Valborg

Valborg is a public holiday in Sweden celebrated on the last of April, and I believe it is taken as a "Labor Day" of sorts. May 1, the next day, is a labor holiday pretty much everywhere in Europe and also a day for labor groups to demonstrate. The celebration traditions in Sweden vary by city, but just about every city has a large gathering on the evening of April 30 with a bonfire. I was originally a little disappointed that after weeks of talking to the others about attending the student festival in Uppsala, I ended up here in Linköping. But, I got to experience the holiday a little better without the party atmosphere and spend time with my corridor mates, so it worked out extremely well.

In Linköping, the bonfire takes place at the waterlocks, along the river just south of the central station. I didn't even know that there were waterlocks in Linköping prior to Thursday night, and I'll be sure to go back at some point because it was probably the most beautiful part of the city. The bonfire was actually lit on a barge in the river, but it was small and there were so many people around we couldn't really get very close. Hence, I have no close-up picture of it, and when I tried from a distance there wasn't enough light outside for a good picture. There were some fireworks afterward to top off the evening, and downtown was hopping for the rest of the night. I should probably note that the days are getting eerily long... the fireworks were around 9:30 PM and it was still dusk; it was odd to see them against a day-ish sky. You could actually still see the light from the sun on the horizon.

Other than Valborg, the rest of the weekend has been a time for me to relax... and reflect a bit. My three and a half months or so here have been so fast-paced and hectic that I tend to forget what I'm actually here for. I originally had a vision of meeting other American students and roaming the continent. Neither happened, and this has been a better experience because of that. Just because I haven't visited ten countries doesn't mean I've done nothing... I mean, where else but Sweden could I have dogsledded in the Arctic? I guess what's most important is that I've learned more about myself and the rest of the world and matured as an individual.

As a newcomer, Ryd was an ideal place for me to live. If there is one thing, however, that could have made this experience better, it would be to have lived among students in the city (an option not necessarily available). Ryd is a bit offset and is kind of a students' "bubble." While this has been great from a social and logistical point of view, I could certainly have a better sense of Swedish/European life than I do at the moment. This has, however, opened my eyes to how the United States has influenced Europe so greatly. Student cultures in Europe and the USA are not terribly different with the internationalization of the current generation. While older Europeans and Americans are holding onto their cultural roots, I get a sense of homogenization when I look at the European students versus, say, UCONN students, and this is probably because of the influence of American pop culture in Europe. Celebrities in the US are celebrities here, and American music, movies, games, etc. abound. In the US, we rarely get any of these from Europe... save for, maybe, Abba. As a matter of fact, I have met some Swedish students from the Social Democratic Party of Sweden that traveled to the United States to help Barack Obama campaign and recruit members for the Social Democratic Party in the US.

I suppose that's all for now. I guess it's time I do some homework... and work a little more on my medical school essay?