May Highlights

... in photographs. Lots of little things happened in May so I'm hoping these photos will help put you in the loop!

Småland

During May I visited the beautiful province of Småland, a few hours south of Linköping, on a number of occasions for both business and pleasure.

First I was in Nybro visiting Thomas and Birgitta, the couple I stayed with for Christmas. It was nice to spend time with them catching up on all that has happened since last we saw each other. In Nybro I gave two presentations to Rotary Clubs and both gave generous donations towards imPATCHit. I also got to walk through a very rainy spring market and admire all the local handcraft. There was even time for a study visit to a Rotarian’s engineering factory that makes parts for Boeing airplanes.

After a weekend in Nybro, which included my side trip adventures in Stockholm, I went to Torsås to spend an evening with Lena and Bo, the couple that hosted me during the district conference. Even though I was only there for short time I was very busy. I gave 3 presentations on South Africa at 2 local high schools. The presentations went really well and I even taught the classes how to sing Shosoloza so they could sing while watching the Soccer World Cup. The pupils seemed to really enjoy it and I had them all dancing and singing along. The last class enjoyed it so much that they asked to do it again!

Afterwards I had another study visit to a spring factory which turned out to be one of the most interesting places I’ve ever visited. I’m such an engineer!

That evening I spoke at another Rotary club and for the first time ever I had individual Rotarians asking to privately sponsor a goGo for a year. From that single meeting I raised 15 000 crowns for imPATCHit! I spent the evening at “the end of the world” with Stefan and Lyn. Their village was so small and hidden out in the forest that they knew everyone on a first name basis. The one farm had even been owned by the same family for  almost 16 generations!

The next morning they drove me to Kalmar, the biggest city in the area, where another two study visits had been organised for me. The first was with a city councillor who is involved with projects with a sister municipality near Stellenbosch in South Africa. The second was with a professor at Linneås University, Sweden’s newest university, who is involved with environmental engineering issues. Both were very interesting and I learnt a lot!

By this time I was exhausted I was glad to be catching the train back to Linköping. Although it was not my last time in Kalmar. Two weeks later I returned to speak at the Kalmar Rotary Club. I arrived the day before and spent the evening with Yael, the Rotarian who organised the RYLA seminar.

The next morning she took me to the island of öland just across the water from Kalmar. We visited old castle ruins and the Royal Families summer palace. I even got a chance to take photos of the famous windmills that are scattered all over the island.

Then it was time for the Rotary meeting. This was the biggest club I’ve visited, close to 60 people, and I had to give my presentation from a stage so that everybody could see me. Word had gotten around that I was speaking and my Exchange student and RYLA friends were also at the meeting. It was great seeing them all again and afterwards we spent some time together in the town.

Of all the places in Sweden, Småland easily became one of my favourites. With its tiny rock walled farms, wild forests, magnificent coast line and of course friendly people this is an area I’ll never forget and one of the places I’d most likely return to in the future...after Linköping of course!

Hej då

Meeting RIP Ray Klinginsmith via Hässelholm

“Oh no not again! How can this train be late again!”

These thoughts ran through my head as I stood on the platform in Alvesta, the cold wind biting savagely at any piece of skin I’d stupidly left exposed to it. Flashbacks of being stranded at Kalmar station in December flooded my thoughts. Luckily then Nybro and friendly faces where only 30km’s away. Not this time.

Finally, 20 minutes late, the train arrived. In my haste and overcome with rage I climbed onto the first coach to stop in front of me. Why is it empty? Where is everybody? The train started to move. No problem I’ll just head up the train and ask the conductor to notify my connecting train that I’m going to be late. Surely they’ll have to wait for me...what! Why is the connecting door locked? Oh no...

There I was alone in the dark in a locked carriage. Only my wrist watch to keep me company. Painfully I watched the second hand slowly make its precision perfect rotation. Each minute felt like an eternity as I slowly watched my fate draw nearer. I was going to miss my connection. I was going to be stranded in...in? Where am I going anyway? Where is my ticket? Hässelholm? Where on earth is Hässelholm? Where did I put my map? Ah there it is...in Skåne? Why was I heading south west? I wanted to be going north east to Stockholm!

00:04 we arrived. With not another train in sight! Maybe it’s still coming? No. The next train to Stockholm is at 07:45. Damn, I’d missed it by 5 minutes.

I walked out of the station onto the street. Even in this little town I could hear the faint murmurs of a bar or nightclub. I suppose it is Friday night after all. I need a plan. I have no numbers to call. There is no way I’m going to phone my friends in Nybro, wake them up and tell them it’s happened again. They can’t help me anyway, I’m too far away. I need to talk to somebody, anybody! The bar? No way this time of night there won’t be a sober soul in there.

