Last (Australian) Exam

Today I had my last ever exam in Australia (assuming all goes according to plan); the only ones now are in Sweden.

So what did I do? Well, we went to the Lansdowne for cheap lunch and drinks, then proceeded to play Rock Band all afternoon, followed by more food and drink, this time at the delicious German restaurant Essen.

A rather fitting end, I would say, given the amount of German beer we’ve consumed over the past semester/year(s). And the amount of schnitzel we’ve consumed and Rock Band we’ve played, for that matter. Wow, we’re a creative bunch.

Jag talar inte svenska

I finally got around to booking flights to Sweden today, after much delaying and procrastinating. I’m kind of glad, though – my flight is pretty much perfect.

It’s on Thai Airways with only one stop (Bangkok) – pretty much everything else had two – and excellent timing. See, I move into my accommodation on January 16th, and I will get into Stockholm at 6am on that day, so can just wander up to Uppsala and say hello and move in right away! Also it leaves Melbourne at 4pm on the 15th, which seems a very reasonable time.

Pretty excited! (Just don’t ask how much it cost (thanks for the loan, Mum)(actually, just don’t tell Dad how much it cost)).

Täckning Saknas

Because I like both lists and music, here are two lists.

First, a list of excellent Swedish bands / artists I’ve been listening to, because I’m going to Sweden next year:

• Jens Lekman
• Acid House Kings
• Suburban Kids with Biblical Names
• El Perro del Mar
• Those Dancing Days
• Peter Bjorn & John

Okay, so this second one is rather on the, uh, short side, but here’s a list of Chilean bands, because I was going to Chile next year.

• Teleradio Donoso

So, does anybody know any other nice Swedish music?

(as seen on my Tumblr)

Eating Habits, or, No Más Español

Today was my last class of Spanish. Ever, as far as I know (I’m sure I’ll speak it in the future, but formal learning seems unlikely). It was also my exam, so probably not the most fun last class ever, but we did hang around and chat to Elena afterwards, which was nice. She’s very proud of us – apparently we’re an oddly excellent class – and gave us each a hug when saying goodbye. It’s kind of sad, knowing that everyone (I think) else in my class is off to a Spanish-speaking country next year, while I’m heading to Sweden. I mean, I’m super excited for Sweden, and I think I’ll really love it there, but at the same time, I’ve just spent two years learning Spanish, and for what? I guess I’ll just have to make sure I spend some time in Spanish-speaking countries in the nearish future.

On the other note, I think I really need to start having a proper breakfast each and every morning. I generally skip it in favour of some extra sleep, but it means that I often struggle to make it through to lunch, especially when I have something a bit stressful. Like a Spanish exam! It’s just that when I get hungry I tend to get irritable, and even a bit short. Which is not something I enjoy. Lizzie will vouch for this phenomenon; she used to joke that she needed to carry cookies around with her, just in case. Maybe I’ll find it easier now that I don’t have any, or many, 9 am starts, but I don’t know if that’s an adequate solution. Oh well.