Misha in Sweden: Höst!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to fall :) or in Swedish, höst.

I've had a great week filled with parties, sleepovers, castles, picture days, cinnamon buns and African music. From the beginning -

This past Friday a girl from another class at my school organized an insparkfest, which is a kick-off party. All the first years from NTI-gymnasium were invited, which is a total of 4 different classes. We rented out a sort of party house from another school in the area and got to socialize and get acquainted with our schoolmates. There was food and music and dancing and it was all a lot of fun. After school on Friday, I went to a friend's house and we hung out with another friend until the party started. We got ready together and arrived a little early (except actually 1.5 hours late) and the party hadn't really started yet. Before I came to Europe, everyone was telling me how it was important to be punctual because everyone is always on time here. I have to say that is false, I have not seen that in action since I've been here. I went home with those same friends around midnight or so and we had a sleepover that started with warm tea and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (my life). The next morning I kind of failed at making an "American Brunch" for them. We didn't have the right ingredients and the pancakes that I tried to make were somewhat a mess.

Around 11 or so, Lars and Vegard picked me up and we drove for a while to see the Läckö palace. It was a beautiful, clear autumn day that started out a bit cold, but proceeded to be that perfect fall weather that I love so much. The sky was overcast and the ground was a bit damp; the air was chilly with a bit of a breeze, but you always remained the perfect temperature by walking around. The palace has quite the interesting history that we got to learn about during a guided tour given in English. It used to be a fortress built by a Catholic church leader that was then repossessed by the government when the country was turned Protestant. Following that, it automatically became a royal castle with little renovations until it fell into the hands of some powerful men, who passed it down a few generations until it was inherited by Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie. He became the most powerful man in Sweden during his time and used Läckö as his favorite vacation home. He basically ruled the country until the heir of the throne, who was only a child at the time of his predecessor's death, was old enough to rule. During the time Magnus was in charge, he spent all of the country's money flaunting the new baroque style he introduced to Sweden. When the real king got of age, he took back all but two of Magnus's castles, including Läckö. Since it later became a less convenient area, it was not used, preserving much of it. It was a beautiful building that was still well in use today. There is a garden in the back that supplies the restaurant fresh vegetables. After our tour we had a small picnic and headed home. A lovely day.

The next Thursday was picture day - always stressful. It is much the same as in the states, but only with a class picture first. At the end of the day, I went with a few friends to the first Star For Life organization meeting. Earlier in the year, I had signed up to participate in an organization that puts up a big performance every year to raise money and awareness for AIDS prevention in South Africa. We left school early on Thursday and traveled to a large theater that was filled to the brim with students from all over Gothenburg. We proceeded to meet five South African performers who were the center of the production. The students would be the chorus in the performance, so the meeting served as a practice as well as an information day. Most of the kids there had participated in this before, so my friends and I were among the few who really had no idea what was going on. We did a lot of standing and clapping and singing and dancing to African music and listening to motivational speakers and such. So. Much. Singing. It was exhausting, but it was definitely fulfilling.

This Friday was National Cinnamon Bun Day! Another reason why I love Sweden :) Like I said earlier, fika is a big part of Swedish culture. Fika is typically accompanied with a sweet treat of some sort, so fairly recently the Swedish government made a national day for one of our favorites - cinnamon buns. Everywhere you go, there will be the smell of cinnamon buns and just about every cafe and store will be baking them, making your mouth water. Everyone is eating them and may even go to someone's house for a small gathering in honor of the heavenly treat. My class (not because of the day) got out close to three hours early because the teacher of my last class was absent. So I went with three friends to a restaurant for a leisurely lunch followed by a trip around the mall and some cinnamon buns. After I got home, my family went to a friend's house where several people were gathering to enjoy each other's company. There I ate still more cinnamon buns. I feel like the USA needs to lighten up a bit and enjoy a day of happiness rolled in a bun. I dunno, just a thought!