The only sober person will be a designated driver or one for hire. I need to find a cab driver. I’m at a station how hard can it be, this is their meeting point, their haven! True as bob it’s not long before I find somebody. I tell him my story, but unfortunately he can barely speak Swedish or English. I finally find out how much a cab will cost to Stockholm. 9000 SEK! Do I look like I have that kind of money?

He sees my body slump in despair and the hope fade from my eyes. Depression is a language that has no boundaries. He dials a number and hands me his phone. I must speak. A friendly voice answers the phone. Can you help me I’m stranded? I plead with her. Of course I must just give her my booking number and then she’ll book me another taxi. But I was on a train. OH. Then sorry she can’t help she is the taxi service. She gives me the number for the trains. A harsh and robotic voice answers and promptly tells me they are closed until 8 the next morning and that I should have a pleasant evening. Easy for her to say!

Perfect. Looks like I’m spending the night in Hässelholm. Please let them at least have a Hotel. I wonder out further from the station. It has started to rain and the wind from Alvesta has returned, this time with vengeance. My recovering cough looses the battle and choking for breath I head up the main street of this little town. The streets are empty. The flower beds are perfectly kept and statues litter the sidewalk. The main street ends at a majestically floodlit church. At another time this would have been a beautiful little village to explore, but not now.

I find a locked hotel on the main road and buzz the intercom. It takes awhile for someone to answer. I explain I’m stranded and would like a bed for the night. Sorry we are full, try down the road. Silence...

Ok then, let me try down the road. Locked. Buzz. Explain. Sorry we don’t have night staff. Try City Hotel. Silence.

Ok, I’ll just find City Hotel then. I start to wander the streets. I know I’ve often mocked the size of Swedish villages, but this time I was grateful they are so small. The silence was the worst though. Where are all the dogs? What happened to the nightclub?

I continue to walk and sure enough I find City Hotel. Locked. Buzz. Sorry we are full try the other two. They are also full. Sorry can’t help. Silence. What is happening in this little town that all the hotels are full?

I start to walk with no idea where I’m heading. I try to whistle, but somehow even the wise words of Baden Powell don’t seem to help cheer me up.

I don’t know if it was because my head was bowed, but all of a sudden this girl just materialises in front of me and starts asking me if I want a pancake? Pancake? Typically South African I immediately ask how much? No wait I’ll buy all your pancakes if you can tell me where to find a hotel? She says there are only three. I explain my situation and ask how is it possible that all the hotels are full. She promptly tells me that Hässelholm is like New York, there is always something happening.

But what is she doing selling pancakes this time of night? She is part of a church group who are handing out pancakes, coffee and preaching the gossip to the local drunks. They had me a freshly cooked pancake, with the cream and jam oozing everywhere.  While I’m eating I start talking to a couple of the drunks hanging around. The one explains that there is a really nice and dry parking garage I should try. I’m seriously considering it and asking him for directions when the other interrupts us. He tells me that because I don’t look like a rapist I could come stay at his place. I kindly decline because unfortunately he does look like a rapist.

Then a gentleman approaches me and says the girl has told him my story and that I can sleep in their church if I like? I stare with disbelief at this kind stranger and ask him if he is serious? Yes. He just needs to fetch a few things from his house, but it should be fine. What can I give him in return? Nothing. I must just do good to others and help the poor. He says it with such conviction that I believe every word.

So I helped them pack up and by two in the morning I was settled in the corner of their little kitchen with a blanket, mattress and even a little something for breakfast. What should I do when I leave? Just close the door behind me they say. Good night and good bye.

I spent the night in the church and the next morning closed the door behind me and caught the train to Stockholm. While travelling I was still in disbelief about the events of the previous night that I decided to write them all down. While I was typing the girl next to me asked if I was writing a book because it seemed so unreal. I told her I was just narrating what had happened to me the night before. She didn’t believe me and said she couldn’t wait to see the movie!

I finally arrived at my conference, only 6 hours late. The whole point of my trip was to attend a conference in Stockholm to meet the then incoming Rotary President, Ray Klinginsmith. He was an Ambassadorial Scholar to Cape Town in the 60's and the governor of my district, Mikael Ahlberg, thought it would be nice for me to meet him. Unfortunatley I’d missed the entire mornings programme including his speech, but I was able to listen to the afternoon’s presentations regarding using social media in the future of Rotary.

It was a very inspiring afternoon and that evening I got the opportunity to have dinner with him and some of the Norwegian governors. I had a great time and it was definitely worth all the drama of the previous night.   

After dinner I was on the road again because I needed to return to Småland to continue my visit to the Rotary clubs in the area, but more about those adventures in my next post.

