Sunny Sweden

The fine weather has been back for a few days now - I'm soaking it up while I can. People continue to remind me that winter is just around the corner and that surviving November here will takes a lot of strength (and schnapps).

I have a bike! He is called Rex and he is red and shiny and lovely but I must admit my bottom isn't quite used to this daily riding. I kept thinking to myself before I left for Sweden that I must go into training for the riding I knew I would be doing but I always seemed to have something better to do with my time. Well it's upon me now and I am surviving quite well. I have sussed out the bikepaths to get to my part of the university - Geocentrum - and it really is a very nice journey. The bikepaths here are wide and plentiful so riding is much less stressful than in Perth. I'm getting used to traffic going the opposite way to what I'm used to - Preethi and I keep saying that we are going to get cleaned up when we come home. This is also due to the fact that there are HEAPS of pedestrian crossings here, and the cars actually stop for you! Amazing.

I started university today. There are four people in my class, including me, which is a lot smaller than I was anticipating! There are two Swedes, a German and myself, and the lecturer is South African. I think I will need to do quite a lot of work but it definitely seems 'doable'. The exam goes for 5 HOURS. Yes, I have to write that in capitals. 5 HOURS! Think I'll need to take a packed lunch.

Have had some dramas with the postal service. Having opened a bank account last week, I was told that my card would be sent, and then the PIN would come a day or two later. However only the PIN arrived. Handy. After going into the bank I was told that the card had been returned to them as I was unknown at my address. Strange that all my other mail had found its way to me if that was the case. I saw the postie today as I had a parcel that wouldn't fit through the hole (so he rang my doorbell and I went and collected it from him) and he is an aging gent who looks not unlike the doc from 'back to the future'. Perhaps his eyesight is failing him. Or perhaps Marty had got himself in another scrape and delivering my bankcard wasn't as important. I'll never know.

Have been to systembolaget twice now since my last entry. I made the mistake of going in 15 minutes before closing on a Saturday (it is shut on Sunday) and don't plan on doing that again! 'twas quite hectic. We are certainly spoilt for choice and price in Australia with wine. Everything is more expensive than in Australia, but if you look around then you don't need to spend too much more. You just need to watch out for the old dears taking up the whole aisle with their zimmerframe whilst perusing the brandy section.

Thank goodness for the ABC - it's been keeping me up to date with with current affairs while I've been away. All the newspapers here seem to be in Swedish, and the only trashy mag I could find in english was filled with gossip of the big brother UK 'stars' which obviously wasn't terribly entertaining. I'm now relying on the internet to keep me informed on useless entertainment news, and ABC ListenLive to keep me informed with what's going on in the world.

Haven't yet sussed out how I'll be able to watch the AFL grand final. I know I can listen to Roy & HG over the net, but as for the visual I just don't know. I'm certainly not prepared to sign up to Bigpond, so if anyone knows how I can watch it for free, please let me know. Perhaps I need to befriend someone with payTV. Someone told me there is a pizzeria in town with it but I'm a tad reluctant to hang out at this pizzeria for a couple of hours, probably having to arm wrestle Italians who would rather the TV be tuned to the soccer or moto gp.

Am thinking of you all!

Conor
xx