Words Can't Express...

"For all that has been, thanks.  For all that will be, yes."

                                                                 -- Dag Hammarskjöld

Right between a miniature map of Sweden and a caricature I drew on a brown paper bag of a flabby-breasted, cat-eyed granny wearing a tube top, I have this quote taped to my bedroom door here in Studentgatan 32.  I am inspired and renewed each time I read it.  Hammarskjöld was a Swedish statesmen and diplomat, as well as a Christian mystic, of sorts.  I am fascinated by his life as well as his religious philosophies.  Interested?  One word, my friends:  Wikipedia.

Since coming to Sweden, I have not been writing blog-posts nearly as much as I thought I would be.  Honestly, I have probably sat and stared at an empty screen with the text cursor blinking at me for at least the first 20 minutes each time I've written a new entry.  Were I, say, helping build fresh wells in Ecuador with the Peace Corps or teaching English to Cambodians, I would have an orientation - a focus.  Here, I am just a student - granted, a foreign exchange student, but trying to tell a different story when the title remains the same is harder than you might think.  On the surface, my life as a student, in many respects, looks the same:  I still wash my face every morning, eat pizza and Ramen noodles more than a doctor would advise, organize myself like crazy, underestimate, over-exaggerate, and still manage to spend ample time hanging out with friends.  Perhaps at times I take for granted what a privilege it is to be in Sweden, but on the other hand, it is hard to express the 'excitement' of my day-to-day living here.   It would be easy to tell you how different Sweden is from America, or to start every entry with "Today I...".  But I can't leave you with that - there is so much more.  But what, exactly?  I feel like I know less than I ever did, and yet I'm learning so much each day.  Do I sound like a walking contradiction yet?  Or do I just need therapy?  Anyone?  Bueller?...  Bueller?...

Ok, away with this heady discussion.  Let's just look at some of the 'headliners' of my week, shall we?

1.  I ordered a new camera, once again:  The Nikon D40 almighty.  It's back.  It's black.  It's ready to attack.

2.  My voice teacher "stood me up" this week for our lesson.  No ring-y.  No write-y.  Just my name, erased off the schedule.  In my personal opinion, this broad's ordered a 'knuckle sandwich' with a large side of jellied whoop-ass.  But, I digress.  Love conquers all.

3.  I finally rented a bike.  It's great.  I feel so free and alive when I'm riding, even just cutting across campus.  This is a soon-to-be-developed habit that will probably follow me back home...

4.  I sat in on an open rehearsal of the Örebro Symphony at the school of music this week and had the pleasure of hearing the fantastic mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman, the would-be love-child of Maria Callas and Amy Sedaris, were such a thing possible.  I can say no more.  Click the title of this entry and let 'er rip...

5.  Saturday roadtrip:  I toured the house/museum of Swedish artist Carl Larsson (1853-1919), and then "huffed it" up to the top of the ski jump at Darlarna to check out the killer view - a feast for the eyes.

6.  Today, I spontaneously booked a December plane ticket to Rome, Italy simply because it was so cheap.  I didn't worry about who will go with me, or where I will stay, or even what my classes may demand from me at the time.  I did it because it was the right thing to do, and for a few brief moments, I felt like a true adult.  It was thrilling.

And speaking of...

Thanks to my corridor-mate Jonathan, I now have a new 'gem' to add to my collection of cult cinema:  The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra Cave.  I cannot tell you how funny this movie is...

...literally.