Hej då

May: Coming soon...

I'd really hoped to have found time to write the blogs for this month, but alas it was not to be. In a few short minutes I leave for my 3 week tour of Europe and by the time I'm back there will be even more exciting things to write about.

However, I will write the blogs for May, but they will only be added after my stories of my Contiki. I'm so sorry that I'm so behind, but when you hear what I've been up to this past month I'm sure you will find it in your heart to forgive me!

Europe here I come...

Valborg in Uppsala

“Jingle bottles, Jingles bottles, Jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to be in Uppsala today!”

One never knows how these little songs start, but someone makes a comment, another a joke and before you know it you are all walking along the streets of the medieval town of Uppsala singing this little refrain for all its worth.

But I get ahead of myself. Lets me first explain what is Valborg. It is a big feast day in Sweden held on the last day of April to celebrate the end of winter and the start of spring. It is a day of merriment marked by drinking champagne, eating strawberries, bonfires and of course loads of singing and dancing.  Uppsala, the oldest university town in Sweden(since 1477), is situated north of Stockholm and thousands of people (almost 40 000) descend on this little town to celebrate this joyous day.

My celebrations started the night before when I arranged a little bonfire at my place so that all my friends could celebrate together before we went our separate ways the next day. Some of my Swedish housemates were also moving out the next day and it gave us a chance for one last party. After a little bit of trouble starting the fire, the melting snow has made the wood very wet, we got a roaring fire going and had a fun evening chatting, roasting marshmallows and signing along with the guitar.

The next morning I was up ridiculously early to meet my fellow revellers, Jozefien and Marcus, at the station. We caught the train and promptly began our celebration at 6am with the traditional champagne and orange juice breakfast accompanied by croissants and Nuttella.

When we arrived in Stockholm all we had to do was follow the throngs of people carrying champagne bottles (I think this is when the song started taking shape) to find our way to the next train bound for Uppsala. After a sardine can of a train ride we arrived in Uppsala, set up camp (literally) and continued to follow the masses to the first event of the day, the river boat race.

A river runs straight through the centre of town and at one point one can find a very serious rapid. The aim of the game is to build a small floating raft for 3-4 people, decorate it, float it down the river and hope you don’t capsize on the rapid. Of course people line the banks of the river, with champagne and strawberries, to support the rafts. There is a lot of cheering and jeering as one by one about 100 rafts attempt to navigate the treacherous rapid.

After we had had our fill of watching people dressed as all sorts of farm animals getting soaked, we headed to the park where again thousands of people were sitting having picnics on the grass and listening to the music on stage. It is tradition to have herring and schnapps for lunch, so we did. By this time you can imagine that champagne for breakfast, tea and lunch as well as schnapps, the people were getting a little “lively” and we made lots of new “friends” sitting there on the grass. It was also here that we dubbed ourselves the 3 monkeys (inspired by a brand of wine) and assumed the identities of Anders, Göran and Ove (me).

Just before 3pm we headed to the university library where at exactly 3 the chancellor of the university, from atop a balcony, puts his white sailors-hat-high-school-graduation cap on as a signal that everybody else should do the same and that the party has officially started! Then with everybody wearing their graduation caps the dash for the student nations start and what follows is hours of partying and spraying each other with champagne!

At Uppsala all the students join a nation and they organise all the student activities. Each nation represents a part of the country and one usually joins the one from where you are from i.e. if you are from the north you join Norrlands Nation, Stockholm then Stockholm Nation etc. Although you are allowed to join any nation you like. Each nation has a dedicated building, some dating back to the sixteen hundreds, and it was here that many student parties where held. Unfortunately the nations are strictly members only and we were not on the list.

Not to let this slow us down we headed back to the park and met up with some fellow exchange students from Linköping and continued to party in our own unique way. Again we made lots of new friends and I soon found myself on a red couch chatting to people from Poland! As it started to get dark we decided it was time to find a bonfire and keep warm.

So off we went in search of warmth and after a little bit of a walk found ourselves in the student housing area next to a massive fire. It was here that we found out about a party on the roof of a 8 storey high student apartment and thought it would be a good idea to check it out. We were not sorry! We had an awesome view of the cathedral, castle and fireworks and spent some time just soaking up the atmosphere. This party came complete with DJ’s and we spent the rest of the night dancing on the roof. At about 2am we were back in our tents and I’ve never slept so well on the ground before in my life!

The next afternoon, we had a very late start, we decided to explore the historical sites of the town like the castle and cathedral. It is a beautiful old town and is seeping with history. I find I really appreciate Swedish historical monuments more now that I know what they stand for and I’m really glad I took the Swedish culture class.

