My ten most favorite moments in Stockholm (in random order =D)

1. Hugging Hampen

After a long day of shopping Jenny and I went back (from IKEA) with a ton of stuff. Jenny decided to buy a rug called Hampen. The only good way to carry Hampen was by hugging it very tightly and so I wandered around Stockholm hugging a rug ;)

2. Naked Butt-guy

The first full day in Stockholm Jenny and I took a hike along the lake close to her house, where we were enjoying the view. On one side the beautiful lake and on the other….NAKED BUTT GUY!! The lake view was better, hehe. Sorry, no picture of naked butt-guy :p

3. East coast

On the train back from IKEA a young man and his grandmother were sitting on the Tunnelbana with us. Nothing special with that…only they were german and gossiping about us. Of course they didn’t know that Jenny is German and could hear every word they said. According to the young man we were American exchange students (hence all the IKEA stuff) from the east-coast so to hear, hehe!!

4. Synagogue

On Friday evening Jenny took me to a service in the Jewish Synagogue in Stockholm. Beforehand she made sure they knew I was coming (she gave them a heads-up through email), since they are very strict. And she prepared me by saying that the guards (!!!) would interrogate me for about 10 minutes about everything. So we arrive and all I say is: “I’m with her” (pointing at Jenny obviously, hehe). “Ok, have a good time” was the reply, gheghe!! Ow easy was that!! LOL

At the service I met Jenny’s friend Martin (from London). A very helpful man (with 9!! children). It took them both to make me keep up with the hymns =D

5. Morning swim

The second day of my visit Jenny and I dared to take a dive in the lake at about 9 in the morning =D, slightly colder than the pool that I usually go to, and so a great wake-up call!!

6. City Hall dock

Thursday and Friday were two wonderful bright days and both days I spent some time in the sun sitting at the City Hall dock. The view from the dock is beautiful and the warmth of the sound and the sound of the waves are very relaxing.

7. Fishing guy

An older man sitting at the City Hall dock catching his dinner =D The fish were very eager to bit and in the 25 minutes that Jenny and I were sitting next to him he caught about 5 fish. Must have been a nice dinner ;)

8. Chocoladkoppen

A small coffeehouse in the heart of Gamla Stan (the old city) situated at a small square. It was here, five years ago, that I tasted my first ever white hot chocolate!! And now I was back for more!!! Jenny and I enjoyed ourselves with a large white hot chocolate and a slice of white chocolate cheesecake, how indulgent!!!!

9. Skansen

Skansen is an open air museum and consist of many old Swedish houses and shops. Walking around there and seeing the old houses and the Scandinavian animals was wonderful.

10. Changing of the guards

My favorite pas time five years ago when I lived in Stockholm. The changing of the guards is just a big show, but fun to watch. During the summer they always have military bands playing during the ceremony, as was the case when I went to see it. Like coming home =D

Your lake is bigger than mine!

Today it was time to discover the area, so Jenny and I took a short walk to the lake. A very pretty lake as you can see on the pictures below. There we started the 'discussion' who's lake is bigger! And even though my like (ijsselmeer) looks bigger, we both agreed that her lake was bigger (since it stretches farther!! =D) After that it was shopping time, and with shopping I mean the supermarket! I just love foreign supermarkets, I can spent my whole day looking at all the foreign food and thinking what I could do with it.

The view from Jenny's apartment

Jenny's apartment

Disposing your garbage is very easy in Sweden, just throw it down the pipe!!!

And communal washing machines for the whole flat, just don't forget to reserve.

Hej Jenny!

Who's that crazy Dutch woman?!

Free ketchup and Wifi

I’ve always had a love hate relationship with Sweden. The first time I arrived here, back in 2005, I spent about 50 minutes looking for the elevator and by the time I got to my room and emailed my family, a 4 pm, it was pitch black dark. Not a very warm welcome, as was yesterday. My plane arrived 15 minutes late, because some person decided not to show up for the flight, and then I found out that my friend Jenny wasn’t going to arrive for another 2 and a half hours. So there I was at an empty airport. Luckily I found a McDonalds (Yeah..free Wifi!!!) and it was there that I got my first nice surprise..I totally forgot that so many things are better here, like free ketchup at McDonalds!! =D

After my friend’s arrival, at midnight, we finally started our journey to her house, but since it was so late some of the busses weren’t going anymore and so with a lot of asking we got from Arlanda to Märsta, from Märsta to Stockholm Centrum and from Stockholm Centrum to Hässelby. And all of that we did in no less than 5 and a half hours =s The bus that was hardest to find was the 198 to Hässelby. It took three bus drivers and two security guards =s to find that bus!! In the mean time, while waiting, I got asked out by a Moroccan guy from France, who was even willing to defy my boyfriend, hehe.

But besides all these things Sweden is still wonderful. At my arrival I witnessed a beautiful sunset and got an amazing view of the misty woods that are everywhere around here, so I think that I am still in love with Sweden.

Cribbing

So today I am browsing the internet and what do I find?! A dutch store (the Hema) has dedicated a whole site for students to cribbing!!! Can you believe that. Here I am enjoying a carefree and relaxed summer, which now I have to fill up with checking this site every day and cramming all the possible ways in which my students can fraud their tests!! Hurray for the internet!

Soft leaves of clouds whisper in my ear

telling me my love is dead

I listen to my heart...

...Broken

Flow

Life has a funny way of surprising you. When you really want something you won't get it and when you finally decide you can do without, faith steps onto your path.

I came up to a point that I decided I needed some flow in my life. The summer holidays were here and I felt like I finally could relax. I felt like I wanted a place in my house that showed who I was, a place where I can pin down my feelings, ideas and wishes. And so I made this beautiful pin-board. And of course it isn't complete, but that takes time, just like my life is still evolving.
Than I decided to plan my summer: things that I would do and things that I wouldn't do. My life felt at ease and for the first time in a long while I felt complete again. I didn't need more than just me, myself and I. And then there was faith, screwing my life up (in a nice way). Even though I have been telling all my friends and family that I wanted to stay on my own for a while I now find myself under the enchantment of the sweetest man I've ever known.

Grumpy

I have been in the weirdest mood for the last few days. Everything sucks! The weather, my clothes, my job, my friends and especially my mood. On top of that I had to study for a resit. Well guess what...?! That didn't happen. So not only do I feel very grumpy, but also majorly guilty for not studying. What is it in life that we inflict ourselves with these feelings, neatly fitting into a box. I am so sick of fitting in that box. Life is too short to be boring!!

So the first thing I'm going to do is to try and get out of this horrible grumpy mood. Don't yet know how, but I'm a clever girl, so I'm sure I'll figure it out.