria" by Loreen. The Swedish singer won the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and the Swedes absolutely love this song and play it any chance they get.  I must say it is a very catchy tune... I am sure it will become popular in the states soon, if it isn't already.  I recommend that you listen to it on youtube!! 

It is hard to believe I have been in Stockholm for about a month and a half, which means I now have that same amount of time left.  Time sure does fly…  so I "absolut" have to take advantage of my last weeks in “Scandanavia’s Capital”.   I have decided that my three favorite Swedish words are "absolut"=absolutely, "precis"=precise and "perfekt"=perfect, which are all said many times in conversation and all sound very similar to the English words, but with a much cooler accent. 

I love this picture! Selling beautiful, colorful flowers in Gamla Stan 

All of the Stockholm guidebooks regard Skansen park as a “must-see”tourist attraction, so we figured we had to check it out.  A group of the Americans on various fotboll clubs in Stockholm took a day to discover what Skansen has to offer.  It is an open-air museum of traditional Sweden and a zoo with Nordic animals like bears, moose, and reindeer.  There are folk dance and song performances and people dressed in traditional clothing playing various roles inside different old-fashioned houses. (Kind of similar idea to Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts). And of course the restaurant at Skansen serves the famous Swedish dish of Swedish meatballs, lindenberry sauce (yummy sweet berry), potatoes and gravy so I had to indulge, and consequently felt like a Swedish meatball the rest of the day. 

Young children performing classic Swedish dances

The highlight of my week was traveling about 45 minutes north of Stockholm by train to see Uppsala, a smaller city with impressive sights.  There is a large university there, so it gives the city a college-town feel with myriad young students wandering around... made me miss college!! There are cute little shops and cafes that run along the Fyris river in town, which has several unique overpassing bridges.  The first thing you see when you get to Uppsala is Scandanavia’s tallest church (about 400 ft high), which you can view from almost all parts of the city.  The inside of the church was beautiful and while exploring, I found myself joining a prayer group (all done in Swedish) by accident while my friends were getting ready to leave, but I’m glad I mistakenly agreed to take part! The city of Uppsala also is home to Uppsala Castle, which was originally constructed in 1549 by King Gustav Vasa.  A beautiful botanical garden sits in front of the castle with more than 9000 different types of plants from all over the world.  We lucked out with a beautiful day to explore the college-town and it’s history and I think we all fell in love with this Swedish gem. 

Looking up at Uppsala Church

This weekend I am taking advantage of a bye weekend for fotboll and venturing down to Copenhagen, Denmark.  It is about 5 hours by train and I am excited to travel to a city I do not know much about.  We got a 24-hour pass to get into museums/attractions for free, so we will definitely be getting our money’s worth and learning and seeing as much as possible!   

Sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time. 

Nostalgia = Nostalgi

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

-Jawaharlal Nehru 

         Today has been the first brisk day in Stockholm – Fall is officially in the air! This weather has left me feeling a sense of nostalgia and I think that the changing of the seasons from summer to fall will forever remind me of the excitement and anticipation of soccer and of course going back to school.  Whether it was heading to the Wing School for rec soccer, pre-season for Sandwich High School or venturing up to Brunswick, Maine for another GUBFL season, the chill will always make me think of the fresh cut grass of the pitch and lacing up my cleats and new classes and professors. 
         Fortunately, I am still able to lace up my boots and step on the field. My past experiences in athletics and academics have helped me build a strong foundation to be able to live in a new city and still have an opportunity to continue to play a sport I love.   Although there are always challenges, such as the language barrier, missing the people you love and the realization that you have actually graduated from college and are not going back,  I have been able to appreciate the fact that this is a unique experience. Live in the moment and enjoy the ride. Leva Nu. 

Fall weather sets in - view from above the city

               Ragsveds IF came out with a convincing win this past weekend against Gustafs. It was a complete downpour, but a fun game to play in nonetheless.  I was able to contribute a goal to our 3 points and help us move closer to a chance at playoffs in mid October.  Our next game is in Northern Sweden, so I was informed we will be taking a bus about 6 hours, which is nothing I'm not used to being a part of the NESCAC league.  We just have to keep the momentum going! 
              Regardless of how our team does or how I do, I try to look at the bigger picture and realize how blessed I am to have this experience and I attempt to make the most of living in an interesting place like Sweden.  After the game, our team had a fun evening out.  I experienced my second crayfish party (I guess this is a very popular Swedish tradition!) and then we danced the night away at Café Opera. Thankfully one of my teammates had connections there because I forgot my ID- which I tend to do a lot, right Ben? And we didn’t have to pay the 180kr cover (which is about $25).  Not bad, huh? 

Some of the squad at the Cray Fish party

                This week I begin as a volunteer at PLAN International – Sverige-  an organization that fights for children’s rights and also to alleviate poverty in developing countries.  The office is located in Stockholm and as a volunteer I am responsible for controlling, registering and updating reports in computer the system, helping with major campaigns and events, and translating and reading correspondence between sponsors and the sponsored children.  Today I recorded updates (which include photos, education, health and family information) from sponsored children in places like India, Dominican Republic and Africa.  This volunteer opportunity has also been an educational experience. Today a speaker came to talk about human trafficking in Thailand and surrounding countries and what we in Sweden can do to help.  Also I was excited to learn that I will also have the chance to translate letters from Spanish to English from the sponsored children living in Latin America... so maybe my 3 Spanish seminars senior spring will pay off!! I am so glad that I have this opportunity to be surrounded by inspiring and extremely nice people, as we work together for an important larger world cause.  To learn more about this program check out: http://plan-international.org/ 

Ragsveds supporting PLAN's campaign "Because I am a Girl" 

              Although I am doing less sightseeing, I still managed to see a bit this past week.  I went to the Nobel Museum, Spirit Museum and did a boat tour.  I have never been to a museum quite like the Spirit Museum, however it was a great experience. It highlighted Sweden’s relationship with alcohol and gave a glimpse into the history of spirits in Sweden.  There was a cool artwork display of Absolut, which is made in Sweden, with modern paintings by Andy Warhol and others.  We also got to check out the inside of the an ice-breaker boat called Sankt Erik, including the engine room, which was pretty impressive and something I can't say I've ever done.  At the Nobel Museum I learned about Alfred Nobel and his idea of awarding ideas- the Nobel Prizes-, as well as the Nobel Laureates and their creative endeavors, most of which are awarded in Stockholm.  Although my tourists outings are slowing down, I am excited for them to pick up again when my visitors arrive- which will be very soon!!