 As it was May day, and the Swedish elections are coming up this year, there were a number of demonstrations in town and seeing as we were heading in the same direction, decided to join one. It was very relaxed and nothing compared to a good old South African toy-toy...there wasn’t even singing and dancing!

We caught the train back late that afternoon and killed time gambling candy in Texas Holdem, I was hopeless and lost all of mine. When we eventually arrived back in Linköping all three of the monkeys were utterly exhausted. It was a fantastic festival and the atmosphere reminded me of the times I travelled to Bloemfontein for inter-varsity.

I love being a student!

Hej då

A week with Rotary

One of the best parts of being a Rotary Scholar is Rotary. Now I’m not just saying that to get into anybodies good books (although if it does it would not hurt), but rather because  with Rotary there is always something interesting and fun to do and this past week has been the perfect example.

It started with a weekend RYLA seminar. For those of you who are not versed in the very in depth ways of Rotary acronyms it stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. It was a weekend devoted to leadership training for students and young professionals between the ages of 20 and 30 from all over the district. There was even supposed to be a group from Latvia, but unfortunately they could not make it because of the volcano. This volcano has really caused a lot of trouble here, some say that Iceland has not caused this much trouble in Europe since the time of the Vikings. First they burn all of Europe’s money and now they scatter it with the ashes. (I don’t know if you’ve heard these jokes, but I thought they were kind of funny)

Even though the Latvians where not able to attend, the seminar was still held in English so that I could participate. It was a really great group of people and I had a marvellous time getting to know them and discuss Swedish life. They were all from neighbouring  towns and I know I will be visiting them all in the near future.

As I had been on a RYLA camp when I was in high school it was interesting to see the different way in which they approached it in Sweden. In SA we went out into the forest for a few days and learnt about leadership while trying to survive. In Sweden it was a seminar with activities, group work, presentations and panel discussions. I learnt a lot about leadership and enjoyed the opportunity to learn from experienced leaders. It also gave me a chance to reflect on my past leadership positions and learn from them.

One of the highlights of the seminar was that I was also asked to give a presentation about my own experience as a young leader. I was honoured to be considered for this task. I have never had the opportunity to talk about JOOL before and personally it was quiet a moving exercise to reflect on what has been a big part of my life for a number of years.

After the weekend seminar the rest of the week was pretty standard with classes, an exam and of course the odd social activity. I also gave another presentation on JOOL to the event management class at the Folkhögskola where I live.

On Friday I was invited to visit a Rotarian, in my host club, and his wife at their summer home and help him chop a little fire wood. Always keen to see new parts of Sweden I travelled to Kisa by train, met him and travelled to another little town on the banks of two beautiful lakes. His summer house turned out to be a 100 hectare farm which he mainly uses for grazing and forestry. We spent the rare sunny morning exploring the property and the nearby town. 

After a lovely lunch of freshly caught fish it was time to get to work so I promptly asked him where I could find the axe. He told me and then asked me why I was looking for an axe. A little confused I told him I thought we were going to chop wood. He said we were, but not with an axe. As it turns out even wood chopping is automated in Sweden. He took me to a special section of his farm where he had all the machines already set up. There was the spinning saw to cut the trees into logs, the hydraulic arm splitter to split the wood into smaller pieces and of course the conveyer belt to transport the logs to fill the cubic meter sacks. With him on the saw and me on the splitter we filled 2 sacks in less than 3 hours. Instead of swinging an axe and building some real muscles, the most difficult thing I did all day was equivalent to closing the lid of a Weber Braai!  

Again this simple chore showed me how different these two countries are. In South Africa we would hire a labourer for a day, give him a saw and an axe and ask him to chop wood. The more labourers you hire the more wood you can get chopped. Its considered job creation!

After my very ‘tiring’ day on the farm I returned home with a smile on my face and very yummy jar of homemade whiskey honey.

The next day I was again up early and accompanied some more of my host clubs Rotarians to the nearby town of Vimmerby for the district president elect training seminar (PETS). It was a meeting of all the future presidents in the district to discuss the coming Rotary year. I was given an opportunity to promote the Ambassadorial scholar programme and encourage the district to start sending scholars of their own. It was nice to see some familiar faces from the district conference as well as meet some new people and arrange many more club visits and speaking engagements.

As the afternoon was a business meeting I took the opportunity to explore Vimmerby. This quaint little town is actually quiet famous as it is the childhood home of the famous author, Astrid Lindgren. Who is best known for the Pippy Long-stockings  books. There is even an amusement park dedicated to her books, but unfortunately after a very long walk I found it only to discover it was closed. Luckily her childhood home/museum was open and I got the opportunity to look around and buy one of her books in Swedish.

