Snö!

Geez, it is cold here! It has been below freezing for a few days straight now and there are about 2 inches of snow on the ground. It is actually snowing right now. I am all for winter because I love the holidays, snowboarding, and the coziness of inside, but only having a bike is extremely unfortunate and making me dislike winter right now. However, I do love the feeling of my nose hairs freezing…is that weird? 

Anyway, only 12 more days until I go back home and I am more than excited. I have thought about a couple more things that I’m definitely going to get when I’m back: Orbit spearmint gum, maple and brown sugar oatmeal, and wheat thins. 

Last week went by fast. Thesis work, tutoring, sold lottery tickets at the men’s game, practice, cleaning, substituting, and 2 WINS! The team did SO good and we beat the first place team. Now we are in 3^rd place, which is a perfect place to be going into the 2^nd part of the season. No stress, but confident to keep moving up. We have 2 more games before break. Home Saturday and away Sunday. 

It is totally Christmas time here. EVERYONE has candles/lights in their window, shops are selling glögg (spiced wine), gingerbread cookies, candy santas, and Julmust (holiday soda that tastes like captian and coke, which is awesome). I love advent calendars, but I refuse to buy myself one because that is just embarrassing. I’m waiting for my friend to buy me one. Assuming she actually does, I’m ok that it is a little late because then I can eat all the chocolates from the days that I’ve missed at once…don’t judge. 

My roommates and I had a holiday dinner the other night and it was really fun. We all contributed a small tradition from our country/family. I contributed Latkes to bring a little Hanukkah, Mel made a French dish that was like a croissant filled with goat cheese and jam that was awesome, and Hanne got her mom to send her Christmas crackers. They are these wrapped rolls that you and another person hold an end of and you pull and whoever gets the big part when it tears gets the present that is inside the roll. There are these paper crowns in the rolls also that we wore during the dinner to complete the tradition. 

I have been substituting a lot. I had P.E. the other day with 4^th graders and for the warm-up I told them to just run around and dance to music. I put on Gangnam Style and all of a sudden they all form into this “flash mob” looking formation and legit do the dance for the ENTIRE song. It was amazing. In another class I have been watching Wall-E. The joys of being a substitute. I am enjoying substituting more than I thought I would. If I end up staying in Sweden for another year, this school could be a way of supporting myself which would be so great. I have no idea what my plan is after I graduate in June. I should probably start to figure that out. Nahhhhh.