Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Last Day

Today was my official last day of my first year of graduate school in Sweden. I took my last exam and the second I turned it in a giant weight was lifted. I feel so free! I will still be taking more classes in the coming weeks/months but they are elective and specialized classes. The classes with my whole cohort are now over which also brings a touch of nostalgia, sadness and panic. I'm half way done with my program and it seems too fast!

I had to say some goodbyes today which are always hard for me. One of my classmates came to the exam with her suitcase and left for Tanzania after it was over, another is off for Estonia tomorrow morning and another leaves for Kuwait on Thursday. People are going and doing really interesting internships over the next several months and I'm excited to hear everyone's stories in the fall. But it's still hard to stay goodbye for now.

It's nice that not everyone is leaving at once. I'm taking another course starting next week and a few of my friends will also be there. In the mean time I will enjoy a few days break. I need to go get fingerprinted for a new visa, do a deep clean of my apartment, start thinking of how I'm going to pack for my own leaving and get some quality fika times in with friends before we all scatter.

On a separate note, one of the things I love about being in an international program is the opportunity to learn about different cultures and traditions. While I would say Cinco de Mayo is a loose holiday in the States I decided to claim it so I could eat some Mexican food. I had two friends over and made delicious carnitas (thanks Mom for the sauce!), guacamole and fried tortillas. And I made up a story of how the US partakes in Cinco de Mayo because we felt a kinship to Mexico when Puebla went against the odds and beat the French back in the 1860's and how we all believe is fighting for our rights and democracy. It was a moving portrayal of the connection of the US and Mexico. My audience was inspired. Good thing there are no Mexicans around to refute me.



1 comment:

Unknown said...

Mmmmmmm. I may have to eat some Mexican today. One day late, who cares!