My week (or more like 10 days) of Rotary came to an end on Tuesday morning when I went to my host club’s meeting to support Alex, the youth exchange student from New Zealand, because she was giving her first presentation. It was very interesting to listen to her describe her home country and I found out that NZ has a lot more to offer  than just rugby.

As you can see Rotary really is a big part of my life here in Sweden, or rather it is my life here. Although these activities might be part of my duties as a scholar, they never seem like work and I treasure every moment.

Hej då

Day in the Life - Video Blog

I got the idea from a youth exchange friend of mine, I hope she doesn't mind. It's a little bit random, but I think you'll get the basic idea.

Enjoy!

Hej då

Påsk

For those of you are don't speak Swedish the title of this blog is Easter. Easter time in Sweden has been really interesting because it seemed to me like a combination of Halloween, Christmas and Easter all thrown into one.

Halloween because on Thursday the children dress up. The girls as witches, complete with broomstick, and the boys as gentlemen, they paint beards on their faces and wear old fashioned clothes and hats. Then they carry a kettle on the end of a stick and go knock on peoples doors asking for sweets in exchange for handmade cards, painted eggs, for singing a song or reciting a poem. It is very cute because its funny to watch lots of little people walk around dressed up as old people.

I did not see the kids trick or treating, but I did see them walking around at the Easter market I went to on palm Sunday in Gamla Linköping. This was a smaller version of the Christmas market, but they still had tons of stalls selling sweets and food. There was also live entertainment including a local square dancing team complete with record player and cowboy outfits that had everybody tapping their toes. Now I don't know if it was just at the market or if its a tradition, but there were also elderly couples all dressed up in clothes from way back when? Even though it was a little cold, it was still a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Nothing really special happened during the week except a sushi night with some friends as well as a good old night out to celebrate Easter, student style! Saturday morning I caught the train to Stockholm to meet up with Donna, a Rotary scholar from Scotland who is studying in Lund, and Daun, a friend of hers from South Korea.

As I arrived early in Stockholm I took advantage of the beautiful weather, it was 12'C, to sit in the park and enjoy a fika while tilting my head skywards to soak up as much sun as possible. This is a really Swedish thing to do whenever the sun is out. No matter where you go there are people just sitting facing the sun with their heads raised. I felt like a local! It was a fantastic little solo fika and it made me look even more forward to the coming summer.

After a little shopping, I mean I was in Stockholm after all, I met up with the girls and we spent the afternoon exploring the old town as well as the southern suburbs. It was great fun just chatting, shopping and enjoying fika. It was nice to be able to share stories of Swedish life with a fellow scholar.

While exploring the southern suburbs we came across another interesting Swedish Easter tradition. While walking past the graveyard of an old church we noticed that it was very colorful so we went in to have a closer look. All the graves had been decorated with colorful feathers, flowers, pictures, teddy bears, etc. I'd never seen anything like it and it was quiet moving.

This is also when I realized the similarity to Christmas because they have, what I have dubbed, an Easter tree. They decorate the leafless trees or small dry sticks with brightly colored feathers and display them outside shops and in their gardens, there is even a large one in the middle of the town square. It is easy to see why because now that the snow is gone, but its still cold, everything is a little brown and boring. The colored feathers really bring life to what would otherwise be a rather dull time of year.

After our day of walking the city we treated ourselves to an excellent Asian buffet. It was an amazing selection of sushi, Chinese starters and Mongolian stir-fry...very very yummy! After supper we went to a corridor party at Stockholm University to visit friends of Daun. Its a pity it was dark when we arrived because I would have liked to have seen some of the campus, but I had a good time at the party discussing soccer with an Italian and cricket with a Pakistani. All to soon we had to leave and we made our way to our accommodation. A couch surfer by the name of Chris put us up for the evening and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

After sleeping late and eating a late breakfast, Daun went off to visit her friends again and Donna and I spent the day exploring the rest of the city, especially the beautiful Djurgården. A park island in the middle of the city. It was another beautifully sunny day and we even had the opportunity to sit on the docks, with our faces skywards of course, eat ice cream (the Swedes love ice cream and the only requirement is that it must be above 0'C) and feed the swans.

I was really sorry to have to say good bye to my new friends, but luckily I know I will see them again in May when I go to Lund for a student festival. So ended my Easter weekend and now I'm back home and once again working on exam assignments and all sorts of other little things. I trust you all had a good Easter break? To all my South African readers I hope things don't get too "cold" now that winter is around the corner and too my Swedish followers I hope you are enjoying the "heat" as much as I am!

