~Anticipation~

The temperature is rising and the flowers are blooming! It's really starting to feel like Spring and Thank God it is, because winter weather gets a little depressing after a while. The snow is almost melted, so as long as the temp stays as it is or rises, I think everything will be much greener in a week or so! Even more exciting than that is that my boyfriend is coming to visit next week!!! He will be here for 2 weeks. I am soooooo excited and actually a little nervous to see him... it seems like it's been a year since the last time we were together. The first weekend he is here, we're going to Stockholm and the second weekend we will go to Amsterdam. It's going to be amazing. I can't wait to go to Anne Frank's House, Dam Square and the churches and take a canal boat ride, and everything. Hopefully we'll be able to see some of the beautiful gardens.

Ireland, Exams and Easter Weekend

Time for updates :D. It's Easter and in Sweden that means a 4 day weekend! Right after my last post I traveled to Ireland with some friends I met here. We flew into Dublin with RyanAir and then traveled to Limerick, back to Dublin, and the to Cork. Ireland is BEAUTIFUL, even at the end of winter. There was no snow and it was about 7 C there, so we were all really happy because it was sooo warm compared to Sweden. My favorite parts of the trip were 1.) Enjoying a real Guinness (or 10), 2.) Meeting new people, 3.) Visiting Blarney Castle, 4.) Eating new foods! (Irish Stew and Haggis), 5.) Taking the free Dublin Walking tour, 6.) Staying in very interesting Hostels, 7.) Taking the Jameson Whiskey Distillery tour and getting a free Whiskey tasting, 8.) Discovering my new favorite beer : Smithwicks, and 9.) going on my first Pub Crawl. As it was my first trip since I've been here, I learned a few things from it like 1.) Stay healthy: Get your rest, don't drink too much, and take lots of vitamins, 2.) Travel in small groups - like 3 or less so that everyone is sure to stick together and it's easier to compromise, 3.) Don't go to bars in touristy areas unless you want to spend twice your budget, 4.) Do NOT lose your phone... , 5.) Be thrifty and try to make your own food as much as possible, 6.) Pack wisely, and 7.) take a couple tours because they can be worth it. I would definitely go back to Ireland again. I loved the rolling hills and the cities were something out of a novel. It was just beautiful. If I could go back, I would go in Summer and see the Cliffs of Moher, Giant's Causeway, and Belfast. I would also probably go back to Limerick County. The people there are also very nice and helpful, but sometimes the bartenders and waiters aren't so sweet for some reason. I am going to assume it's just because they were overrun with St. Patrick's Day tourists.




This trip was also the first time I ever stayed in a hostel or flew with Ryan Air - that was interesting. I love hostels haha - they are so cheap and every one of them is different from the next. The first we stayed in was just a house and the second was like a huge hotel and our rooms had about 14 or more beds in them. We had to keep our luggage in a locker. haha The third hostel was like a labyrinth and it was not the cleanest by any means, and it was next to a very creepy cemetery... but I think it was my favorite haha. Ryan Air was a lot better than I expected, but one person I was with had to check her bag at the gate on our way back and it's like 30 eur. Soooo, now I know they are very strict about carry on luggage and if you want to say money you have to be very careful not to come with an oversized bag.



Last weekend I had my Swedish 1 Exam. At Örebro University, all the exams are anonymous so you go to an exam room and get a special number and a receipt at the end of the exam. Then, when the grades are posted you can pick up the exam with your receipt. This way, I guess they can ensure that everyone is graded fairly. I'm definitely anxious to see how I did!! I also started my lab work last week. I love that I finally get to do practical research, but it's really tough. I'm learning a lot about technique and standard testing procedures. I have to go to the lab everyday to take measurements. This weeked is an exception however, because of Easter!



On Sunday, a friend of mine hosted a potluck lunch at her place. There were about 20- 25 people there at one point and it was great! The weather was beautiful and so we could sit outside for the first time since we've been here. Everyone brought something and so we had tons of food. I'm still a little full from it today! Overall it was just a great time. I can't wait to do it again :D. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to everyone in June...