Hej då

Åre Ski Trip

The definition of spring in Sweden is when the average temperature is between 0 and 10 (just a little something I learnt in my Swedish geography class) and I'm pleased to report that things are finally starting to warm up here. The roads and paths are no longer covered in snow, I can actually see what color the ground is and there are patches of green grass appearing everywhere. However, there are still signs of the past couple of months in the form of huge snow piles that are slowly melting. 


Unfortunately the falling snow has been replaced by rain and a small part of me really preferred the snow as it seems to be wet all the time now, but trust me I'm not complaining. It is nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my face as I walk to class, oh ja...Mr Sun is back too and oh how I missed him! 


This picture of a Swedish spring is however not the case in all parts of the country and for that I am truly grateful because it meant I was able to join 40 Rotary Youth Exchange Students from all over the world on a 5 day skiing adventure at the best (and only) skiing mountain in Sweden, Åre! 


Åre is situated in the middle of Sweden only about 100km's from the Norwegian border and is one of the few high mountain peaks in the country. You see, even though Sweden was blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with ample amounts of snow, it has almost no mountains. They are all in Norway, and together with the oil, are the things that the Sweden really lost out on when Norway got it independence all those years ago. It is the reason why Sweden is so good with cross country skiing, but I'm getting side tracked.


On our arrival we spent the morning meeting all the other students while we waited for everyone to arrive from all over the country. Then it was time for a tour of the town, which did not take very long because it is not very big. However, what it lacks in size is made up for in beauty. It is a quaint little village at the foot of the mountain right next too a rather large river. It was really something to see.

After the tour we spent the afternoon at an indoor swimming pool and sauna world. A perfect way to relax after all our long train rides, chat and prepare for the week ahead. That evening I helped co-ordinate a few ice breaker activities and I'm pleased to report that I am now an expert fire starter with only a battery and steel wool...

Now that I've got all that out of the way let me tell you about skiing because that is pretty much all we did for the next four days. Wake up at the crack of dawn, ski, lunch, ski, supper, activity, sleep, wake up and repeat! It was awesome!

As I have never skied before in my life I was really excited about trying it, but thank goodness for ski school because to start with I was horribly uncoordinated. I say in the start because that quickly changed as after only half a day I soon realized that I LOVE skiing and that I was pretty good at it (if I do say so myself). I picked it up quickly and I soon found myself off the kiddies slope and tackling the more advanced slopes. By the end of the week I was also skiing amongst the trees (off pist), doing jumps and I even tried a rail (although that did not end well and my thumb is still kind of sore).

I have never felt anything like it before in my life. Flying down a the slope with the cold wind on your face, you are completely at the mercy of the mountain and your only thought is please let me stop when I want to and not when the mountain decides it is time. That happened more often than I'd care to admit, but all you do is get back up and start again because you aren't finished until you are at the bottom and the only way to get there is on your ski's.

Another highlight of skiing is getting to the top of the mountain and just taking a second to look out over everything, you can see for miles and the only sound is the wind blowing the snow off the peak. I loved to just take a second, take it all in, wait for the feeling of peace to overwhelm me and then just plunge head first down the mountain.

In the evenings we surprisingly still had energy to do a few fun activities (must be all the chocolate we ate and drank to keep warm.) We went to a frozern waterfall with a mini ice cave at its base. I really enjoyed this because I'd wanted to see the ice hotel in Kiruna, but it was open when we were there and this kind of made up for that. One night we also had a dinner with the Åre Rotary Club, the hosts of the camp. We all got dressed up in out blazers and each country had to give a short presentation about another country, but here is the catch, in Swedish!

Myself and Zoe (another South African from Durban, who is on exchange in Sweden...I had no idea there was another South African, so it came as a pleasant surprise.) did our talk on Canada. It was very funny as neither of our Swedish is any good. Something that I'm rather embarrassed about. It has been 7 months and I'm still convinced my Swedish is getting worse, but that is another story. We also got the  opportunity to swap banners and of course pins, I was with youth exchange students after all.

All to quickly the week came to an end, but I think secretly some people were grateful because after 4 days on the slopes your body really takes a hammering. I was sorry to see everybody go their separate ways because it is nice to spend sometime with people who are going through the same things you are and understand what it's like to be a foreign student in a far away land.

However, it seems I've barely had time to recover after arriving back in Linköping. I have been busy with group assignments, presentations, classes, Rotary and Scout meetings and of course the odd party. Silke came to visit for a few days from Germany and we could not miss the opportunity to fika and party like in the good old days. Honestly, can anybody resist a 70's themed Kravall? I just had to put on a pair of skinny red jeans, show a lot of chest hair and dance the night away.

Hej då
=)

The past 2 months in photos...

The White Month of February

After not seeing much snow in the UK I was really pleased to be able to show my sister Sweden and it did not disappoint. For almost 3 days after our arrival it did not stop snowing. It was Lara’s turn to be in awe all the time and I don’t blame her because it is beautiful.

After the relentless pace at which we travelled through the UK it was nice to be able to do things in more of a relaxed manner, but don’t get me wrong we still did our share of activities. One of the highlights was Curling with the Youth Exchange students. It was organised by Rotarians so that the exchange students in the district could meet one another and socialise a little bit.

I really enjoyed this event because it reminded me of my Interact days when we would play bowls with the Rotarians only this time it wasn’t on grass it was on ice. Yet another example of how similar, but still different things can be in another country.

We were also able to go to Stockholm and after showing Lara around the capital, especially the shops, we met up with Maria, a friend of my sponsor counsellor Lesley, and her son Morris. They took us on a tour of the Stockholm City Hall which is where the banquet for the Nobel prize winners is held. After this extremely fascinating tour we went for a fika in a very nice old, but cosy coffee shop on the square in the centre of the old town. It is always nice to experience things with locals and this was no exception.

Apart from the touring it was nice to be able to share my daily routine with a family member. I felt bad having to leave her in my room while I went to class, but she did not seem to mind. I also took her along to my other weekly activities including my Scout meeting, Rotaract meeting and my many Rotary meetings.

I say many because I have started to give my presentations to Rotary clubs and I have already done 6 at various clubs in and around Linköping. These have been going really. Not only have I been able to meet many new people, but I’ve also been able to raise a lot of awareness and money for ImPATCHit, which has unfortunately slowed down in the past month for various reasons, but I’ve got plenty of plans for it in the coming months, so don’t worry!

Unfortunately all good things do come to an end and I had to say good bye to my sister last week. After almost a month together it was really sad to see her go and my room immediately felt empty without her. It was great having her here and I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did.

The weather has not improved since Lara’s departure and I have been obliged to focus on my studies. My courses have been keeping me really busy, but after the long winter holiday it has been nice to have something to do. Actually, now that I think of it, have an exam essay due tomorrow. So I hope you will forgive me, but I think I should be getting back to it.

Hej då

In London Town

After the conference Lara and I made our way to another old friend, Shaun, who was kind enough to help us out with accommodation for the rest of our stay in London.

The second last day of our trip we spent exploring the parts of London we had not already seen. Lara had been wanting to visit Madam Tussauds since she arrived in Dublin and who was I to say no. So off we went to get our photos taken with the stars! This was followed by the London Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, West Minster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Oxford street, a very big toy shop and of course Harrods...yes we did all of this in one day and so you can imagine how tired we were afterwards. Shaun was amazed, he said we had done more than two days worth of sightseeing in one day!

After more than almost two weeks of travelling it was nice to finally be heading home. Ireland and the UK was absolutely memorable, but I was looking forward to getting home and showing my sister the beautiful white winter wonderland that is Sweden, but that is another story...

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars Conference for Inbound Scholars to UK, Ireland, Europe and the Middle East

I know that it is quiet a mouthful, but that is the official name of what I've decided to call The Conference for short. Ambassadorial Scholars from all over the globe gathered at the head quarters of Rotary London for a 2 day conference.

We spent the first day exploring the city of London by foot. We saw many places of interest including St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar square, Piccadilly Circus and many more strange and interesting places. It was a fun afternoon being able to meet and socialize with all the other scholars. It is amazing how similar many of our experience have been even though we are in completely different countries, ranging from Turkey, Spain, Sweden (obviously), Switzerland, the UK and many more.

Sunday was conference day and we spent most of it listening to various speakers as well as in discussion groups where we were able to share ideas and experiences on how to make the Ambassadorial programme even better.

Even though the conference was only a two days it really made an impact on me. As a scholar you don’t often come in contact with people who really understand what you are going through and it was nice to be able to share and connect with fellow scholars on a somewhat different level. 

Road Trip!

Unfortunately Lara has decided that she no longer likes this game so I'm afraid you are going to have to listen to my monotone description of events, Sorry.

As beautiful as Edinburgh is to walk in, it is a nightmare to drive in! We hired a car and after one or two wrong turns, a dead end and a little run in with the traffic cops I finally got the hang of it and we were soon on the open road heading for England. 

We took the coastal road to Newcastle and stopped once or twice to admire the breathtaking views and admire the quaint little villages. I never really understood the term "rolling hills" until seeing them in England. What made it even better where the ones still snow capped! 

If I thought Edinburgh was bad to drive in, Newcastle was even worse! In actual fact to save me repeating myself later on I'll just say that driving in all major cities in England is a BAD, really, really BAD! 

One of the main reasons for driving down to London is that we  wanted to visit some old school friends of mine. Claire and Darryl have been my friends since grade 1 and I've not seen either of them for almost 12 years! 

Claire lives in Newcastle and we spent the evening at her mother's house discussing the good old days. After only one very short night in Newcastle we had to move on to Birmingham where Darryl is studying. Again one night was far too short to catch up on 12 years, but we tried our best. It is amazing that even after 12 years, growing up in different countries, how much we all still had in common. 

Our next stop was visiting our cousin Kerry, Dave and of course our newest little cousin, Josh at their home near Windsor. First we made a quick stop in a very rainy, but still mesmerizing Oxford. What a university town! I think I'm going to have to make a plan to go and study there...

We spent 2 days at their house and it was so nice to just relax while spending time with family. We played with Josh, helped Kerry around the house and of course went to visit Windsor Castle. Kerry really made us feel at home and it was sad to have to leave, but I did have a conference to get to...

The Ups and Downs of Edinburgh

Damian: Our next stop was the Scottish capital. My friends had all been telling me to visit it and upon arrival it was easy to see why. It is like something straight out of the story book of the middle ages and ones imagination can’t help, but run wild at the sight of such historical middle age marvels! 

We were only there for one night, but just being able to walk to royal mile from castle to palace and try imagine what life was like here over 900 years ago was enough to satisfy me. We stayed in the middle of the old town and creepy does not even start to describe the feeling you get while walking through the many twisty allies. Pubs are overly abundant in Scotland and we spent the night once again socializing with some fellow backpackers at the local pub singing along with the live musician. 

Lara: Um? How do I put this? For me Edinburgh was not the best place on earth. If it weren't for the all the hills at every corner of every street it would have been OK. It was great to see the old palace and castle of Edinburgh and imagine the people living there in those times. Every building had history and was beautiful, but it does get a little irritating when your big brother is oohing and aahing at every building that you drive past. The cold did not help much either.

Going out with the Aussie and the Englishman was so much fun, but trying to be picked up by a Scotsman with an accent is a bit of an experience. People this is when the "smile and nod" technique comes into play. 

Damian: In my defence the places where amazing and every single one was worth all the oh's and ah's I could muster. I would do it all again just to see Lara being hit on by the Scotsman...so funny! I actually had to translate his English for her...

In Dublin's fair city...

At this point I would like to introduce my guest author for the month. It is none other than my sister Lara, who flew all the way from SA to meet me in Dublin and has spent the past month travelling with me. Say hello Lara.

Lara: HI! 

Damian: As you can see she is not one for many words. No sorry that is crazy of course she is! come on say something more! 

Lara: I have no idea what to say.

Damian: Why don't you start by telling everyone about Dublin?

Lara: Dublin was awesome. The best part for me was the fact that we could catch a tourist bus and see everything from monuments, old buildings, the Guinness brewery and Jameson distillery. We saw it all. Two places that really stood out for me was the Jameson distillery and the Viking Museum. Why? Simply because it was interesting to see how much effort went into making one bottle of whiskey. The Viking place was interesting because it went into great detail to explain how life was when they were around. Also the interactive exhibits were fun and I was able to write my name in runes! 

What made travelling exciting for me was being able to meet lots of interesting people from all over the world at the hostels we stayed at. It started in Dublin with Australian girls, a German guy and an American couple. It’s  fascinating listening to them talk about their own travels and the places they had visited. 

Damian: I have to agree with my sister, Dublin was amazing. The whole time I was there I could not get the song Molly Malone out of my head. Especially after actually being able to see the statue! The Guinness brewery was the best tour I have ever taken and I learnt so much about the art of beer making, something that has always fascinated me. To top it all off we even got to enjoy a pint on the roof of the building overlooking the whole of Dublin...breathtaking! 

January

The year started off a little slowly with all my friends and house mates spending the holidays at home, but as they started to return that is when things really started to become crazy fun again. At this point I would just like to bring to your attention that the average temperature in Linköping for the past month has been -20'C and as I'm typing this post there is easily 50cm of snow covering everything outside!

Under these circumstances it is easy to understand how things slowly led from one thing to another and soon we found ourselves marching towards the forest near my house, wearing everything we owned, armed with shopping bags because we were going sledding and nothing was going to stop us. It was great fun and the sight of almost 10 students screaming like little children as they sped down slippery slopes inside big blue IKEA shopping bags turned more than a few heads. Unfortunately the cold got the better of us and after only about an hour we were sweating out the craziness in the sauna.

Sledding along with movie marathons, parties and fika's is pretty much all one can do in this weather, but I'm not complaining as even that can be fun. However, the real highlight of January was my trip to Ireland and the UK.